The Reunion brings together a group of friends that could have been great, but were instead pulled apart by the disappearance of the one friend that held them together. The concept behind this book was riveting and it was a huge draw to find out what the mystery itself was going to be. Selling a book as a disappearance leads to so many questions and it can be thrilling to find out those answers. The book definitely started off with an interesting premise and it was easy to fly through the pages searching for answers.

As the book progressed, the thrilling nature of the book started to take a turn as the truly unlikable nature of each of the characters was given more attention. The book dragged on the mystery and focused on each of the characters and their motivations. This would have been a wonderful addition to the book if the scenes chosen to give this information would have seemed more connected to the plot. Each time there was a shift in Point of View, it was jarring to be away from the main plot. There were also several side plots that took up too much time and ended up being completely unconnected in any way.

The main character, Jennie, is an actual detective. It was nice to see a thriller detective that actually knows what she is doing. I had high hopes for the way the investigation would progress. However, her intense desire to make sure she was a part of the investigation led to too many secrets that led to obstruction of justice. It was really unfortunate to have a character that should have been the smartest person in the room turn out to be another try-hard, “pick me” type character.

While this book had a strong promise of an engaging mystery, it fell flat in the end with motivations that lacked luster, a meandering plot and unlikable characters.

2/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Reunion is a written collaboration murder mystery by MJ Arlidge and Steph Broadribb.
In short, thirty years ago Jennie Whitmore’s best friend, Hannah disappeared and Jennie believed her friend had abandoned her. Now a Detective Inspector, Jennie is called to her old school where a teenage girls remains are found during the demolition of one of the old school’s building and Jennie immediately realises that it’s Hannah. It’s personal and she’s determined to solve her murder before colleagues discover how closely connected to the victim and before a mystery stalker makes good of threats to silence her for good.
MJ Arlidge is one of my go to authors so I was looking forward to reading The Reunion by him and Steph Broadribb. Hmmm, unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this book much as his previous books. I did enjoy that there were many suspects and red herrings in the mix, however, Jennie being a senior Detective came across as extremely unprofessional and rather childish making the story a bit too far fetched in my opinion.
Big thanks to the authors, Orion Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

This is a great dark academia read with true crime twists and secrets in the dark halls of an old school. It reminds me of I have Some Questions for you, as a friend tries to figure out how the bones hidden on school grounds got there and more importantly who put them there. This was a great read!

Wow. A fabulous story line which is fast paced but easy to follow. I was hooked from page 1.. I'm looking forward to reading more

Ah, I've always enjoyed Arlidge's books and this was no exception. I found this really moreish and wanted to learn more about this group of loners who dwelled in basement photo rooms. I quite liked the twist of the man detective being part of the group and how long she can keep that under her hat and stay on the case...Maybe a tiny bit farfetched but isn't that what a good thriller is!

Enjoyed this a lot, thanks for letting me read

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the pace and writing style was incredible and I really found myself connecting with Jennie and her drive to find justice no matter the cost.

Brilliant... gripping plot, menace and more twists and turns than a rollercoaster! Highly recommended

WoW . . . . . . . The Reunion by M. J. Arlidge; and Steph Broadribb was an absolutely gripping mystery with shocking twists and turns throughout that will have you hooked from the beginning till the very end. The characters were excellent and fitted well within this story.

I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it.

This book had me hooked right away.
Follow along as DI Jennie Whitmore unearths secrets of people she knows to solve this case.

I really enjoyed this author's writing. I haven't read anything by them before, but I really got into the story and the pacing of it. I would definitely read another book by this author.

*4 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was an interesting read with great characters. Secrets always seem to have a way of catching up to you. Would recommend.

Absolute brilliant. A must read. I loved this book. This is simply a must read!!! This book kept me up way past my bed time

The Reunion offers a reader a story of intrigue, secrets and lies. All bound up with some cagey character, criminals and lots of police. This is a who-dunnit and successfully kept me guessing all the way to end. M J Arlidge is one of my favourite authors, so being given the opportunity to read and review this book was a treat. As a seasoned thriller reader, I enjoy a good thriller and Arlidge and Broadribb give a fresh new thriller with all the twists and turns of the unknown with historical flash backs to a 30 year old crime.
Well written, kept me hooked throughout, I was sad when it came to end as I was throughly committed to Jennie and her career, plus her death defying personal life. A true 5 star thriller

#5starreads #netgalley #thebookcaseofkay #thereunion

Great murder mystery thriller that had me hooked from the beginning! The author did a great job with character development and really kept me guessing throughout the story. I really like crime thriller genre, with this book no exception!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own

This was my first book by the author, but will not be my last. Fantastic murder mystery with excellent character development, well-paced plot, and left me guessing. Totally enjoyable read!

Great thriller. I enjoyed this book, it’s fairly slow paced, I did see the ending coming but it was still an enjoyable read. I liked how the book was divided in to days - made it easier to keep track of the time line.

A police procedural but with historical involvement of the lead detective. How will she keep secretes buried but unearth the actual killer

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I really liked this book. I felt like there was so much character development and I liked how the plot progressed throughout the story. I did take away one star because the ending disappointed me a little bit, but overall it was super good. I would definitely recommend this to any thriller reader.

Jennie is one of the lead detectives at her home town police force, old feelings are dredged up when a body is discovered underneath the old school that was set to be demolished. She has to hide her connections to stay on as lead of the case, but she’s too close and her emotions get the best of her quite a bit.

This fast paced mystery thriller was riveting, and I really enjoyed how it played out. The characters were dynamic and intriguing, and this was well worth the read.

I love both M.J. Arlidge's and Steph Broadribb's books so it's a booklover's dream to see these two authors collaborate to create a bone-chilling thriller. As if the thought of a school reunion isn't horrifying enough, the partygoers are about to sober up pretty quickly when a body is found buried within the school.

Jennie is hoping her old friend Hannah will turn up to the school reunion so she can finally understand why Hannah didn't turn up the night they planned to run away to London. The explanation is hiding beneath her feet and it's the worst one that Jennie could have imagined: Hannah was murdered on that fateful night.

This murder is personal so Jennie is determined to lead the case despite her conflict of interest, which she hides from her boss. As she plays down her relationship with Hannah and starts investigating Hannah's last known movements, she starts to wonder whether they were even friends at all.

The writing is seamless and if there weren't two names on the cover, you would never guess that it had two authors. The plot twists and turns like a slithering snake and just when you think you have it all worked out, the truth slithers out of your grasp again.

Gripping, chilling and twisty, The Reunion is a brilliant thriller that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat from start to finish. I would definitely recommend it but be prepared to be unable to put it down once you pick it up.