The plot of this island murder mystery very much reminded me of 'And Then There Were None' - had the author been the first one to write something like this, it would have been very impressive, but there just seem to be so many closed room/island novels out there at the moment, and there was unfortunately little new in this tale to make it stand out.

The premise of a mysterious New Year's Eve party was a little thin and convoluted, and I didn't really warm to many of the characters, particulary their cold responses to some of the deaths.

Overall, this was a decent read, but nothing particularly original. If you like Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware, and are looking for something formulaic (we all have weeks when that's the type of book we want), this may well be what you're looking for. Best read over the Christmas break with a crackling fire, a crocheted blanket, and a wee dram of something festive.

Brilliant twisty little thriller had me hooked from page one and the ending was not to be missed, will look out for more from the author!

I did enjoy this but could have done so more. The idea was great and could have been developed into a real thriller that kept me guessing. It felt more like a series of gruesome deaths, all very graphic and sometimes implausible. It would have been a better book to focus less on the gore and stereotypes of characters and develop psychological tension more. A couple of more guests would have given it more range, too. Reads like a debut novel.

Auld Acquaintance by Sofia Slater

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Swift Press and I am leaving this review voluntarily

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.

I was disappointed by this book - it felt far too predictable and I really couldn't connect with any of the characters. It started off well and I flew through the first 20% and sadly the book just lost me. For me, there is so much that could have been done with this book to make it more enjoyable.

Rating 3/5

A surprise invite to a shindig to celebrate New Year should bring merriment, not suspicion & death. But Millie’s trip to an isolated island is about to bring a group of strangers together in the worst way.

Sadly this story never really got under my skin, it felt too derivative and predictable. I struggled to connect to the main character as she felt one dimensional. The big revel was very obvious and underwhelming. Clearly the author was attempting to pay homage to a literary hero of hers (and mine) but in the end I just wished I had reread the obvious book that she was alluding to.

This gained an extra rating due to the fact that the pacing was fast and it was something that I read in a few hours in 2 sittings. Whilst it didn’t wow me, I can see that it made more of an impact with other readers.

This thriller is an Agatha Christie style murder mystery with a locked room element, but on an island instead of a room. The story is set at New Years Eve but I was disappointed that there wasn’t a stronger feel to the Scottish setting, and I couldn’t empathise with any of the characters so only 4 stars.

An Agatha Christie mystery set on a remote Hebridean island at New Year. Whilst the premise was interesting, the narrative did not grip me. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This book was a great quick read for me - I powered through it in a couple of days.

The author credits Agatha Christie in the acknowledgments at the end of the book and Ms Christie’s influence is clear in the story which was reminiscent of ‘And Then There Were None.’

One by one guests are picked off on a remote island, and no one knows who to trust, and who is guilty. Are they all guilty? Perhaps…

The murders in the book are told in lurid, gory detail - a warning for readers who might not enjoy so much description with their deaths, although I found it added to the story.

My only negative for the story was ultimately the ending, which was well written but slightly predictable as a twist. Overall though a very enjoyable read.

Millie is persuaded by her work colleague to join him on a remote Scottish island for a New Years eve party but when she arrives, Nick, her friend, doesn't arrive. Then strange thi gs happen.
A fairly predictable tale which p,ods along seemingly in circles. I didn't really enjoy.

This debut book is described as being 'tense, moody and claustrophobic' and ideal for fans of Ruth Ware or Lucy Foley.
I enjoyed this book (it did remind me a bit of Agatha Christie). The book is set on a remote Scottish island starting on 30th December. Soon the murders stack up and the guests who arrived for the new years eve party start pointing the finger at each other.
The book was fairly fast paced and kept my attention throughout. It was an enjoyable read.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this read.

Brilliant Agatha Christie style murder mystery, reminiscent but also bang up to date, had me gripped from beginning to end!!
Millie is a keen bird watcher, and has been invited to a remote Scottish Island for a fabulous new year's party. As her life has been grey lately, she decided she had nothing to lose some interesting birds to spot and possibly a fun time to be had!!
As she gets on the ferry to the island, she meets a few other party guests she doesn't recognise, and so begins three days of mystery, eerie goings on and sheer horror!
Classic, yet modern, great characters and clever storyline. Highly enjoyable!!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read early!

Millie Partridge's life has been rough of late, so when her ex colleague Nick invites her to a New Years Eve party on a Hebridean island she doesn't hesitate to book her ticket. As soon as she arrives at the island she realised that not only is Nick not there, but instead another ex colleague, Penny Maybury is there. Mille has been avoiding Penny for the last 12 months, so alarm bells start ringing immediately. When Penny goes missing the next morning Millie and the other guests suddenly realise the New Years Party isn't going to be anything like they expected.

This is another book following in the 'And then there were none' sort of style. A group of people travel to a remote island, and start being murdered one by one. I've read quite a few of these remote location murder mystery type books over recent years, and I think I'm almost hitting my capacity with them. It's a trope that has been done so many times it's difficult for books to bring a new take to it.

For this one specifically, I enjoyed the read but it isn't one that is likely to stay with me. It had all of the classic plot points and twists that you would expect - a creepy setting, an obvious suspect and of course the inability of the victims to leave. I didn't really feel the tension building as I was reading though which is a key feature in these sort of reads for me.

As far as the characters go, Millie was fine. I didn't particularly like or dislike her, just found her to be middle of the road. We know from early on that she's hiding a secret, and although we find out some aspects early on we don't get the full story until the end of the book. The other characters are a bit of a mixed bag, some you like and some are quite irritating, giving you characters to want to be the bad guy.

It's a fairly quick read, and if closed room mysteries are your thing then this one will definitely tick all of the boxes. Personally I thought it was OK, but lacking some of the finer details that takes a book like this to the next level.

Thanks to NetGalley and Swift Press for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't love this, I'm afraid. The concept is great, but the story isn't very gripping. It felt a bit derivative too.

I enjoyed this. Similar in style to an Agatha Christie novel. A classic whodunnit.
Thank you Netgalley and Sofia Slater for an advanced copy of this book

I finished this in one sitting and had a quick look at other reviews and find myself an outlier.

Auld acquaintance grabbed me from the description and I was so looking forward to a take on And Then There Were None, set around a party where friend’s would be reunited.

Millie is invited to a weird and exciting party on a Scottish isle, reachable only by ferry, by a colleague she was quite interested in at her last job. While his invitation comes out of the blue it is certainly not unwelcome and off she goes!

My dislikes about the book is purely down to the narration. No spoilers to give but a lot of the things Millie says and tells us seem like she is cold and dead inside when she absolutely is not in many cases. This felt like lazy writing and really ruined what could have been a stunning novel, with really creepy moments described to perfection.

Absolutely loved this book. Brilliantly plotted and nicely written, it was great fun to read and I finished it in one sitting.

Fun, moody and twisty thriller with the lovely setting of a Hebridean island at New Year. Millie is invited there by an ex-colleague but an unwelcome face from her past, Penny, also turns up. When Penny goes missing on New Year's Eve what does this mean for the rest of the party? Will someone else be next to disappear? There are lots of twists and turns and I liked the author's take on the Agatha Christie-style 'locked room' mystery.

And things that go bump in the night!! This is a fantastic murder mystery full of twisty bits that confound the reader. Just when we think we have it solved, we get thrown by another piece of the puzzle. It's very Agatha Christie, but none the worst for that.

I really struggled reading this, whilst the premises was good it just didn't live up to expectations..

I attempted to read this on several occasions and it just didn't grip me. Sorry I hate giving negative feedback but it in this case it wasn't for me

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.