Detective Elin Warner is called to investigate a death at an exclusive retreat on Cary Island. She is already connected to the island, her brother designed the hotel and his sister is now the manager. It soon becomes apparent that the death could be suspicious and when a second person dies, it is clear that something unsavoury is going on. As a violent storm closes in on the island, Elin and her partner DC Steed are alone in managing the incidents and what follows.

There is plenty going on in this tense thriller. The island with its history of superstition, murder and violence makes an excellent backdrop. The powerful storm creates an intense atmosphere. The dynamics between the characters, with their checkered pasts support a well constructed plot.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The description to The Retreat grabbed me straight away - an island, a death and a predicted storm, what more could you need for a fantastic thriller. The Retreat kept me gripped with its many twists and turns and I hardly put it down. I can't recommend it enough - It's fantastic!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Another good story, well written. I like this author's style of writing as this is even better than the previous book. Kept you guessing until the end with great characters. Looking forward to the next book.

Such an absolute joy to be back in a Sarah Pearse novel! I will probably update this when my head isn’t just full of admiration for her writing. But run to pick up a copy, it’s amazing!

The Retreat by Sarah Pearse

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Random Things Tours and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Most are here to recharge and refresh. But someone's here for revenge. . .

An eco-wellness retreat has opened on an island off the English coast, promising rest and relaxation—but the island itself, known locally as Reaper’s Rock, has a dark past. Once the playground of a serial killer, it’s rumored to be cursed.

Detective Elin Warner is called to the retreat when a young woman’s body is found on the rocks below the yoga pavilion in what seems to be a tragic fall. But the victim wasn’t a guest—she wasn’t meant to be on the island at all.

Last year I was given the opportunity to read The Sanitorium - the debut novel by Sarah Pearse and I really enjoyed it. When I was given the opportunity to read the sequel there was no doubt in my mind that this as going to be a must read!

This is a twisty thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. I would read a few chapters and put the book down, but would instantly be drawn straight back in as I tried to work out who the killer was. With very short chapters it is very easy for 'just one more chapter' to turn into oops I've finished the book. With the exception of Elin and Steed, I did not like any of the characters which just made it easier to think that any of them could be guilty. If you enjoyed The Sanitorium then this is a book that you really must read this year!

Rating 4/5

This book gave me serious horror vibes from the start. Lots of creepy characters, all could be guilty of something and despite having to suspend my belief a little for some parts, it was a good pacy read.

I didn't love this authors first book, The Sanatorium although did like the main character, Detective Elin Warner, I think she's a well drawn character and when I read The Retreat would also feature this character, my interest was piqued.
I think this is a stronger novel than The Sanatorium, the writing is more assured and the plot is tighter. I also really enjoyed the family dynamics in the story and the book kept me guessing.

A decent page turner. I will look forward to the next in this series.

3.5 star

This book is amazing. Yet again Sarah has taken a space which is made for relaxation, recuperation and reflection and turned into the stuff of nightmares.

Picking up from the debut novel,'The Sanitorium', protagonist Elin Warner is back on her home turf,off the coast of Devon in the home she shares with architect partner, Will.

Struggling to come to terms with recent bereavements and trauma, she is keen to show that she can get back on track as a detective.

The opportunity comes sooner than she thinks when a body is discovered at LUMEN, an exclusive resort designed by Will, up for a prestigious award so the death of a guest could not come at a worse time. It is personally invested in by Will as he is desperate to reclaim the history of the island which has been marred by plague victims being abandoned there, the collapse of the local school and a serial killing Caretaker on a Outward bound centre.

A tall order then to bring peace and a sense of a future to a place known for its distinctive outcropping known as 'Reaper's Rock'.

Especially as the concurrent storyline deals with a fractured family of 3 sisters and a cousin who have been gifted the chance to physically and mentally retreat by middle sister Jo, a media content maker.

The chance to reconnect, put to bed rivalries and sorrow all sounds too good to be true.

And indeed it is as first, older sister Bea cancels in favour of a business trip sending her boyfriend Caleb along to get to know his prospective in laws better.

The discovery of a body turns what should have been an idyll into a hellscape of recriminations and arguments as accusations fly, and the mystery of how this person was able to arrive incognito at such a remote place deepens.

Using the opportunity to bond with her partner and his sister, the manager of LUMEN, Ellin is desperate to prove her personal and professional worth.

With 2 richly convening stories,digging deeper into the over arching background to Ellin's career, 'The Retreat' shows that 'The Sanitorium' was no mere flash in the pan.

Sarah Pearse continues to be a writer who takes the mundane,the every day and paints it in chilling shades of suspense, mystery and the fatal consequences of inaction.

A chilling and unstoppable read,once begun,this book shows that the places where we think we can go to get away from our lives are not the safe spaces we wish they were.

The Retreat is the second in the Detective Elin Warner series from Sarah Pearse.

The setting of this second novel is quite similar to The Sanatorium: both are set somewhere remote - The Retreat on an island off the south England coast and The Sanatorium high in the Swiss Alps. In both books, Elin is ‘trapped’ in situ by a storm, with a murderer on the loose. There is even a sibling element in both: Elin’s brother in The Sanatorium and her boyfriend Will’s sister in The Retreat.

While I wasn’t overly enamoured with The Sanatorium - my main complaint being it felt about 100 pages too long - The Retreat felt much more fast-paced: just how I like my thrillers. Despite the similarities, I enjoyed The Retreat considerably more - if you haven’t read The Sanatorium, you don’t *need* to have read it to enjoy this new book.

LUMEN is a luxury eco-wellness island getaway located off the south coast of England. When someone is found having fallen over the balustrade at the yoga pavilion, detectives Warner and Steed are called to investigate what appears at first glance to be an accident. The island has a creepy history - known as Reaper’s Rock, many believe it’s cursed. When things start getting weird, even the least superstitious guests and staff begin to think maybe there is something to this curse theory.

The protagonist, Elin, was much more fleshed out, although she made some questionable choices at times (running to a secluded islet alone in the middle of a storm with a known murderer on the loose?!). Elin is flawed - we knew that from The Sanatorium - but in The Retreat we understand more of what makes her tick.

There is a range of interesting characters with shocking secrets to be shared and plenty of twists throughout. The ending has left me intrigued for the next book in the series!

It was a joy returning to the dark world of crime and the troubled character of DS Elin Warner. I was pleased to see her developing, becoming stronger and learning to live with the tragedy that has shaped her in the past, growing in her capabilities and self understanding. Her sidekick
Steed is a real bonus and their working relationship develops into a great partnership.

This book has a similar theme to Sanatorium - set in a remote place (a beautiful sounding wellness spa on an island this time) with little emergency back-up available.

There is an interesting range of characters and secrets which bubble & boil, before rising to the surface. Will, Elin’s ever-patient and understanding boyfriend, loses ground in my opinion. Set all this in a mysterious island and you have the makings of real tension.

As the plot thickens, the island becomes cut off and weather deteriorates, however Elin really steps up.

The pace was fast, with a murder at the start, the dark back-stories emerging, keeping my mind engaged, as I considered the multiple plot lines, seeking the answer to this intriguing puzzle. An enjoyable read.

What a wonderful twisty thriller - a modern take on the classic locked room mystery.

Who wouldn’t want to go on an all-expenses-paid retreat with family and friends to a fancy retreat on a remote island, albeit slightly morbid one? Well, after you read this book, probably all of us!

This is the second book in the Elin Warner series. I’ve not read the first, but it didn’t matter to the story. I found this book an easy to read page-turner. It kept me guessing right until the end.

Looking forward to Book 3 in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for graciously allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A second outing after the Sanatorium for DS Elin. This time she is investigating deaths at an island retreat haunted by memories of killings in the past. The Leger family, three sisters, their close cousin and two partners have come together at the retreat to heal old wounds. But all is not as it seems. A face paced story turns with the weather to a dazzling conclusion .

This is a good read.
I think I prefer this book to the first book, The Sanitorium, as I feel we've got to know Detective Elin Warner more now.
Elin is called out to an island after a body is found in the complex where people are meant to be able to rewind and relax.
Elin and Steed start investigations as it's clear this was not an accident.
This is confirmed when a second body is found.
There's a lot of secrets that come to the surface from the group of friends on the island but these do not distract from the murders.
A good read with a few twists and turns.
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book

During this boiling heatwave we're experiencing, I would suggest you immerse yourself in a gripping book, and I have just the tense murder mystery for the job!
'The Retreat', Sarah Pearse's second installment of Detective Elin Warner's investigations, is somehow even better than the first, which I absolutely loved! (Side note: if you haven’t read 'The Sanatorium', you don't have to in order to enjoy this, but you should anyway!)
In this novel, Elin and her partner Steed head to a remote island retreat off the coast of England, where rest and relaxation are supposed to be on the menu, but are far from it. The Leger family, Elin's partner's sister (who happens to run the retreat) and the retreat's employees are soon embroiled in a multiple murder mystery. As the weather worsens, cutting them off from civilisation, and Elin uncovers numerous secrets about the island's history, the tension rises at a rate you will fully expect if you read, and loved, 'The Sanatorium'.
So, what did I love about this book? Well, following in its predecessor's footsteps, the short chapters are just perfectly structured to create super high tension and more clever cliffhangers than you can shake a stick at!
The setting is another winner for me. Yet again, Pearse has absolutely smashed the locked in, isolated resort feeling. The distance of the retreat from the mainland, combined with the increasing intensity of the storm and the revelations surrounding the island's history, is the perfect tension building tactic!
Finally, and this was the real crunch point for me, Elin is far less irritating in this novel! Yes, she still has her struggles and yes, it still seems miraculous that her boyfriend has stuck with her. But I also found her a lot more resilient and her working relationship with Steed strangely made her a lot more likeable!
All in all, a fantastic thriller with an eerie edge - another smashing page turner from Sarah Pearse!

"Most are here to recharge and refresh.
But someone's here for revenge . . ."
.
Creepy Island setting.
Genuine horror/slasher vibes.
Lots of suspicious characters.
A detective with a point to prove.
.
That's how I'd sum up The Retreat by Sarah Pearse. Full disclosure I did not know this was a follow on from The Sanitorium (which I'm now going to read). This one opens with a proper horror film feeling and it remains pretty creepy throughout, a very pacy read that I enjoyed very much even if I did have to suspend my disbelief a number of times.

From the author of The Sanatorium, book 2 finds us being transported to an upmarket spa hotel on an island where there is a murder within a group of sister and their friends and a storm approaching. Good tight plot which keeps the reader guessing who is doing what and to whom as well as testing the loyalties of the sisters. It is an enjoyable read that takes you along with it with great descriptive passages .

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

This is the second in this series but although always best practice to read a series in order, and I listened to The Sanitorium, I think this does work well as a stand alone. Obviously you'll get the best from Elin if you read her first outing...
So... A stunning retreat on a private island, a family who is fractured, a grim history of a school and a serial killer on said island back in the day, oh and a damaged cop... what a recipe for shenanigans that is shaping up to be. And shenanigans most definitely ensue when Elin is called over to the island when a body is found on the rocks, first impression being a tragic accident. Although Elin being Elin isn't so sure. And then when a second body turns up, another "accident" it really looks like being the start of something really rather bad. And then there's a storm coming and it becomes a race against time to cut to the chase of what is happening, bring the perp to justice before the body count rises and the weather sets in...
This, like its predecessor, is a rather convoluted and interconnected story. Many of the characters have backstories which may or may not be connected with what is going on in the now. The setting most definitely has a doozy of a backstory that is more than likely connected, if only in making the place all the more creepy! You really do have to have your wits about you whilst reading this! Elin has personal connections to the retreat so it is a bit close to home for her and she is still quite a damaged character. Whether this breaks or makes her, well, that's not for me to say here...
But the story gets on with itself well on the whole, dragging a wee bit in the middle third. But the race to the end is well worth the journey it takes to get there as the veil of uncertainty lifts and the whole truth becomes exposed.
All in all, a worthy follow up to what was a solid series opener. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The was a fascinating story of murder on an Island retreat. The Island has a lot of bad history and someone is out for revenge. A large cast of interesting characters and a very stressed police presence. Non stop action with lots of twists and turns. A great read!.

2.5 stars
I have to admit that I wasn't a fan of this authors previous novel The Sanatorium but was willing to give her another go as this premise sounded interesting.
Unfortunately this was another miss for me.
One of the things I did like about this book was the sisters relationship. I found it to be interesting and intriguing. However as this story went on, I started to lose interest.
A problem I had with the previous book (the character of Elin) soon started to appear in this one. I find that character to be annoying and weak and I just don't like her!
The plot and twists I found predictable and there were no surprises in reading this for me.
Having read both her books now, I think that me and this authors writing just don't gel. Which is a shame because I really want to enjoy her books!

Another cracker of a thriller from Sarah Pearse!

A fast paced thriller with a lot of characters each with their own story. I loved the setting, meant to be a relaxing beach resort but with a sinister past

I loved this, couldnt put it down!