One private island, seven guests, one killer.

With lots of twists and turns this book keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
It took me quiet a while to get into the story as its told from too many view points and its tricky to follow in the beginning.
There are lots of unsavoury characters with devious agendas! I'm glad I stuck with it as it did get easier to follow once I'd worked out who was who.

A great summer read, with an idyllic setting and a strong plot.

Rich elderly businessman, Robert Rathwell, his wife & young son, & their entourage arrive to holiday on a private Greek island. Apart from the family there's Kostas (security), Isabelle (long term employee devoted to Robert), & Amelia (tutor to Sofia & Robert's young son). The final employee, Ben, arrives late as there was some trouble behind the scenes & Isabelle has to talk him into even showing up. Then an uninvited guest, Cousin Bobby, turns up unexpectedly & things are tense between him & Robert. The next morning a body is found, & the scene staged as a suicide - one that eerily replicates the death of Robert's first wife, Isa. The local police have to be involved, & Kostas hatches a plan to save the Rathwells' reputation, but some of the others begin to wonder if they are convenient patsies for the family to blame or maybe even the next targets of the killer.

The narrative is told from the points of view of Sofia - much younger trophy wife, Isabelle, & Amelia. None of the female characters really stood out character-wise, in fact I had to keep flipping back to the start of the chapter to remind myself who was narrating at the time. Out of all the characters involved only Amelia was anywhere near being a decent person, but even she was a bit gullible. Yet it kept me reading as I wanted to find out what was actually happening. There's an obvious attraction between Ben & Amelia straight away but things don't go quite as you'd envisage. In the end the solution was rather convoluted & we get a follow-up around a decade later. It's an odd book in that it seems to meander a bit, the characters are all rather horrible, & yet you keep reading. 2.5 stars (rounded up to 3 on sites which don't allow half star ratings).

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

Like the glamorous cover, the lives of the Rathwells and their staff appear idyllic but underneath simmering is deceit, despair and dangerous motivations. I found this initially challenging to get into, the narrators are unreliable, and the rest of the characters don't invite the reader's empathy. However, the introspection is detailed and the sensory imagery vivid, making it easy to visualise the actions and thoughts of the characters.

I continually wanted to know what next? and who did what? and that kept me turning the pages until the final revelations. I like this classically-styled mystery that has drama and underlying menace. It would work well on visual media.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This was a an enjoyable book that I read quite quickly. There have been so many similar books lately but this didn’t really stand out from the others. I would definitely read more by this author

The Getaway was great, it had me gripped from start to finish with its idyllic location and its unexpected twists and turns. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my ARC.

One private island. Seven guests. One killer…

The perfect holiday. The perfect murder. The perfect beach read…

Get away from your problems.
Multimillionaire Robert Rathwell and his entourage arrive at their private Greek island. White sand, turquoise water, the perfect place to relax. But this is no ordinary family, and this holiday will be their last.

Get away from your life.
The next morning, a scream shatters their peaceful world. Someone has been murdered, his body arranged to make it look like suicide. Everyone has a motive and, under the burning sun, secrets quickly simmer to the surface.

Get away with murder.
Soon the guests see a darker, more violent side to paradise. Because the Rathwells don’t just own the island; they own the people on it. And they can do whatever they like – maybe even commit murder…

This was an enjoyable summer read narrated by the three main female characters in the story. Although all of the characters in this book were unlikeable people, you really did love to hate them. With agendas aplenty and revelation after evaluation – this book is guaranteed to keep your interest and keep you guessing until the end. I did enjoy this book – BUT – it’s one that I likely won’t remember in a few days’ time. Just a nice easy read – if that’s what you’re after?

My thanks to the author and HQ for my advance copy to review via Netgalley. Due out 07/07/2022!


Three and a half summer stars rounded to four stars

I'm glad the author did a "cast list" at the beginning and I am glad I noted them all down as I did struggle initially with keeping everyone straight. It is centred around a family - father, mother, son, and their "staff". Set on their own Island - father Robert Rathwell being a multi-millionaire, we follow as mischief and mayhem and murder (made to look like suicide probably) ensues.
Starring a host of characters that I actually didn't really care about I was drawn into the action quite early on as, despite the not caring thing, I still actually wanted to know who had done what to whom and why! I guess kudos to the author for that anyway! Maybe that was the point of the exercise.
Anyway... I lost count and track of all the secrets and lies that were flying around. Of the affairs and other duplicitous behaviour. Of who was screwing who, literally, financially, as well as physically!
But... I couldn't put it down. I had to know. Like a car crash I couldn't look away. It became a compulsion. One which I am actually glad I got sucked into as the ending was actually quite thrilling, and satisfying. Especially as I was finally able to wave ta-ta to those odious characters!
All a bit OTT and bonkers though. But great fun nonetheless. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is told from multiple people's points of view Sofia the wife, Amelia the live in super teacher to JR and Isabelle the live in lifestyle/ Personal assistant. Robert is the multimillionaire who owns a secluded Greek island so when it's a special birthday where else would they go to celebrate? tagging along are Kostas, Roberts security man and newcomer Ben who is there to help JR. The problem is they all have their own secrets to keep hidden but just how far will they go to keep them that way.
Bobby turns up.out of the blue on the island but no one seems to have invited him! He's Roberts estranged son and supposedly has mental problems. He ends up dead and the police are investigating but was it suicide or murder and if it was murder it must be one of them! the only way to the island is via a boat. So just who can be trusted? I
Read this book in a weekend but only kept reading as wanted to know the ending. None of the characters are likeable so you don't really care for them and aren't really bothered what happens to them! If any of them make it if the island alive or dead! Many thanks NetGalley for letting me read this just a shame it wasn't really my thing!

Multimillionaire Robert Rathwell and his entourage arrive at their private Greek Island. White sand, turquoise water, the perfect place to relax. But this is no ordinary family, and this holiday will be their last. The next morning, a scream shatters their perfect world. Someone has been murdered, his body arranged to make it look like suicide. Everyone has a motive and, under the burning sun, secrets quickly simmer to the surface. Soon the guests see a darker, more violent, side to paradise Because the Rathwells don't just own the island; they own the people on it. And they can do whatever they like - maybe even commit murder.

Each chapter is told from either Isabelle, Sofia and Amelia's perspectives and I wasn't keen on any of them. This is an easy book to read but I did feel that it dragged out a little in places. The author has an interesting writing style. There's quite a few characters to try and remember. The pace is on the slow side which also made parts of the story drag out. There's a few unexpected twists along the way. I did enjoy this murder mystery. With just a few tweaks, this could have been a four star read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #RossArmstrong for my ARC of #TheGetAway in exchange for an honest review.

“THE GETAWAY” by Ross Armstrong

One private island. Seven guests. One killer…

“The Getaway” is the perfect summer/beach read to while away free time and entertain yourself with rich people’s problems and a sudden death that could well be murder.

The story is narrated from the point of view of three main female characters…..Sofia - the wife of millionaire magnate, Robert Rathwell. Isabelle - Robert’s lifestyle assistant and Amelia - the ‘super tutor’ to JR, Sofia and Robert’s son. You do need to pay attention when getting used to following the character’s voices but the story is very easy to keep a track of and ticks along at a nice easy pace.

All of the characters are unlikeable and slightly flawed but this is what the author intended for their differing personalities. Each have their own agenda and I was intrigued as to what they were and how they connected to each other and the mystery as it unfolded. With revelations until the end, this is an ideal weekend/beach read, from an author I’d happily read again.


Ross Armstrong is an actor and writer based in North London with his wife actress Catherine Steadman. As a stage and screen actor he has performed in the West End, Broadway and in shows for HBO and Netflix. Ross’ debut title “The Watcher” was a top twenty bestseller and has been long listed for a Crime Writer’s Association award.

This was written in a good style but there are way too many characters narrating and giving their POV and it all became a bit confusing, great cover and as say good writing just too much happening to fully get a handle on it all

I really liked the sound of this but I really struggled to get on with it. Lots of characters and the style of writing made it a little too confusing.

This was a confusing book for me. So many characters and the story told from multiple points of view.
The book started off really well. What's not to love following the life for the super rich and the lifestyles it entails.
However, this book was another destined for the did not finish pile. There was nothing to hold my attention as it felt very choppy.
From the description I thought this would be a book for me.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC

Really enjoyed this book. Had me hooked from the start.
Would highly recommend to others.
Hope to read more from this Author in the future.
Thank you for the opportunity of reading this early.

Wealthy Robert Rathwell owns a Greek island. He jets off to his home there with only his close family and staff. Over the next few days, people start being killed. Can the remaining guests escape the island alive?

I really struggled with this book. The way the chapters were written confused me, each one is from a different character's point of view and I found myself having to go back multiple times just to work out who was narrating as they all seemed to sound the same. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, they all had far too many negative traits, and as such I simply didn't care who did it or who made it out alive! I did persevere and made it to the end, and I'm glad I reached the conclusion, even if it was just to prove myself right with a theory I had from the start.

This book had the cover. It had the makings of a great story. However, it fell somewhat short.

I loved the idea of a millionaire murder on an island, but it was very confusing, with many characters, and the plot wasn’t helped by a different person narrating each chapter.

At times I did find the flow, but it was more a chore to finish than a joy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher HQ for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to this one, I heard about it during the HQ virtual showcase and immediately went and tracked it down on Netgalley. I’m afraid though this one turned into a DNF for me, made it quarter of the way through before giving up.
From the start it felt very confusing with a lot of people introduced in quick sucession, multiple Points of View that didn’t seem to have distinct ‘voices’ and I found it hard to like or care about any of them.
Add to that another random character who got thrown in like we were supposed to know them/their history with the family and I’m afraid it all a bit much.
The plot itself felt confused as well, lots of people possible scheming or worried about things-we-did-not-know-yet and it all was a big tangle that I didn’t have the patience to stick with.
I’m sure that if this is your thing, you’ll love it but unfortunately it didn’t work for me.

Thanks so much to @hqstories for allowing me on the #BlogTour and also sending a copy of the book and also #Netgalley for the ARC however I've had to rewrite this whole review because I'd actually written about it unfairly after finishing. I read it through netgalley and didn't enjoy it and so wrote down my review as a negative one, however, since receiving the paperback I really think my opinion would have been different if I'd read it that way.

Many characters were introduced all at the same time leaving me sooo confused on who was who and where they belonged, were they family or were they staff? It took me a long time to work everyone out and by that time the damage had been done, I continued reading not caring who killed who or why. The paperback has a list of everyone at the start of the book which would have been a massive game changer I'm sure and I'm totally kicking myself for not waiting and trying to get ahead 🤦‍♀️

I've left one snippet from my original review in because its something I did like and my views on this are the same 👇

One redeeming part though, which I was really glad about was... (I'm trying to not say too much here!) I was glad of the conclusion for one (or two) characters and was quite relieved neither of them turned out to be the 'baddie'

I wrote at the end of that sentence that it wasn't enough for me to recommend this book to anyone, however, I definitely would now, but for the love of god DON'T read via netgalley. No! 100% book form for this one and I'm sure it'll have you gripped like no other.

3.5

This was an enjoyable read and one of my favourite tropes. There’s nothing better than a secluded location and a who done it storyline.

The murderer was slightly predictable and the storyline didn’t shock me too much but it was still an enjoyable read with a good mix of characters.

This book was a brilliant mystery read that had loads of twists and turn, that every chapter left your hanging with wanting to know more that you could not leave the book down, I loved that each chapter was a different member off the family with a different outlook and a different secret to be told that had so much suspense. Would highly recommend this as a fantastic unable to stop reading book.