We have three timelines here, 1998, 2018 & 2020 and I LOVE dual timelines so having three....eeeekkkk. This book was very fast paced, I mean skiing in French Alps...what could go wrong amirite? I loved the snowy, wintery atmosphere in both timelines, there was a lot of tension in this plot and the suspense was killing me the whole time...I mean we start off with a guy going missing on the slopes! There is a lot of marital discord, brother against brother, business partners not getting along...add in some postpartum depression and we have a dysfunction stew and I loved it. I so enjoyed how the author was able to surprise me and how everything tied together in the end making a satisfying, cohesive conclusion. At just 243 pages this was the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I understand this is the author's debut novel and Ms. Cooper has another book due out in January of next year...I for one cannot wait to get my hands on it.

The Chalet is set in the French Alps at a ski resort. There are dual timelines of 1998 and present day.
In 1998 two brothers go skiing in inclement weather and only one is found alive.
In 2020 Hugo and Ria go to the same resort to conduct Hugo's business dealings. The two timelines are connected, of course, and the secrets eventually come out little by little.
All of the characters are unlikable, each in their own way. Some are awful and some are just boring.
The setting was great. You could almost feel the snowy ski slopes. Parts of the ending felt rushed even though the rest of the book was at a slower pace.
A good read in the end. I will be looking for Catherine Cooper's next novel.

Many thanks to netgalley and Harper 360 for the advance copy.

Excellent story! Totally engrossing!. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Could not put this down!

I'm sorry to say this one is a DNF for me. The premise was so promising, but after spending 75% of the book with these hateful, superficial, self-absorbed characters, I gave up. Sometimes a character is so bad you love to hate him. But this troupe wasn't worth the effort.

Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy.
I liked this book during the first half but after that, it was a downward slope. Complete waste of time and utterly disappointing.
The story has alternating timelines where a murder (ski accident) happens in 1998 and then another story that is set in 2020 and there is a connection. Someone needs revenge. Well, ideally, you'd expect that there is another murder and you need to find out who the killer is? Right? But here that's not the case. The killer is revealed first and then the revenge happens in the last few pages.

The writing style is good and I enjoyed the setting, the skii resort and even some of the characters. The struggle of Louise to learn Ski and the story of the little girl was engaging, and I kept turning pages to know more. This book deserved a 5 star rating the way everything was building up till 70% of the book, but after that it fell flat.
Mostly, the last 30% is the climax with events happening, things getting revealed but here, it was so boring in the end, with each page dragging.
There are too many characters, too many POVs but writer has done a good job at that. The only problem is that story wasn't worth it. It was too predictable with no suspense

Spoilers below:

There are too many loopholes that made no sense and were not realistic.
Ria - It is so convenient that someone can change their name completely. ( And changing Andy to Andrea and then Ria) That's weird, just for the sake of story. If her name was Andrea, then it made sense for reader. The entire arc of Ria hitting on Matt. Why was that needed?
Cameron and Ria were negligent but it was Cameron who actually didn't care for clients and let them disappear. Then why was he blackmailing Ria? Someone who is part of the same accident can't blackmail other person for the same crime.

@Millie - I would have liked it more if the little girl was Cass and not Millie. Millie is too predictable. And her initial plan was to poison random people. Really?

It took an enormous amount of time for her to kill Adam. (only in the last few pages) And what was the suspense there? We already knew she'd do it.

The Chalet is definitely a slow burn type of thriller book, but as an avid thriller reader, I found it worth the read. The slow build up while you're trying to figure out what's going on and who the girl in the flashbacks is makes the story more intriguing. This is the fastest I've read a book in a while. I was amazed that this was the author's debut book and will gladly read anything else she writes!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Chalet is the first book I have read by Catherine Cooper. The story is written using the first-person accounts of the various characters in the book. The characterization is well done; so much so, that I found myself feeling dislike for a good number of the characters. The saving grace for me was the fact that the author also did an excellent job with giving the plot enough twists and turns that I really wanted to see how those story lines came together. even if I wanted to give up reading it because of the lack of people in it that I actually cared about.

I'm happy to say there was a bit of growth in one of the characters that did make her a bit more relatable as time went on. The book turned out to be a good choice overall. If you find yourself turned off by all the unlikable people, like I almost was, stay with it.

I’m sorry to say this was a DNF for me. It just felt boring and uninspiring. I need my thrillers to be believable and accurately written. This felt silly.

3.5 Stars

“Vengeance is a monster of appetite, forever bloodthirsty and never filled.”
—Richelle E. Goodrich

In the winter of 1998, two brothers take a ski holiday in the French Alps. But during that trip, only one returns…

Fast forward to another winter, this one 20 years later at the same ski resort, but this time the group on holiday will be judged by their past…and one will be found guilty…

The Chalet is an enjoyable locked room mystery full of a cast of characters so unlikeable you will be cheering for the villain of this tale to take their revenge! Told from dual story lines and multiple points of view, the author twists and turns so many times you will be dizzy trying to keep up. If you are a lover of these types of mysteries, you will most likely guess the killer before the end. Overall, a quick entertaining read I’d recommend to fans of this genre.



**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

A gripping thriller.
The book spans 22 years, and for most of the book flips back and forth between past and present to outlinet the facts. Gets a little confusing, but all the pieces will fit together.
In 1998 two couples went on a ski holiday. Two brothers went out skiing during horrible conditions, and only one brother makes it back alive. Fast forward to 2020, and the body of the second brother, Will, is discovered. When the body is discovered, two couples are staying at the chalet, each with secrets they'd like to keep hidden, and one or two with some old blood on their hands.
Some nice twists and turns, great plot.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper 360 for the ARC in exchange for an honest review..

I love a good locked-room mystery along with a character driven story and this book checked all the boxes! This book was set in the French Alps in a snowy ski chalet which added to the atmosphere and told through multiple narrator perspectives to really give you a feel of each of the characters viewpoints and personalities.

The Chalet kept me guessing from beginning to end and every time I thought I had it figured out, there was another plot twist! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. I was burning the midnight oil on this one! 5 star read.

The Chalet is a fun, locked-room mystery set at a ski resort. In 1988, two men went skiing only for one to return. Now, 20 years later, four people are brought to the resort. They are all connected to the missing man. They all have secrets. One is a killer. The story remains intriguing throughout as you try to figure out whodunnit. The perspectives alternate and one POV is a mystery as to who it's from. If you're looking for a good locked-room mystery that will keep you guessing, this is the one for you!

This book was enthralling. I never knew what was going to happen next in the story. I guess this book might be classified as a psychological thriller and a mystery . I highly recommend this book to other mystery readers.

Twenty two years earlier, brothers Will and Adam and their girlfriends are vacationing at a chalet in France. On one final run, in the worst of conditions, they ski away from their guides and disappear. The guides, worried about their fledgling company’s reputation, waste precious time before a search for the missing men can begin. One of the brothers is found alive. The other is never found.

Now at luxe resort La Madière, two couple ares combining business with a ski vacation. Hugo and his wife Ria are hoping to convince Simon, accompanied by his young wife, their baby and a nanny, to buy a stake in their company. As the weather deteriorates, so do relationships between the couples and each other, all fueled by alcohol and boredom. Only when the body of a skier, long buried in the snow, is found, do we begin to understand the complicated, hidden plans that have brought them to La Madière,

The Chalet is an addictive, twisted, suspenseful tale of revenge that will keep you guessing. It is hard, if not impossible, to believe that this is Catherine Cooper’s debut novel. Told by multiple narrators, some main characters and others unnamed, the plot moves quickly and seamlessly. The mountain setting is so well described that you will feel the cold. The Chalet deserves to be on the best seller list and at the top of your TBR pile. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins and Catherine Cooper for this ARC.

I wanted to give The Chalet a higher score, but just couldn’t do it because of the characters. The setting and plot were good, and I wanted to know how everything fit together and whodunit, but I found the characters incredibly unlikable. In a nutshell, this is a revenge mystery set in the freezing Alps. The setting is comparable with The Sanatorium and Shiver.

The Chalet is told through different viewpoints and times. In 1998, two English brothers are at a resort in the French Alps when they hire a ski guide to take them to a back country run. A blizzard comes up, the skiers are lost, and the guide is a complete jerk who doesn’t want to call in help for fear he will be blamed.
In the present day, four people are guests in a luxurious chalet at the same resort in the French Alps. We have Rea, who is a horrible person; her husband Hugo, who is trying to arrange a business deal with Simon. Simon is accompanied by his wife, Cass, his infant child, and the nanny. We also meet the Chalet girl Millie and Matt, who works for the resort.

The points of view keep changing and actually increasing the multiple narrators. Later in the book, we are introduced to one of the English brothers and his girlfriend. The plot starts to fall apart when another unnamed narrator is suddenly introduced.

I liked The Chalet, but I really didn’t feel any connection to or sympathy for the characters. I also found the ending somewhat jarring (I realized who the villain was about 60 percent through).

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Harper Collins/Harper 360 for providing me a copy of Catherine Cooper’s debut novel, The Chalet, in exchange for an honest review.

#TheChalet is a quick, entertaining mystery novel that begins in 1998 at a ski resort in the French alps, La Madiere. The novel takes place over a span of 22 years, primarily set in the same place, merging three plotlines together as well as several of the characters at La Mediere.

I will start off by saying that I enjoyed the overall story, but I can see readers being annoyed with many of the characters since almost none of them have redeeming qualities. They include the usual stereotypes, ranging from arrogant, rich businessman to social climbers, and then there are those seeking revenge.

I don’t want to spoil it, but if you enjoy plot-driven novels and are a fan of mysteries set at ski resorts, then this won’t disappoint. I recommend reading it during your next holiday excursion.

I do not care how cliché locked room murder mysteries are. GIVE THEM TO MEEE.

The Chalet was an utter delight to read, and hands-down one of the only books that has kept me guessing all the way to the end. We have multiple perspectives, some in the present, some in the past, and then one in particular that you don’t know who’s perspective it is.

And no, you probably will not be able to guess that one perspective. Though you will think you can.

This is a slow burn story. At first, you don’t know how all the perspectives tie in. But the hints keep coming and you start having just an inkling of what’s going on right before it’s revealed. Or at least before you think it’s revealed. Catherine pulls a fast one and rips the rug out from under your feet. MANY times.

I was highly impressed with this debut. It reminded me of the 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton – – a twisty, complicated story that beautifully unfolds and catches you by surprise. I highly recommend it, and can’t wait to see what Catherine Cooper writes next.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

-Ande

<b>Note:</b> I received an advanced copy of this book from Harper Collins via NetGalley.

Four friends. One luxury getaway. The perfect murder.

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.

This was a really compelling book for me, I was excited by the idea of an unknown murder and how that related to the people vacationing there 20 years later. I also really enjoyed getting the different perspectives from the various guests and how they connected in their past. Fast-paced and very fun read.

This novel intertwines the stories of couples on a trip 20 years ago with couples on a trip in the present on the same snowy mountain in France. Their lives and stories are told in parallel, but come together at the end of the novel in unexpected ways. I enjoyed the setting of the story and wondered how it would all come together. The last third of the book revealed surprisingly complicated relationships between many of the characters. Trigger warning for sexual assault and child abuse and suicide.

Enjoyed this mystery novel set at a ski resort in La Madiere, France in the Alps. In 1998 two brothers, Adam and Will Cassiobury, go skiing in a blizzard with guides, but only one of the brothers returns. What happened to the other brother? Moving on to 2020 and Hugo and Ria vacation at a luxurious chalet in Madiere. They are joined by Simon and Cass, and their baby Inigo. Their every want or need is catered to by their chalet girl, Millie.. Hugo wants Simon to invest in his company, and brought his wife Ria to help him in his efforts to win over Simon. Later they are joined by Cameron, the owner of the chalet, and his manager, Matt. Then the body of the missing brother from 1998 is discovered putting a damper on the ski trip and the past starts intruding on the present as secrets and ties to the past are revealed.

This was a quick, entertaining read and I liked disliking some of the characters. A great debut novel for Catherine Cooper! I have to admit at times I confused the characters, but finally got them straightened out in my mind and was able to clear things up a bit. There was enough suspense to keep me guessing and some marital angst as well.

Thanks to Harper 360, HarperCollins through Netgalley for an advance copy. This will be published on November 9, 2021.