Another great read from Simon McCleave five friends go on holiday for a 50th birthday. Abi, Darcie, Katie, Ruby, and Steph they have all been friends for years unfortuntely not all of them will make it alive.
Looking forward to next thank you for advanced copy.

Five longtime friends travel to Provence to celebrate Steph’s 50th Birthday. They rent a luxury farmhouse where Steph’s has planned the getaway to party hard and then hike up Mont Ventoux. The girls have known each other for most thirty years since their Oxford days and now in their 50’s. Darcie is a local influencer and spends her day posting on Instagram her daily life. She has a stalker where an incident that the stalker had a knife at her throat. So, the time away with her friends are much needed but neither of the girls’ relationships are not plain sailing and tensions arise between them.
The next day the girls hike up Mont Ventoux, when local wildfires start some of the girls get separated and the consequences. One ends up dead.
I have read some of the authors Anglesey series which I really enjoyed. So, I was looking for forwarding this. This is a completely different style of writing from the author that I am used to. I did enjoy the premise of this thriller, and I kept reading this in a day. But unfortunately, I didn’t think that the characters were very likeable. Especially Darcie who I thought was quite obnoxious. 4 stars from me.

This one was a rollercoaster and was a very enjoyable read. It was a little more predictable than I like but nonetheless I still enjoyed the read. I do love destination type reads. It was well written and the characters were good.

The book was enjoyable and I liked the ending. I do have to say though that it seemed more so that the main characters were in their teens-early twenties rather than in their 50’s. All in all it was a good book, but I think it could have been a little bit of a better “thriller” story line and not focusing so much on the main characters.

A quick whodunnit read that would be perfect for a vacation read. The pacing was quick but manageable and I was able to get through it in just a few hours. Has some twists and turns - some of which I guessed early one and one that I didn't see coming at all. It's my first read by this author and I'll likely check out more of their works. Would rate a 3.5/5 stars. Enjoyable but likely won't pick it back up.

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