There is a high body count in this thriller / murder mystery. The attempt at increasing the atmosphere / spookiness by setting events in a crumbling mansion on an isolated Scottish island didn't really work for me. As bits and pieces are drawn out about the different characters our narrator switches her suspicions, but it is rather late in the day when she finally works out the identity of the killer. There is a bit of a twist at the end which explains motives.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

I had serious Agatha Christie vibes whilst reading this one. Beautiful settings with a wide range of suspicious characters all with their own secrets. The perfect holiday read, and pure escapism. Absolutely amazing.

A group of people come together on a remote Scottish island to celebrate New Year's Eve but find it is not the luxury getaway that they were hoping for. Things are only set to get worse though, when a death is announced, and the guests begin to realise that they are not all strangers to each other after all.

The beginning of this book was good. I liked the characters and the setting, and I thought the author built the tension very well. The problem is that the format is so familiar and so obviously like that of a well-known Agatha Christie story that anyone who reads a lot of mysteries already knows this story, whether from the original version or one of the numerous rehashes. Although the story was entertaining, and quite a quick read, the final segment of the book was disappointing and didn't live up to the promise of the beginning.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

A thrilling read that keeps you guessing who done it right up to the last minute with so many twists and turns. Highly recommended.

Auld Acquaintance - Sofia Slater

I’m sorry to say that I didn’t finish it finish this book as It didn’t hold my attention sorry.

Auld Acquaintance reminds me of Agatha Christie's novel And then there were none, so for me the plot and the ending of the novel was familiar.

Nonetheless, the atmosphere is perfect, isolated island in Hebrides, far from civilisation, in the cold winter and with an invitation to a New Year's party where everybody are strangers. Millie thinks that this party is her turning point, the beginning of a better year. New Year, new her.

Sadly, everything here is just so quietly horrible – the sad decor, the awful food, the other people.

They are trapped on an island with few people already dead, possibly murdered. But why and who is the perpetrator? Tension is building up, everyone is on a knife-edge, and if they don’t manage to stay calm, that edge might cut.


Soon one thing becomes obvious. They are here for a reason. They had been selected. Targeted.

Standard mistery novel, great for a winter evening.

This story is based in Scotland where a group of people are spending New Years Eve. Unfortunately a murderer is killing them off one by one. At times i thought i knew who it was but i was wrong. I found the story a little drawn out but did enjoy it.

A superbly written debut novel that kept me griped from start to finish, an amazing read. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of suspense and thrillers

A locked room murder mystery set on a remote Scottish Island. Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

Cluedo meets And Then There Were None. Dame Agatha does it better. The best. The trouble is every time you read a book with this plot it will be compared to Ms Christie and her version really is top notch. Not badly written but the author does need to watch the over use of single words like snorted for instance. Also junior aspirin is given to patients with history of heart attacks so maybe this was a bad choice. A frustrated pharmacist as a drug dealer? Really? Lack of knowledge here I feel. Plus several pages of the book in my version, around the finding of the note bit were illegible. This didn't really matter as I got the gist. Knowing it's a rework of the Christie classic the real murderer is barn door obvious and this is what really lets the book down. Not a bad read but original ideas next time

Sadly this was a DNF for me so I’m giving it two stars as the issue was not with the writer but my enjoyment of the book. I found it overly descriptive which detracted from the story.

Ok, I think I have thriller fatigue. This was good – in the tradition of And then there were None – but it didn’t blow my socks off. I did love the setting and I enjoyed the MC’s viewpoint. An enjoyable read, but not quite thrilling enough.

This was an easy read, enjoyable mystery and fast paced. The plot and setting of the scene in a remote island was good. It was a book that kept you guessing throughout. The characters were interesting and intriguing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Swift press for an Arc in exchange for an honest opinion

I found this book really easy to get in to. Right from the start it captured you attention and the element of suspense was laid. I did enjoy reading this book but as I got in to it it started to get a bit silly with the deaths and how people were dying. It did have a good twist at the end, just a shame the deaths were pretty far fetched.

Auld Acquaintance was really something. There were endless twists and turns, with an ending that I really would not have guessed. It was your classic “And Then There Were None”, even going as far as being set on a remote island (which was the perfect setting to be fair), but I still enjoyed the mystery and suspicion. A good read which will keep you hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley for very kindly sending me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The main premise is very similar to Agatha Christie books hence it felt familiar - and familiar can be both good and bad.. pending on what you looking for…

This is very quick read and very fast paced read but it was not in top of my favourite crime books. I felt that this has been very predictable and although I did not guess the ending I was not surprised by it. The ties to all killings has been interesting but again predictable.

The plot I have seen so many times and it was nothing new hence it did not make me remember or feel any originality.

This will not be book which I will remember in few weeks although it was good read if you went something easy and quick to read.
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A common theme of a bunch of people find themselves stranded on an island and 1 by 1 they are murdered. Some may say its overdone but when done well its one of my favourite storylines, however, in this case it wasn't up there with the best. Initially, I always want to like the main character and I didn't warm to Millies or in fact any of the characters. It felt very obvious who the author wanted us to believe was the murderer but I did still guess as I think many murder/mystery fans would do. I found the ending quite odd in a way as was it implying that Millie herself was a villain? I didn't quite understand that final part at all?

Millie is at a loose end so when an ex colleague invites her to spend New Year on a Hebridean Island she jumps at the chance. But once she is on the ferry Millie is starting to have doubts, who are her fellow party goers?and where is Nick? Once she arrives at the faded house and finds out that a person from her past that she’d rather forget is a guest Millie knows she’s made a big mistake. The weather takes a turn for the worst and someone goes missing making this a New Year to remember.

The idea of a group of strangers brought together on an Island is not a new one and while this will never be a classic it was readable and I enjoyed the build up of tension. There was a good variety of characters who are not all likeable and I certainly got into the story. Ok as a quick read.

Really good read kept me guessing till the end. The scene is set perfectly in the remote island where no one is really quite what the seem.

An invitation to a New Years Eve party on a remote Scottish island. Millie was excited at meeting up with an ex colleague, Nick, and thought his invite to a party would lead to something more romantic. After an eventful journey to the island, Millie is surprised to see another old colleague already in situ, but no sign of Nick. The assembled guests, along with their “hostess” are a mixed bag, with a fair few oddities amongst them. As events proceed, the invitation is not all it seems.

This book definitely has overtones of Ten Little Indians/And Then There Was None, a real Christie vibe. Sadly, that is where the comparison ends. The plot is a popular one, with several books recently using the same format, unfortunately this is not one of the best.

Thankfully it was a short story, as the continual repetition was annoying and used as a page filler. The plot was so good, unfortunately the writing let it down. A thorough edit to cut through the extraneous prose would do it justice.

Thank you NetGalley.