Less of a whodunnit and more of a modern day mystery, The Cliff House sees a hen party head off to a swanky remote island, only to be confronted by shady goings on and the spectre of their pasts looming behind them. While.it's sluggish at the beginning and, without spoiling anything, is more a general mystery than the whodunnit it is initially pitched as, The Cliff House is at least still a fun time with enjoyable character work and pleasing twists abound.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this one. I found myself completely hooked and unsuccessful at trying to predict where this would go.

I was instantly hooked by this one. It’s one of those books that pulls you in instantly and becomes completely unputdownable.

II’ve literally devoured this in just one sitting with no regrets. This is an absolute must read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. A slow burn of suspense as we get a picture of the lives of each of the women. A good premise and well delivered!

I heard the author speak about this and thought it sounded amazing. Thankfully I wasn't disappointed even though it seems a lot of books recently seem to be following roughly the same plot line. This one is so different and brilliantly different too.
When there is a group of 7 going to an island and one goes missing, and a dead body turns up, you think you know where its going to go.
This however doesn't focus on the investigation into the missing person as such, but more about what is going on in their lives and why its happening. Each of them has a terrible secret. There is the tension of the counting down of a clock which adds to overall feel.
The author handles all the characters with ease and manages, somehow, to make sure all the stories have an ending by the time the book finishes. No mean feat in itself.
A gripping read and I hope there will be more of the same from this wonderful author.

This book was disappointing. The plot lacked intrigue and surprise. I failed to connect with the characters.

A decent read but I felt that the ending was trying to be a little too clever. I did like the premise of the book though and there was aspects of the ending that I did like.

I loved the author’s touching, complex mystery THE CUT so I was looking forward to this. However, THE CLIFF HOUSE is a different kind of story - more domestic drama and twisty turns than an intricate slow-burn. It focuses on seven women with secrets and the way they must confront their past in order to survive. Among them are Jen, the bride-to-be and widow; Michelle, a pop star and Jen’s childhood friend; Helena, Michelle’s estranged bandmate; and Beattie, Jen’s former sister-in-law. We get their different POVs so it helps to know their motivations.

This is a fast read but it does feel outlandish, especially when surprises keep being revealed. The villain is a moustache-twirling caricature that I didn’t care for. But I like the portrayal of female friendships and how your friend can be the person to hurt you the most. If you like locked-room mysteries and domestic thrillers in the vein of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware’s books, you’ll enjoy this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book UK for the arc of this book by Chris Brookmyre.

5 stars- gripping, fast paced, amazing, had me on the edge of my seat everything i want within a book.

Unfortunately I really did not connect with this book and despite numerous attempts, I have had to mark as dnf.

Confessions Galore........

Brookmyre does not disappoint once again. Everyone has secrets, maybe regrets as well and in his hands these become a story like this, where we rollercoaster along from one reveal on to the next. He chose a set of people who had plenty of secrets for his cast and put them all on an uninhabited islands, added a spark and let the fun begin.

I did not really like any of them so I did not have a lot invested in their fate but I did enjoy the reveals which were plentiful and kept my interest in the story going.

An ARC kindly provided by author/publisher via Netgalley

I loved this book. Great characters, all with secrets to hide. Keeps you gripped all the way through, not a dull moment.
A great story about a group of women and the tales of friendship and foes. Brilliant read

A great premise with a good cast of characters. Enjoyed the split narrative, sometimes of the same scene. There are lots of secrets in this one, which adds tension.

5 stars for this one, seriously a great read; I devoured it in no time and wanted more! Very fast paced you gotta keep up with this one, brilliant book with a surprising ending!

I feel like there was a better book in this somewhere but i struggled to find it. It had so many elements i liked or that was interesting but it just didn't hold me enough. I felt as if the cast of characters needed to be fleshed out a little more as they were fine but there was a little something lacking overall. This book wasn't bad by any means but it was very average and it didn't fulfil what i wanted from it.

I love Chris Brookmyre's books and this one is a fun read that tips its hat to And Then There Were None. It is well-structured, with fully rounded characters, and full of secrets and twists. I can't wait for his next one.

I enjoyed The Cliff House as a light weight murder mystery; I’d had the impression that it was going to be similar to Agatha Christie’s And Then There was None. However, for me it was a little bit disappointing, as it’s the first Chris Brookmyre book I’ve read and I expected it to be grittier, darker.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review the book.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK, in exchange for an honest review.
I adore thrillers centered around 'bunch of people go to a house somewhere and something creepy happens', but it is an admittedly saturated market. The Cliff House delivers solidly on this premise but it's difficult for me to say it particularly stands out.

The Cliff House is the story of Jen's bachelorette party, a chance for old friends and old enemies to reunite in an isolated house on an island. Among the guests are rockstar Michelle and her ex-bandmate/best friend Helena, Jen's ex husband's sister, her new husband's sister and two other friends. Among all this chaos and classic social awkwardness, disaster strikes when someone is found dead and yet another person goes missing. With the guests threatened from an unclear source, someone must reveal a secret to prevent another death.

To be honest, I actually read this book twice before reviewing it. The first time I didn't think much of it and couldn't remember it very well, whilst the second time I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it a lot more. There are a ton of characters and interactions between those characters, and I think it was a little easier to keep them separate in the audiobook. It was also easier to follow who was who on the second read.

Overall, this book is a reasonably enjoyable thriller. It has a good cast of characters, a lot going on (which is better than a book that drags) and a decent pace. I feel like a lot of the individual elements are nothing unique, but if you like thrillers with this premise then there's no reason not to read this

Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

One hen weekend, seven secrets... but only one worth killing for!

The psychological thriller is set on Clachan Geal, a small remote Scottish island on the edge of the Atlantic, a beautiful, windswept place on which is located an exclusive, luxurious and expensive mansion for hire.
Jen is a successful business woman who has recently sold Muffin Finer, although she remains the head of the company, leaving her an extremely wealthy woman. She is engaged to be married for the second time to her fiance, Zaki Hussain.
She has booked the island mansion from the owner, and single mother Lauren, for the celebration of her hen night with a group of female friends, each of whom it is trailed from the beginning. These are women with closely guarded secrets.

And therein things get even more interesting. This is a well crafted thriller that delivered a very satisfying story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A dark twisted thriller set in Scotland, told from the perspectives of the characters/guests on the island. It was well paced and had me gripped. My first read of this author and I hop not my last!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC copy.

Jen is getting married. Although after a previous abusive marriage she's still unsure if she truly trusts her new husband to be. A fabulous hen do on a remote, isolated, stunning island will surely help calm her nerves and get her ready for her big day.

The trouble is when her and her hens, a pop star, a pop star has been, previous sister in law, new sister in law that's she's never met, a fashionista and their new mysterious tennis coach friend arrive they all have a secret to hide. That's when things go wrong. One of them is missing, there's no way off the island, and to help their missing friend stay alive they have to confess their deepest secrets.

Will they all survive and just who is behind it all?

I really enjoyed this. The history and relationships between the ladies were executed perfectly and the twists and turns kept coming. I changed my mind a couple of times over "who did it". Would definitely recommend.