If you're in the mood for a vicarious holiday - The Chateau is perfect. Set in France, during a (albeit quite terrifying) ski trip, this thriller had me hooked. I didn't like the characters in a personable way - but I wasn't meant to, which made it all the more enjoyable for me. And that ending! A highly addictive read.

I love that Catherine Cooper’s books involve France and skiing, they really set the scene and capture my imagination.

Aura and Nick together with their sons have run away to France to try and forget the terrible events that threatened to ruin their marriage and their livelihood. They have bought a run-down chateau which they are renovating and hope to run as a Bed & Breakfast business. A live-in nanny helps them look after their two beautiful little boys, oh and a film company is capturing all their movements for a TV series.

I actually read this book over 24 hours because I became so involved with the characters, none of whom I actually liked, except for the two little boys who I fell in love with. It has an excellent plot, which is intelligently told and when a murder takes place it made me suspect everyone. The way everything slots into place at the end is outstanding.

This is a multi-faceted story with lots of characters and lots going on over two separate timelines, so takes a little concentration, but the pay off is worth it!
Aura and Nick have moved to a run-down chateau with their young children Sorrell and Bay. Sounds idyllic, but as is often the case, everything is not quite as perfect as it seems! With strange things starting to happen at the chateau and the allusion to an incident back in London that was the reason for the move, the suspense is built really well. Then using both the present and past timelines, the story unfolds very well to a very interesting conclusion!
A definite page turner that kept me very intrigued!

I really enjoyed the chalet and I was thrilled to be approved to read this one on netgalley.

Another fantastic setting in France - including a sneaky ski trip too- a dark twisty thriller to tantalise your tastebuds!

The story starts in part one with Aura and Nick, young parents starting a life in France in their dilapidated chateau complete with a film crew filming their process.

Something happened back in London to cause their move, and as they try to move on they befriend the ex pats living locally and get invited to an eye opening party.

As the novel progresses to part two you go back to earlier in the year where the story starts to unfold. Told from multiple POV keeps turning story fresh and exciting. The topics covered are current to this day and age and Aura’s behaviour is quite shocking in some places.

The story hits an almighty crescendo in part three where everything becomes clear with some clever twists which I didn’t see coming until the last moment. One in particular was very clever and heartbreaking at the same time.

Another fantastic read with lots of suspense and drama. I loved it and am keenly awaiting a third!

I really enjoyed Catherine’s debut novel, The Chalet, when I read it last year so I was very much looking forward to this follow up, and I can tell you it didn’t disappoint.

The story is a dual timeline, narrated by a married couple, Aura and Nick, who have just purchased a ramshackle chateau in France to renovate. I’d say ‘happily married,’ except that wouldn’t be accurate. They have moved to France after some issues in the UK, the nature of which are gradually revealed through Nick’s narration of the past timeline and their marriage still seems a little shaky, or certainly it looks that way to Aura who is the narrator of the present tense timeline.

As well as the issues in their marriage, they have all the difficulties of integrating into a new community in a new country, and things are certainly a lot livelier and more interesting that a person might imagine life in a quiet rural area of France to be! There are plenty of surprising revelations gradually fed through the story in both the past and present timelines to keep the reader on the edge of their seat throughout.

The characters in the book are drawn in a very interesting way, because none of them are particularly likeable. This is quite a brave step by the author, because it is quite easy to lose the readers if you don’t love any of the characters, but she has given us enough intrigue to keep us hooked regardless. I had no idea really where the story was going, I didn’t see the ending coming and I think the denouement was a surprising and left field step by the author which really worked for me.

All in all, a gripping and entertaining thriller which will delight readers who enjoyed the author’s first book and new readers alike. Highly recommended.

This gripped me right from the beginning, was such an easy read, plenty to keep me gripped throughout, didn’t predict the ending which is always a great book in my mind. Thankyou

An enjoyable and twisty tale with some seriously unpleasant characters. I enjoyed the structure of the book which started off going one way and then went a different way and finally a third way! I didn't guess the ending and was surprised by one or two of the developments along the way. Recommended.

This is the story which shows you how moving to France to escape. Living in a Chateau and relying on an expat community for advice is not living the dream. Aura and Nick and 2 boys seem to have everything but a Halloween party murder brings their new life tumbling down.
This story starts at a good pace setting the scene and characters in France but then the middle of the book becomes a bit bogged down with so much back story and other characters who are so dislikable. There is a good twist at the end which may make your wait worthwhile.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. Harper Fiction for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Chateau’ by Catherine Cooper in exchange for an honest review.

‘The Chateau’ is Catherine Cooper’s second thriller following last year’s highly successful ‘The Chalet’.

The Prologue kicks off with a murder at a lavish Halloween party held at the fairytale-like Chateau Amaryllis. We then flash back to September.

Aura and Nick Dorian have left their old lives behind and moved from London to Mozène, France with their two young children. They have purchased a run down chateau and have plans to renovate it and open a chambres d’hôtes. A film crew is with them shooting for ‘French Fancy’, a show about Brits undertaking renovation projects in France.

Nick and Aura are in a rocky place with respect to their marriage. They are not the most likeable characters: Aura is a New Age flake and Nick moans about everything.

They meet helpful members of the local ex-pat community though a few unsettling things occur at the chateau. So what happened back in London to make them leave? In Part 2 the story moves back to London ten months earlier and this is revealed. There are a few other point of view chapters including some ominous fragments. Of course, there is also the mystery of the Halloween party body and others.

While some aspects of the plot were a bit bonkers, there was no doubt that ‘The Chateau’ was extremely entertaining. I also felt that Catherine Cooper did well in creating the atmosphere of rural France and the insular British ex-pat community.

In addition, she took the plot in unexpected directions. All domestic noirs/psychological thrillers have twists but I have to admit that ‘The Chateau’ left me stunned.

So, well done! I look forward to more thrillers from the bold pen of Catherine Cooper.

I LOVED The Chalet by this author and couldn't wait for this one.
I'm afraid I was disappointed.
I already know I struggle to like a book if I dislike the characters, and wow, there were unlikeable characters in SPADES! Stupid decisions, and their actions were so bad that it amazed me!
There were some good twists, but the period of the book that was set on the school trip frustrated me so much, I wish it had gone back to The Chateau sooner.
I'm glad I continued to read as the story finished well, but the middle of the book just let it down for me.

A good thriller, though to me wasn’t as enjoyable as the writer’s previous book “The Chalet”.

The setting was richly described but I struggled to like any of the characters - it isn’t a necessity for me, but I find it does help if there is at least one person I can feel empathy for.

I must thank the publisher who invited me to read this book and Netgalley for providing a copy. This is my unpaid unbiased review.

This was good and I loved the twists which were unexpected, the characters went so well in the location. Well written and keeps you locked into the story.

Having loved the chalet by this author I was looking forward to
This. It is a great thriller with lots of twists and turns set in what you would imagine to be an idyllic chateau in the French countryside although all isn’t as it seems and there are lots of deep and dark secrets hidden between the surface. This is a parallel storyline with current events being intertwined with events from
The past. This was
An engaging read.

With The Chateau Catherine Cooper has produced another really pacy, twisty read.

The story is set in France where Nick & Aura have bought a Chateau to do up but really they're escaping their lives & pasts in London. The action goes back & forth between France now & London in the recent past, slowly revealing the events that have led them to uproot their lives. I thought I had it all figured out but the twists kept coming as the story was revealed. The ending had me with a satisfied grin on my face as certain characters revealed their motives & some got the ending they deserved.

This would make a great holiday read as its got lots of chapter breaks, moves quickly & is full of action.

Catherine Cooper has written another cracking piece of fiction set in the southern French region of Mozène. Nick and Aura live in London and decide to take a rustic chateau in need of renovation. Their marriage is on the rocks and they are hoping for a fresh start after something happened in England that they don't mention. The couple have two children, Bay and Sorrel, both very young lads, and the chateau was bought from a windfall; money Aura inherited. They have ambitious plans for their property and the couple quickly make friends finding the ex-pat community welcoming. That is until they are guests at an extravagant party held at the turreted Chateau Amaryllis for Halloween and someone dies, found by a waitress...

The story is presented across dual timelines: around the time of the family's move to France, but then also to a point a few months earlier when Aura and Nick were still in London. The author uses various protagonists to provide the narrative and succeeds in giving each a creditable voice.

The setting was fantastic and richly described in all its beauty. With plenty of chilling notes, dodgy incidents and unexplained occurrences, my attention never wavered. Even though few of the characters were really likeable and one or two downright deplorable, they were all excellently drawn and developed and were perfect in their roles. I was blind-sided many times with misdirection, twists and seemingly innocuous details. The Chateau was a wildly entertaining and mesmerising tale with brilliant pacing and a delicious ending and I'm sure you'll want to keep turning the pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HarperCollins via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I mostly enjoyed reading this book. I feel it started well, I loved the setting, and the mysterious death at a Halloween party. But as the story progressed the focus shifted to past events and an inappropriate relationship (no spoilers). I didn't enjoy these characters, I found it rather predictable and frustrating to read. With a cast of unlikable characters it was difficult to find anyone to root for but it did keep me interested enough to want to find out what happened in the end. I enjoyed this authors previous book The Chalet much more.

So many unlikeable characters but makes for an interesting read.
Nick and Aura buy a run down Chateau in France after an indiscretion at the school Nick works at which forces him to resign.
There with their two boys they start working on the Chateau followed by a camera crew who are filming for a documentary.
Their marriage is crumbling and Aura has some very weird ideas about how to bring up her boys. Most of the time Aura dumps them on the nanny Helen who is backpacking around France.
There are two plots here running parallel.
Plenty of drama and spooky goings on.
Generally I did enjoy this although not as much as The Chalet.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC in return for an honest review

The Chateau is the story of Aura and Nick who have just arrived in France to start a new life with their children in their newly purchased Chateau. It does need a hell of a lot of work and renovation though to get it to the point where they can run it as a B&B for tourists. Not only do they have all that to get on with but they understandably want to start to get to know the local expat community. Not long after they arrive strange happenings start in their home, lights randomly turning on in the middle of the night, music playing in the early hours of the morning, and dead animals appearing in the house. But do they deserve it?? Has someone discovered their dark secret? As the story goes on tensions and stress levels rise as Nick and Aura try to keep the secret of why they really left the UK. And when a neighbour is murdered at an expat party the couple don't know who they can trust any more.
I have previously read and really enjoyed The Chalet by Catherine Cooper so when I spotted The Chateau I couldn't not jump at the chance to read it. I love this author's writing style and story telling so I was predictably gripped from the very beginning of the book. There are quite a number of characters in the book but they are so distinct that it's easy to keep track of who is who which was great. Each character has a sort of dark side which made me want to keep reading to discover what it was. I think it's brilliant how the author has written the book in a way that it sort of pushes readers down a path with regards to our feelings about certain characters but then in the next part it would completely flip that and I'd end up doubting and being suspicious of them. So I never had a chance to guess what the ending or the twist would be. And that's what I want from a thriller.
The Chateau is another fantastic book by Catherine Cooper and I can't wait to read more from her in the future.

The Chateau is the story of a family who sold up their home in London and bought a property in France, in serious need of repair. We learn from Aura, wife and dedicated mother, that the decision to move was taken following a misdemeanor by husband and secondary school teacher Nick requiring a fresh start. The expat community in the area are very welcoming and helpful, suggesting local agencies that can provide live-in help for almost no cost. Aura applied to a television production company to have their transformation filmed as a warts-and-all style of documentary to provide additional income.

There is clearly some tension in their marriage but the new environment and circle of friends provides Aura and Nick a platform to move on; will the new project make or break their relationship?

The Chateau is full of interesting and suspicious characters whose interactions all keep the story moving along at a good pace. The plot is cleverly unraveled and perfectly resolved.

Last year I read and loved The Chalet by the same author so I was very excited to read this one. Excited and also a bit apprehensive , would it be as good or would I be a bit disappointed. Well I needn’t have worried as The Chateau was another excellent read. From the very start I was hooked on the story and loved the two settings , what went on in England and the current setting at the chateau in France. A book that I would highly recommend.