A smart and thrilling variation on the country house murder mystery.

Jen has invited a group of friends to a luxury house on an isolated Hebridean island. The celebration soon turns into a nightmare as one of the party is held ransom and the group are forced to face their most grievous secrets.

What makes this story special is the backstory of each of the characters and their motivations. The story continually shifts focus between characters whilst maintaining a tightly plotted 3rd person narrative.

Highly engaging and entertaining, with a decent if somewhat predictable twist. The resolution may stretch credulity but works within the context of the story. Recommended.

This was the first book that I've read by Chris Brookmyre but it certainly won't be the last.
First of all, as a Scot I really enjoyed all of the Scottish dialect/patter and recognising a lot of different places that I have visited or know well of.
There were a great mix of characters and some enjoyable twists and secrets being revealed.
It was a bit slow at times, so the pacing was off. But when it did pick up it was gripping and I really looked forward to picking it up each night.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis is what drew me in to read this. Having read books with a similar idea that I had loved.
Sadly this was not the case here.
The beginning part of this book felt a little drawn out. I found myself a little bored while things were being set in motion.
Then the rest of the book just became a little convoluted for my liking. With an ending that was a little underwhelming all things considered.
This just didn't work for me.

The Cliff House is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Cliff House asap.

You can't go wrong with this one. A gripping mystery, keeps you on your toes. Good characters, and intriguing plot.

I just don't see why people are saying it's "original". It's a classic construct, reminiscent of (inspired by?) Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, None the worse for that -- on the contrary.

It's a suspenseful thriller with lots of twists and a satisfying conclusion.

It's a solid 3 stars, almost edging into 4. Would have earned more if the homage to Christie had been stronger.

A bit slow at first and not my fave Brookmyre, missing the usual snarky humour, but it was a decent read in the end!

Really enjoyed this book! It was very fast paced and gripping, with a huge variety of characters. And those twists?! Definitely recommend!

A really good read! Not my usual style, but I loved the suspense. Just when I think I have it worked out, it changes! Definitely recommend this one!

A twisty, locked-room type mystery from Brookmyre is surely something to welcome, but despite the page-turning and a cast of characters with secrets aplenty, this just didn't quite hit the mark.

None of the characters seemed very believable, and the whole tone of the book lacked the 'Brookmyre voice' which made me love the Parlabane books and many of his others.

Good, but average. Can't quite make it to 4, so 3 stars.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and held my attention. I will be reading more from this author :)

Loved this book. The story set around a hen party, each woman having secrets which should not be revealed but when one of them goes missing they are forced into a terrible situation of confessions.
This is a brilliantly wriiten page turner with twists and turns within a clever plot.

Jen's hen party is going to be out of control...

She's rented a luxury getaway on its own private island. The helicopter won't be back for seventy-two hours. They are alone. They think.

As well as Jen, there's the pop diva and the estranged ex-bandmate, the tennis pro and the fashion guru, the embittered ex-sister-in-law and the mouthy future sister-in-law.

It's a combustible cocktail, one that takes little time to ignite, and in the midst of the drunken chaos, one of them disappears. Then a message tells them that unless someone confesses her terrible secret to the others, their missing friend will be killed.

Problem is, everybody has a secret. And nobody wants to tell.

Yet another piece of stellar writing from Chris Brookmyre, with, not only a labyrinth of plot twists that keep one guessing until the final chapters, but also a wonderful study of the nature of friendship and betrayal.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy in return for a fair and honest review

A really suspenseful thriller that kept me hooked from the very beginning! Will definitely be checking out more from this author, loved the writing!

There’s a bit of a literary renaissance at the moment for a certain form of book–the shelves are stocked with mysteries in which a killer is present in an isolated location with a limited cast of characters. Chris Brookmyre’s latest novel, The Cliff House, continues in that trope. It’s a solid and well-written work with interesting characters and a lot of engaging mysteries to unpack, even if it may have benefitted from one or two fewer in the long run.

The book’s central character is Jen, who has planned a 72-hour luxury getaway on a private island for her hen party with six of her friends. It doesn’t take time for tempers to erupt as the group catch up—old vendettas start to raise their heads, and some members of the group want to settle old scores. But things swiftly take a turn for the worst. A body is discovered, one of the group disappears, and all of the party receive a message telling them that unless someone confesses their terrible secret, the missing friend will be killed. Can the group survive, and will they have to reveal their hidden shames along the way?

Structurally, the book reminded me of Lucy Foley’s The Guest List—it’s set on a private island adjacent to a wedding, and each chapter aligns us with the viewpoint of a particular character. Brookmyre has a wonderful gift for sketching characters–we learn a lot about them, but the author has the rare talent of writing a couple of sentences that tell you more than a chapter could. He effectively conveys each character’s perspective on events, which makes for some fascinating psychological reading when they break off into pairs and interact with each other.

The book has been sold as a thriller, but really, it’s more a selection of engaging character studies and an exploration of the dynamics between different women. I found the seemingly show-offy Nicolette to be a particularly interesting character, and a woman I could really imagine existing, especially as her secret came tumbling out. There’s a lot of tension inherent in the Jen-Beattie partnership, and it’s one of the most interesting drivers of the novel. Jen’s ex-husband Jason was Beattie’s brother, but Jason went missing under a storm of police corruption and domestic abuse allegations and his sister wants to find out the truth. This plot thread simmered away nicely, and I was excited to see how Brookmyre would resolve it.

Generally, Brookmyre’s writing here is exceptional. He delivers the necessary exposition in engaging ways, and I was impressed with how much information he could cleverly present while driving the narrative forwards. The reader is never bogged down and, after learning how the narrative played out, he also put in a lot of foreshadowing that hinted at what would come without being too heavy-handed. Brookmyre balances character development with plot and expository backstory, and knits them all together very cleverly indeed.

I don’t think the book is perfect, and there were some points where my suspension of disbelief was stretched just a little too much. There’s a character who is introduced towards the centre of the book, appears for a couple of chapters, and then completely vanishes from the narrative–I thought that too much was made of them for them to just vanish. The ending generally works, but there are so many twists and developments that it did start to teeter on the edge of feeling contrived—I suspect many readers may have much less patience than I did. And, given the excellent character work, I did find it unbelievable how nicely some of the secrets and revelations were dealt with. The resolution is a little too polished given what came before.

Despite the plot sometimes being a bit too much, I genuinely quite enjoyed The Cliff House. Brookmyre’s book is an enjoyable read, buoyed by engaging characters and a crisp writing style that makes it hard to put the book down. It’s not the most unique story you’ll have ever read–you could find similar novels a dime a dozen on the bookshelf–but this is certainly one of the better ones, and worth checking out.

Started off reading with high hopes but Unfortunately I did struggle a bit with this one, was just not for me. I would of liked some deeper character development earlier on the book as I was really struggling to get a grip on each of the Ladies and couldn’t feel an attachment to any of them which is something that makes/ breaks a book for me. Also struggled to believe the plot. I think if I was to read this on holiday and could fully engrossed I would have enjoyed it much more

*Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.*

Once more, this is an insane premise and way too many coincidences and red herrings going on. That being said, it was dark and creepy in the right moments. Each character had their turn in the suspicion spotlight, and each of them had some good depth. The ending and the explanation was all a bit too convenient but it was a good romp anyway.

Fantastic Scottish thriller/mystery read.

The start is a bit slow, but everything ties in together and I mean everything!

The character build isn't just telling you of their backgrounds and who they are but building to why they make the decisions they do. Each character is so different too. Really enjoyed this!

I started this book a good few months ago, but I struggled to maintain interest enough to keep reading. I’ve tried several times to continue with it.
This book has a number of characters, all with their back stories, so there is a lot of information and remembering to take on board. I only every read a chapter or two a day, and I think this is where the problem lays.
I keep trying to push myself to carry on, but I can’t remember all the details to keep up with the story.
I’ve never given up with a book before, but I have a list of other books to read, so I’m going to have to admit defeat this time and start reading my next book now I’m afraid.

The Cliff House was the type of thriller that makes you think, just one chapter as there were so many cliff hangers (cliff house - get it!!). The story ebbed and flowed for me, slow, canter, slow, gallop! With the ending a shock of twists and turns. My minor gripes were - the characters dialogue seemed a little stunted - not similar to the type of to and fro me and my gal pals have, but it didn't distract. Also the house itself didn't play a huge part so left me wondering why the name The Cliff House was chosen. It's still a good holiday read though!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, plenty of twists and turns in this one. A little unbelievable in places, but a good plot with interesting characters. A recommended read.