Auld Acquaintance

My last book of 2021, it seemed quite appropriate to be reading it on NYE.

This is a fantastic debut novel from Sofia, if this book is anything to go on, she's got a glittering career as an author ahead of her.

I found this book compelling, creepy & it had me guessing all the way through.

Well written, with a diverse bunch of characters.

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

I just read this on new years eve, so, perfect timing.
It's a pretty standard set up. Bunch of people, trapped in an out of the way Manor house, slowly picked off by a murderer.
However, I didn't guess who it was. I mean, obviously I went through all of the characters at one point or other. I never settled though. There was also a red herring early in the book that I thought was going to be the explanation.
It was ideal reading for today and I spend through it. A real page turner

I would describe this book as a modern day Agatha Christie. I was attracted by both the cover and title, and as it was just before the New Year, I felt an ideal time to read it.
From the first page I was drawn to the main character, and formed strong opinions of each character as they were brought into the story.
I have never been to a remote Scottish Island but instantly felt the atmosphere and could imagine myself there.
Not wishing to give any spoilers other than it being a murder mystery, I enjoyed the unwinding of the tale and learning why and how each character came to be there. Whist the story may seem far fetched if described briefly, I was definitely drawn into it and surprisingly hadn't guessed the ending.
It took me just a day and a half to finish the book, as I couldn't put it down. OI like this author's style of writing and would seek out any other of her books.

Heart pumping thriller with a great story. I really enjoyed the story and didn’t see the ending coming. They characters were great and so was the setting.

This book is set mostly on a remote, windswept Hebridean island with an old manor house. It does borrow from Agatha Christie in that the guests (the building is run as an hotel) all have dodgy pasts, something to hide and a loose connection to each other, which is slowly revealed.

The seven guests arrive a day or two before New Years Eve and believe they have been invited to a party. However, strange things start to happen and communication with the outside world is broken off as a major storm brews. The owner / manager of the hotel is rattled and distraught due to the hired help not turning up. First there's an apparent suicide, quickly followed by a series of murders. Our main character Millie doesn't know who to trust, but she may be something of an unreliable narrator with secrets herself.

I loved this book - the writing, the characters, the plot and the setting. There was the odd splash of humour and a strong sense of fear and distrust. I suspected everyone at some point. The ending was great too. Sofia Slater is one to watch out for.

Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and author for an early e-copy for unbiased review.

The author is clearly an Agatha Christie fan as there are similarities to her stories but as the book continues, Sofia makes it her own story, the deaths are imaginative and while i had a character in mind, i was wrong and I definitely didn’t see that ending. I think this is the author’s debut novel and will definitely be looking out for more of her books in the future.

A New Years Eve party of a lifetime hosted in an old stately house on a remote Scottish I island. Sounds like the perfect way for Millie to leave an awful year behind and move forward with her life. The bonus being that the invite comes from a former co-worker who may have finally noticed her.

But all may not be as it seems……

I managed to read this book in a couple of days as it grabs you and you can’t quite put it down. For fans of Agatha Christie and a good whodunnit you find yourself wondering whether everybody are who they say they are. Everybody seems to have tenuous links - then people start to die mysteriously.

For a debut novel I thought this was a good read. I loved the setting of a New Year's Eve party on a remote Scottish island in a seemingly grand house. Deaths start occurring and Millie, the main character and narrator, get to know each other and find out that not everyone is as straight-forward as they like to appear. Much past history and connections between characters come to light..

There was a good amount of tension and I like the ending although I felt it a little rushed.

With thanks to NetGalley and Swift Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Twisty!

I loved Auld Acquaintance. I found it very easy to read, great prose, and well developed characters. The story was Christie-esqu, set on a desolate island with characters with their own dark histories. But I love Christie and this made me enjoy it all the more.
I didn't guess whodunnit, cleverly woven hints at all the characters made sure of that.

Brill.

Thanks so much to Swift and to Netgalley for offering me the opportunity to read and review.

Good book. Very much in the vein of Agatha Christie’s ‘Ten little Indians’.
Guests on an island being killed off one by one. But who did it? Read it and see!
Worth a read.

This was a gripping and compelling read that was full of suspense, mysetry and unpredictability. It left me feeling chilled on several occassions and I still think about it after finishing it. A very good read

Brilliant book. Remote location. Hidden past. Shady characters what more do you need? If you love this kind of plot you will adore this book!

A locked room murder mystery set on a remote Scottish Island. Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

A superbly written debut novel that kept me griped from start to finish, an amazing read. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of suspense and thrillers

A thrilling read that keeps you guessing who done it right up to the last minute with so many twists and turns. Highly recommended.

I had serious Agatha Christie vibes whilst reading this one. Beautiful settings with a wide range of suspicious characters all with their own secrets. The perfect holiday read, and pure escapism. Absolutely amazing.

Absolutely loved this book. Brilliantly plotted and nicely written, it was great fun to read and I finished it in one sitting.

Fun, moody and twisty thriller with the lovely setting of a Hebridean island at New Year. Millie is invited there by an ex-colleague but an unwelcome face from her past, Penny, also turns up. When Penny goes missing on New Year's Eve what does this mean for the rest of the party? Will someone else be next to disappear? There are lots of twists and turns and I liked the author's take on the Agatha Christie-style 'locked room' mystery.

Brilliant Agatha Christie style murder mystery, reminiscent but also bang up to date, had me gripped from beginning to end!!
Millie is a keen bird watcher, and has been invited to a remote Scottish Island for a fabulous new year's party. As her life has been grey lately, she decided she had nothing to lose some interesting birds to spot and possibly a fun time to be had!!
As she gets on the ferry to the island, she meets a few other party guests she doesn't recognise, and so begins three days of mystery, eerie goings on and sheer horror!
Classic, yet modern, great characters and clever storyline. Highly enjoyable!!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read early!

Brilliant twisty little thriller had me hooked from page one and the ending was not to be missed, will look out for more from the author!