The beautiful island of Tresco is the setting for this compelling mystery which looks at the dark underside of this idyllic island getaway. For those with money Tresco offers a sumptuous retreat from the humdrum of life and yet for those who eke out a living in the hospitality trade there is little rest from the demands of their jobs, pandering to the whims and fancies of those who have money to spend. However, all is not as it seems on the island and with simmering tensions bubbling it only takes one unusual event to alter the dynamic of the place and its people. When a vicious storm threatens the equilibrium of the island it would seem that unbearable tensions, already heightened, will soon start to spiral out of control.

Intricately plotted, with a strong set of characters, and oodles of tension this atmospheric thriller is a real page turner which keeps you guessing from start to finish. Filled with all the trademarks of this author’s fine story telling skills there is never a moment when the plot doesn’t draw you in and so many times I thought I had it all figured out only to find, in the end, that I was nowhere near. There are a few authors who get my pulse racing and Tina Baker is definitely up there with the best of them as each book she shares with us just gets better and better and What We Did in the Storm is no exception.

Tresco is an island of the Isles of Scilly. Many wealthy people have timeshares here and come for a getaway. You can leave all your doors and windows open here, nothing bad ever happens.

During a raging storm, two people are injured and one has gone missing. It is believed it must be someone from off the island, no locals would do such a thing.

This is one of those stories that I could go on and on about! I enjoyed it immensely and the plot was well structured.

The author has written a beautifully atmospheric tale that left me not wanting to put down the book at all.

There are a lot of characters in this story, but due to how the book has been written, each one is easy to remember. Each character has chapters about them, that way, we learn about each one.

I found myself treating the characters as though they were real. I felt tense at times, by the behaviour of some of them. There were also times where I laughed out loud at some of the inappropriateness of the characters.

This is my favourite of the author’s books so far.

My thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review .

Up on Goodreads & Storygraph now and live on the blog on 12/2:

I love all of Tina Baker’s books, I’ve been a fan from the start, AND I love an island setting, in other words What We Did In the Storm seemed right up my street and I did have a great time with it.

I would definitely categorise What We Did In the Storm as a slow-burner, in that we follow the islanders before the storm mentioned in the title and we are made privy to some glimpses after said storm, but man, are we made to wait to find out what actually happened during the storm!

Is that an issue? Well, no, not really. Life on Tresco is rather fascinating. I’d never even heard of it, so I loved being transported there and absorbing the atmosphere from afar. I love island settings because they always offer that locked room vibe I so enjoy, and I especially enjoyed this setting because I also love reading about two worlds colliding, in this case the islanders who live there and the rich tourists who visit, do whatever they please and then bugger off again.

The characters, both islanders and visitors, are quite fascinating as well. It soon becomes clear that many of them have secrets, and, if not flat-out murderous then at least violent intent. And Christ, are they gossipmongers! My only issue with the characters was that there are rather many different points of view. As I wasn’t able to binge this book, reading only a few chapters before bed, I sometimes had to dig a little too deep at the start of a new chapter to remember who this person was again. As I read on and got deeper into the story, this became a non-issue as I got to know everyone and their dog (quite literally), and with hindsight, I do feel that we need those multiple points of view.

For me, What We Did In the Storm is not only a great psychological thriller, but also a character study of a small, close-knit community, and Tina Baker’s vivid writing and sense of humour breathe life into the island and its people. While I guessed some secrets correctly, others took me completely by surprise, and overall, I found What We Did In the Storm very entertaining. Recommended.

What We Did In the Storm is out in digital formats, hardcover and audio on 15 February, with the paperback to follow in July.

Massive thanks to Viper and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

A really meaty, clever book with lots of dark humour. It takes a little while to get into as there are a lot of characters to get to know. However, they soon become familiar to the reader and one looks forward to the next chapter greedily as the little insights into their individual behaviours are slowly revealed. All the action takes place on the tiny Scilly Isle of Trusco. There are two camps of folk on Trusco..... the workers and the visitors and in theory the boundaries between the two are very clear. The fun starts when boundaries are crossed and the lid blows on the pressure cooker formed when people live in a tiny community. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and happily recommend it. It was my first by Tina Baker but it certainly won't be my last.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This was so perfectly written! It sets the scene perfectly and captured both the perfect paradise and the dark underside. The characters were so varied and diverse. They were really original and it was nice to see characters that aren't just copy and paste of the usual characters we get in these kinds of books. The plot is so perfectly laid out and it's all woven together absolutely flawlessly! I loved every second and this will be perfect for summer

Dark and addictive the perfect psychological thriller that pulls you in hock line and sinker.
The setting of the story is described perfectly as are the characters,I loved the dark humour and found it different to her other books but in a really good way.
Thanks to Netgalley and Serpents Tail/Viper/ Profile Books for the ARC

Tina Baker has done it again! Wow, wow, wow what a fantastic tale Tina has woven. Tresco and its various incumbents are full of secrets and lies.
I really liked Hannah, Zuzannah as a character.
Didn’t like Beatrice or Charlotte but I guess that was the point. Tina has written characters so well, a proper smorgasbord of the human race on the islands of Scilly. All of the stars ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Thank you , Netgalley and Viper Books for this wonderful opportunity to read Tina’s upcoming book.

Tina Baker takes small island life and turns it on its head in this mesmerising and yes, at times, pretty brutal tale of mayhem in paradise. Tresco is one of the Isles of Scilly - I really ought to have known it from experience, having grown up not far away on the mainland, but I've never been; however, Baker paints a double-edged picture that tells of perfect summers, tourists coming and spending well, versus a hard-core of locals who can't afford to leave and have to tend to every need. There are dark undercurrents and some brilliantly scathing character portraits littering the scenes, but this is no reality show and we have a ringside seat on to some pretty disturbing stuff. Tina Baker has never shied away from tackling bad people doing bad things, and she lets rip just that little bit more here, which fits these characters just perfectly. I could really imagine myself in the room with some of them, though I'm not sure that that would be a good thing... The build up to the titular storm in reality takes place over several seasons but when she blows, she blows.

I'm always reluctant to use phrases such as "her best yet", especially here, so I'll happily settle for calling this another uniquely beautiful book with a belter of a plot. I think that says I loved it!

Tina Baker confirms herself as the queen of perfect character building and intricate suspenseful plots.
This book is a brilliantly layered mystery, with characters that feel 'alive', well rounded, with all their virtues and vices, their contrasting feelings and shameful secrets. I love how even side characters get the attention they deserve, all having memorable characteristics and stories of their own.
The mystery unravels slowly, giving the reader the chance to form their own theories, only to be proven wrong again and again as the story unfolds.
The setting is described vividly and the whole story is intricately connected to it, so that it really couldn't have taken place anywhere else. A perfect combination.

This is certainly a book I will recommend.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Viper for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an intricately plotted and well delivered story. I plan to check out other books by this writer also, because the particular appeal of this book included a quirky sense of humour that came out at the most unexpected times and lifted the story telling above the run of the mill thriller.

On an island where the rich come to play - in a pristine area of natural beauty, described as being the socially safe environment of the 1950s - two women are brutally attacked and a third goes missing.

The author weaves an atmosphere that transports the reader to the surroundings and society of Tresco, a close-knit society which is nevertheless hiding any number of sordid secrets. Because really, thanks to the internet, no matter how much money you have, the safety of the 50s is a thing of the past...

The writer skilfully strews red herrings along the way to the denouement, including a number of interesting sub-slots - perhaps the two most unexpected being related to two of the couples. I guessed one secret early on, but the other one took me by surprise. All in all, an entertaining read for fans of psychological thrillers.

I'm fairly new to Tina Baker's books, having only previously read "Make Me Clean". "What We Did In The Storm" is another excellent read, and somewhat darker than her previous book. Set on the idyll of Tresco, we see life on this Scilly isle from two perspectives: the rich holiday-makers and the estate staff who live there all year round. A story that really pulls you in and as it progresses, it gets darker and more sinister.

Baker never fails to deliver a cracking story.
This one feels more of a slow burn than some of her others, but you're just getting to know the characters, what they'll do , who they are.
Though if there's a moral to be had here, it's surely you never really know anyone.
The back and forth in time sets a nice sense of dread as to what is to come/already happened.
What I really enjoy about the story telling too is the humour, within minutes I was smiling, sharp one liners that hit perfectly.
This author was already an auto read for me, but I honestly think she gets better with each book.

This thriller was set on a remote island, which was a setting that appealed to me. I hoped it would be a setting that helped me escape, and it did, as the author brought it to life very well. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and I connected with some more than others, but I felt that each character had their own bit of drama going on. Each character had their own part to play and brought something different to the story. This is the type of book that I would be more likely to read in chunks, rather than in one sitting, but I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

This was a difficult start for me as there were so many characters that I found myself being quite confused. However, as I read on it became clear that all these characters were totally intrinsic to the plot and were all, in their own way, very relateable.
The writer has a wonderful style and the beauty of the island came across so well I now want to visit. This was a great drama that slowly drew me in to the point where I didn't want to let it go.

This book had me hooked right away and it kept me gripped until the very end. The suspense and atmosphere kept me on edge and made me not want to put it down.

I love the description that Tina has written for the location, the image she has created in my mind is just gorgeous. You can practically see the island, feel it, and it sounds idyllic - well, at first anyway. Islands around the UK always intrigue me, islands off of Cornwall or Scotland; they promise so much relaxation and beauty, but always contain a hidden darkness.

She has this talent to create a sense of atmosphere. Whether it be a good atmosphere or a bad atmosphere, she excels. You know something is on the cusp of happening, and you're on edge, willing it to happen but wanting it to stop.

It's very deceptive. It starts as quite a normal, everyday, piece of literary fiction. A bit of romance, a bit of drama, the odd humorous scene, but then it becomes this rush, this thriller, both literally and psychological.

I will say that, at least at first, there was a few too many characters for me to fully keep on top of. That might just be a personal thing as I have a rubbish memory and often forget who I'm reading (maybe I need a notebook by my side when I read?), but I will admit that they are all needed to help move the story along.

I've said before that I prefer character development over plot, and whilst this has some fabulously written characters, this felt more plot heavy than anything else, and I surprisingly enjoyed that. Some characters are delightful, and others are seriously horrid' there's a great spectrum and she's written all of them really well.

It does flit through time, from the present to a few months before, to the previous year. There are scenes "before the storm" and "after the storm". It took a little bit of time to get to grips with it but it was still enjoyable. I preferred the shorter chapters (usually the ones surrounding the storm) as they were snappy and really added to this sense of tension. It is hard to say whether it is a linear story or not. It does appear to be so, with the odd flashback, but now I've finished it I'm not sure, I was never 100% sure which time I was in, which was interesting. It seemed to be a linear narrative, at the same time as flitting back and forth, which sounds confusing but go with it.

I would say I enjoyed it more the further I got in. Not that it started bad, but I felt it really picked up in the second half and the ending was the perfect end, putting a real spanner in the works.

It's slow. And I don't mean that as a negative. It is a slow burner, teasing you with bits, wearing you down, ensuring you're fully invested in the characters and situation before hitting you hard, which for me is the best kind of psychological thriller.

Tina has this ability to sew terror into everything. There's clearly something going on and clearly people are hiding things. But she's not been as obvious as that. Everything - the location, the dialogue, the actions - is underpinned by this sense of unease that really gets under your skin.

This was my first of Tina's books and whilst there may have been a couple of things that niggled at me due to my personal reading preferences, it is a great read; it's interesting, entertaining, atmospheric, eerie, inviting, with great characters (some good, some bad), a real sense of place, and she has a real grasp of the emotions felt by the reader.

I was thinking about how it stacks up against other thrillers I've read, but I decided not to compare them. This has its own feel about it, that it would have been an insult to compare one with another. But if you're a thriller fan, especially a psychological thriller fan, then definitely add this to your 2024 list. One thing that makes a good book for me is one that sticks with you. Even after 'd finished this I kept thinking I needed to go back to it.

I first discovered Tina Baker's books by reading Nasty Little Cuts. I loved that book, loved it so much I'll rush to read everything she writes.

What We Did In The Storm on Tresco on Isles of Scilly, a place close to Tina's heart.

We know from the prologue something bad happens and the book gradually leads us there, before unravelling the mysteries of the night of the storm.

There's quite a few characters, it wouldn't hurt to make a list. For most of the book it felt like scenes from a soap opera rather than a mystery / thriller plot. I don't mean that negatively, think classic funny Corrie character moments, or Dot Cotton having a breakdown on Eastenders or as Tina says in the acknowledgements a David Lynch version of Doc Martin.

There's plenty of humour and an interesting cast, it's not the Tina Baker book I was wishing for, but it was enjoyable on the whole.

Tina Baker is donating 10% of her royalties from this book to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Thanks to Netgalley and Viper Books

This book was darkly delicious. The writing was atmospheric and the plot was a delight. I was gripped throughout and will be recommending it to everyone!

Let me transport you by helicopter or boat, your choice, to the beautiful island of Tresco in the Isles of Scilly. Here the wealthy stay in stunning timeshares whilst the estate staff strive to keep them happy and to continue coming. Three such regular visitors are Beatrice, her son Kit and goddaughter Charlotte. Island staff who cater to their exacting requirements include Hannah, a barmaid and Bobby the island manager. Tresco seems a peaceful paradise but as we all know, appearances can be deceptive. As the storm clouds pile in one day in May and the seas roughen as the storm hits, two women are attacked and another is missing. Can the small community and its many secrets survive as the islanders are questioned about what they did in the storm? The story is told via multiple points of view.

This setting for this latest novel by this talented author is truly wonderful and definitely makes me want to visit as soon as possible! She creates a fantastic atmosphere using the island in every possible way to create a fascinating character driven slow burner of a psychological thriller. The tone at the start is bright, breezy, optimistic and happy at a summer wedding, though, there are little hints of things to come. As the storyline progresses, these undercurrents become more and more ominous and dark in tone. It seems all glossy and idyllic on the surface and yet the more you learn you see potential scandals in the offing. There’s toxicity on several fronts and some very sinister characters hiding behind their true selves, like the proverbial wolves in sheep’s clothing. Tensions rise like the storm waters and they keep on rising and you know it will overflow at some point. However, the author, so cleverly almost calmly lulls you, and then when the big start to trickle in, it seems to sock you between the eyes! Some things you can kind of predict, but others you definitely can’t.

Initially, I’m somewhat bamboozled by the number of characters points of view and I’m not sure of the point of some of them. I’m wrong. You soon settle into the rhythm of the changing perspectives and you do need them all as I don’t think the plot would’ve worked so well without them. Although there are a lot of characters, all are deftly portrayed in a few strokes, each having their own recognisable personality traits as the world of the incomers and the residents collide and there’s never a dull moment. I love hearing the Cornish accents in the voices of the locals as they regard the emmets! The dialogue is clever and often humorous or ironic.

Overall, this is another entertaining and clever novel from Tina Baker.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Serpents Tail/Viper/Profile Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A tense, stunning and atmospheric read. Interesting complex characters, dark humour and secrets galore. Tucked myself up in bed for this one. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.