Five Days in Provence proved to be a gripping page turner, and served as a great introduction to author Simon McCleave.
What sounds like an idyllic birthday celebration, 5 days in a luxury farmhouse in Provence, soon turns into a nightmare. 🗡
Five friends (Steph, Abi, Katie, Ruby and Darcie) head to Provence, to celebrate Steph's 50th birthday. The day after their arrival, tired and hungover after the birthday meal, they head out on a hike. Only 4 make it back alive. There's a killer on the loose, but who could it be? 🗡
This was a fast paced, engaging read, with some very satisfying twists. The characters are interesting, and all is not as it seems with some of them. Darcie is a particularly unlikable character, and you can't help hoping she will get her comeuppance. Does she? I'm not telling you. 🤐
So that's my tuppence worth. Fast paced, engaging, twisty and enjoyable. Five Days in Provence would make perfect holiday reading. 🗡
Thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

Five Days in Provence is a sun-drenched suspense novel that expertly blends idyllic scenery with simmering tension. What starts as a dream getaway among five lifelong friends quickly curdles into something far darker, and the novel wastes no time plunging readers into a web of secrets, shifting loyalties, and buried grudges.

The atmospheric setting—a picturesque farmhouse in the lavender hills of Provence—adds a deceptive layer of serenity that contrasts brilliantly with the unraveling relationships. Steph is a sympathetic lead, but each character is layered and flawed in a way that keeps you guessing who might be hiding what. The slow-burn tension builds beautifully until the shocking death on the mountain resets the stakes entirely.

The novel’s strength lies in its psychological depth: the uneasy silences, sidelong glances, and creeping suspicion make for an addictive read. Some pacing stumbles and a few moments of melodrama slightly weaken the impact, but overall, this is a stylish, character-driven mystery with bite.

If you enjoy locked-room mysteries with a twist of glamour and guilt, Five Days in Provence delivers a satisfyingly twisty escape.

Five Days in Provence is a fast paced thriller that keeps those pages turning.

Five long time friends are travelling to Provence to celebrate Steph's 50th birthday.

It should be the best celebration ever.

That was not to be.

Five go hiking up Mont Vertoux and only four return.

The death is declared a murder and the suspects are limited.

Twists and turns that keep you guessing as you race to the ending to fnd out who and why.

I devoured Five Days in Provence in one sitting and highly recommend you pick up your copy and settle in for a great read.

Thanks top NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the privilege to read and review Five Days in Provence.

I couldn’t put this down. Great setting with good descriptive writing, interesting character interactions, red herrings and a great final twist made this a very satisfying read.

Amazing plot with so many different twist. Enjoyed the writing with the perspection of the different characters. Perfect setting and landscape description. Wonderful ending to a mystery.

Compelling..
As five long term friends reunite in a Provençal farmhouse for a birthday celebration , will any of them envision that it will all end in murder? An idyllic setting, the locale has been carefully chosen, and months have been spent planning the perfect celebration - but five are soon to become four and..what then? Secrets and lies will undoubtedly out. An immersive suspense with a well drawn cast of credible characters populating a pacy and twisty plot in a well imagined setting. Compelling.

Dnf read nearly 50% and found it just ok it slightly irritated me but overall just found my reading disjointed and didn't flow

Very good! Darcie, her sister Ruby, Abi, Katie, and Steph are in Provence for a long weekend to celebrate Steph's 50th birthday. Although they've known each other for nearly 30 years, from the start, there a secrets, undercurrents of tension and some downright bitchiness between the 5 women. The day after they arrive, they hike up Mont Ventoux. 5 go up but only 4 come down alive. The author keeps the tension dialed up from start to finish, complete with a twist I didn't expect at all. A fast, very enjoyable read!
Thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishing, and Simon McCleave for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

Steph, Katie, Abi, Ruby and Darcie, all longtime friends, longtime friend rent a chateau in the south of France for a getaway and to celebrate Steph’s 50th birthday. Their first night is filled with heavy drinking, spiraling into arguments and a very regrettable choice involving local men. The next morning, a planned hike up nearby Mont Ventoux turns into a nightmare when a wildfire breaks out and the women are separated on the mountain. One of the friends falls to her death. As the police investigate, they discover that it was no accident. Everyone is a suspect, the five friends, the mysterious man who followed them on Mont Ventoux and the two handymen who live nearby. It will take days, months and years to unravel this twisted case.

Simon McCleave, a best selling crime writer, has delivered a very different mystery from his Angelsey and Snowdonia series. Five Days in Provence is multi-layered, moving skillfully back and forth in time. The characters are well developed and we see how their behavior is affected by their past. There are two conclusions, both surprises. McCleave always receives 5 star reviews!

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Simon McCleave for this ARC.

★★★½

Five Days in Provence by Simon McCleave is a gripping UK thriller set against the gorgeous backdrop of southern France. Five lifelong friends gather at a picturesque farmhouse nestled amidst the lavender fields to celebrate a birthday, but beneath the sun-drenched skies of Provence, their dream escape will end in murder.

McCleave’s skillful writing and tight plotting made this a one-sitting read for me. The narrative is filled with twists. Some I anticipated due to foreshadowing, but others caught me completely off guard and kept the suspense alive throughout.

However, the portrayal of female friendships felt somewhat exaggerated. The frequent bickering and occasional physical altercations among the women seemed unrealistic, which detracted slightly from the story’s authenticity.

Despite this, the novel serves as an entertaining palate cleanser between heavier reads. Its blend of mystery, scenic settings, and unexpected turns makes it a worthwhile pick for thriller enthusiasts looking for a quick escape.

I was gifted this title from NetGalley and Storm Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Five lifelong friends gather at a picturesque farmhouse nestled amidst the lavender fields to celebrate a birthday, but beneath the sun drenched skies of Provence, their dream escape will end in murder!! Great read! This book had thrilling suspense, murder, mystery, dark past secrets, and a few wild twists! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This was a great read but I’m a bit disappointed I saw the plot twist coming wayyyyy before the ending. The clues are quite obvious along the way it’s less of a bread crumb trail and more slices of bread trail.

The writing style was the best part of the book. It flowed well, the setting was vivid and the characters are all well rounded. I might be a bit young as the target audience and kept thinking my mum would really enjoy this one.

Darcie was incredibly unlikeable the entire time. I genuinely felt bad for everyone else having to deal with her negativity the entire time.
Do we get Shaun’s backstory in an early interconnected book because I want to know what his arrest warrant was for!

I would definitely pick up another Simon McCleave book due to how easy this was to read.
Thank you to Storm publishing and NetGalley for the arc of this book. This is my honest opinion.

Wow. This book doesn’t pull any punches. It is 5 friends and dashes about through time, jumping years, or days or months to paint the picture of a group of friends with layers after layers of bonds, lies, ties and emotions that shape who they are and how they get to the end of the book. The secrets are slowly unveiled and each came to a surprise to me, but not uncomfortable, the book made sense and worked coherently. The book is a bit madcap, however the characters are believable, have real thoughts and telling the story through multiple viewpoints kept the pace up, the epilogue doesn’t disappoint either and ends the book solidly.

I liked the first part but overall, I saw the twist coming way before the ending. Also, they were 50 years old but sometimes they acted like broody teenagers, it was a bit off-puting.
Some things made no sense either, some others had no explanation (I don't want to give examples, it would be a big spoiler)
It started great but then I lost interest.

Five Days in Provence, by Simon McCleave, is a fast-paced, short thriller with twists that will keep you guessing until the very end. 5 friends on a fiftieth birthday adventure, when they become four... The reader is kept in the dark for a while as to who is missing, and the story unfolds one twist at a time. The ending is worth the wait.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of the ebook, which I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Five Days in Provence whisks readers away to southern France's sun-soaked lavender fields, only to pull the rug out from under them with a chilling twist. Simon McCleave has crafted a gripping tale where friendship and suspicion collide under the intense Provençal sun.

The story follows Steph, who has meticulously planned a dreamy birthday getaway with her closest friends. The setting is idyllic, with long lunches, crisp wine by the pool and plans to climb the majestic Mont Ventoux. Yet, as with all good thrillers, paradise does not stay perfect for long. A wildfire sweeps through the mountains, and as the group becomes separated in the chaos, one of them turns up dead.

What follows is an engaging blend of suspense and drama. McCleave does a fantastic job building tension within the group as the remaining friends grapple with the horrific possibility that the killer may be one of their own. The fast-paced timeline keeps the reader fully invested, with each page offering a fresh twist or revelation. I found myself second-guessing every character and hanging onto every word.

Although the book is on the shorter side, it is packed with enough drama and intrigue to keep you hooked from start to finish. McCleave manages to balance vivid descriptions of the Provençal landscape with a tight, claustrophobic sense of dread. The result is a satisfying page-turner that leaves you questioning how well you truly know those closest to you.

Perfect for fans of quick, atmospheric thrillers that deliver both escapism and edge-of-your-seat tension.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

A very exciting read. Five friends go to Provence to celebrate a milestone birthday. The story highlights long term friends and complex relationships. The characters are well defined, some unpleasant but really ties in with the story. Steph, Abi, Ruby, Darcie and Katie all go to the idyllic Provence but one does not return. The story was good, spreading mainly over the 2 days. I enjoyed the suspense throughput and even though you felt you knew who Dunnet, there is still room for surprises. It's a book that once you get into it you won't leave down, just like I did.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion

A treat of a read that i demolished in an evening. Five friends go to Provence to celebrate a milestone birthday. With unpleasant and complex characters, complex friendship dynamics and twists a plenty kept me turning the pages. The plotting was pacey and well thought through making an engaging read. I really enjoyed this.

This is a good thriller from a seasoned author. Five female friends are having a short holiday together to celebrate a milestone birthday, but things don’t go as planned and ultimately only four come home. There is plenty of friction between the characters, so plenty of options for the ‘who did what to whom’. I found some aspects were easy to predict but there was a major plot twist that I didn’t see coming.
This is one of those books you can almost read in one sitting.

5 days in Provence deserves a 5-star review!
– Brilliantly Twisted and Utterly Addictive! This book was a total surprise—in the best possible way. It’s not usually the kind of genre I gravitate toward, but the way it was written completely won me over. Cleverly constructed with layer upon layer of twists and misdirection, it kept me constantly second-guessing and unable to put it down. Every time I thought I had it figured out, the story would shift again, pulling me deeper in. It’s one of those rare reads that plays with your mind in all the right ways. Gripping, smart, and thoroughly enjoyable—I’m so glad I gave it a chance! Well done Simon McCleave another one of your many books that could be made for TV. The writing was so good that I got to know Shaun, Tom, Steph, Darcie, Abi, Ruby, Katie I would now like to get it in audio format.