This book left me guessing as was not sure where it was going and who would be found guilty. Great writing and will read more by this author.

I really enjoyed this, I would definately recommend giving it a read.i found the characters believable and the story was very good.

The Chalet by Catherine Cooper turned out to be an entertaining, fast-paced mystery. Told through alternating timelines and narrators, it is a story about a ski accident that occurred in 1998 and the effects that it had on a group of people 2 decades later. Will and his brother, Adam, went on a ski trip to the French Alps. Only 1 brother left the mountains. What happened to the other 1?

This was a clever mystery that kept me on my toes with so many questions running through my mind. With 1 timeline set in 1998 and another in 2020, I kept trying to guess the connection between the 2. The author went a step further and threw in an anonymous narrator with a complete different timeline. My mind was running wild with assumptions. I found myself thinking about the story and trying to guess the connections even when I was not reading the book. The reveal was brilliant!

The character development is this story was quite well done. I totally despised some of the characters, empathized with others and even liked some. They weren’t too many to get the story muddled up and the way they were crafted ensured that they all stood out in a way.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. I had to pause a couple of times to Google words such as Salopetes and spent quite a bit of time looking at images of luxurious chalets. Overall, my experience with this book was simply brilliant.

Thoroughly enjoyable and very readable novel. A whodunnit and why they dunnit set on a ski resort. There were some great twists and a fairly satisfying outcome.

The Chalet was a book I honestly approached with some trepidation - perhaps the cover design I was offered when my request to read the advance copy thanks to NetGalley was the cause. It seemed to have the potential to be yet another average, formulaic, churned out crime thriller....
But boy, was I wrong!
The story centres around a luxury chalet in an Alpine ski resort which corporate business pair Ria and Hugo have booked trying to hook some potential clients. (As I said - this seemed to have all the makings of formulaic and predictable mystery writing...). Yet this is not your usual who dunnit - arguably, it embraces the nuance of flashback and a backstory about which we do not initially know much about. The hook here rests on the event of a body being found and identified as someone who went missing twenty years prior. To follow, Cooper then embroils us in a world of ifs, buts and maybes, as the narrative shifts all four guests into the frame of guilt and out of it again. It's clever, at times subtle, and thoroughly engaging storytelling. Now, I am not stating here that this is not a novel which does not follow the tried and tested structures and conventions of the crime thriller genre, It very much does in many facets of the storytelling. Yet, it's the nuances, the three dimensional nature of characters and the unexpected outcomes that set this debut apart from others. In quick succession, I read both this and Foley's The Guest List, and where i found Foley's novel to be wanting in depth and over zealous in the use of sex or stereotype; Cooper succeeded with that little bit more nuance and care about believability or connection between reader and protagonist.

This then is what I would review to be well-written, accompanied by a disrupted narrative structure which neatly battles back and forth between the varying viewpoints of the characters. I was hooked from the first section I read. Cooper utlilises mystery, but also a brevity in description which has power in allowing us to make more instantaneous connections to the characters. Not knowing who to trust, who to revere or who to despise was an engaging point of the characterisation from start to finish. I moved from empathy, to distrust, to mild hatred or irritation, and often came back, full circle, to empathy again for a few of the protagonists who tell this tale. A well drawn thriller that won't disappoint if you're wanting something with readability alongside page turning engagement.

The Chalet is a dual timeline story set in the ski resort of La Madiere in France. The main characters were all quite unpleasant, but in spite of that I enjoyed reading it. There were plenty of twists and turns and red herrings. I thought the setting was very atmospheric and easy to visualise. The descriptions of the deteriorating weather, which meant the characters were confined to an increasingly claustrophobic chalet, worked well.

It's an ok book. A bit "meh" as it feels like domestic thrillers I have read before in the past.

The writing is good, the setting and the idea sounds intriguing. And yet... and yet, I had issues almost from the get-go, but thought I was being too harsh. No characters are likeable (not a big issue. I like reading books with flawed and complex characters), the tension was lacking and there's nothing in here that made me excited/eager to keep turning to pages to find out what's going to happen next and solve the mystery of what happened.

It is a while since I’ve read a twisty whodunnit, but the alpine setting of Catherine Cooper’s thrilling debut was so appealing that I couldn’t resist. Two, not particularly likeable, self-absorbed couples find themselves snow-bound in a luxury chalet. However, when a body is found, secrets are uncovered and cracks in their relationships appear.

This is a dual timeline novel that flips back and forth over twenty years. There are a number of unexpected turns but also one major one that spins everything the reader thinks they know on its head. It’s a quick, enjoyable read, although the plot relies fairly heavily on coincidence, but the descriptions of the mountain setting make up for any weakness in the storyline.

As someone who learned to ski as a challenge for my fortieth birthday, the description of how it feels to be an adult learner were spot on. The fear of everything – the cable cars, the tows, the mountains. How clumsy all the kit feels – the boots, the skis, the poles, the layers upon layers of clothing. The tears! Cooper writes this brilliantly. A solid debut, and fast-paced, escapist read.

I haven’t enjoyed. A book this good for ages

Different to what I normally read with a great twist keeps you guessing for quite a while

Excellent read on a cold chilly day

Will be looking out for this author again

Highly recommended

I quite enjoyed The Chalet as an easy, somewhat shallow read that didn't take a lot of brain power to get through. The pacing was okay, though it did lack any real conflict or shocking twist in my opinion, and the characterisation was pretty good, though I didn't really root for any of the characters apart from the child. A few of the characters seemed extraneous and several plotpoints didn't lead anywhere so the book could have been shortened without jeopardising the plot. Overall, I enjoyed the prose enough to finish it quickly and the ending was satisfying so I'd recommend it to others and read more by this author.

3.5* rounded up.

"The Chalet" is a story of an unfortunate holiday in a ski resort during which two people get lost in a snow. Then twenty years later, a group of people visits the same resort and from the very beginning the reader knows these two plots are somehow connected. There are unpleasant characters, characters who hide their secrets, and there is a growing tension in a luxurious chalet which (as we all know) can only finish badly. The book itself however lacked enough tension and a likeable character to rut for. It was a pleasant enough read but the story sadly did not deliver. However, I enjoy a setting of the story and its quick pace.

Skis, snow, and suspense make “The Chalet” a superb mystery thriller!

I loved this story! The author did an amazing job of writing the tale! The story shifts focus between multiple perspectives, timelines, and plots that keep the reader on their toes. Moreover, the author narrates one storyline from the perspective of an unknown person. This process made the story entertaining because the particular storyline feels disconnected from the plot. But the author nicely connects all the pieces perfectly towards the end in a satisfying manner.

Moreover, the author tells the story in such a compelling manner. The dialogues are simple, and the characters are intriguing. Similarly, there are quite a few twists and turns that truly shocked me and how they connected to the other timelines. At the same time, I also figured out who was plotting against the characters before the revel.

All the characters feel like they are hiding something, but we don’t know what that is. If I had to choose, I liked Hugo and Louisa the best. Their storylines and perspectives were interesting. Some characters are just there as red herrings but add nicely to the background.

I hope the author continues to write more books of this genre because I loved reading this book! Overall, read “The Chalet” if you are in the mood for a gripping mystery thriller.

I enjoy this book. I was looking for something to read and this caught my eye and I'm glad I did read it.

An ok read. I did not find the characters very likeable and so this book was hard going for me. The scenery and chalet sounded beautiful.

I have mixed feelings about this book, there were times when I enjoyed it and times when I felt I was going nowhere with it. There's little to like about any of the characters and this perhaps partly explains why I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected to. I also felt that the story-line was a bit too far fetched, with too many coincidences. Overall I was disappointed.

A fascinating page turner fulls of twists, I did not want to put it down! I loved the writing style and how each chapter left me wanting more!

Set in a luxury ski resort in France, sets the scene for this story of revenge to unravel itself in the most clever way.
The story starts off in 1998, with two brothers and their girlfriends on holiday together. An awful storm kicks in and the brothers decide to go ahead and ski regardless. They book a guide to accompany them but even so, the trip takes a massive turn for the worst.
We then jump to 2020, where two couples are holidaying in the very same resort, two of which are connected to the accident that happened back in 1998.
Dark secrets and clever formed plans make for the perfect suspense thriller.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very atmospheric, therefore enabling me to escape to the La Madière resort.
The characters were so well written, but I have to admit that I disliked most of them. The plot unravels slowly and we get to explore more of the characters, one of which I was really moved by and found myself in tears.
I loved the ending and i got the vibes of “tales of the unexpected”. I would love to see a second book as the ending was left open for one in my opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this exciting book.

In 1998, brothers Adam and Will go on a skiing holiday with their girlfriends and attempt an off-piste route with an official guide. The weather is not suitable for skiing and the guide shoots off ahead of them following a challenge by a colleague. One of the brothers does not make it back to the chalet.

The story jumps to 2020 when business Hugo and his wife Ria arrange a weeks stay at the ski resort with Simon and his wife Cass to try to encourage them to invest in their business. When a body turns up, believed to the brother lost in 1998 more secrets start to unravel..

There is also a side story of a young girl who is in and out of foster care because of her moms mental health issues. What connection does this girl have with the people staying at the ski resort now?

The tale is told by the perspective of Adam, Will, Hugo, Ria and the mystery girl and to begin with there is no apparent connection between them but as time goes on, you start to realise that Ria is hiding a secret and the mystery girl has a plan. A good read with unexpected twists.

Sadly not my favourite book, probably my fault for not reading the ‘blurb’ so not quite what I expected. Don’t like to leave negative feedback, sorry

Lovely cover, almost chick lit looking but it's a MURDER!

Two timelines at the exclusive French ski resort; 1998 and 2020. In 1998 two brothers are enjoying the skiing when a storm hits and only one returns to the chalet. His brother is missing, but who was to blame, the guides or were they just irresponsible and out to impress?

Present day 2020, the resort is now really upmarket, a luxury retreat for the rich! Four friends are at the same resort and all seem to have some connection to the missing brother. Which one of them really knows what happened that day? Whilst there a body is found after an avalanche - will the truth now be uncovered?

A good racy thriller; you as the reader feel part of the holiday, loving the fine dining and champagne, but all is not as it seems. A good read and I look forward to reading more by Catherine Cooper but I am not ready to take up skiing!