After attempting to take her life, Claire & her husband Daniel relocate to his family home on Selkie Island. They plan to upgrade the home and bring it back to its former glory. But Selkie island is full of secrets. And they want to stay hidden!

I loved this book and didn't see the twists coming. Caroline certainly knows how to write a riveting story..

Altough the Islanders was Caroline Mitchell's 20th novel, this was my first read of hers and I do not regret picking it up! The Islanders is a gripping read that skillfully juggles multiple timelines and perspectives, reminiscent of C.J.. Cooke's style, one of my favorite authors.

Rating : 3.5/5

The story not only delivers a captivating mystery but also offers insights into deeper emotional realities and feminist themes. With unexpected twists towards the end, Mitchell keeps readers engaged without being overly pushy with her messages, leaving room for thoughts generation. It's a compelling read, set on a mysterious Irish atmospheric island that showcases Mitchell's storytelling prowess and leaves you eager for more.

Traumatised by the death of a child in her care, top London paediatrician Claire seeks refuge on remote Selkie Island in the wilds of the Irish Sea with her husband Daniel and their baby daughter Kitty. Hidden away in Daniel’s old family home, Claire hopes to be as cut off from her guilt as she is from the mainland, but can she find peace in a place so full of its own secrets? Twenty years earlier, Daniel’s parents left the island in a boat and never made it to the mainland. Mystery surrounds their deaths—and their lives. Why did they set out late at night in a storm? What had really been going on at the house? Even as Claire begins to recover her sense of self amid the island’s rugged beauty, she can’t shake off a chilling suspicion that Selkie Island has a dark history that the locals just can’t face—and that it somehow has a connection to her own life. When baby Kitty suddenly disappears, Claire’s fragile world falls apart. The only way to secure her future is to uncover the past, but the closer she gets to answers, the more danger she finds herself in. Will she be able to save her family or will the island’s dark secrets take another life? This is a dark and disturbing story and an unputdownable mystery. Highly recommend.

The Islanders by Caroline Mitchell is a story of Selkie Island and its inhabitants, it is a story of intrigue, baby farming, lies, deceit and salvation.
As I read and also listened to this story it became more and more twisted, and people, whom you thought you knew, were not as they seemed.
Whilst some of the story seemed improbable, there was always that doubt that maybe events did happen as foretold.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading and listening to this story.
Highly recommended

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. What did I just read?!! This was an incredible ride! The story was twisty and kept me reading late into the night. The atmosphere in this becomes a character it was incredibly well drawn. The ending actually took me by surprise. I loved it!! Highly recommend

Another fabulous read by Caroline, a great storyline with many twists throughout and an ending I was not expecting.

Thank you SO much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I absolutely loved this!! Such great characters and a great storyline.

My full review is to follow in a few days.....

Paediatrician Claire is haunted by the fact she lost a patient, a young girl and as she tries to come to terms with it her partner takes her to the island. Such a complex and hard to comprehend story that tugs on the heartstrings powerfully while haunting your mind.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

This was my first Caroline Mitchell novel so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pulled in by the atmospheric setting--a large home, in much need of repair, which sits on a remote island in the Irish seas. Our primary characters go there, mostly for rest and recuperation after the mother, a doctor, suffered a terrible tragedy at work and attempted to take her own life, but also for the father to reconnect with is childhood home and his sister who lives there with two caregivers. It is really a great setting.

While I thought the pacing was sometimes a little off, some of that was likely intentional so as to not propel the plot too rapidly. And--this doesn't happen much--I was taken in by a final event towards the end of the novel.

If you like domestic thrillers, or settings on wild, isolated shores, this one will be right up your alley. It's a quick, page-turning read. And hang in there if you find some plot lines a bit too contrived--much of that pays dividends by the end.

This was a crazy ride! Claire is suffering, so her husband decides to take her to his childhood home in Ireland to get better. It’s an isolated island and a house that is filled with so many secrets and bad memories, that Claire can’t help but want to dig out the truth. Will the truth set her free? This was wild. The things that went on are mind boggling. Definitely will have you shaking your head.

I like Caroline Mitchell's thrillers and this is a good one that kept me reading and on the edge.
Twisty, a bit claustophobic, well plotted
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Unfortunately, I was unable to download this book before it was archived and so am leaving this as a review/explanation as I didn't know what else to do after finding a few books I had managed to miss in a section of my account entitled Not Active: Archived, Not Downloaded; so I thought it best to clear it up. I have already bought a copy and will leave a review on places like Amazon, Goodreads, Waterstones, etc, once I've completed it and formed my thoughts on it. Apologies for any inconvenience and thank you for the opportunity.

Really enjoyed this story…lots of interesting secrets, and reveals in this family. I suspected some of it before the end only because I’d read a book with a similar idea lately. Otherwise a good read.

The Islanders by Caroline Mitchell

Darkly disturbing and filled with dysfunctional characters ~ thought provoking and not exactly what I was expecting. I came away wondering if any of the characters were or could ever be truly happy…I hoped at the end that perhaps some might find their way to being content, though, at some point in the future.

In some ways this reminded me of a gothic romance but without the romance. The setting was dark and filled with secrets that one by one were exposed only to reveal more disturbing issues from the past. More than one person was not what was implied, and many had behaved questionably and even criminally. The psychological issues being dealt with were more than a handful. I had trouble relating to any of the characters. At times I wanted to reach into the story and give more than one character a talking to, or warn them, or ask them how they could justify what they were doing.

This is a book I will think about and one that might revisit me unexpectedly, but it is not one I would be likely to reread. It is told by four people: the islander who feels that the island and its inhabitants must stay as it is and will do anything to keep it so; Mary who was the mother of three children and drowned with her husband and others in a storm twenty years before this book begins; Daniel who grew up on the island and is returning with his family though he dreads going back; and Claire who is dealing with issues that are deep and heavy and has not worked as a pediatrician for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – this is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

This is a really gripping book and a twisty one which has the reader feeling anxious and confused by the behaviour of the characters. Set on an island the story moves between timelines to slowly introduce the reader to the background of the characters and the family house.

I really enjoyed the mystery and suspense and the play on the behaviour of the inclusive islanders and the tales of the selkies. The ending was shocking and powerful and one that I was not expecting.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am not quite finished with this book, but I have less than 50 pages left. OMG. I don't cry real often when it comes to books, but I just had a crying session with this book. I have been on the edge of my seat (figuratively, of course) as I read this book because it had me gripped from page one. The twist I just read that made me cry, I did not see happening at all! I can usually guess endings, but this twist came out of nowhere. But it does explain a lot... just OMG. Best thriller of the year. No doubt about it.

Thank you to Caroline Mitchell and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow that sweet thrill of being utterly consumed by a book! This one took its time to draw me in, but once it had me, I was enthralled. The masterful storytelling expertly wove a web of suspense that left me breathless and on edge until the very last page. It's been ages since a thriller has had me so thoroughly spellbound. The writing transported me to the eerie island, making my heart race and my skin crawl - in the best way possible! I thought I had it all figured out, but that ending?! Mind. Blown. I didn't see it coming, and the surprise was oh-so-satisfying. Now, I'm itching to revisit the story, knowing what I know now, and uncover even more of its hidden gems. This book, oh this book, has left me in awe and has me craving more of its kind. It's a true masterpiece of psychological suspense!

The Islanders by Caroline Mitchell was another excellent book. I can't recommend this author enough. All her books have been an excellent read from start to finish and this one was no different. Just brilliant.

I'm not a fan of multiple points of view, as it can get confusing, and this book has several narrators. However, the pros overcame that con, and I enjoyed this book. It's very atmospheric and the island setting adds to the creep factor, as does the mystery at the heart of the book. It kept me turning pages, with only a couple minor slowdowns in the pace of the story. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Mercer for the ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Amazon Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest stand-alone thriller by Caroline Mitchell - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Claire and her husband, Daniel, and their daughter, Kitty, take refuge in Daniel's boyhood home located on remote Selkie Island off the Ireland coast. Claire, a doctor, is devastated by guilt over the loss of a child in her care and Daniel hopes the island can provide her with time to heal. But Claire can't escape the secrets that the house and Daniel's family hold tight - Daniel's parents were lost at sea and the history of the goings-on at the house linger. When Kitty goes missing, Claire's world crumbles even farther.

Wow - this was such a creepy, atmospheric novel and the setting was a huge part of the plot. The house is full of past ghosts and the family has kept so many secrets. Told in two different timelines, we learn about Daniel's family and what was really going on inside their home. But the twists - wow - they kept coming and I was shocked. You've got to add this to your reading list!