A story set on a tiny Scottish island, I couldn’t resist. In actual fact the story travels between England and parts of Scotland and beyond, but keeps returning to the Isle of Eris. A tale that feeds you with a feeling of the wildness of Scotland coasts and rural life. Of life and artistic struggle. We might be enlightened or astray as the story is told in the now and flash backs. Most of the cast are not people you will like, but they are real for all that. They have passion. They have anger. They have guilt. They have secrets. Will you work them out or will the wind and waves of Eris sweep you away. Thank you to Random House UK, Trans World Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Having read Paula’s ‘Girl on the train’ I expected the same riveting read in this novel- it was not to be! I enjoyed it to a certain extent, but felt it slow and drawn out to begin with. Set on a remote island that gets cut off when the sea covers the causeway over, Vanessa works with a variety of mediums- paint, ceramics etc. Lots of untruths in the plot with an almost predicted ending.

In 'The Blue Hour' by Paula Hawkin's a human bone in an art installation forces the novel's characters to confront how the famous artist Vanessa Chapman's philandering husband Julian died. Set primarily on the isolated Scottish Island of Eris, Becker the curator at the Fairburn foundation where the artwork is bequeathed, visits Grace, Vanessa Chapman's friend and the person now living in her home, to try to make sense of what happened, and to discover where some missing items are.

Hawkins is famous for writing tense thrillers, such as 'The Girl on the Train'. For me this lacked the originality of that debut, but at the same time was an enjoyable read that kept me interested. Hawkin's uses different perspectives and diary excerpt to tell the story to good effect and the conclusion was satisfying if not terrible surprising.

An art exhibition &a human bone… Set on a remote Scottish island. Will the truth be uncovered!?

This atmospheric story interspersed with diary entries sucks you into the plot… Romance. Obsession. Jealousy… This book has it all! I can imagine it would make a good short TV series!

Perfect for those who enjoy:
- Slow burn thrillers
- Mysteries
- Tension and drama
- Clever characterisation

With thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Doubleday and Netgalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

A shocking discovery is made at a London art gallery in a sculpture by renowned artist Vanessa Chapman. It is down to curator James Becker to travel to the remote Eris island, where the artist lived, to try and unravel the truth.

This started strongly and I was immediately drawn into the story. I found the art world fascinating and described well. I found this was well written and very atmospheric, I had a strong sense of eeriness and isolation. Although the writing was done well, I found that the plot seemed slightly stagnant as it reached the half way point and there wasn’t too much suspense. I feel that although the pacing worked well to set the scene, it was a very slow burn and caused my interest to dip and made the story start to drag. I found the ending disappointing also, as it seemed very sudden.

Although this isn,t my favourite by this author it is definitely still a decent story, with lots of positive aspects, that is worth a read. This would suit those looking for a dark, claustrophobic, slow burn mystery. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

I haven’t read The Girl on the Train, but I have heard all of the hype about it, so I was excited to read the latest release from Paula Hawkins – The Blue Hour.

Grace lives on the island of Eris, a home she once shared with famous artist, Vanessa. However, when a curator makes a shocking discovery about one of the late artist’s sculptures, secrets begin to emerge.

The setting of Eris felt really well defined and atmospheric - a remote Scottish island, that is only connected to the mainland for 12 hours a day and prone to storms. This really added to the claustrophobic feeling of this slow-burn thriller. The novel alternates perspectives, from Grace, the caretaker on the island, curator Becker and journal entries from Vanessa herself.

I think the fact that I haven’t read The Girl on the Train was a bit of a bonus for me here because I had no expectations or anything to compare this to. Although the story did hold my attention (I read it in two sittings), it is very much a slow burn. The main issue is that there isn’t really very much of a plot. If I was to summarise it, I could do so easily in just a few paragraphs, including spoilers. I enjoyed the conclusion of the story, although I think the ending will be polarising to readers, however, there are some threads in Becker’s perspective which just never get resolved. We get a lot of backstory about the relationship between his wife and his best friend and all of the tension and drama that came with it, which is just never seen through to a conclusion. In general, there just seems to be a lot of filler and waiting around for the tides which, although added to the mood of the piece, ultimately wasn’t satisfying.

Overall, The Blue Hour is a slow-burn thriller with a brilliant setting, but it’s simple and lacklustre plot left me wanting more. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Doubleday for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was not what I was expecting. While I did enjoy it, I will say the first third felt a little slow and took me a while to get into. But then I just wanted to know what happened.
While this isn't an edge of your seat type of book. It does have a couple of twists. But those could probably be easy to figure out.

If you want a meaty, atmospheric thriller you just know that Paula Hawkins is going to deliver.

The Blue Hour centres around Eris, an isolated Scottish island that was once home to a notorious artist whose husband vanished. Years later one of her sculptures is on display and a grim discovery is made - pushing Eris, and the people connected to it into the spotlight.

This story follows Grace, who is the custodian of the Eris house and Becker, who is interested in the art and wants to discover the truth about the artist.

It’s told through both perspectives of Grace and Becker whilst also including journal entries from Vanessa (the artist) . It’s a complicated web of a story but once it all comes together it has a satisfying pay off.

I wouldn’t say the twists are particularly shocking and I did work out the main conclusion quite early on but the writing and interesting characters made it a great read, and the final twist really did take me by surprise!

Rating: 4.3/5

The marketing team may not have done the author too many favours here by pitching this as an out and out thriller. I suspect that will raise the expectations of many prospective readers that this will be a far pacier affair than it actually is. This really is not a book for people who like their reading material to move along at a rollicking pace. Nor is it well-suited to anyone who enjoys ample helpings of melodrama. "The Blue Hour" is brooding and slow-burning, but entrancing and captivating at the same time.

The atmospherics are impressive and the characterisation equally so. The plot is carefully constructed and the various strands of the story are skilfully handled and deliver layers of intrigue. Clues relating to the ultimate outcome are neatly dropped into the narrative as it develops. These come both in the form of events, but also through insights into the individual histories and personalities of the key protagonists that may not be immediately apparent. "The Blue Hour" is quite possibly my favourite novel from Paula Hawkins to date and I will certainly be back for more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

The Blue Hour is a dark and tense story partly set on a remote Scottish island.
When the recently deceased artist Vanessa Chapman surprisingly leaves her entire works to the Fairburn Foundation in her will, Chapman’s companion and carer, Grace, is responsible for the handover of the art works and corresponding papers. But Grace is stalling going through Vanessas’s personal and professional papers.
James Becker, an avid Chapman enthusiast and director at the foundation is tasked with ensuring that everything is completed in a timely manner. He arranges to meet Grace on the island to expedite the handover.
A tale full of obsession and jealousy, envy and insecurities, the creepy atmosphere is enhanced by the descriptions of the stark island. Told in multiple POVs and timelines, with the addition of notebook and diary entries to reveal the past.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

I've had differing opinions on Paula Hawkins novels before so I wasn't sure how I would feel about this one.
I tried, I really did but I just found it difficult to engage with any of the characters. It felt as if they were at a distance so it was hard to connect. It's not for me unfortunately.

Books like this don't come along very often.
The Blue Hour is a story of romance, friendship,obsession,loneliness and horror.
The author creates a mix of deep and complex characters with interwoven relationships and simpler associates drawn into the story.
I wasn't sure if this book was for me as there is a darkness threading through the whole book, yet I was captivated right to the end. It wasn't the ending I was expecting and it left me in total shock.
I cannot put into words how good this book is, I loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book. I was delighted as I had read the author's previous books and loved them. This one took me by surprise. The setting resonated with me and I really thought that I would love it. Rather slow going for me and felt a bit flat. The ending didn't grab me either. Such a shame. Maybe I should read again in a while -possibly

This book was a great slow burn suspense. I enjoyed how we were slowly fed the different threads of the story and how they came together to form the conclusion. I enjoyed how it flicked between character POVs and diary entries and how the story explored the fine line between love and obsession.

I'm really sorry to say that I didn't enjoy this. The book was very slow-paced, and that is fine if the characters are interesting and there are some decent twists, but for me that was not the case here.

I found the writing style to be odd and detached, keeping us at arms length from the characters so that I didn't really feel anything for them. Without a connection to the characters, the story bored me and there weren't even any surprises in the plot to keep me interested.

Not for me I'm afraid, I feel that marketing this book to a thriller audience is a mistake, it should be made clear that this is literary fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

A human bone is found in one of a long dead artists exhibitions. Is it the artists missing ex-husband? Or is there a less gruesome explanation. On her death all her works and her remote Scottish home were left to her friend Grace. Grace’s isolation and peace is shattered by the arrival of an investigator who needs to uncover the truth.

I have read Hawkins previous works and enjoyed them. I found The Blue Hour to be one of her best books.
For me the lonely and secluded setting of a Scottish island was a perfect location for this type of thriller. The island being inhabited by one person once the tides change and cutting them off for twelve hour periods was a fascinating premise. The author drew me in with the descriptions of the geography in and around the island. The central mystery was well developed and kept me interested. I was surprised by how invested in the characters I had become. It’s a gripping read right to the very last revelation.

This would make a perfect three part BBC miniseries for the winter nights.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Unfortunately, for me, I found this book very dull and lackluster. I have read Hawkins previous books and found them to be varied in levels of enjoyment and captivation, so I knew there was a chance that this latest release wouldn't gel with me but I'm still gutted that it didn't. I found it slow and the characters under-developed and flat. As for the twists and 'thriller' element of the book, they didn't shock me or come as a surprise and overall by the end of the book I was just bored and glad it was over. Hawkins writing is great, I don't think the problem was with that at all, the story itself and the plot just needed more to it to really pull me in as a reader and ultimately shock and surprise me, which is what I always want from a thriller.

I’m sad to say that I was disappointed with this particular read and although I have read and enjoyed previous books by the author this one was not for me. The read had a slow pace and I can’t fault the writing at all but I just felt it was missing something and to be honest I was glad when I finished it. As I’m in a reading slump at the moment perhaps this didn’t help much and I am sure other readers will enjoy the read more, sometimes a certain book might just not be for you and I’m sure this was the case for me and this book.
So roll on the next read from Paula Hawkins as I’m pretty sure I will enjoy that one more.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Doubleday for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sadly, this book did not meet my expectations, which I’m truly sad about. Having read all of the authors books- I couldn’t wait to read my ARC of her new thriller but a thriller it is not. There were plot twists and differing timelines but it did not have suspense, excitement and leave me wanting to read late into the night.
I didn’t relate to any of the characters and really had to push myself to finish the book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC in return of an honest review

Famous artist with turbulent career and love life leaves her portfolio of work to a gallery owner.
Disputes, family turmoil and a missing husband. Two storylines of the past and the present entwine.
Jealousy and possivness are central.