On the remote Beara Peninsula in West Cork, Ireland, Edie and Johnny invite a group of old schoolfriends to reunite for a birthday and also to showcase the former convent school they have renovated into a luxury resort. However, as a storm builds outside, and the power goes out, dark events that marred all of their childhoods threaten to resurface… and there is a killer amongst them. I CONFESS is an intricate whodunnit, layered with flashbacks and disturbing reveals. Because of the ensemble of characters, and the jumping back and forth between past and present, it did take some concentration in the first part of the novel to get a sense of everyone involved, but ultimately, the plot is a good one. An atmospheric thriller. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Book left me wondering what did I just read !! The characters conversations were utterly ridiculous for adults and the in and our of rooms , back outside, now downstairs, over to the convent was mind boggling. Not sure who confessed but I confess I will not recommend this book.

This book was very entertaining. I like closed circle of friend groups, and they have secrets they don't share with each other. But, with a murder things start to surface. And one person in the group is a murderer.
I liked the writing, the plot and the pace of the book, which is all I expected. It delivered and I had a lot of fun following this mystery.
Thanks a lot to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was great.

I have never read anything by this author before and when I read the blurb, I thought it sounded fantastic and was really looking forward to reading the book.

I was not led down at all. It was a unique book, full of twists and turns and I cant wait to read more by the author

Loved previous Alex Barclay books but have to admit I struggled a bit with this book until about the last quarter of it. A group of friends gather at a newly refurbished inn to celebrate the launch of their friends’ new business venture and the birthday of one of the group. A violent storm develops and a body is found in the grounds of the property. All the friends share a traumatic event in their past but there are also secrets that exist between them. Not everyone is who they appear to be and the friends discover there is a murderer amongst them.
Many thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

The reuniting of old friends or family after many years in a remote setting followed by an act of violence is a mainstay of many a crime thriller which can be traced back to the glory days of the English country house mystery novels. Dark hidden secrets will be revealed and there is usually a storm causing communication problems. Elements of the above can be found in Alex Barclay's new gripping psychological thriller which shows how a traumatic past will always stay just under the surface.

Set in a remote corner of south west Ireland we find Edie and Johnny inviting a group of childhood friends to their recently renovated luxury hotel resort which was formerly the site of a convent and industrial school where the friends attended. The story alternates between a present and past narrative and from the latter we learn that for some this was a far from happy time and many secrets remain.

As the night progresses and the storm worsens it becomes clear that there is someone among them who is intent in ensuring that many of those present will not survive. This book had enough chills and twists to ensure that I became intent on reaching the end as soon as possible and I easily finished it within a couple of days. I must admit though that you do need at times to concentrate for there are a large number of characters across the timelines and at first I was slightly confused who was who, however once you get into the story it all becomes much clearer. There are of course a lot of psychological thrillers out there at the moment but if you like this genre then this is well worth a try.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, which I have enjoyed reading.
This is a very complex book about a group of friends who are reunited to celebrate one of their birthdays and to check out there old school, which has been converted to a hotel by two of them.
It is a wild stormy night and the electricity goes off and one by one people are dying. Who is the killer and why?
Highly recommended.

I Confess is the story of childhood friends Clare, Laura, Helen, Patrick, and Murph reuniting with Edie and Johnny to have a sneak peek at the former convent and industrial school that Johnny and Edie have renovated into a luxury resort and soon to be spa in their remote hometown in Ireland. When the weather turns ugly causing a power outage and a body is discovered, old secrets come to light.

This book is a lot lile a roller coaster. The first part of the book is like you're going up the big incline, building suspence and anticipation for the ride that is to come once you have reached the top. Then the last part of the book is as though you are suddenly rushing down hill through twists and turns and loops. Making it nearly impossible to put down.

The characters are well developed as we see each of them through flashbacks to their youth, and now as 46 year olds. The author builds the suspense by using the semi isolated setting and the weather with the power outage. The chapters are laid out in such a way that it makes you want to keep reading to see what happens next amongst the friends as secrets are unveiled that you never see coming.

On a personal note, as a full time wheelchair user, I appreciate the research that the author did to make Helen, diagnosed with MS and a wheelchair user, authentic in both her care she needs, the descriptions of making the resort wheelchair accessible and what those accommodations are, and her feelings about her diagnosis. Its nice to see characters with disabilities portrayed authentically.

My thanks to Harper Collins UK, NetGalley, and Alex Barclay for gifting me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first read by Alex Barclay and when a friend recommended that I read it, I was intrigued, safe to say I wasn’t disappointed, I could not put this book down and I have to admit she was right, this book was so up my street!!!

Set in a rural town called Beara in Cork, Edie and Johnny have just moved back from California having bought the local convent that they planned to renovate into a luxury 5 star hotel. They invite their childhood friends for dinner to celebrate their long time friend Helen’s birthday. Laura, Patrick, Murph, Claire and Helen arrive and are wowed by the place, settled down to dinner, the electrics go and they are thrown into darkness…. Things go awry after that with them all reminiscing both good and bad about their past, but your past can sometimes catch up with you!!!! The body of the electrician, Terry Hyland is discovered under tarp outside and the night spirals from there….. who dunnit?

The story is told both in the present and from each of the characters in the past which gives you an insight into their own personal pasts and secrets….. this will certainly be a night none of them will forget!!!

This was a belter of a read, I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved the banter between them, as my friend says “everybody could do with a bit of Murph in their lives”, I loved his character… a gripping thriller of a read which I will definitely be recommending.

I enjoyed this novel very much. The characters were extremely well drawn and sympathetic, and the story line was seamless. Highly reccomend this excellent book.

Bleak psychological thriller set in an old convent on a piece of remote Irish coastline. Seven friends invited by the new owners Edie and Johnny get together.

A slow start to the book, and I was never gripped, then having to labour through many time switches, and keeping track of the rather shallow characters.

Sorry, not for me and I did not finish it.

This one wasn’t for me at all.

Looking at reviews on GoodReads it does seem to be a bit of a marmite book, being either loved or hated. For me, I can’t quite say I hate it, but I just didn’t find it interesting at all. It was so dull! I couldn’t keep track of who anyone was, not due to a complex script, but just down to boredom.

My first Alex Barclay, and looks likely to be my last.

This is a cracking thriller, with all the marks of a true bestseller. Great plot that builds skilfully, with excellent characters. I really enjoyed this book.

A good thriller, well written with a well developed story line, dark and twisty, full of suspense with extremely good characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I Confess by Alex Barclay 🖤
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Admittedly, when I first read the blurb of this book I thought it sounded good but also similar to a couple of other books I’d read recently. Namely, Sleep by CL Taylor and An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena, both amazing books. However, this story had so much more. It was a surprisingly unique and suspenseful story. I loved it. The story alternates between a group of Friends now as they are reunited with one another and their pasts, which dredged up some really sorrowful and tragic tales. Absolutely fantastic story. Highly recommend xx
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I have been waiting and dreaming about a perfect thriller. This is hands down the absolute best thriller I have read in MONTHS! Page turning, edge of your seat, read until you eyes blur, amazing read!

This book confused me a little at the start as I tried to keep the seven characters straight in my head. It didn't take me long to realise who was who and then the story gripped me. A few twists and turns along the way and the plot tied up nicely. I guessed who the perpetrator was but not all of the other twists, shown via flashbacks, that explained why the adult characters acted the way they did.

This is my first Alex Barclay book and I requested it based on all of the social media coverage it has received over the past few weeks, and I am so glad that I did.

Edie and Johnny are from a small town called Beara in the southwest of Ireland. Having relocated back from the States, they buy the old convent/industrial school in the town and do it up as a five star hotel/leisure resort. They invite their lifelong friends, Helen, Clare, Laura, Patrick and Murph, over for dinner to celebrate Helen's birthday. With a storm raging outside, the electricity goes plunging the room into darkness and little by little, long held secrets come out into the light...

What an absolute cracker of a read. It is set in Ireland, where I'm from, so instantly I knew I would like it from the get go! I also knew this book was going to be amazing from all the fantastic social media coverage and reviews it has received up to and around the publication date (22 August last). It is a read so full of surprises, twists, turns and brilliant characters, who we meet as 11 year olds, 16 year olds and later as 46 year old adults, that you can't help but become attached to them and understand their connection to and bond with each other. Murph though was my favourite and I think everyone should have a Murph in their life - that Irish wit was brilliant and had me laughing out loud on my commute. Having said that, actions of other characters in the book also had me gasping aloud on the commute as the story took turns I truly didn't see coming.

I can't give this book any less than five stars as I read it in 2 days, went through a gamut of emotions from empathy, sympathy, shock, revulsion, sadness and total lolz, it is a fantastic read and I highly recommend reading it as soon as possible, if you can. 5/5*

This is my first book by Alex Barclay and is a standalone psychological thriller featuring Pilgrim Point a fictional place in a remote part of West Cork
Edie and Johnny left West Cork for San Francisco long ago making their fortune investing in real estate. An opportunity arises to renovate an old property near their original homes in Cork transforming it into luxury accommodation for paying customers Dylan their teenage son comes with them to the Beara Peninsula.
Before the grand opening Edie and Johnny invite friends to reunite to look back on their lives …the good …the bad… and the ugly.
Laura, Murph, Claire, Patrick and Helen arrive admiring the work Edie and Johnny have put into the place. The reader is given an insight into their pasts as the evening progresses with secrets emerging. The tension builds the weather and the light deteriorate and then a body is discovered.
The plot was very detailed, in the end coming together like a jigsaw with the lies and deceit revealed.
This was so gripping and held my interest throughout. I loved it and would recommend.