Wow! A genuine pageturner, made me gasp out loud with every twist! I absolutely loved it! Every single character was complex and flawed. The plot raced along at a hundred miles a minute, so atmospheric.

This novel starts with the journey to and arrival at the location for a hen party for Jen and 6 female acquaintances. They have rented a luxury house on a remote Scottish island and are all set for a weekend of cocktails, spas and good food. I used the word acquaintances rather than friends because sometimes obligation plays more of a part in hen parties than actual friendship. The 7 hens all have secrets they don't want the others to know about. However circumstances push them and the female owner of the property into revealing the lies of their past and testing the limits of their acquaintanceship.
I am always excited to read a new Brookmyre novel, not only because he is a superb writer but also because I never know what exactly I will find in between the covers. I read this quickly because I really wanted to know what was going on. However I will be re-reading it to try and pick up on clues as I go along. On my first read I made many guesses but got nowhere near the actual denouement.
Each chapter in the book is told from the perspective of one of the 8 female characters. As with many of his previous novels I greatly admire Brookmyre's ability to write from a female perspective. The reader's sympathies go from one character to another as more is revealed about their past lives.
The remote location is very well described. The beauty of the island is there but this evolves into an awareness of the dangers of the landscape and of the remoteness.
This is a brilliant read both for fans of Brookmyre and for those who may not have encountered his work before.

The now familiar setting of a remote island with no communication links to the outside world; a group of characters to love or hate as their deepest secrets are revealed; a plot full of twists and turns with some predictable, some shocking and some totally implausible; a villain to boo and hiss; and a neat ending to tie up the loose threads. Yes, this tale of a hen weekend on a Scottish island which descends into terror, treachery and death has echoes of other books and authors, most notably the best selling novelist of all time and her most popular mystery novel, but nevertheless it gripped my attention throughout and deserves the cliched acknowledgment that it is “a real page turner”. A recommended read for a wet weekend or a long journey.

I’ve read a few of Christopher/Chris Brookmyre books over the years most recently The Cut of which was one of my top books of 2021 so this E-Arc of The Cliff House ,I was kindly given the chance to read via NetGalley from Little, Brown Book Group UK for a fair and honest review, had high expecting to live up to glad to report it did.

One hen weekend, one remote island, seven women with secrets, no way out, no phones and a dead body…It is “And Then There Were None” for 2022 with a sassy bunch of Scottish women and a belter of a soundtrack what is not love?!?

The idea of this plot isn’t new- the remote setting, no way off, group of interesting characters with secrets- but the take on this classic plot is fresh, thrilling, tense, darkly funny and full of characters you will loathe and love. It’s a mystery full of twists that will keep you guessing to the end, some the secrets are a little predictable but didn’t spoil any enjoyment there was enough to wrong foot you to make up for that. The ending was not rushed and kept the tension to the very end, I really liked how it was neatly wrapped up and had a some what macabre happy ending…classic Brookmyre darkly funny and a bit uncomfortable.

The characters are all well written, we hear from six of women at some point and while I feel the focus was centred around Jen and Michelle I thought of six voices were well developed ,had a good backstory and interesting secret that they didn’t want to share. My favourite character was Helena there was something I really liked about her I would have liked a bit on her. For me what added to the characters was there Scottish dialect some there expressions were just so Glasgow and there were brilliant.

This Glasgowness was also used in setting which I loved, loads of places I recognised. Nicolette description of Princess Square was spot on for me I felt the same going there as a child. Brilliant writing this really added depth not only to the setting but also to the characters, it helped really picture them as real people.

This a Glasgow Kiss of a novel it will leave your head spinning. It is a twist on a classic full of twists and mystery. In all if you like your humour dark in only the way Scottish writers can do with a good old mystery and a bit of escapism this is for you. Definitely recommended here.

Bonus star for the link to the playlist featuring all the songs mentioned in the novel, brilliant touch

This review will posted to Amazon, Waterstones and Goodreads in July as pre the publishers wishes. Will also make it my book of the week on my instagram page the week of publication.

This was definitely one of the best books from Net-galley that I’ve read this year, deserving of its five stars. I wasn’t sure at first as it reminded me of other Net galley novels where a group of people are stranded and deadly secrets emerge. I also wondered if this a reworking of Agatha Christie’s brilliant Ten Little Indians, a theme so often copied with various similar scenarios and outcomes. But this was neither. What we have is a group of women, most of whom know each other, a few for literally decades, thrown together at a hen weekend on an isolated Scottish island. .I thought I had it worked out at various times, but only one of my denouements transpired. This was a roller coaster read from start to finish, I really wanted it to go on longer which is a good sign of commitment to the storyline. All of the characters were believable from Michelle the pop star to Beattie, Jens sister in law. I highly recommend this book but once you get into it forget anything else.

3.5 stars

I've genuinely never read anything by Brookmyre I didnt enjoy, and he's covered a lot of genres over the years.
This one seems quite a familiar story, but he does it well, as you would expect.
A remote island, a small cast of characters, and lots of lies and secrets.
Some of the secrets were a bit predictable, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book.
It kept me company on a long train ride, and made the time fly by.
If you're new to Brookmyre, I'm envious of the back catalogue you now have to investigate.
If you're old friends, this is him on usual fine form.

#TheCliffHouse #NetGalley
Wow.
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.
I think this a true thriller from every angle. Loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Books UK Sphere for giving me an advance copy.

This was a real page turner and it kept me up while late, since I wanted to see what would happen next. I really enjoyed the book, thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the novel.

I don’t know what I was expecting here but I really enjoyed this book. I don’t see it about 50% thriller and 50% mystery. The plot was extremely interesting and I really like the characters as well. I absolutely recommend this one!

Jen invites a group of her friends to her hen party, which is to be held on an island in Scotland. All the women have secrets from each other. Some are meeting for the first time, others not speaking to each other, and a few bearing grudges. What could possibly go wrong?

This is the latest in a long line of “island” mysteries that are flooding our bookshelves at the moment. Its a well trodden plot line that everyone is familiar with. It does beg the question of why these women want to be together, when there is such animosity and hard feeling amongst them. There was nothing new in this version, no great reveal as the outcome was pretty obvious.

However, it was as good as many of this genre that I have read, and certainly not the worst. The back stories of the characters were enjoyable. A fair, easy read, that kept me interested.

Thank you NetGalley.

When I first started reading ‘The Cliff House’ I thought I’d read it before, then realised there
have been a number of books with broadly the same plot, the most famous of which is Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’. A small number of people, all hiding secrets they don’t want revealed, in peril on an island with no way of communicating with the outside world.
That said the novel soon settles into a gripping read. Jen Dunne is holding her hen-party weekend on a remote scottish island, and it’s apparent before they set off that some of the hens have long standing and complex relationships with each other, and to say there is a lack of trust would be an understatement. Once on the island it’s not long before they discover a murder, and discover one of the hens has been kidnapped. Then the the kidnapper gets in touch with his demands. What he says puts them in fear of having to reveal their secrets and as this plays out overnight we learn more of their back stories and motives while trying to puzzle out who is the villain. It keeps you guessing right to the end.
I don’t think this book has the depth of some of the author’s earlier novels, but it is an
enjoyable mystery with lots of plot twists, great recommended playlist and the author’s
trade mark sense of humour. In all a bit of escapism and definitely to be recommended.


Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an ARC
*I’ll send this review to Goodreads, Waterstones & Amazon in July as requested by the publisher

This book is an easy read. I thought it would end with similar endings I've read. It didn't. Which I am glad off.

Seven women go to a remote island for the hen do of Jen. Then, cut off from communicating with the real world, unexpectedly their pasts come back to haunt them. That is not a particularly original story idea but it is well written with enough intrigue to keep you reading. Suddenly, one goes missing, apparently held hostage until one of the group admits to her past misdeeds. At the same time, there appears to be a murder of one of the weekend staff. The question is which of the women has so offended someone that revenge is being sought. The stories gradually reveal why each of them could be the target. Then the story proceeds to a not unexpected conclusion. This is an easy story to read and rewarding in the complexity of its characters.

Wow I absolutely loved this! Tension, suspense and a real page turner. This is the first Chris Brookmyre that I’ve read and will definitely be looking out for more. Jen has rented a house on a remote island and is joined by seven ladies that she is connected to in one way or another for her hen weekend. Also on the island is the owner Lauren and the hired chef. All have secrets and all want these secrets kept hidden. I thought that the short chapters made it a good pace with the description of each character and their pasts well written but leaving me wanting to know more. It continually had twists and turns and just when I thought I’d worked it all out something else happened to make me think again! One thing I really liked was how the ending wasn’t rushed and how everything was wrapped up and dealt with.

My first book by this author and it was rather good. Plenty of twists and turns right from the start almost made me dizzy. A great psychological thriller that I read in 2 sittings. I loved the atmospheric and fast paced storyline and will certainly look to read more by this author. I recommend this book and the author.

I read most of this book in one day!

Yes, it was that addicitive - that mix of excellent plotting, strong charectarisation and sharp writing, which means you can just dive in and don't need to come up for air until its finished.

Plot spoiler alert - The idea - nice and simple - a group of friends on an hen weekend staying at an isolated Island. One of them is kidnapped and with a threat to kill her unless one of the party confesses to their misdemeanours and provides restitution.

I won't say any more - I was quickly and completelty caught up in the book, and even as Brookmyre dropped in clues and the hen's histories, I couldn't get to the bottom and work it out...until the reveal. Tantilisingly close at times, but just out of sight until the reveal towards the end.

Final verdict - Brookmyre has surpasssed himself with this one. Whether you're a Brookmyre fan or not...no ifs, no buts, just get the book.

There is no-one better than Chris Brookmyre at creating a sense of unease from the very start of a book. And he can always produce one or more twists to the plot than this reader, at least, expects.

I really enjoyed the fact that this time put a group of women in a situation of peril and then convincingly dealt with it.

And the humour and music tracks were a welcome bonus to a great, thrilling, edge-of-your seat read. He certainly made good use of the lockdown.

I’m going to buy it for a friend, who I’m sure will love it.

Completely gripping right from the very start. Twisty and unpredictable and kept me guessing right up until the end. Fast paced and atmospheric, I loved it.

A solid 5 star novel. Great characters. Loved the writing style. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. All you need for a perfect thriller. Look forward to his next novel.Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I was given an ARC of this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jen has rented a luxury house on a private island, which is the location for her hen party – but so much more. There are several women, some with a ‘past’, most with secrets.

I thought the dynamics of the group were brilliant; some relationships closer than others. I did take pleasure in the smattering of humour, too. The sense of place was great; I could just picture the luxury and the scenery – and the other, not so good ‘scenes’.

The tension, however, is obvious and as the writing switches from one character to another, it certainly gave depth to the story overall with each point of view. The characters are well-developed and the relationships heightened as the plot unfolds.

It was so nice to read a British story because some American tales have awful grammar, so then I was surprised to read ‘off of’ instead of just ‘off’ or ‘from’. There were a few other niggles, but overall the writing style was splendid.

The best thing about this story, in my opinion, is the build-up of the tension and the mystery and suspense deepening, and I was hooked to find out what was going to happen – what was the truth? Who were the villains?

Not wanting to give spoilers, I will only say that this was an enjoyable, engaging and head-spinning mystery thriller and I loved it.

Highly recommended.