Wow, what a surprise 5-star read this was! I had no idea when I requested this book that Mitchell has written 20 other novels. Where have I been, and why have I missed her books? This was my first 5-star read in a VERY, very long time. The story started off with a scene that wouldn't let me put the book down. Then, we are taken to Ireland, to an old, eerie coastal home called Ard Na Mara. Wow, does it have some dark history, and so does all the residence and family that has lived there. I found this book hard to put down. You have to pay attention, especially toward the end, because if you don't bond well with the characters and who is who, you will get confused. I really loved this, and am looking forward to reading more by Caroline Mitchell.

Another brilliant book from the fab Caroline Mitchell following Claire, Daniel and their daughter Kitty on their return to Daniels home island. After suffering from a traumatic work situation and needing to escape Claire thinks escaping to Daniels home island will allow her to heal and let go of the guilt she can’t let go, but what she’s not aware of is Daniel is keeping his family history quiet and she’s not as safe as she should be. Steady unfolding story that kept me turning the pages. Would definitely recommend.

The Islanders is a dark mystery set on a small Irish Island. Claire, her husband Daniel, and their child Kitty cross the rough sea to get to the island from England.
The island is the childhood home of Daniel's and bears many secrets - none of which bode well for the family. The book starts with an attempted suicide by Claire so he is bringing her here to help calm her mind.
When he was a child, Daniel lost his parents on the sea crossing so the question of why he is doing it again is valid. He knows the secrets and places his family in danger by bringing them here.

Interesting read, very atmospheric

At first I wondered if I would read all this book as I found it a little slow. Wow, thank goodness I caried on reading it, as it is an amazing book. Claire and Daniel go to Daniel's childhood home on a remote Selkie Island in the Irish Sea. Twenty years earlier Daniel's parents left the island on a boat and never made it to the mainland. This is quite a creepy read but Caroline Mitchell has done it again with this fantastic book. I was gob smacked with the ending. Highly recommended.

4 stars

This is a fun, twisty, fast-paced thriller that'll leave readers steering clear of small towns, especially small island towns, for the foreseeable future.

Anyone who has been to Ireland knows the magical draw of the misty coastal towns (and puffins!), and we have all felt the otherworldliness that makes us wonder if the Ancient Mariner is going to hobble out of a cave and start telling his stories, but Selkie Island just does not fit this mold in any of the positive ways.

Claire and Daniel have had a tough marriage since Claire makes what she believes is a fatal error. This error causes Claire to take drastic measures to punish herself, and this all creates - as one might imagine - terrible strife for both characters. Daniel decides to deal with this by pulling a geographic; these two, and Kitty, their young daughter, will head off to his home island for a change of scenery and to meet some additional family obligations. This is already a tough situation, but it's made instantly worse by the many secrets Daniel, his family, and the entire island community seem to be hiding.

As is the case in most thrillers, readers really need to suspend disbelief to make it through this read, but if that's your jam, you'll enjoy this one. The pacing is great, and there are so many twists. An added bonus? This author leaves no stone unturned at the end. All of the questions get answered, and not just in a sentence or two.

I enjoyed this and will be looking to read more from this author.

An intriguing plot line set on the wilds of an Irish island with a great twist. The whole book draws you in with its dark atmospheric story that will captivate you to the very end. Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer and the author for the chance to review.

Claire goes to the small island her husband grew up on to heal from a traumatic event. She hopes that getting away from her high stress job as a pediatrician with her husband and daughter will help her heal. I love how Caroline Mitchell's books keep me guessing until the very end and The Islanders was not an exception.

Claire and Daniel move to his family home on an island. They no sooner land than Claire is approached and told that her baby will not survive living in the house.
Claire is already traumatised by the death of a child under her care in the hospital that she worked in.
Selkie Island has many secrets, and Claire hopes to uncover them before something happens to her child.

Wow! Talk about an atmospheric, creepy novel! I have not read many of Caroline Mitchell's books, but have not been disappointed. She writes page turners with twists that you do not see coming.
However, I did figure out the secret of Claire's baby. I felt Claire's sorrow and trauma, it seemed very real.

I highly recommend this book.

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

A doctor, her husband, and their baby retreat to Selkie Island after a child in her care dies. A piece will be hard to find on the island, her husband’s parents left the island 20 years previously, vowing never to return. there are many questions about that night when tragedy struck and Claire wants to find the answers. But then her baby disappears, and she’s thrust into a nightmare

One of Caroline's stand alone novels this is the story of Selkie Island and the strange goings on there especially at Ard na Mara, artist Daniel's old family home. After Claire, a successful doctor and Daniels wife, has a breakdown, they return to Selkie with their baby daughter to refurbish the old family home. Rumours abound about dangers to babies on the island and Claire's reception is anything but welcoming. Veiled threats are given about the fate of babies on the island. I can't say more without revealing spoilers however, I can assure that the book has twists and turns aplenty and is very dark in parts but it is extremely enjoyable. It kept me gripped and guessing to the very end. A definite 5*
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Wow I have just finished this stupendous book and I’m completely gobsmacked at just what twisty and absolutely brilliant read it was !!
I always knew I was in for a good read as Caroline Mitchell can always spin a good tale but this one floored me with a twist I had never seen coming. The story is told from various characters and past and present and for me that worked really well at keeping me on my toes as I tried to figure out what was going on. The setting is a beautiful one Selkie Island and with a name like that it’s bound to be magical and mysterious. There is a whole set of superb characters all with something to hide making it a read that I raced through but I never expected THAT!
So for me a 5 star read I can’t praise it enough and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a clever mystery, thank you to Caroline Mitchell it was stunning.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I devoured this book! It is creepy and atmospheric white also being heartbreaking and raw. Full of flawed characters and twists and turns, I could not put it down. Caroline Mitchell is quickly becoming a favorite!

This was such an amazing story. Claire and Daniel return with their baby, Kitty, to Daniel’s childhood home in Ireland after a tragedy on the job as a pediatrician has left Claire reeling and in need of a break. He was raised on Selkie Island in Ard Na Mara which also functioned as a sort of institution for troubled young women who wouldn’t survive well in a typical prison. The home now rents rooms for tourists but has been struggling in recent years and Claire is looking forward to managing some much-needed renovations.

Rather than a peaceful retreat, Ard Na Mara becomes a dangerous haven for dark secrets of the past. The deeper Claire tries to investigate the home’s history and the drowning of Daniel’s parents, the more everyone shuts down and tells her to let the past be. But that’s not so easy when the island’s haunted past begins to catch up to everyone. She can understand why the locals don’t trust her, but why is her husband so secretive? Does she even want to stay on Selkie Island, or would she and Kitty be better off on the mainland away from Ard Na Mara, and unfortunately, Daniel?

I loved the atmosphere of this story, from the folklore to the depictions of Ard Na Mara and the foreboding island setting. It’s also a very emotional tale filled with heartache and longing. Even so, the author easily finds hope among the despair. I was left reeling from the ending, and I just kept wanting more. It was simply magical.

All families have secrets but Daniel’s family just seems to have more of them. He’s from the remote island of Selkie where his parents died at sea. His family has long managed Ard Na Mara, a home for women suffering from mental illness, or who were petty criminals, expecting unwanted babies or generally just women who powerful men wanted to disappear. What better place than atmospheric Selkie Island? What better home than Ard Na Mara with its mysterious history and basement full of locked rooms made of stone? And what better place for Daniel to bring his wife Claire, a new mother and pediatrician who has had a breakdown over the death of a baby in her practice. She’s accompanied Daniel to help him with plans to restore Ard Na Mara and then return to London. She doesn’t know that Daniel has no plans to leave the island…and he expects Claire to stay with him.

These are only a few of the secrets hidden on Selkie. There are so many more that the revelations almost become tiresome. Is nothing as it seems? However, Caroline Mitchell has a talent for bringing complicated characters to life and a past career that proves to be inspirational. Although she explains her reasons for the last secret, I still found it hard to believe. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Caroline Mitchell for this ARC.

I am a big fan of Caroline's books and I've got to say that this is my favourite of them all. I won't mention anything about the story because I don't want to give even a hint about what happens. Oh my goodness, that plot twist is something else! Absolutely fantastic standalone thriller. 5 stars

Wow! This had a bit of a slow start for me but once I got into it I was hooked!! The suspense! The way it kept me on my toes until the very end. I haven’t read a thriller this suspenseful in a long while. My stomach was in knots throughout. It was creepy, it was eerie… the writing, the descriptions of this island just draw you in and successfully creep you out. I couldn’t put it down.
That twist at the end I was not expecting! You think you’re getting to know the twist and then bam totally unexpected.
The best twisty end to the creepiest story. I’ve read one book by Caroline Mitchell before and rated it 5 stars as well so be sure I’m going to go and read more now!
The islanders is easily 5 stars and I’m excited for release date when more people will read it.
Thank you NetGalley for my review copy.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this - I expected another dime a dozen Celebrity Book Club pick of the week, but this was special. To call this simply a mystery/thriller is a disservice - the prose is lovely and the world building is stunning. The author's knowledge of and love for Ireland shows in the vivid imagery and breathtaking descriptions of the Irish Sea salt spray and the rugged coastline of Selkie Island. The pacing is tight and efficient - no scene is redundant and no words are wasted. I typically dislike multiple POVs and timelines as some of them are invariably weaker and drag down the overall effect, but this is not the case here - every POV is equally well developed and critical to the story. Highly recommend this book.

I couldn't finish this one. It was just too weird and confusing for me. I had a hard time with the back and forth of the years and connecting everything.

I liked this dark tale, and would recommend to any thriller readers who like mysteries. It is well written and very good. My only thing is that my taste are changing away from this style, but this is great

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! This is the first book I’ve read from this author and it definitely won’t be the last! The publication date is the 16th Nov 2023. I devoured this book within a few days the constant suspense and lots of twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat and reading well into the night! Wow, that ending I definitely didn’t see that coming! I really liked the characters my favourite one was Daniel whilst reading it I always wonder what would happen next for him.

I also loved this book as it reminded me of home whilst reading it from the fictional island to the everything else in between. This book would be great if it was turned into a tv series. Overall, I would highly recommend this book and if you read it you definitely won’t be disappointed! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!