Having read Cooper’s previous books – ‘The Chalet’ and ‘The Chateau’ – I knew what to expect. Glamorous settings, a small cast of seriously dodgy people and a twisty mystery that I wouldn’t be able to predict!
I wasn’t wrong!
Continue reading Book Review: ‘The Cruise’ by Catherine CooperI devoured Cooper’s first novel, ‘The Chalet’ in one sitting during a heatwave – and I’m pleased to report that ‘The Chateau’ was every bit as gripping! This is another one that I sailed through with remarkable speed.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Continue reading Book Review: ‘The Chateau’ by Catherine CooperWelcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Chalet’ by Catherine Cooper. This blog tour is organised by Random Things Tours. The book was published on 12th November, 2020 by Harper Collins.
With thanks to the blog tour host, author and publisher, as well as NetGalley, for my free review copy.
From the Publisher:
Four friends. One luxury getaway.
The perfect murder.
‘I was gripped from start to finish’ CASS GREEN
FRENCH ALPS, 1998
Two young men ski into a blizzard… but only one returns.
20 YEARS LATER
Four people connected to the missing man find themselves in that same resort.
Each has a secret.
Two may have blood on their hands. One is a killer-in-waiting. Someone knows what really happened that day.
And somebody will pay.
An exciting new debut for anyone who loves RUTH WARE, LUCY FOLEY, and C.L. TAYLOR.
My Review:
This felt like a strange book to be sitting down to at any time other than a bitter cold winter’s evening – a book set in a snowy ski resort and rooted in the treacherous conditions of a bitter blizzard!
Still, this was an engaging and pacy read that I devoured in one sitting – almost unheard of for me. It is really quite astounding that this is a debut novel from Catherine Cooper as it feels very assured.
The narrative moves between a tragedy in 1998 (when two brothers were lost in a snowstorm in the French Alps) and the modern day. Twenty years later, four friends hire a luxury chalet in the same French ski resort, but it soon becomes apparent that there are tensions under the surface and no-one is quite as they seem – and links back to the day the brothers got lost on the mountain begin to become evident.
Many of the characters are quite unpleasant, but this makes for an interesting and toxic environment and the luxury chalet soon becomes a claustrophobic nightmare.
The characters are all well developed and have their parts to play in the narrative. Ria seems to dislike her husband, Hugo, and keeps her secrets well hidden. Hugo is trying to impress an obnoxious client, Simon, and his downtrodden wife, Cass. Chalet girl, Millie, is trying to keep their holiday on track and chalet owner, Cameron, is there to promote his business. All these characters thrown together, each presenting their own stories through first person narration, make for a twisty and engrossing story as it becomes clear that someone is seeking revenge for the 1998 events.
This reads as a confidently plotted novel with plenty of twists and turns. I am genuinely surprised that it is a debut as the plot strands are so cleverly woven together and the range of narrative voices well-handled.
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers as we do get to see the workings of the minds of various characters and what has brought them to the French Alps. As secrets are revealed and lies are told, you will want to carry on reading into the night!
About the Author:
CATHERINE COOPER is a freelance journalist writing for many national
newspapers and magazines, specialising in travel. Most recently she has
written several ski pieces for the Guardian and is currently compiling a 50
best family holidays round up for the Telegraph. She also makes regular
appearances as a talking head on daytime TV. She lives in France with her
husband and two teenage children, and is a keen skier.
