Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Millie Partridge desperately needs a party. So, when her (handsome and charming) ex-colleague Nick invites her to a Hebridean Island for New Year's Eve, she books her ticket North.
But things go wrong the moment the ferry drops her off. The stately home is more down at heel than Downton Abbey. Nick hasn't arrived yet. And the other revellers? Politely, they aren't exactly who she would have pictured Nick would be friends with.
Worse still, an old acquaintance from Millie's past has been invited, too. Penny Maybury. Millie and Nick's old colleague. Somebody Millie would rather have forgotten about. Somebody, in fact, that Millie has been trying very hard to forget.
Waking up on New Year's Eve, Penny is missing. A tragic accident? Or something more sinister? With a storm washing in from the Atlantic, nobody will be able reach the group before they find out.
One thing is for sure - they're going to see in the new year with a bang.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

I’m afraid I didn’t enjoy this one as it read more like an Agatha Christie book and I got throughly bored with it. At least it was fairly short so I didn’t take long to finish it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

After experiencing a terrible year, Millie is determined to start the New Year off on a more positive footing. Things seem to be looking up when she receives an invitation to a fancy New Year’s party, held in a grand property on a remote Scottish island. The invite comes from a former colleague Nock that she has always had a crush on, which allows her to hope that her New Year may be off to a promising start. However, things start to go wrong on her journey.

Millie passes the scene of a fatal accident on the way to the bait that is transporting her to the island, and things continue to spiral from there. Nick hasn’t arrived yet, and the group that are assembled seem to be a random collection of people, apart from one - Penny. A figure from Millie’s past, that she thought would remain in the past. Things continue to spiral, with Penny going missing the next day under mysterious circumstances and the mystery deepens.

Who has gathered this group on the island, and why? What do they plan to do with them, and will anyone make it off of the island alive? In a group of strangers, can anyone truly be trusted?

I enjoyed this story - it rattled along at a good pace and wasn’t dragged out too much, which is a common problem with this type of story. I thought the characters were interesting - no one was made out to be entirely good or bad, many of them were shown to be a bit unpleasant which made the story a bit more interesting in my view - you could understand why they had been lured to the island! Overall, a good 3.5 star read with shades of Then There Were None.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Millie has had a rough year, so when she gets an invitation from an old flame to spend New Year on a Hebridean island she jumps at the chance. However, things don't go well before she even gets there. She is shaken up to witness a fatal car accident & when she reaches the house it is not exactly what she is expecting. The other guests seem odd & meeting Penny, an ex-workmate with whom she had history with doesn't help. Things don't improve. The food is awful. One of the guests insists he's booked it as a solitary retreat. Next morning he witnesses Penny throwing herself off a cliff. As things go from bad to worse & various folk meet their maker one wonders who will be the last one standing!

This follows the concept of Agatha Christie's, "Then There Were None" but lacks the suspense somehow. I never really engaged with the characters & the reveal felt forced. I wanted to read this book because of its setting & the time of year, but really it could have been at any time in any isolated spot. I persevered to the end but overall it was a disappointing read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I haven’t read any other books from this author and didn’t know what to expect, but I was intrigued by the blurb. It actually turned out to be a real treat. I liked the slightly ironic writing style, the dark and sinister setting of a remote Scottish island and a crew of quirky but realistic characters. The plot was definitely a homage to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, which did give away the main twist unfortunately. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will look to read others by Sofia Slater.

If you like gory murder whodunnits set on remote Scottish Islands then this is for you. I enjoyed it, I hadn't quite worked out who was behind the killings so I just went along for the ride. I've read one too many with this same setting to give it five stars but nevertheless it was a good read, with plenty of suspense. #netgalley #auldacquaintance

Sadly this never arrived on my kindle and not is archived I cannot redownload. so I am unable to leave a review

A pretty good murder mystery, people brought to a spooky house, cut off from the outside world and being bumped off one by one. Though there is an obvious nod to Agatha Christie, though this is lighter in tone. I guessed “who dunnit”, though the ending left me feeling somewhat disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

EXCERPT: It wasn't Nick sitting with a magazine on the shabby tartan sofa in the next room. My heart, which had been fluttering with expectation, began pounding with dread. I took a step back, hoping to get away, though I knew I couldn't. Nestled innocently between the sofa cushions, gently illuminated by the firelight, was someone I didn't want to see at all. Someone I'd been avoiding for a year. Someone I'd hoped never to see again.

ABOUT 'AULD ACQUAINTANCE': Millie Partridge desperately needs a party. So, when her (handsome and charming) ex-colleague Nick invites her to a Hebridean Island for New Year's Eve, she books her ticket North.

But things go wrong the moment the ferry drops her off. The stately home is more down at heel than Downton Abbey. Nick hasn't arrived yet. And the other revellers? Politely, they aren't exactly who she would have pictured Nick would be friends with.

Worse still, an old acquaintance from Millie's past has been invited, too. Penny Maybury. Millie and Nick's old colleague. Somebody Millie would rather have forgotten about. Somebody, in fact, that Millie has been trying very hard to forget.

Waking up on New Year's Eve, Penny is missing. A tragic accident? Or something more sinister? With a storm washing in from the Atlantic, nobody will be able reach the group before they find out.

One thing is for sure - they're going to see in the new year with a bang.

MY THOUGHTS: I loved this tense, atmospheric page turner of a 'locked room mystery'; or, in this case, an isolated Hebridean island. Using the same format as the reknowned Christie novel 'And Then There Were None', which I must admit is not one of my favourites, Slater had me eagerly flipping the pages in this short - a little less than 300 pages - but riveting story. And yes, I have rated Auld Acquaintance higher than the Christie. I enjoyed it more.

The setting is a remote and isolated island; 'a resentful rock' easily cut off from the world in bad weather, just as they are having this New Year. It is a character in its own right.

Millie has been invited to the Island party by an ex-boyfriend she is hopeful of resuming her relationship with. But when she arrives on the Island, Nick is not there. Cut off by a storm, two other guests dead en-route, Millie becomes uneasy. Winston, one of the other guests, a lawyer scares her and she doesn't trust him. She is shocked to find Penny, a quiet, mousey ex-work colleague is also among the guests, along with a glamorous but prickly influencer Bella, and her handsome but somewhat profligate partner, Ravi. Then there's James, who doesn't really seem to fit in anywhere, and their hostess Mrs Flyte, a rather peculiar woman not inclined to answer the questions of her guests - particularly the questions about the source of this booking. They were all invited - but by whom? And why?

I honestly didn't know who to suspect. The author ramps up the tension in a creepy old house in an isolated location with a mixed bag of guests who initially seem to have no connection, nothing in common. Throughout the story, I had no idea who was behind the killings, or why, no matter how much I wracked my brain.

Cleverly written and a fun read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#AuldAcquiantance #NetGalley

I: @_swiftpress

T: @_SwiftPress

#contemporaryfiction #murdermystery #scottishnoir

THE AUTHOR: Sofia Slater was raised in the American West, and lived in France, Scotland and Oxford before settling in London. As well as writing fiction, she translates from French and Spanish. Auld Acquaintance is her debut novel.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Swift Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Auld Acquaintance by Sofia Slater for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com.

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Millie Partridge is both intrigued & happy when she is invited by ex-colleague Nick as his 'plus-one' to a New Year's Eve party on an island in the Hebrides. She's always had a bit of a crush on Nick & wonders if this is his way of reciprocating. On the ferry over however, there seems to be three other guests, a young couple & a man about Millie's age on his own, but no Nick. When they reach the island, the house is in a state of disrepair, & the elderly woman who owns it says that there are currently only six guests counting the new arrivals but more may join them in the morning.

The next morning, the weather has turned & it's clear that no ferries will be running from the mainland so it will just be the six of them: Millie, James (a pharmacist), Winston, (lawyer), Ravi & Bella (young couple, Bella is a social media influencer), & an old colleague of Millie's, Penny. Millie is disappointed that Nick won't be there, but James seems interesting. If only things weren't so awkward between her & Penny. Millie contacts Nick to find out what happened to him, but he says he didn't send her the invite as he's celebrating New Year with his girlfriend at home. As this news sinks in, Winston rushes in to say that he just saw Penny jump from the cliffs. Why would she jump? Can Millie trust Winston? Or any of the other guests? Stuck on the island with no hope of rescue, Millie's misgivings give way to terror as they start to be picked off one by one.

This is a murder mystery very much in the style of And Then There Were None - guests on a remote island, cut off from the outside world, with a killer in their midst. The 'locked room mystery' is a difficult subgenre to make a mark in, there are so many books with the same theme now that a book's really got to have something different to stand out. Although this doesn't really stand out, for a debut book it has its good points & shows plenty of promise for future releases. It kept my attention well, & it has pace & one or two twists.

The characters lack depth though, & it was easy to work out who was behind it. I also think it could have been more atmospheric, ratcheted up the tension more. I was also left unsure as to whether Nick was involved in some way or whether his vague comment over the telephone was just a coincidence. I don't feel that that was really answered satisfactorily. I'd have to rate this one 2.5 (rounded up).

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Swift Press, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

A very atmospheric mystery and a perfect New Year read!

Millie is thrilled to hear from her ex-colleague Nick and is thrilled with his party invitation to a bash on a Hebridean island on New Year's eve. With her tickets booked, she is eager to find out who else is going to be there. When the ferry arrives at the isle, it soon becomes obvious that it's not exactly what she expected - the mansion is pretty run down and the 'staff'not exactly plentiful. While there is no sign of Nick yet, an old adversary of Millie's is there; Penny Maybury is someone she really would rather not have met up with again. When Penny goes missing the next morning, things take a sinister turn - and that's only the beginning!

This isn't the first 'island party mystery' I've read, but it is certainly the hardest one to work out! The information is fed drip by drip and the waters got muddier by the minute! I tied myself in knots trying to work out who did what to whom, and was still nowhere near being right. Creepy and addictive, this one kept me hooked to the very last. A terrific read and one which easily earns a full house of stars!

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

I was really looking forward to this; a creepy baronial hall on a remote Scottish island at Hogmanay & an unexpected party invitation. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations perhaps because this premise has been done so many times before or the book just hasn’t quite found it’s place - falling between pastiche & cosy crime.

Millie is in need of a break, when she gets invited to spend New Year on the Hebridean island of Osay. The invite is from an old work colleague, Nick, & when she eventually arrives at the ‘hall’ another ex-colleague is there too, one she hoped never to see again.
Along the lines of ‘And Then There Were None’, guests are gradually killed & their background stories/ connections revealed. Also added in to the mix are a storm, limited communications & an old housekeeper.

It didn’t take me long to guess the perpetrator. That being said it isn’t a bad read, it’s just I wanted a gripping whodunnit & I ended up with a limp handshake.
If you’re new to the crime genre or just want a light read, then this is for you. A solid debut.

Seven characters in search of a plot. In the only house on the Hebridean Island of Orsay, an assorted bunch of strangers are quickly becoming disillusioned. Enticed, lured, invited to a New Year’s party in a Baronial Mansion, they find an elderly, drunk housekeeper, no other staff, not a lot of food, no return ferry for four days, and a major storm brewing. On the plus side, there is a cupboard full of Whisky.
The narrator, Millie, used to work for “Flight of Fancy” a bird welfare charity, which collapsed a year ago. Unemployed and lonely, she had received an invitation by e-mail from a former colleague (and hoped for love interest), Nick, who had also lost his job when the company folded. When she gets there, however, Nick is not present, nor expected. The other guests, the house is supposedly an hotel, are: James, a pharmacist (and part-time drug dealer); Winston, a Lawyer; Bella B, an Influencer; Ravi, a Money Manager; Penny, former worker at the Bird charity and now unemployed. Penny and Millie have ‘history’ and are not pleased to see each other. Initially it seems that there is no connection between the parties, but it rapidly becomes clear that they are all linked to the charity in some way. As were two other people, the founders of the charity, who were on the way when they died in a car crash.
Early on New Year’s Eve, Winston rushes in to inform the others that he has just seen Penny jump off a cliff, which they confirm by looking over the edge and seeing her body splayed out on the rocks and being washed by the tide. They phone the police on the land line (isolated island no mobile reception) but they cannot come over because of the weather (and the holiday). Later the landline will also go done. And then, one by one, the others are murdered.
Anyone with even a minimal acquaintance of the genre will recognise the story, and almost certainly work out the who and the why, so no real twist to the ending. So for this to be a successful story it has to be above average in the other elements. The writing is good, which helps, but it could have been more suspenseful, more atmospheric. However, it does move quite quickly which helps the reader to skate over problems. More importantly, although people in mystery/thriller stories frequently behave irrationally under stress, they shouldn’t do so at other times. These characters are educated professionals so I just can’t see why they would have been foolish enough to come on this trip. It is the author’s job to show me why they would and I don’t think she does. For example, Millie hasn’t had any contact with Nick since the collapse months ago, but she not only leaps at the offer (romantic thoughts might do that) in an e-mail in November, but doesn’t seem to have made any other contact (phone call, offer of shared travelling, etc) over the ensuing weeks. I’m not impressed but, on the other hand, I recently reviewed another book in the mystery house murders category (2*) and this is a lot better than that, so it gets a 3 (2.5 rounded up).
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I went into this with high expectations as I love mystery novels with this sort of premise. The concept is always an intriguing one and I was excited to see what the author would bring to this type of story. Unfortunately, I didn’t really enjoy it. I was engaged enough by the opening to plough on, but I think it really struggled once the main character and narrator, Millie, got to the island for the party.

The writing style is what I would describe as being flowery; there are a lot of extra words, some things are over-described in my opinion, and sometimes slips into archaic turns of phrase. I also thought a lot of the dialogue felt stilted and unnatural. As the book headed towards its denouement this began to turn very over-the-top and dramatic.

The characters were odd, too; some of them felt like cardboard cut-outs, others felt cartoonish. There was no real depth to any of them, though, not even Millie. They weren’t even really stock characters of a book like this, either. They all felt flat, and it was hard to get a grip on them. I think one of the main issues with this book was it felt like the author was trying too hard to keep secrets from the reader. Lots of relevant details that might have made the story flow better weren’t revealed until the last few chapters. There was also an annoying habit throughout of having characters be cut off as they were trying to say why they’d been invited to the party - this was really repetitive.

I also found the characters reactions to things that were happening around them to be really odd. Very terrible, violent things would happen, and then we would have a diversion where Millie gets jealous of another female character’s appearance, moons after one of the men on the island, worries about her morning breath putting him off. After an initial response of horror to murder and death, all of the characters would slip into acting quite casually about it all. It was distracting.

I just found this a really odd, jarring, disjointed sort of book. Personally, I thought the mystery was quite obvious - if you’ve ever read And Then There Were None, for example, this won’t feel like such a mystery. There were moments of good writing - I do think that the author did well at ramping up tension and having some creepy moments, but as a whole, I think this was let down by weak characterisation and dumping all of the information relevant to the solve into the final couple of chapters. The flow to the book was off, the characters act oddly throughout, and I found myself frustrated and incredulous by the end of it. It’s a shame, because I think the premise and the set up showed real promise. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Death, murder, traffic collision, suicide, ableism, death of a parent, vomiting, blood, abortion, stillbirth, bullying, revenge porn, gun violence, infidelity / cheating.

I rattled through this book, each chapter entices one to read that little bit more! I thought that the characters were well described and sufficiently rounded, even if not particularly likeable. Anyone who has even heard of Agatha Christie (I'm a massive fan), will recognise this as another version of, 'And Then There Were None', but a very convincing one, however. I loved the remote setting on the island and the old house. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received an advanced copy of this title, so was able to read this at Halloween, which was perfect! The New year setting is almost incidental to the story and it should be enjoyed on any stormy night in autumn or winter to get the full atmospheric effect. A definite recommend for the fireside with the wind howling outside.

A locked room mystery set on a remote Scottish island. I was looking forward to this tale set at Hogmanay but it was a bit dejavu having read similar . The atmosphere of the place was there and the birdlife.

would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book

i am taking this as a tribute to agatha christies "and then there was none" book as this clearly was in the same vein as that one....

its a new years eve celebration on a remote highland island but even before millie gets onto the island she passes a accident that really she should take as a warning....

at the landing on the island there is no welcoming committee and with the few strangers that also came ashore off the ferry they trundle their way through the dark and the fog to the hotel as they all realise they are also going to the same new years eve party

so this is a take off of agatha christies novel and apart from different characters and location you will get the drift of the storyline, its not a bad attempt of the classic novel and the perp when they are unveiled was really no surprise when you know the storyline but its a good attempt and a very quick read...

Millie is invited to a New Year's eve party on a remote Scottish island. I've read a few similar books recently and this was a decent enough addition to the genre. As guests start dying, the reader is kept wondering whodunnit.

A decent debut from Sofia Slater.

An invitation to a New Year’s party on a Hebridean island finds an unlikely cast of characters stranded due to bad weather.. Past alliances, people not who they seem, missing ( and dead)guests all add up to a pretty decent whodunnit.

Auld Acquaintance was a light read compared to the intense books I have been reading lately. A known plot of a group of people being invited to a New Year's Eve party in a remote setting and things take a horrible turn. I would describe this book as run of the mill crime, who did it. Great read for Christmas time due to the atmosphere.