As it’s just past the New Year this was an OK book to kick off with. Told from the main character’s point of view, Millie is invited to a remote Scottish island for a New Years Ever party, meeting up with acquaintances and an old friend but also expecting someone else. As the body count piled up I did think I had a sneaking suspicion who the killer was, but actually I felt the plot twist was a bit far fetched and the actual killers motive wasn’t as strong as it could have been.
Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy

A New Years Eve party of a lifetime hosted in an old stately house on a remote Scottish I island. Sounds like the perfect way for Millie to leave an awful year behind and move forward with her life. The bonus being that the invite comes from a former co-worker who may have finally noticed her.

But all may not be as it seems……

I managed to read this book in a couple of days as it grabs you and you can’t quite put it down. For fans of Agatha Christie and a good whodunnit you find yourself wondering whether everybody are who they say they are. Everybody seems to have tenuous links - then people start to die mysteriously.

The author is clearly an Agatha Christie fan as there are similarities to her stories but as the book continues, Sofia makes it her own story, the deaths are imaginative and while i had a character in mind, i was wrong and I definitely didn’t see that ending. I think this is the author’s debut novel and will definitely be looking out for more of her books in the future.

A group of apparently random strangers are invited to a new year party on a Scottish island, and things go wrong from the beginning. People start getting murdered until only 3 of them are left. This reminded me of an Agatha Christie type plot. And all is revealed at the end.
I particularly liked the beginning when the guests arrived at the island. The landlady character was great and I had a good laugh at a few of the comments.

This book is set mostly on a remote, windswept Hebridean island with an old manor house. It does borrow from Agatha Christie in that the guests (the building is run as an hotel) all have dodgy pasts, something to hide and a loose connection to each other, which is slowly revealed.

The seven guests arrive a day or two before New Years Eve and believe they have been invited to a party. However, strange things start to happen and communication with the outside world is broken off as a major storm brews. The owner / manager of the hotel is rattled and distraught due to the hired help not turning up. First there's an apparent suicide, quickly followed by a series of murders. Our main character Millie doesn't know who to trust, but she may be something of an unreliable narrator with secrets herself.

I loved this book - the writing, the characters, the plot and the setting. There was the odd splash of humour and a strong sense of fear and distrust. I suspected everyone at some point. The ending was great too. Sofia Slater is one to watch out for.

Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and author for an early e-copy for unbiased review.

I finished the book on New Years Day which seemed apt for the book setting. As I was reading the book I was losing interest but still wanted to finish it as but did have a great ending. The characters were a bit difficult to engage with and hence I did not care about them dropping off. I just wish there was a little more depth to the story and motivation. Also landing up on a remote island without finding out anything more about it sounds really absurd as its not something I would do but the setting was great. I would definitely read more of the author's books.

An unexpected invitation sends Millie up to the Scottish Isles for a grand New Year’s Eve bash, and as it’s from an old crush of hers, and she’s had a really bad year, this is just what she needs. However the reality when she gets there is not what she’s expecting or hoped for.

This is an old premise and Agatha Christie set a very high bar. A limited number of people on an island, no means of getting off again til the boat comes for them, and there’s a murder, creating hostility, suspicion and distress. It’s been done a number of times before, and with better characterisation. However, I really liked the descriptions of both the island itself and of the big house, they added depth to the story. I didn’t warm to any of the characters, which I think you need to, to empathise with the terror that they feel. The culprit was easy to work out, but the book had some surprises, which made me want to read to the end. And there’s a nice little twist. I’d certainly look out for this authors work again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Millie is invited to a remote Hebridean Island to celebrate New Years Eve. Excited and eager to meet up with a former colleague she arrives to find all is not what it seems.

A classic and then there was none story. The twist was easy guessable from a fan of thrillers but not the intricacies of the plot.

Characters seem vacuous and not likeable which made it hard for me to have much sympathy for them.

Credit to the author in the description of the scenery and the hotel in which the book is set. It really helped build the tension and it made the overall feel of the novel quite creepy.

A solid 3.5 stars for me and I would consider reading a future novel from the author.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

I was at a loose reading end on NYE and this one piqued my interest due to being set at the same time of year, and having an obvious nod to Agatha Christie. It started off well - a contemporary thriller NOT written in the present tense? Be still my beating heart! I didn't know that modern thriller writers were aware that the past tense existed!

Sadly my enthusiasm waned when I realised just how much was owed to And Then There Were None. If you have never read that there is much to enjoy here, but if you have just skip it. The queen of crime did it better and you will remain unsurprised throughout! I didn't hate it though, which is more than can be said for 90% of books in a similar vein (I love them when done well so I remain optimistic and keep trying!) so I will definitely try future books by the author

Disappointed with this one. A locked room murder mystery set on a remote Scottish Island. Reminded me of the Hunting Party and the Invitation from last year, both of which did it better. The twists were formulaic and he characters simplistic. Despite its promising start it’s not an Agatha Christie.

Amazing first read of the year.

6 strangers go to a new year party on a Scottish Island. Most seem linked in some way but no idea who invited them or why.. then everyone starts to die. But who is doing it..

There's a bit format issue in the middle, don't let it out you off - I presumed it wasn't finished but it's onto for a few pages!

Heart pumping thriller with a great story. I really enjoyed the story and didn’t see the ending coming. They characters were great and so was the setting.

I would describe this book as a modern day Agatha Christie. I was attracted by both the cover and title, and as it was just before the New Year, I felt an ideal time to read it.
From the first page I was drawn to the main character, and formed strong opinions of each character as they were brought into the story.
I have never been to a remote Scottish Island but instantly felt the atmosphere and could imagine myself there.
Not wishing to give any spoilers other than it being a murder mystery, I enjoyed the unwinding of the tale and learning why and how each character came to be there. Whist the story may seem far fetched if described briefly, I was definitely drawn into it and surprisingly hadn't guessed the ending.
It took me just a day and a half to finish the book, as I couldn't put it down. OI like this author's style of writing and would seek out any other of her books.

The premise of this book was great but it started to disappoint me shortly after starting. It just was not as gripping as I had hoped. The characters had depth but I somehow failed to engage with them. The twists were rather predictable too.

I’ve kicked off 2022 with this suspenseful NYE murder mystery!

Millie is invited to an exclusive New Year’s Eve party on an island in Scotland by her estranged friend Nick. Desperate to reunite with him, she makes the journey to cold and windy Scotland. Expecting to be greeted by her old friend she is shocked to actually find another old acquaintance, Penny Maybury. This is far from the reunion she was hoping for.
With weather issues stopping the remainder of the guests arriving, the small group of seemingly strangers are stranded at the mansion.
Soon the bodies start piling up, and Millie regrets her entire trip . Who is doing this, and why?! As the song goes ‘May auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind..’

The book started off strong with a diverse group arriving on the island to set the scene. I was curious to find out more about each character but I didn’t find any of them instantly captivating apart from Millie herself who seemed a bit of an enigma. I wanted to know all about her and what was going to happen to her whilst at the mansion.
Before I knew it the bodies were piling up in quick succession, which is always a positive for me. I also enjoyed the variety of deaths - no boring predictable murders here.

I did have a sneaky feeling about who the killer may be from the start however I was wrong - something I am always happy to be when predicting the end of a book!

Overall a fun little thriller to start off the new year!

I quite enjoyed this book as an easy read, but unfortunately overall it missed the mark a bit for me and the plot twist at the end fell short. The suspense throughout the story was great but there wasn't enough depth to the characterisation and the villain's motivation was lacking...

My last book of 2021, it seemed quite appropriate to be reading it on NYE.

This is a fantastic debut novel from Sofia, if this book is anything to go on, she's got a glittering career as an author ahead of her.

I found this book compelling, creepy & it had me guessing all the way through.

Well written, with a diverse bunch of characters.

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

I just read this on new years eve, so, perfect timing.
It's a pretty standard set up. Bunch of people, trapped in an out of the way Manor house, slowly picked off by a murderer.
However, I didn't guess who it was. I mean, obviously I went through all of the characters at one point or other. I never settled though. There was also a red herring early in the book that I thought was going to be the explanation.
It was ideal reading for today and I spend through it. A real page turner