Juliet has returned to the Isle o Wight from years abroad to visit her sick father and be reunited with her sisters - Cassie, a professional musician who seems to have lost her way in life. Mira, who is profoundly deaf, is married to the local vicar, but their relationship is falling apart. Rosalind, glamorous and charming but deeply unhappy and secretive. As Juliet's father lies dying, he warns her that there is a killer on the loose, and they may be closer than she thinks. Days later, at 1am, a man walks out of Rhys's church and is knocked down by an unidentified driver. Suspicion soon points to Juliet.

This is a gripping, steady paced and twist filled read. It's a well written whodunit where nearly everyone is a suspect. I was hooked from the first chapter, needing to find out exactly what was going on. I was hooked from the first chapter, needing to find out what was going on. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, something was revealed to make me change my mind. I did eventually get it right, but not until nearer the end. I've been to the Isle of Wight a couple of times and the author describes it perfectly. This book held my attention throughout.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #MaryGrand for my ARC of #Thesland in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book, it was fast-paced, intriguing, and mysterious.
All the threads connecting the various murders/deaths came together nicely in the end and I was pleased as it often happens some questions are left unanswered.
The characters were mysterious and interesting, everyone seemed to hide something, big or small, and this added to the mystery of a good whodunnit book.
The only thing I would change are the many hints and clues scattered around the book, for me by the end it was quite obvious who the culprit was... although this can also be due to the fact that I read so many thrillers, I might pick many things up that other readers wouldn't.

Many thank to NetGallery and the publisher for sending an ARC of this book in exchange fir an honest review.

Smoothly written, interesting, even, but I abandoned it halfway in. The mysterious parts were all looking reasonably predictable, but I just wasn’t invested enough in the characters to want to even find out if I was wrong. Kept wanting to stop reading it, and finally gave up the third time I found myself struggling to pick it up.

This is a brilliant mystery/who-dunnit that will keep you turning the pages as mysteries deepen and the finger of suspicion points at just about everyone in Juliet’s family at some point, and its mainly Juliet who harbours the suspicions. There are more twists and turns than a cork-screw in this book, just when you think you might have guessed who the perpetrator is, Juliet uncovers more evidence to cast doubt on what she thinks may have happened.

I’m not even going to attempt to go into the plot, mainly for fear of letting something slip. It kept me reading late into the night. I’m someone who can normally easily put down a book once I’ve reached the end of a chapter. However, this one seemed to have chapters that always ended on some kind of cliffhanger or huge clue, so I would find myself reading a few lines from the next chapter only to end up carrying on through to the next. It’s that kind of book.

Juliets family is a complicated one. After their father’s sudden death, sisters who thought they knew each other inside out suddenly become secretive and it’s the secrecy, along with her Father’s death-bed warning that makes Juliet begin to wonder about her family.

I loved the setting. Set on the Isle-of-Wight with descriptions of walks along the beach, the quietness out of season and the bustle of tourists once the season gets going, the author has painted a picture of the beauty of the island but also the eeriness of hidden away places and the ever changing weather – very atmospheric.

I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend to anyone who likes to curl up with a good mystery.


*Review to be posted to my blog on publication date.*

I really enjoyed it! The ending wasn't easily guessed. The storyline kept my attention. The characters were interesting as well. I think the fact that it takes place on an island adds mystique to the book.

I’m afraid this was a bust for me. The author’s heavy-handed clues had me figuring out the major plot twists right off the bat, and some were so blindingly obvious that I couldn’t suspend my disbelief that the lead character, Juliet, wasn’t picking up on them the very second I did. The characters were all constantly flip-flopping from ‘happy families’ to thoroughly unlikeable from one minute to the next, and Juliet was a terrible amateur detective, fumbling and bumbling her way through. Emotions were oddly portrayed — grief over losing their father/husband was casually written into the plot except for a random paragraph where one of them wept momentarily, but otherwise the loss seemed to be easily swept under the carpet to advance the storyline. This was probably a casualty of trying to write a suspense novel while opening with the sudden death of a parent/husband and incorporating a tangle of family secrets, but it left me feeling unsympathetic to the family involved.

As a side point, please heavily edit this before publishing. The grammatical errors were too numerous to recount.

Apologies for the scathing but honest review, but thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a great read. It follows the journey of Juliet as she comes home to the Island for her dads funeral, murders past and present and all that happens afterwards. It is a great paced thriller that keeps you guessing!

Well this was a slow starter for me, it took me a while to get into the story, however, when I did I was rather intrigued by what was going to happen.

This book was a decent read, it had suspense, action, drama, and lots of plot twists and turns! I did enjoy reading this book but it was just an ok read for me! Nothing really jumped out at me and there weren't any heart pounding moments for me?! But as I said it was a decent read! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

While I did enjoy this book, please someone correct the grammar. The author used pronouns incorrectly repeated,y. She said her instead of she repeatedly as well as me instead of I, he, etc. it was so common that it truly got in the way of me enjoying the book. Please edit before publication.

I must thank Netgalley, Mary Grand, & Boldwood Books Ltd for the advance digital copy of The Island, in exchange for my honest review. I haven't read this author before & I knew nothing about the Isle of Wight.
What a juicy family drama involving multiple murders, all on the Isle of Wight. The author had me smelling the ocean, feeling the sand, & wishing I could be on the beach.
There are four sisters, the mother & even a female dog, Everyone seems to lie, have secrets and the island's small community can't wait to gossip,
Juliet is the main character, returning home to her fathers deathbed. While trying to solve an old murder& unravel his deathbed warning, she's a very persistent, nosy meddler. Everyone is a suspect, even her own family. There were surprising revelations that blindsided me, couldn't wait to see how it all concluded. Great read!

Juliet is a young woman who returns to her home on the Isle of Wight after her father’s tragic accident. She arrives just in time to hear his last words and they leave her with more questions than answers. He hints of a past murder, warns her to be careful, and asks her to look after her mother and sisters, saying she is the strong one.

He also tells her he informed the local vicar Rhys who happens to be married to Juliet’s sister, Mira.
She soon discovers her three sisters, Cassie, Mira, and Rosalind, along with their mother, are keeping secrets. And Rhys’s unusual message at the funeral leaves Juliet with even more questions.
But before she can question him, he’s killed by a hit-and-run driver.

Who killed Rhys? And was it only coincidence that it happened on the twenty-first anniversary of another hit and run killing on the island? Despite her family’s wishes that she leave it alone, Juliet begins to investigate.

Grand weaved in enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing the killer’s identity. While I did figure it out, it wasn’t until near the end of the book, which is a plus for me. The author also did a wonderful job at describing the island which puts the reader in the middle of the action.

There were several instances of word echoes, otherwise, I would have rated this five stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story focuses on Juliet who is returning to the Isle of Wight after working in China for a few years. Her father has been in a car accident and is gravely ill in hospital so she’s hoping to get to see him before it’s too late. Juliet’s dad is drifting in and out of consciousness when she arrives, but he recognises her and then says a few strange things to her.

Juliet’s sisters – Cassie, Rosalind, and Mira – all seem to have secrets of their own, but they are all devastated when their father dies. A few days later, Mira’s husband (who is the local vicar) is coming out of his church in the early hours of the morning when he’s involved in an accident. Add this to the things Juliet’s dad said to her, and it’s looking like there might be a killer in the family.

I couldn’t put this book down, it really had me hooked and I had no idea who the perpetrator was. I kept changing my mind every time something happened!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

A book full of secrets and mystery. I found myself enthralled in this story. This is a book that once I picked up, it totally consumed me. I ended up reading it in one evening as I was so absorbed by what was in front of me and I had to see how everything was going to end… An absolute must-read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Set on the lovely Isle of Wight, this book drips with atmosphere, village mentality and domestic tension. The twists keep coming as secrets bubble to the surface. Objects go missing. And then there's murder.

Juilet reunites with her mom and three sisters Cassie, Mira and Rosalind after working away from home. Her dad is very sick but tells her something alarming and confusing. Naturally, she is compelled to act on his message. After his death his wife is distraught and daughters are awash with grief and each deals with it in her own way. At first Mira turns to her husband, the vicar. Juliet finds comfort in her friend Gabriel. The other sisters have a bit more complex relationships. In some ways this is an arms-length family though in others they are close. But their lies pile higher and higher and suspicions arise. Not only that but villagers know each other's business in five minutes flat. Life becomes dangerous.

Thriller and mystery readers ought to read this suspenseful book. It is not gritty or graphic and really quite riveting. I hope to read more by Mary Grand!

My sincere thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this arresting book.

What’s it like to live on the lovely Isle of Wight? The summer beach tourists come and go, but you get to remain on this small bit of paradise. You can enjoy the stunning views of cliffs and ocean and take pleasure in the village life. But what if your family harbors secrets and what if there have been too many puzzling murders?

“The Island” by Mary Grand is her second psychological/domestic thriller. “The House Party” also took place on the Isle of Wight. “The Island” is a separate, stand-alone story. But it still contains all the best of Mary Grand- her ability to create believable, yet flawed, characters, her attention to presenting a vivid feeling of place, and her storytelling skills that build the fear and suspense. “The Island- where everyone knows everyone, and secrets are impossible to keep…”

Juliet is a young adult who returns to her family home and her 3 sisters and mother on the Isle of Wight. Their father and husband is on his death bed and he tries to tell Juliet of some dark secrets. Juliet feels it is her duty to look into these allegations. As she interacts with her family and friends, Juliet realizes that some secrets are deadly, and go back over 20 years. Not only that, but hideous threats hang over Juliet, her sisters, and their mother.

Actually, most of the secrets would have been possible to keep- if Juliet hadn’t been so persevering. Her mother, her three sisters, her sister’s husband, and even Juliet’s husband all have secrets that they will not reveal. But Juliet keeps on digging and questioning to find the horrible truth.

And readers, you will be glued to this story and your heart will race. You will feel as if you are right there with Juliet, as she walks the beaches and cliffs, and ponders all the clues. It is hard to be a wife, a sister, a young woman seeking her place in the world. And secrets don’t help.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance review copy. This is my honest review.
#blogtour

This was very good. So many secrets so many twists. Couldn't put it down. I haven't heard of this author before but will be keeping an eye out for her work again

#TheIsland #NetGalley
Intresting read.
Juliet has returned to the Isle of Wight from years abroad to visit her sick father and to be reunited with her three sisters – Cassie, a professional musician who seems to have lost her way in life, Mira, who is profoundly deaf, is married to the local vicar but their relationship is falling apart, and Rosalind, glamorous and charming but now deeply unhappy and secretive about her life. As Juliet’s father lies dying, he issues her with a warning. There is a killer on the loose, and they may be closer than she can ever imagine. He anxiously tells Juliet that he confided a family secret in son-in-law Rhys, and now regrets ever saying a word.Days later, as the clock strikes one in the morning, a man comes out of Rhys’s church, walks along the path and is run down by a car driven by an unidentified person. When the finger of suspicion points to Juliet, she realises the only way to clear her name is to uncover the secrets her family has been keeping from her for years. But with a killer on the loose
I adored it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me an advanced copy.

This book full of secrets will grab you from the first page! I honestly didn't think I was going to get into this book as much as I did! But it held up! I enjoyed following this characters story and the writing is top notch!
Really enjoyed this new and up coming book!