Ratings77
Average rating3.2
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK | An instant New York Times bestseller! “An eerie, atmospheric novel that had me completely on the edge of my seat.” —Reese Witherspoon “This spine-tingling, atmospheric thriller has it all… and twists you’ll never see coming.” —Richard Osman, New York Times bestselling author of The Thursday Murder Club Sarah Pearse's next book, The Retreat, is forthcoming. You won't want to leave. . . until you can't. Half-hidden by forest and overshadowed by threatening peaks, Le Sommet has always been a sinister place. Long plagued by troubling rumors, the former abandoned sanatorium has since been renovated into a five-star minimalist hotel. An imposing, isolated getaway spot high up in the Swiss Alps is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But Elin's taken time off from her job as a detective, so when her estranged brother, Isaac, and his fiancée, Laure, invite her to celebrate their engagement at the hotel, Elin really has no reason not to accept. Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge--there's something about the hotel that makes her nervous. And when they wake the following morning to discover Laure is missing, Elin must trust her instincts if they hope to find her. With the storm closing off all access to the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic. Elin is under pressure to find Laure, but no one has realized yet that another woman has gone missing. And she's the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they are all in. . .
Featured Series
3 primary booksDetective Elin Warner is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2020 with contributions by Sarah Pearse.
Reviews with the most likes.
3.5 stars. Super creepy setting and backstory. The problem for me was how awful the main male characters were - especially Isaac and Will and how they just ended up getting a pass for their manipulative, superior, gaslighting, mansplainy behavior throughout.
Former sanatorium in Swiss Alps now upscale ultra resort. Elin (cop from England on leave, recovering from trauma) and boyfriend travel there for engagement party of her estranged brother. Murders and blizzards ensue. V.G. thriller/suspense. Characters -4; Plot 5; Logic 2; Intrigue 5; Enjoyability 4. Overall 4
This was okay, but could have been cleaned up a bit. The main character is not very likable, and you wonder how she became a police detective. The sanatorium location wasn't used enough - it could have just as easily been a hotel built on the ruins rather than the actual building. A missed opportunity. I think it's obvious a lot of thought went into this, but it could have been smoothed out more.