This was a lot of fun and just what I was in the mood for. I was able to listen to it all in one go while I worked

This book is really good! I guessed one of the main twists, and when it transpired, I was a little disappointed, but then a few moments later, there were more twists that I didn't even see coming. The ending was spectacular.

Six friends travel to a Scottish Island for a hen's weekend, but when someone is murdered and another person is captured, the friends are forced to confront their secrets that they wished would stay dead. Unfortunately for them, secrets never stay buried.

This is my first book by this author, but it won't be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for a chance to early review this story in exchange for an honest review.

This one… I was really excited when I got approved for this audiobook, but honestly this one just fell flat for me in the end.

In The Cliff House, a group of women spend the weekend on a secluded island for a bachelorette party. When someone on the island is murdered secrets start to be revealed and the friends wonder if any of them will make it out alive.

The Cliff House has serious And Then There Were None vibes. It was almost too similar for me. The plot is suspenseful and fast paced but I figured out the ending way too soon. However, there were a few parts of the ending that surprised me. The characters were interesting but not super memorable. I listened to the book and enjoyed the narration. I wasn’t blown away by The Cliff House but it’s a solid pick for fans of thrillers.

The Cliff House was my first novel by Chris Brookmyre, so I went into it with no expectations. I liked the description. Basically, tell me there is a Scottish "locked room" type mystery set at a hen party and I am always going to want to read the book! As the description led me to anticipate, this was a fun story and I listened to the audiobook over two days.

Unfortunately, I didn't write my review immediately after finishing the book, so there are some details I am struggling to recall, but that, itself tells me something I would normally write in my reviews: The book was definitely fun, but not so amazing that I would remember much of it other than the feeling it evoked. As with many stories when there are several characters and they all have tangled backstories with each other, it took a while for me to get the picture of the web of these relationships. Suffice it to say, the pop star of the group of friends was the main one the other characters played off of: Jealousy of her fame, resentment of how she allowed her fame to overshadow her prioritization of her friends, bitterness over a betrayal, etc. In fact the relationships between the friends at the hen party was even more compelling to me than the mystery of the story.

I found out after reading that Chris Brookmyer is an established author that is beloved by many readers. The Cliff House definitely piqued my interest in reading more by him.

Such a fun read! I believe I finished this book in less than 48 hours, it kept my attention from start to finish. The narrator was great, and the characters kept my interest. If you enjoy Agatha Christie novels, this locked door mystery will be your next read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ -NetGalley ARC Audiobook

Description:
“Seven women. Seven sins. One night of judgment.

Jennifer is forty-two and getting married for the second time, but that doesn't mean she can't go all out for her bachelorette weekend. She's taking her closest friends to the kind of place that has a years-long waiting list for a booking: three days of super-exclusive luxury accommodation on a remote Scottish island. So excited by the complicated means of transport required to get to the island, no one gives much thought to the implications for getting off again, especially if the weather should turn. But why would they? They're in for a time they will never forget. Just not for the reasons they imagine.
When one of the party mysteriously goes missing on the first night, Jennifer realizes she has made a terrible mistake: she has assembled this disparate bunch of women and the only thing they have in common is her . . .

Get ready for a locked room mystery like no other. One that asks: how well do you really know anybody, even your oldest acquaintance? And what if your best friend is really your worst enemy?”

This book reminded me of ‘The Guest List’, except it wasn’t as evenly paced. This was more like a rollercoaster ride. A slow buildup, then a shocking drop, a slow buildup, a shocking drop. Each character has a secret, which has you wondering who’s behind the disappearance of one of the hen party (bachelorette party) guests. As each guest reveals their secrets it’s a question of who has the most to gain by forcing the guests to reveal the secrets. There are several twists towards the end of the book, one I had figured out and one I hadn’t. I would have enjoyed this more had the weather been bad. I think that adds exceptional dimension to an otherwise mediocre book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Highbridge Audio and Chris Brookmyre For the chance to review this book.

The Cliff House starts at the beginning of the hen weekend (bachelorette party weekend) for Jennifer as she prepares for her second marriage. The whole group is headed to a remote island in Scotland and it's isolation and beauty are what make it so ideal for a fun weekend. Unfortunately, there are a lot of complications when one of the party goes missing on the first night. This whole group has a lot of drama and it has an ending that even I didn't predict.

This was a slow burn, "locked room" mystery that highlights the drama between women who have a lot of secrets. These secrets start to unravel, but not in the way that you would think. I really did enjoy this audio adaptation of The Cliff House. I found it to be very interesting and attention grabbing. I think there were parts of the book that were a little slow for me, like the beginning, and I kind of wanted the narrator to get on with it, but overall I enjoyed the mystery. The characters were all really "love to hate" kind of people, which made each chapter as multiple POV very interesting. There were a lot of characters to keep track of though. I didn't see the ending coming though, and I love that!! It was overall, a solid who is it, thriller.

Thank you NetGalley, HighBridge Audo and Chris Brookmyre for an advanced copy of the audio version of The Cliff House in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date for The Cliff House is 07 November 2023 #thecliffhouse #netgalley

I tried so hard to get into this book and just couldn't stay interested. 😭

The narrator is fantastic though and loved listening to her voice.

This was a great mystery, and I loved how the story slowly evolved, with everyone’s secrets coming out gradually so that the plot stayed interesting right up until the end. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, which made some details confusing. But overall, this is a really strong one. The characters have various connections & some have no connection at all. As secrets were slowly revealed, I got pulled in more & more. What kicked off the trip going bad was such a shocker & I was gobsmacked at some of the revelations along the way. For most of the book, I had no clue who to root for; the author does such a great job at that. So many twists, so many turns, and an insane amount of well-thought-out secrets expertly doled out at the correct times. And the writing itself was very strong.

I have never heard of a hen weekend. I have heard of a stag party though, but I guess hen's are for females...which is what this book starts out as. A bachelorette party for Jennifer, but it turns into something so much worse. Which I suppose anything untoward would be worse if you're going for a good time.

That brings us to the lovely island of Clachan Geal, a small private resort island in Scotland. There a 7 members of the friend group involved in this weekend Jennifer (a well to do business woman), Michelle (a famous singer), Samira (Jennifer's future sister-in-law), Beattie (Jennifer's former sister-in-law), Helena (music teacher), Nicolette (fashionista), Kennedy (tennis coach), plus we will add the property owner Lauren. This is a lot of characters to keep up with. There are several POVs in here too which made keeping track of who did what, and who is who, a bit confusing. With all these women together not one of them is innocent, as they all hold a dark secret. During dinner, they discover one of their party missing and a dead chef. A man called "The Reaper" leaves a cryptic message that he will murder the missing friend if a certain someone doesn't spill the secret. Does he tell us who? Nope, that leads the women on a timed wild goose chase to try and find their friend or divulge their secret.

I found the twists in this story quite obvious once you start hearing the background of several of our characters and we learn all of their secrets. Some of the women's secrets are not bad at all and some of these women should be in jail. The suspense aspect is pretty well done as the women have a finite amount of time to save their friend and discover who the person with the secret is. We have confessions and secrets flowing out of everyone and that was fun. The beginning dragged on a bit too long and most of it was not necessary for the story. I didn't think I would enjoy the story at all because of the extreme slow start.

Overall the story is pretty alright. There are a lot of characters to keep straight and maybe culling out some POVs would have helped (luckily only a few of the women had a voice). The narrator was alright, but the voices all blended and only a few of the women had their own personality. That could be the writing though? I think there will be a ton of people that will thoroughly enjoy the twists and turns this novel has to offer.

This falls into the "British Girls in Trouble" genre and it is fine. Not terrible, not great. Listened to the audio and the only issue was the pronunciation of the name Joachim (I think). It was not terribly thrilling despite trying. Not much more to add.

Small remote Scottish island. I love a good thriller. Everyone has their secrets and they become exposed in this book. Definitely recommend if you love thrillers.

A bachelorette weekend at a remote island mansion? What could possibly go wrong, right? Well, in "The Cliff House" by Chris Brookmyre, the answer is everything, and that's exactly what I signed up for!

I'm a sucker for a locked room mystery, and I absolutely adore a book where everyone's got their own juicy secrets. This book checked both those boxes with flair.

Admittedly, at the start, I had a bit of trouble keeping track of all the characters. There were so many names and personalities to grasp, but once the story got rolling, it became much easier to distinguish them.

What truly impressed me was how the author made these secrets, even though they were often far from our own experiences, feel relatable. It's a testament to Brookmyre's storytelling skills that he could make us empathize with these characters' struggles, even when we couldn't directly identify with them.

Now, as for the ending, I had a vague idea of where it was heading, but the journey there was a bit of a rollercoaster. It was complex, which I appreciated, but I found myself wishing for a tad more breadcrumbs along the way. It felt like everything was being 'explained' at the end, which, while satisfying, left me wanting a few more hints leading up to it.

I absolutely loved the strong female characters. They were portrayed with their strengths and weaknesses, making them feel like fully realized, human individuals. I can't get enough of characters like this in my reads, and "The Cliff House" delivered on that front.

The narrator, Sarah Barron, not only had a fantastic accent that added a whole new dimension to the story, but they also nailed capturing the essence of the characters.

If you're into locked-room mysteries and secrets in your books, "The Cliff House" is worth the read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HighBridge Audio, and Chris Brookmyre for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and High Bridge audio for an advanced copy of this book. I really liked this. It was a bit different from the typical hen weekend on a deserted island because multiple people don’t get killed one right after another. Jen and her friends go on her hen weekend to an isolated island that has all the latest amenities. Except for cell service. The Wi-Fi works but not cells. They start having a lovely time. Of course there is some tension between all of them. They all know Jen but not each other, except for Lauren who doesn’t know any of them. She runs the house where they will be staying. Soon, the first murder occurs. Then they all get a text letting them know that one of them will die, we know who it is, unless they tell their secret. What’s great about this is that they all have secrets. The story continues with each of the remaining six having to decide whether they want to tell or not. The conclusion is good. You may have already guessed but that doesn’t take away from the story. This would be great, in print form, for a book club. I found the listening going fairly quickly and I think you will too. There aren’t so many characters that you get bogged down trying to keep everyone straight, but enough so that you are wondering what they have to hide. Enjoy!

This book was a slog to get through. I listened to the audiobook and the tone was so flat I had to speed it up. This story just doesn't work. It wasn't for me.

The Cliff House
by Chris Brookmyre

The image of an over the top hen weekend before the marriage of this 40 year old bride and mates is interesting. The idea of an isolated island is a sign of particular extravagance. The characters in this story learn that it may not have been best choice. The internal search of the characters to find their sins and why they are finding themselves in this dangerous situation. The author uses many sources and stories to leave the path of the reader just as limited as the characters. He does a great job of bring out the levels of regret many people have over their lives, from friends they betrayed, and even illegal actions. The twist was remarkable and unexpected.
The performance of reader brought a level of suspension to the story.

The Cliff House was just okay for me. I liked the idea of old friends getting together again at a stunning location, but the mystery involved just never got my interest. I thought the narrator did a good job.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book had so many twists and turns. All of the characters had such crazy secrets. I really enjoyed all the twists in this story. Jen’s secret and her back story were my favorite and I wanted more about her character. I did not see that ending coming either so that made the book enjoyable.

I love a good "who done it" so this was a fun read for me! A Narrator can make or break an audio book, this narrator was flawless!