I should have known better. Five women, in their 50s, have a splash out holiday in Provence for the 50th birthday of the youngest. None is a likeable characters, all very predictable and I just can't believe that they stayed friends since college., let alone how they were Oxford undergraduates in the first place. Add in a couple of hunky 30 somethings, a forest fire out of control (topical at least) and the murder is predictable. Sorry, I made a mistake. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Five days in Provence by Simon McCleave is more of a cozy mystery, a great read for Vacation. A group of girlfriends take a 50th birthday trip to Provence for their friend. One of their friends, Darcie, is a social media influencer whose marriage is coming apart due to her husband’s inappropriate behavior. Darcie also has a stalker. As the story unfolds, one of the friends is dead. But who? Why? And was it an accident or murder?

I enjoyed this book and looked forward to reading it. Thank you to Storm Publishing for an advanced copy through NetGallery in exchange for an honest review.

First, thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC!

I do love destination thriller, and I do love locked-room settings, and this book was a mix of both in my opinion. It is a shame, though, that it always seem to be birthday parties or weddings were people have to die. Makes me sort of fell better about being an introvert who usually loves to stay at home...

Anyway, I do think this was my first book by the auhtor, and I really had fun reading it. It was just the right pace, with a lot of twist on the way. Very much recommended for a day on the beach or your next holiday trip! 4.5 stars from me for this book!

Five fifty somethings head off to Provence for birthday celebrations. There’s the Brat, the Mother, the One Who Has Just Discovered Her Sexuality, the Child, and the Ever So Slightly Jealous Older Sister, all bases covered really. Five women who are all needy in their own way and in real life would never stick at being close friends for thirty years.

This plot has been done to death, just the characters and the destination change. It all followed the usual trope, with the reader knowing within a few chapters who would be the victim, who would be the culprit and who wouldn’t make it to the end of the book. No surprises, no twist, and some things that made no sense whatsoever.

A perfect holiday read if you want to zone out and give your brain a holiday too.

From the reviews it appears that I am in the minority, so maybe it just wasn’t my thing.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

I truly love all of Simon McCleaves’s books. This one is a WOW for sure. I really recommend this book to everyone that loves a great mystery.

"Five Days in Provence" by Simon McCleave was a page turning story that kept you guessing until the end.
Steph wanted to spend her 50th birthday with her closest friends. She planned a whole trip for them to celebrate. When they get to the house some tension started between some of the friends. The friends were excited to go on a hike but things started to take a turn for the worse the higher they go. When a tragedy happens it shakes them all but it only gets worse from there.
Highly recommend this thriller.

pretty fun, well written thriller with some cool twists scattered throughout and with some really fun vibes. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

I loved this book it was great a page turner the setting was so good as well of the book the drama the storyline I loved it all thank you I will recommend

Five old friends from England get together in rural Provence to celebrate the fiftieth birthday of one of their number. They do seem to be a rather contentious lot, more like siblings than long term friends.
The murder happens very early in the book and the unpeeling of the truth is not painless.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital proof from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. Pub Date Jun 27, 2025
#FiveDaysinProvence by @simonmccleaveauthor @stormbooks_co #NetGalley #crime #thriller
#fastpace #summerread #closedCircleMystery #Crimethriller #suspense #secrets #lies

I devoured this book – I just couldn’t put it down! The story revolves around a group of old friends who go on vacation together to celebrate one of their 50th birthdays. Right from the start, we know that one of them dies, and the rest of the book slowly unravels the mystery. I had my suspicions, but there were still a few plot twists that genuinely took me by surprise.

Wanna go stay in a beautiful farmhouse in Provence? Just join Abi, Darcie, Katie, Ruby, and Steph as they take a beautiful vacation for Steph's birthday. They're having a great time, then suddenly everything goes wrong. Just when you think you have things figured out there's a twist you won't see coming. I couldn't put it down.

Five Days in Provence was fine. It wasn't anything earth shaking, and I thought the twist were kind of predictable, but it was a fun read, good for vacation. There are definitely better thrillers out there, but if you're just looking for something to pass the time you could do worse than this one.

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC of this book.

Steph spent months planning her perfect birthday celebration. Five days in an idyllic setting with her best friends. Long lazy lunches, crisp white wine by the pool and a climb up the beautiful Mont Ventoux. She couldn’t wait. They’ve been there for each other through the good times and the bad. This was the break everyone needed.

After their first night partying, they begin their hike. But as the lavender-scented air turns acrid from local wildfires, fierce winds whip up smoke – and tensions in the group. They become separated. Hours later, when the smoke clears, one of the friends lies dead on the mountainside.

As shadows lengthen across the limestone farmhouse, Steph’s birthday transforms into a nightmare of police questions. Now there are only four friends. And the way they avoid each other’s eyes suggests one unspeakable truth – the killer might be sitting around this kitchen table.

This was a very quick read. It would be a perfect beach/summer read. Quick paced. Had me guessing a few times, but I had it figured out well before the end. I'd recommend this one. 3 75 out of 5 ⭐️

Though I did devour this book in one sitting, I will say that it felt repetitive and predictable, it felt like a hundred books I have read before.

It is an easy read and if you’re looking for a light read on holiday (which I was), this would be perfect. I hoped that some of the revelations at the end would have been a bit more shocking and in depth, the ending felt very rushed.

I devoured this book in one day. The characters are just great and the plot rattles along nicely. I have to admit I did see the twist before I happened near the end but I was absolutely invested in this book from the start.
Steph is great. Darcie is abhorrent and Katie is just tragic. I also felt for Shaun. I loved the way the author connected all the characters and made you want to skip forward in time. Just a pity narcissist Darcie did not pay the price for her misdemeanour. Denise x

What could be more fun than taking a trip with your five best friends—friends you’ve known for years and with whom you’ve shared many ups and downs—to celebrate your birthday? That’s exactly what Steph had in mind when she rented a small farmhouse in Provence. Five days of enjoying the beautiful surroundings, the lovely weather, and catching up over food and drinks by the pool. Sounds perfect, right?

As everyone knows, such a group of women includes a mix of different personalities. There’s the one who always takes the lead, the loyal follower, the more down-to-earth type… It’s a colorful mix that, of course, sometimes gets into arguments, but always finds their way back to each other.

The planned outing to nearby Mont Ventoux casts a dark shadow over the vacation.

The story reads smoothly and is very straightforward. There were a few characters who immediately landed on my list of suspects. It was clear they had hidden agendas.

The buildup to the climax had a good pace, although I personally would have liked one of the revelations to be a bit more detailed.

Other than that, it felt like I could picture everything vividly because the descriptions were so lively.

This is the perfect book to read by the pool somewhere in Provence 😉 (or anywhere else, of course 🙂 ) A well-deserved 4 stars.

Thank you.

Five British women set out on a summer trip to Provence to celebrate Steph's 50th birthday. There are a lot of relationship dynamics amongst the women, and varying personalities.
They are staying at a farmhouse and the caretakers are two young men who party with the women on the first night at the house. As the women set out for a difficult hike, the guys are going to bike up the mountains. A wildfire threatens access to the mountain so everyone needs to head back down. The problem is that the women lose track of each other, and one ends up dead (not a spoiler - the death is revealed in the first chapter). There is also a stalker storyline that weaves in and out.
This certainly kept me guessing and as various twists were revealed, I'd still wonder "what about" with something that had occurred earlier in the book and hadn't yet been revealed.
This is the perfect summer read!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Really loved this book. I love a whodunit and a good psychological thriller and this was a mix of both which I loved!

Here we have 5 female best friends and one of them is Steph who had months to plan her perfect birthday getaway with her best friends and she couldn’t be more excited. Things don’t go as planned though. They go for a hike the next of day of arriving and there’s a disagreement where they become separated, there’s also a wildfire going on. Once the smokes clear there a dead body and 4 suspects. Everyone is suspecting Evan’s it’s no brained that one of them is the killer.
I absolutely loved the premise and it was very interesting. Loved all the twist and turns and the final reveal. I will continue reading books by this author.

Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.

Set against the stunning backdrop of the French countryside, 5 Days in Provence pulls you in with sun-drenched vineyards, lavender fields, and cobbled village streets. But beneath the postcard-perfect surface, Simon McCleave unravels a tense, gripping mystery.

What starts as a celebratory hiking trip quickly spirals into something darker. A person goes missing, and the joyous occasion turns sour. As suspicions mount and secrets unravel, the beautiful Provençal landscape becomes a chilling contrast to the rising dread. McCleave masterfully uses the setting to heighten the suspense—each scenic vista shadowed by the feeling that something isn’t right.

The death that follows is not just tragic but revealing, exposing buried tensions within the group and casting doubt on everyone’s intentions. What was supposed to be a bonding experience and becomes a nightmare of suspicion and survival. The "celebration" that kicks off the trip feels more like a bad omen in hindsight—poorly timed, poorly judged, and full of cracks that soon split wide open.

5 Days in Provence is a slow-burn thriller that rewards patient readers with layered characters and a satisfying, if unsettling, conclusion. A vacation read that reminds you: sometimes, paradise hides the darkest secrets.

Thank You NetGalley and the Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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.