Though she is best known as an actor this is Krysten Ritter’s second book, Retreat, is fast paced psychological thriller that takes the story of a con and sticks it into a Mexican backdrop. Unlike her previous book this is credited as written with Lindsay Jamieson. The two look to be a great pair and deliver a narrative that moves quickly without feeling like I’d heard it all before.
Liz Dawson is a charismatic con artist who navigates elite social circles, moving from job to job and helps to par the rich from their possessions. We meet her in the middle of breaking into a house and feeling like she needs a change, and then when Isabelle Beresford, a glamorous and obscenely rich socialite, offers Liz a job installing art at her luxurious villa she sees it as an excellent exit strategy.
The plot works well and as the story moves forward there’s a distinct feeling of dread. The pacing is builds tension through a series of scenes that gives the book a kind of cinematic vibe, which Is maybe not surprising given the background of Ritter.
Retreat is an interesting exploration of identity and morality with a fascinating anti hero for a modern audience, sassy, resourceful, and of course deeply flawed. Her backstory starts as a mystery but is filled in as we go along and the decision to set the book in a first person narrative helps to let you see things from her perspective as we learn more about her and how she got to where she is now.
The book is filled with plot twists and for those of us who read lots some did feel a little predictable, and a few coincidences did stretch credulity a little, but these are minor quibbles as Retreat is about the story moving forward and the characters. This could easily fall into the “rich people behaving badly” subgenre but doesn’t and it’s a thriller that isn’t as throwaway as so many “celebrity” written books can be .
In Retreat, Krysten Ritter and Lindsay Jamieson deliver a rollercoaster of intrigue, identity, and betrayal, and their writing partnership could be the start of a great thriller writing team.

I’ve seen Krysten Ritter in many TV shows and have always enjoyed her work, I like the slight comedic timing in the darkest of her roles. Naturally, I was curious to see if her book would carry that same comic touch or if it was just the well-written parts she played.
After reading Retreat, it's clear that Ritter either has an instinctive witty side or has learned a lot from her roles. This dark humour makes Liz an engaging and interesting narrator, despite her being a con artist.
The novel follows Liz Dawson, as she successfully moves from one con to another. confidently navigating monied and celebrity circles. However, Liz is getting weary of her lifestyle, plus one of her previous cons looks as though it may be catching up with her. When Liz is given the opportunity to oversee an art installation at a luxurious villa on the Mexican Coast, she sees this as an opportunity to escape and maybe make a new, honest life. However, when Liz is mistaken for her new boss, a wealthy socialite, she effortlessly slips into her glamourous life. As Liz gets deeper into her new glittering life, she discovers that all that glitters is definitely not gold. Before long, she realises that her attempt to escape her past has put her in greater danger.
I found Liz to be a compelling character because she is smart, sassy, and wily, making it enjoyable to watch her outwit others. Despite her morally questionable actions, her vulnerability and the tough experiences from her past made her interesting and appealing.
The plot is well-paced and tightly plotted, with absorbing episodes that ramp up intrigue and drama. Some of the wealthy characters are clichés, but in a way that adds to the enjoyment as the reader can relish disliking them! The novel's strengths lie in its gripping narrative, which I could hear in Krysten Ritter’s distinctive voice, and its acute observations of the privileged elite.
Overall, it’s a fun escapist novel with lots of twists and turns, but you will have forgotten most of it within a few days.

This was definitely a very suspensful and intense read, it had me hooked right away and I couldn't put it down.

I’ll admit, I wanted to read this because I love Ritter as an actress. I wanted to see if she could turn her creativity to another medium.

Liz is a con artist. Determined to get the most out of life by taking from the rich. She’s not bad at this line of work but as this book starts off, her buffer in life is getting smaller as her tricks catch up with her. But that’s not the biggest of her worries. That’s…. 🤐🤐🤐

This is a complex thriller with so many strands and subterfuge at play. The majority of this story is told by Liz, my con artist but late on I got a different voice and oh my that put a twist on things. There wasn’t a climax per se but getting this new narrative put a spin on matters that I’d been left perplexed with.

I can see Ritter’s experience both sides of the camera coming into play with this novel. It pans out like a series that I’d get hooked on would. Will definitely be getting Bonfire to the top of my reading pile asap!

Retreat is the kind of book that made me wish I'd been on a holiday when I was reading it. A luscious Mexican jungle-by-the-beach setting, luxurious everything - food, clothing, art, architecture, rich people drama, money schemes, female friendships (or, rather, "gossipships") and a con artist trying to escape the hustle: it had it all and I wished I had my toes in the sand and a cocktail in my hand hand as I was flipping the pages and making my way through this fast-paced adventure of crime, identity, escape and survival.

The setup is straightforward: it is a dreary winter in Chicago and con artist Liz has exhausted yet another city, using up all the opportunities for theft and scamming and burning many bridges along the way, ready to escape and start all over again. New name(s), new look, new city. But fatigue is creeping in and Liz finds herself wishing to escape her life of constant hustling rather than just another place and its wealthy people. As she's working her final con, the perfect opportunity falls into her lap: an acquaintance of her current mark is looking to hire someone to set up a piece of art in her Mexican vacation home. Before she knows it, Liz is on her way, sitting in first class and ready to finally relax and leave the life of swindling behind her.

But not everything goes quite according to plan - which, granted, even Liz herself admits she doesn't truly have, improvising and trusting her intuitions rather than meticulously mapping out her next steps. What would have been a few days to take a breath and figure out what's next turns into one final grift: taking over Isabelle Beresford's identity in Mexico, maybe putting on the clothes she has sent to her vacation home but definitely nothing more than that. And then, in quick succession, several revelations that weave a tapestry rich in new mysteries and dangers. Money laundering from the mafia? A cheating husband? A murder? Scrap that, a double murder? Before she knows it, our protagonist is realising a little too late, a little too slowly that she may have been a mark of someone else's scheming instead.

Krysten Ritter and co-author's Lindsay Jamieson's prose is straightforward, no-fuss and mostly free from literary devices. Even foreshadowing is kept to a minimum and the reader's deductive mind is put to work very minimally, not dropping too many crumbs (although the final twist is rather easy to figure out). This is the kind of writing that doesn't drain much brain energy and would likely be most enjoyed by occasional readers and those looking for a book to relax rather than to fully engage. I could also quickly picture how this story could easily be turned into a mini-series for TV (and secretly hope it does, eventually).

While the majority of the story unfolds from Liz's point of view, there is a change in POV when the twist at the end of the novel occurs, throwing readers for a loop and pushing them into a different character's head during an action-packed scene, a smart and enthralling way to recapture our attention and highlight the bigger, hidden con along the way.
The main literary observation made is the change in narrative voice in the epilogue, mirroring the prologue, when the writing switches from first to second voice, as though to underline the moral of the story: deception of others, ultimately, is self-deception which shakes the core of who we are, leaving us with a big question mark where the 'I' should be.

3.75 out of 5 with a footnote: this is a recommended read for those who are not habitual thriller readers or are ok with figuring out the twist before it actually happens. A great, easy and rather short beach read for the summer!

"You've been told you're beautiful - usually by those who want something from you - but you've also been called out for every little imperfection, torn down to nothing, piece by piece. Because when people look at you, what they see is a reflection of themselves."

Retreat by Krysten Ritter is a fast-paced, twisty thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. Liz, a skilled con artist, takes a job at a luxury villa in Mexico, hoping to lay low. But when she’s mistaken for the wealthy homeowner, she slips into a life of glamour—until secrets start to unravel, and danger follows.
I loved the mix of suspense, drama, and rich-people chaos. Liz is a flawed yet fascinating character, and while she makes questionable choices, I couldn’t help but root for her. The setting was beautifully described, adding to the intrigue. Some twists were predictable, but the story was still entertaining. The pacing was a bit uneven, but the final reveals made up for it. I also appreciated the open-ended conclusion—it left me thinking long after I finished. Overall, a fun, thrilling read that fans of morally gray characters will enjoy!
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

Liz is a serial con artist and one day meets Isabelle Beresford, the wealthy owner of a villa in Mexico. Isabelle offers Liz a job installing art in the home and Liz can’t resist, wanting a chance to reset. Only Liz looks a lot like Isabelle and finds herself slipping into her identity, but who is Isabelle Beresford really?

I really liked the premise of this one, as i enjoyed those based around mistaken identity and in luxurious settings. I enjoyed the holiday atmosphere, however I found something in the overall story missing. For some reason I struggled to connect to the storyline and the characters, possibly because I found it all rather generic and predictable. Although this wasn’t my favourite thriller, it would make for an easy beach read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

i love a good book like this. one that is dark and dripping with all the stuff we should despise and morally say "nope your in the wrong you shouldnt be doing that" but because its a delicious kind of escape( you know because its a fiction book ) we can then just love it a little. and love how disturbed it can get. and often how the character is a wrong_en but we love following them along for the ride.
this book follows Liz. whos own life as a con artist is becoming a bit tricky. shes getting the sense she not quite outsmarting in the way she should. and is a bit worried things are coming back round to nip nip at her heels. so when a rich and luxurious job comes along why wouldnt she say no. Isabelle wants her to go to her villa in the elite and expensive community and watch over an art installation. but of course this is Liz. and are some people just addictive to menace or what? yes would the answer where liz is involved. so of course when she gets mistaken for Isabelle why wouldnt she say yes. to be seen to live in this place. in this house. yeh why not. but not all is as lush as it seems. and perhaps her own life is a shade less dangerous than the one shes now moved into. oh dear. oh dear oh dear liz. from the frying pan into the fire is definitely one for you here.
yup, a brilliant book. fun. witty. jumpy and lush in its ability to be so very very rightly wrong.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this eCopy to review

I recently read "Retreat" by Krysten Ritter, and it was quite a thrilling ride!

The novel follows Liz Dawson, a clever and confident con artist who seamlessly navigates elite circles. Liz is hired by Isabelle Beresford, a wealthy socialite, to handle an art installation at her luxurious villa, Casa Esmerelda, on the Mexican coast. Liz sees this as an opportunity to escape her life of cons and start fresh. However, things take a dark turn when Liz is mistaken for Isabelle and effortlessly slips into her identity.

As Liz delves deeper into the dazzling yet deceptive world of the Punta Mita resort community, she uncovers dangerous secrets about Isabelle's life. The suspense builds as Liz realizes that the con she thought would be her escape might actually be the one that ends her.

Overall, "Retreat" is a thriller about identity and obsession, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked. If you enjoy dark, twisty thrillers with complex characters, this one is definitely worth a read!

Liz Dawson, a top-tier con artist effortlessly blends into elite circles. When offered a job on the Mexican coast, Liz sees it as an opportunity to escape her life of deceit. However, Liz can’t help finding the drama and the drama leads to murder.

The story kicks off as a con thriller, shifts into rich people behaving badly, spices things up with a little romance, and then circles back to the con game. The pace is brisk, though it slows during sexy time. Personally, I craved more murder, but that’s just a me thing!

Eventually, the pace speeds up and the reveals and twists are pretty jaw-dropping - hurling this thriller into the ‘must-read’ zone! This book kinda has it all and I had a really fun time!

Thanks to @Netgalley and
@littlebrownbookgroup_uk for access to this advanced readers copy

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for granting my request to read this e-ARC and provide my honest opinions.

Protagonists that we can't root for, aren't they the best? 😈 This was way, way darker than I expected. Multiple deaths 💀 Stolen identities 💀 Secrets that could kill 💀 Con woman whose time is running out fast 💀 Who can you really trust among people that aren't meant to be your friends? 💀

At some point I was even scared because nasty things went down in this book, things you can only know if you read the book!!

Thank you so much for the e-ARC.

As a fan of Ritter’s acting work, particularly “Jessica Jones” I had read her previous book “Bonfire” and enjoyed it so I was pleased to be approved for this review copy.

I enjoyed “Retreat”. It’s a fun, fast paced story with a few twists along the way. I did figure out most of the twists but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. Ritter’s writing is generally strong; the book held my attention and kept me wanting to read more. It had a nice flow to it.

I liked Liz as a character. She’s messy and flawed, there’s the whole pesky con artist thing, but she also tries desperately to fit in with the other women when she’s pretending to be Isabelle. She struck me as quite a lonely person really.

I enjoyed the openness of the ending, I love books that kind of leave some things up to the reader to decide.

It’s quite a short book and some sections could definitely have done with a few more pages given them to really flesh them out.

Overall, this was a fun and well written story.

This book started a little slow me for and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the main character. But as the book went on I learned to actually really like her and it was so nice to be inside a con artists head. I was absolutely floored at the twists in this book. I literally didn’t see part 3 of the book coming at all and it honestly made the final part of the book very tense and suspenseful because I just wanted to know everything!! The writing was so easy to follow and I really enjoyed this!

Krysten Ritter has once again proven her literary prowess, which is equally as wonderful as her acting skills! A tricky and suspenseful novel that will absolutely keep you on your toes!

I love stories about female con artists and Liz Dawson is a good character. She has a strong inner voice full of entertaining quips. It also reveals a lot about her. She’s considered clever, smooth, and confident, though I’m not sure all of these traits translated. Either way, she has personality and you cannot help but root for her even when she’s making frustrating decisions based on intense emotion. She’s only human after all, but where is the clever con artist I was promised? We don’t get to see much of Liz in her prime.

Ritter’s writing is simple, which isn’t a bad thing, but it ebbs and flows between between boring and intriguing. It keeps this up quite adamantly throughout. It does pull you into Liz’s world, though, into her new glamorous life. It did feel stressful living the deep con she was in, knowing all the ways it could and will go wrong from the very beginning as she wedges herself in deeper. But that’s what makes you want to read more. It keeps you hooked and you want to know: where is this going? That said, Liz doesn’t really go through much character development. She talks about wanting to stop running, to stop conning, to leave the Mexican coast, but she doesn’t do these things. She’s too drawn to the promise of a better life.

It’s been hard to put my finger on it, but I think the main problem with Retreat is that it doesn’t feel very exciting. It has its moments as the somewhat predictable twists and reveals come into focus, but there is something missing. The structure of the ending has its strengths and weaknesses, too, but talking about this would spoil the book so I’ll keep quiet on that one. Still, this is an average thriller and I did like reading it. I will keep reading Ritter’s novels for as long as she writes them.

This was a 3.5/5 for me. I really enjoyed it and it kept me hooked. I think the twist was great! I also loved the Mexican setting of the book as well. It's not my favourite in this genre but I think that people will really like it.

This was a really fun and interesting read! i finished it in one go and I could not put it down
Liz is a great character, well written and I loved reading the story as it developed

Retreat drops Liz Dawson us into the sandy beaches of Punta Mita, where she hopes to lay low. Liz isn’t exactly someone you’d want to be friends with. She’s self-centered, manipulative, and sees people as tools for her schemes. But credit where it’s due- she’s got loads of personality, and honestly, that’s what makes the story fun.

When Liz takes a job at a posh Mexican villa, she plans to behave for once. But then she’s mistaken for her employer, Isabelle, and instead of clearing things up, she plays someone else. What starts as a fun, stolen identity adventure quickly spirals into murder, secrets, and Liz soon realizes she might have conned her way into something she can’t handle.

Now, the twists are pretty predictable but I liked the setting and the atmosphere. And Liz herself. Sure, she’s a terrible person, but her snarky, no-filter narration keeps things interesting.

Retreat isn’t a must-read, but it’s a fun ride.

Oh this book was so much fun to read! I do love a good con story and Retreat is just one big twist and turn after another. A gorgeous setting in Mexico with the rich and beautiful added that extra charm to the story.

Despite what she was doing, I really liked the character of Liz. Yes she was doing some pretty awful things but I could help but want her to get away with it all. The people she was conning were not exactly very likeable after all. I didn’t see any of it coming, although thinking back now I should have!! This job in Mexico is the con of a lifetime and she needs all her tricks and games for it.

If you loved Krysten’s first book Bonfire, then you have to grab Retreat. It is a quick and easy read, very entertaining but quite dark and twisted.

Thanks so much to Little, Brown Book Group UK for my advanced copy to read from NetGalley. Publishes on March 25th.

Sensing her past is catching up with her con-woman Liz is looking for a way out. When one that really is too good to be true drops in her lap, an all-expenses paid holiday at the home of Isabelle and Oliver Beresford while they're on retreat and all she has to do in return is hang a painting, she jumps at the opportunity.

Yes, retreat isn't exactly original and the twist is pretty obvious, but reading along as Liz inhabits Isabelle's clothes, home and lifestyle, slowly falling into old habits and becoming her, all while missing the clues around her that she, an accomplished con-woman, is being manipulated in some way is fun. Sometimes that's all you want from a read. Not something that's deep and meaningful, but just enjoyably fun.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins and the author(s) for an advance copy.