A hen party in a luxuriously appointed manor house on a remote Scottish island, where the only guests are the bride-to-be, some friends old and new, and the woman who is to become her sister-in-law. They'll be dropped off by private helicopter, and looked after by their own private chef. The owner is discretely on hand should the party need anything that hasn't already been thought of. They are successful women, and this is an opportunity to escape the demands of their busy lives. It's not all as idyllic as it looks however. Old tensions bubble under the surface, and suspicions about betrayal colour some of their conversations. Perhaps these would have remained undeclared, but a murder on the first night forces the women to confront their past sins, and in so doing, endangers them all. A compelling read where we are kept guessing about the true villain.

Seven women at a hen do on a remote Scottish Island. Some of them have a checkered history, one is a fairly recent friend and then there is the bride-to-be's future sister-in-law who no one of them has met before. They all have secrets but none of them wants to reveal their own. A roller coaster of a novel that kept me gripped until the last page.

Jen’s party weekend is on a remote private Scottish island in Clachan geal in a luxury house Jen is a successful business woman who has recently sold her business but she remains head of the company Jen is soon to be married to her fiancé Zaki Hussain this will be her second marriage jens arranged the weekend away with her friends ex sister in law and future sister in law they got a private chef and Lauren who works there and the seven of them but then someone is murdered and they are told that one of them isn’t who they think she is
Really enjoyed this book i couldn’t put it down

I'm a big fan of Chris Brookmyre but this didn't do it for me. The plot feels formulaic and the writing lacks his usual depth and energy. I didn't feel the characters had a life beyond the plot and their respective secrets. The blurb reads like an upmarket beach read but so did Fallen Angel's and that turned out to be about much more, so I gave it more than my usual cut-off of 10%, but DNF at 25%.

I enjoyed this book and the characters. The story interweaved nicely and kept me wanting to read on. A suspenseful read.

Big fan of Chris Brookmyre, even on an off day he’s still a cracking read. The Cliff House felt a wee bit derivative- hen party trapped on an island, secrets will come out, murders will happen… but Brookmyre’s typical verve and strong, characters make this a twisty joy to read.

I’d love another Angelique De Xavier follow up, I suspect the moment is gone though…

This is my first Chris Brookmyre for a long time- I’m not sure why, and I’ll remedy that absence after this cracking read. Very enjoyable, tense, twisty thriller set on a remote Scottish island; a setting that starts of as beautiful and peaceful but quickly becomes dark and claustrophobic. The plot sets a group of mostly middle-aged women on a hen do at the island’s luxurious retreat- they are ostensibly friends but each has a secret and a grudge, and the weekend quickly unravels with murder, kidnapping and a baring of souls. You could try and second guess the twists and turns but you’re better off just going along for the ride, and enjoying the journey.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I found this to be a bit of a slow burner... it started well and then slowed down a little towards the middle. But I am so glad that I persevered because the second half had me on the edge of my seat, trying to work out who was behind it all and constantly changing my mind. There were some great twists.

A great read! A nightmare of a hen party with lots of secrets amongst the cast. As the reader I was not sure who was trustworthy and who wasn't. Highly recommended

A book full of suspense, intrigue, childhood friendships, new friendships, jealousy and spousal relationships all underpinned with a complete lack of trust. Although I found the plot a little predictable, I did second guess myself at some points, which ensured that I kept going until I had reached the final conclusion.

A healthy array of characters and background stories mixed in with a remote island and lack of internet connection....what could possibly go wrong?

Definitely worth a read.

Jen's hen party is going to be out of control...
One party you won't want to miss!

My first time reading a Chris Brookmyre novel and he rocked my world!
The Cliff House is a phenomenal, intriguing, unique, cinematic and fast-paced. Unputdownable and thrilling page-turner. I highly recommended.

This was such a riveting story and I easily devoured it.
Secrets and lies is the heart of this story and add a missing friend you have my undivided attention.
The writing style was amazingly brilliant and the plot of the book was one that I didn't see coming.
I was impressed with the descriptions of the setting and characters.
Also I was genuinely enthralled by the characters. Wanted to know more.
Absolutely brilliant! Tense and gritty.

I needed a really good page-turning thriller in my life, and this so hit that spot!

Everybody has a secret. And nobody wants to tell.....

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Little Brown,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Simmering Suspense…
Simmering suspense set in a remote but utterly luxurious hotel on a beautiful private island. A hen weekend to remember? Of course, but perhaps it will be for all of the wrong reasons. This group of women are holding their secrets close but what exactly will make them crawl out from the woodwork? With a perfectly crafted cast of characters, an effective multi-person narrative and a pacy plot this is a compelling and engaging read which keeps momentum until the final denouement.

This was a bit of a slow burner at first with the bringing together of several different ladies for the hen night of Jen at a remote cliff top house. What starts out as a weekend of indulgence starts to unravel and secrets aplenty. Initially I found the beginning slow and it was hard trying to remember who all the characters were. This seemed like a bit of a different story from Brookmyre. When the story started to hot up it became a real page turner with plenty of twists and an altogether satisfying end.

A remote Scottish island retreat loved by the rich & famous, with no inhabitants & no mobile reception. A large, luxury house with all 'mod cons' including a spa & pool, a group of friends and acquaintances, a hired chef, and a multitude of secrects.......what could go wrong?
Jen is due to be married, so she & her friends head off for a hen weekend to celebrate. They arrive in style via helicopter, and take in the stunning island views as they come in to land. They are greated by Laura, their host and owner of the island, are shown around and meet their hunky chef who has prepared a selection of cocktails upon their arrival.
The drinks flow, but as the evening progresses the celebrations take a sinister turn. They soon realise that one of their party is missing, and there is a nasty surprise waiting for them in the kitchen.
One thing leads to another, and the friends find themselves doubting one another, and wondering who has the most terrible secrety of all.
I really loved this book, and read it in no time at all. Well written personalities, and a great plot. This would make a great movie!

I really enjoyed this book. Jen's hen weekend is going to be awesome. She has hired a luxury property on a remote Scottish island for her group of friends. However, things start to go badly wrong when one of the group disappears and the rest of them are threatened that she will be killed unless a big secret is revealed by one of the others. The trouble is, they all have a secret.......... This is a real page turner which will keep you guessing right to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Any book by Chris Brookmyre is guaranteed to entertain. Even though The Cliff House is not my favourite of his books and certainly not the most original or exciting, it is still very readable. Full of twists, mysteries and suspense, it kept my attention, even though I had to suspend my disbelief most of the time.

This story is not unique: seven people are alone on an island to celebrate Jen’s engagement and they all have a secret. By now, you must know that if you go to an isolated island, you will inevitably be cut off and terrorised! However, I felt this was a cut above the other books I have read with a similar storyline, The chef is found dead and with it a message that one of them isn’t who they say they are and must confess before another member of the party dies. The women decide to fight back and find the ‘reaper’ and each of them during this time has to confront their own past. The viewpoint shifts but I never felt that there were too many women to sympathise with each one. A very enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

As ever, Chris Brookmyre delivers a twisty plot, high tension, excellent relationships and a very satisfying read., . A new Brookmyre is always greatly to be anticipated and this one certainly doesn't disappoint, what a clever, devious mind he must have! Thanks to Little Brown and Netgalley for providing hours of pleasure in return for an unbiased review.

This is a novel about the nature of friendship and all the secrets that remain hidden in usual circumstances.

Jen gathers with six women from completely different periods of her life, some out of sentiment and nostalgia, some out of wishful thinking, and some out of obligation. It is her hen party on a remote island in a luxurious house. Many of them didn’t know each other, one of them didn’t know anybody, including Jen, one of them quite possibly hated her, and two of them definitely hated each other.

What could possibly go wrong?

For a start, they find a dead chef and, someone sinister observes and commands them remotely. One of them is not the person they believe her to be, and one of them committed a sin that has gone unpunished. Who will confess and save them all?

It is a game of trust, paranoia, morality, hate, and pure survival.

A gripping thriller, full of twists and turns, but for my taste, there are too many details and an almost unbelievable turn of events.

A real cliffhanger, even without reference to the title. A weekend in a Scottish Manor House on a remote island.....the perfect getaway for a group of friends to celebrate before Jen gets married, the group staying in luxury with a private chef to cater for them. Of course, there is a problem. There are undercurrents, niggles from years ago that haven't been addressed. One of the group is new to them all and another has been on the scene for just a few months. But that doesn't explain the problem in the kitchen, or why the internet is playing up. Something sinister is happening and each of the group wonders if they might know what the trigger was. A pretty good read, with rather more twists, turns and confessions than it really needs. By the end, nothing would surprise the reader.