The Cliff House has been on my TBR pile for quite some time and although I have read the Raven and Fisher series that Chris Brookmyre writes with his wife Marisa Haetzman as Ambrose Parry, I have never actually read any books he has written as himself.
Jen had rented a house on a private island for her hen party with some of her oldest friends. It should have been fun and relaxing but its not long before old grudges start to surface. When the hired chef is killed and Jen’s soon to be sister-in-law Samira goes missing things start to take a darker turn as they are told one of them must confess to their secret or their friend will be killed.
It doesn’t take long for the group to start pointing fingers as to who the person is that needs to confess their secret. The question is, are they doing it based on fact or just a way of deflecting the focus from them. Added to this they don’t know where the threat is coming from. In an act of self-preservation, they do all agree to try to find Samira in the hope they can rescue her before time runs out. As they split out in groups slowly, they all confess as to why it might be them that is the target of the mystery person.
Whilst I kind of felt sorry for Jen as her revelations although shocking was in part understandable, some of the other guests did not elicit quite the same reaction and left me with the sense that they were a little bit selfish, and I could not quite “bond” with them in the same way not that I am saying that they deserved what was happening to them.
There are quite a few surprises in the book that add to the growing tension and even if you work out who is behind it that is not the end of the twists in the story as more secrets are revealed and loyalties are tested right to the end possibly resulting in one final secret that will bond the group together. The landscape and isolation add to the feel of the story that shows that no matter how well you think you know someone, you will never know it all or just how far you will go to protect them.

Gripping and twisty mystery/thriller set on a remote Scottish island and told from multiple POV.

Jen has chosen an exclusive luxury retreat on a private island to bring together her friends for her hen party.

Some of them she has known for years, some for only a few months. But it turns out that they are all hiding secrets, and someone knows.

This is my first book by this author and I will definitely be reading more.

I enjoyed this, a good thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Fast plot pace and kept me guessing. I loved the setting. My first read of this author and would read again. Recommend.

Jen is organising the hen party of hen parties on a remote Scottish Island with a somewhat estranged group of family and friends.
What ensues is a strange game of cat and mouse on the island, which culminates in a shocking discovery no one expected.

Sadly, this novel didn't hit the spot for me.
I loved the setting but I was craving a thrilling mystery not a domestic drama with a plot that been done offering nothing new or exciting.

Enjoyed this book, suspence and drama. Not the girly weekend story i was expecting. I will look out for other books by this author

The Cliff House was great! Such a solid thriller with loads if secrets to uncover as the story unfolds. Great twists and reveals. Highly recommended

Would you reveal your deepest, darkest secrets to save someone you hardly know?
Is someone else's life worth more than your humiliation?
Can you bring yourself to trust someone who has badly let you down?
These are the intriguing questions posed in Chris Brookmyre's thoughtful new mystery thriller. As with Lucy Foley, there are multiple points of view, and a large dollop of misdirection. Jen gathers old friends and new for a luxury hen weekend on a remote Scottish island. Trust is low and there's a lot of bad blood. When a murder unexpectedly occurs, the women must decide whether to turn on each other or work together to survive the weekend.

My first Chris Brookmyre book and hopefully not my last.

An enoyable pacy read with a good storyline told from different perspectives.
It kept me guessing and I really enjoyed.
Recommended

This was my first Chris Brookmyre book and certainly won’t be my last!!

Really enjoyed this one and found it very pacy to read. Each chapter is told from a different point of view of a guest on a hen party to a secluded island. Some of the guests are likeable, some are not but I loved that! Each character perspective adds to the story and helps unravel how things are interconnected and woven together.

I was kept guessing through out and pleasantly surprised by the ending, which is a hard thing to achieve from a big thriller fan!

A totally gripping read in the style of jumping from character to character. Lots of twisty turns in what sounds like a beautiful setting. Highly recommended, this book hooked me enough to read in 2 sittings.

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.