A chilling narrative unfolds, weaving a story of danger and intrigue that's as addictive as it is unsettling.

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The Birthday Girl is a locked room mystery that revolves around former cop Mallory who is now retired due to a leg injury and working as a night manager on a small island. Guests are being poisoned and she suspects the culprit is the Birthday Girl who poisoned three of her friends on her 11th birthday. This book was a decent read but didn't leave a lot to the imagination. It's the first book in a new series, and I look forward to more from this author.

100% not disappointed! The ARC needs some editing, but I loved this book! I’m so excited it’s becoming a series! It was the perfect setting and I hope to learn more about our main character as the series progresses!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Birthday Girl by Sarah Ward is a thrilling novel set on the mysterious island of Eldey. The story revolves around three women: Mona, a carefree artist seeking inspiration at The Cloister; Beth, a stressed-out mother looking for a quiet getaway with her family; and Charlotte, who hopes for a romantic trip with her husband but ends up dealing with his troubled teenage stepdaughter. Unbeknownst to them, one of these women is a serial killer who poisoned three friends at her eleventh birthday party.

When a guest at the hotel is found dead, Mallory Dawson, the night manager and a former police detective, realizes that the killer is among them. As Mallory investigates, three guests emerge as potential suspects, but which one is willing to risk everything to kill again?

So, let’s talk about The Birthday Girl by Sarah Ward! First off, can we just appreciate that amazing cover? It’s seriously eye-catching! Now, onto the review. I gotta say, I’m a sucker for these kinds of books, and this one definitely didn’t disappoint. It was such an entertaining read that had me hooked right from the start. The writing was top-notch, and the pacing was on point. The plot had so many twists, turns, and red herrings that kept me guessing the whole time. Mallory Dawson, the main character, was solid, and all the other characters were pretty strong, too. And let me tell you, the ending was completely satisfying. What more could a reader ask for, right? I’m already excited to see what Mallory gets up to in the next book! Can’t wait!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I loved the setting on this one. Great atmosphere. It was unpredictable, lots of characters to keep track of. Lots of action and suspense to keep you interested.

Mallory is a former detective who moves to an island to serve as a night guard for a luxury hotel. There, she ends up trapped as a serial killer free from prison takes revenge on people from her past. I enjoyed this book, but found it to be a little slow for my taste.

DNF @ 39-40%. I am getting a little bit tired of reading books where people are cut off from the world while being picked off one by one. It has been done so, so many times in the past that it's old now. I really did like Mallory's story, how she went from being a retired police officer recovering from terrible injuries and being forced to shift careers only to get stuck in a situation that basically no one can relate to. This aspect of the story is handled well, is very detailed, and is engaging. There are some good spooky, macabre atmospheric descriptions that I liked, too, but unfortunately, I didn't find myself connected to the rest of the story as a whole and didn't really care to finish this book to see where it would wind up. It makes it less compelling when there are literal murderers staying at the same hotel! Misdirection, or is the answer already spelled out? I don't want to know, honestly.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Ward, and Canelo for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for me reveiw.

This book kept me entertained throughout & I was waiting to see what was going to happen! I would definitely read another book by this author!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this ARC.
I enjoyed this book and the story line.
I think it was well written and well set out.
This is my first title by this author and will read more in the future.
4/5 stars.
Thanks again

This is a really atmospheric lock down mystery set on a Welsh Island, just off the coast. I found the storm conditions to create the 'lockdown' situation rather contrived and that annoyed me somewhat. However, if you view reading this as a more modern day 'Agatha Christie' (ie unrealistic and contrived) type of experience, then you just take those matters as given and enjoy the read.
There are many twists and turns which should keep many readers guessing but another comment would be that I felt that there were not quite enough guests/characters for us to put in the mix and consider as suspects. Once you took out the children, detective and staff, there were just not quite enough other options.

This was a great contemporary take on a Christie-style mystery.
I've read a few books recently that have a mix of characters all trapped in a location with a murder or murders but I've enjoyed this book more than the rest. Ward's writing style makes it an easy read and the plot raced along. I liked the lead character - Mallory Dawson, a former Met detective. The setting is a hotel on an island off the welsh coast and it would be giving nothing away to say that the plot relies on the island being cut off from the mainland due to 'inclement' weather - but what might be seen as a cliche does nothing to detract from the story. What might start out as a mystery becomes more of a thriller as the main character has a race against time to stop the body count rising. There are hints of supernatural elements and a satisfying conclusion.
Pleased to see that this is the start of a series.

If you're seeking a captivating crime fiction series, look no further!

Meet Mallory Dawson, a former Met detective forced to retire after being stabbed while apprehending a criminal in London. Divorced and with a teenage son, she starts a new job as a night manager/security guard at a remote boutique hotel on a storm-ridden island off the coast of Wales.

The Cloister Hotel, once a convent, adds to the atmospheric setting with its own ghostly legend. The isolated island houses only the hotel, outbuildings, and a mausoleum.

Night manager at an offseason hotel is the new job for Mallory, an ex-cop with an injury that keeps her off her chosen profession. That’s not to say that those skills don’t come in handy when a series of deaths occur after she arrives at the island where this hotel is located. All that geography adds to the Agatha Christie type mystery that becomes more exciting when a mega storm arrives and all the “suspects” are stranded.  
   The question is who is /what was the Birthday Girl and how do you win that title? It comes with a macabre story that unfolds slowly as all mysteries should.
   An exciting murder mystery to be absorbed in while you imagine the wind whistling through the trees, the rain pelting down and awaiting the next victim.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunty to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is the first book I have by this author, I found it enjoyable. I thought parts of thwe story dragged but maybe I was just anxious to know more. This is the first book in the Mallory Dawson series. I think it has great potential but hope to learn more about Mallory in subsequent books, as I felt we learned very little about her personally.

Mallory being injured on the job, has been medicaly retired from the police force. She is looking for work while she recovers and decides on a hotel security job on a secluded island, time to get away and recover mentally and physically. That is not meant to be as the first dead body appears in her first few says and then the island gets completely cut off by a terrible storm. She is left in charge of the hotel guests and two staff members, but then the bodies start to pile up and Mallory, with the assistance of Michael, a guest who is a doctor, she discovers that the dead have been poisoned. This eventually leads her to believe that the infamous "Birthday Girl:" is on the island with them and exacting revenge on the guests. Everyone knows the story of Byrony Clive, an eleven year old who poisoned all of her birthday guests, but which ofthr guests is she. Will more die before they are rescued, will Mallory discover who the killer is.

I will definitely check out more book sin this series.

This is one of my favorite kinds of mystery thrillers - a group of people cut off from the world and people dying one by one with no clue who the killer is or who will be next. The storm also added to the atmosphere. I think perhaps there were a few too many characters to keep track of, but overall this was a fun, fast-paced read. 4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was published on April 6, 2023.

The Birthday Girl by Sarah Ward -4 /5

Available for purchase at Barnes and Nobles, amazon, KOBO, and Bookshop.

General Fiction - Mystery & Thrillers

I love a good mystery & thriller novel that truly sets me on edge. The characters and suspense can make or break a story and this one did not disappoint. I loved following the characters throughout the story and putting together little pieces of information that just throw you for a loop. Birthday Girl comes full circle will all a great story needs to grasp the attention of the readers, a story I couldn't recommend enough.

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo for the eARC.

The Cloisters is a very upmarket hotel set on a Welsh island just off Tenby. Mallory Dawson is recently retired from the police & is still recovering from injuries sustained in the line of duty. She applies for the post of night manager. There are not many guests as the season is close to it's end. Just as she is settling into her new role the receptionist is suddenly taken ill & dies. The manager goes away with the body & Mallory tries to carry on as if nothing is wrong. However people begin to feel slightly unwell- including her. A storm brews up, the island is cut off & then someone else dies. There are interruptions to the general narrative as someone talks of their fascination for poisons. There are also pointers to a child killer who murdered friends at her birthday party. Having been given a new identity & cut off Mallory strives to find out who she is before more bodies mount up!

I'm a bit of a sucker for murders on cut off locations, so I was attracted to this book. It was a good read that kept me guessing. I liked Mallory & look forward to reading more about her. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

This book wasn't for me. The locked room mystery was just a bit boring and I was excited to get back into it. The scene setting is done well but it wasn't enough to keep me hooked so I ended up DNF.

Fantastic story.
Such a great book. I loved Mallory and the way she thinks. I loved the storyline and the ending.

This book was so gripping and was full of twists and turns until the very end.

On the blurb of the book we are given the three potential suspects who are Mona, Charlotte and Beth. These 3 characters are all guests at The Cloister Hotel. The story is told from the perspective of Mallory and the 3 suspects. I liked how the chapters of the 3 suspects always started with the same sentence each time.

I found that it was so good that the book had you guessing the whole way through and that you didn’t know who the killer was until the very last minute. It really kept me hooked.

Mallory was such a great character and I can’t wait to see how she is developed as the series continues. I would also love to see more of Elsa as the series carries on.

The setting of Eldey and The Cloister Hotel were described so well and very vivid which helped to visualise the isolated setting.

I love the short chapters and found that it was such a quick read.

Thank you so much to Tandem Collective Uk for allowing me to take part in this readalong and thank you Sarah Ward, Canelo and Tandem Collective UK for the #gifted copy of this book. Also thank you to NetGalley for the ebook copy.