A disintegrating bluff is the main plot line and leads to a classic who done it mystery. The characters have a lot of secrets and it’s a slow burn to the end. A nice twist to wrap up the story.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for sending this ARC for review. All opinions are my own.

3.5⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advanced copy of The Bluff.

Kate is still dealing with the fallout of her husband’s death a year ago when her neighbor goes missing and is soon found dead. Six years prior Kate meets her husband Ryan and it is a whirlwind romance. He shows her a home he purchased on Lake Michigan that he thinks they should renovate and build their life together in. Kate agrees to leave New York behind and try something new! As the years go by Kate realizes she made a mistake giving up everything she knows especially when the community they live in is fighting over how to deal with ground issues threatening their homes and their safety. Then people on the committee start receiving threats and Kate constantly feels like she is being watched. Then when she is questioned about her missing neighbor the police wonder if she had a hand in his murder because they believe she is not being truthful about her husband’s death. Kate definitely has secrets about her husband but they are not what the police think. Are the deaths connected? Can Kate clear her name?

I enjoyed this book. It is told from a dual point of view which I liked and I also enjoyed the writing style. There are just things I wish we as readers would have gotten answers about. But I did not see some of the twists coming!

Here is my confession…

“The Bluff” has a very compelling premise, but needed some work to be a better read.

This is more of a mystery, than full blown thriller.

The characters, their motivations, and their actions, needed more ‘fleshing’ out. As a reader, I was left with an incomplete feeling, not satisfied, period. I will also say, the ending was empty too. The whole story was piece mill, and didn’t come together in an engaging and gripping way.

I will say, the costal setting was terrific. The highlight, for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a lot different than I was expecting. I was hoping for a quiet, spooky mystery but it was more of a small town legal thriller, in my opinion. I felt like in a pursuit to ratchet up tension that it took itself too seriously and I just couldn't really stay focused on it. I needed something juicier.

This was a really good thriller with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. It took a little while for me to get hooked so I'd call it more of a slow burn but still super enjoyable. The characters were likeable and I was rooting for Kate the whole way. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

An interesting dual narrative, The Bluff (2024) by Bonnie Traymore features the police detective investigating a suspicious death and the wife assumed to be responsible. Kate Breslow and her husband Ryan moved to the shore of Lake Michigan and their cliff-top house, which is at risk due to coastal erosion. The local council must decide between two different options for restoration works for the crumbling bluff. Yet, the death of Ryan in a car accident and then the disappearance of the neighbour pushing for the alternative repair option, sets off a chain of events in this suspense thriller. As tensions arise over the competing stabilisation plans, suspicious deaths, romantic affairs and other secrets are revealed. There is also the activity of a local environment group, who want no action taken to stabilise the crumbling cliff face. An enjoyable standalone crime mystery tale with a brooding atmosphere and dubious characters makes for a three stars read rating. With thanks to BooksGoSocial and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a fun read and a good palate cleanser from all the psychological thrillers I've read recently.

This felt more "old school" thriller with a murder than a lot of the super twisty recent thrillers. Because of this I felt it was more of a journey than just waiting for twists.

This was a really fun journey & I loved the setting. The characters were a lot of fun and I enjoyed the ending a lot. This is not a "revolutionary" book but it's a great read all at the same time!

4.00/5.00

This book was a great thriller with intense twists and action. Kate is a great character and had a lot of depth. She alone intrigued me! The best part of the book was the shocking climax.

The Bluff: A Thriller [Book Review]
Author: Bonnie Traymore
Publication Date: September 1, 2024
Review Date: August 16, 2024
(Thanks to NetGalley for electronic ARC)


With a compelling premise, The Bluff invites the reader to peek behind the curtain in a small, divided community. These divisions run nearly as deep and are as foreboding as the bluff itself – stemming from a close-knit mistrust of outsiders, differing opinions on the impending environmental and financial crisis of bluff erosion, and fractures between the wealthy bluff suburb and members of the nearby less affluent community.


As Kate, one of our two central perspectives, the prose is highly effective as she describes the harsh expanse and precipitous volatility of the bluff, mirroring her own mental state. The beauty of the calm days and mile long views atop this small sliver of the universe or fighting to step against whipping winds, bleak chill, and the deep void found at the cliff edge, the vivid imagery is impactful.

The characters, their motivations, and their actions are less pronounced throughout. Kate’s chapters are often filled with anxious questions, but few answers, and a retreading of unknowns that becomes arduous. Travis, our detective and second primary perspective, is earnest but uninteresting, and filler details which do little to provide insight make their home in his thoughts.

This feels deliberate but unartful by the author, as a psychological thriller is often a slow burn and any author would hesitate to lay down too many pieces of the puzzle. Whether plot or character driven, this genre relies on the build of tension. When there is a satisfying ending, this can often be forgiven, and re-reads can provide more pleasure in the discovery of excellently subtle foreshadow or the epiphanous moment of a previously unconnected thread. No such joy is found here, though the read is easy and pleasant enough. The book introduces, but does not seriously contend with, [light spoiler warning] childhood trauma, abuse, and affairs. The hesitancy to give too much away also manifests in this hesitancy to dig deeply into and develop these characters as full, complex people, instead choosing to handwave at these justifications for ingrained patterns of behavior or thought.

It is a fine book, but not a great one. I do think the premise is interesting and that with character development and sharper editing, it could have been. It’d make a great pitch for a miniseries. Considering all factors, I’d rate the book 3/5.

“What do you have to lose, Kate?” Ryan asked me, as we stood on the bluff looking out on Lake Michigan. Turns out, almost everything. When I first moved from Manhattan to this small town six years ago, I worried about many things. I worried about finding a job. I worried that I’d be bored. I worried that my relationship with charming photographer Ryan Breslow was moving too fast. But I never worried about whether the ground beneath my feet would crumble, both literally and figuratively! Good book! This book had suspense, intriguing, action, murder, mystery, a good who done it and a few crazy moments! The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this one! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This book was a super quick read that had tons of twists and was super enjoyable! I loved our main character Kate. I was never really sure if she was telling the truth, if she was the murderer etc. I mean I didn’t even really trust Claudia. This is one of those books I feel that you don’t necessarily trust any character until the very middle when there are revelations. I loved the ending! I wasn’t totally expecting that.
Thank you to Netgalley & BooksGoSocial for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

the suspense!! so thick you could cut it with a knife. im not a big thriller reader so i dont have the highest of expectations. all i care about is if the story grips my attention and i dont guess the plot twist. this one did just that! could not put this down

Very good thriller/mystery with a perfect setting. Ending was definitely a great twist that I wasn’t expecting. Would definitely recommend. Thank you Netgalley for letting me give an honest review of this book.

The bluff is slowly crumbling into the sea. Soon it will take the expensive lake houses with it. Kate and her husband moved to Crest Lake to restore a house on the bluff after their marriage. Madly in love with Ryan, Kate used her inheritance to turn the house into a show piece and then learned to deal with the abusive Ryan. After Ryan died in a suspicious car accident, Kate took his seat on the neighbor committee hoping to solve the bluff problem. There are several different ways proposed to slow the inevitable erosion, and the committee members now are angry and polarized. When Doug Mitchell, the opposition leader and Kate’s next door neighbor, dies in a suspicious boating accident, Kate becomes a suspect. As this deliberately slow paced thriller continues, many secrets will be revealed and nothing is as in seems.

Suspense builds slowly in The Bluff. The Kate shines as a character trying to control situations while hiding many secrets. Travis Whittaker, co-narrator with Kate, is another strong character, questioning his life choices as investigates Kate. He’s convinced that she is somehow responsible for her husband’s death and possibly Doug’s. The slowly disintegrating bluff controls this mystery/thriller and the residents’ actions. Those actions, and all the secrets revealed, lead to a totally surprising, unexpected conclusion. 5 star.

Thank you to NetGalley, Books Go Social and Bonnie Traymore for this ARC.

“The Bluff” is a mystery/thriller by Bonnie Traymore. This book follows Kate, who left Manhattan to be with her boyfriend Ryan, who found a house along Lake Michigan he wanted to renovate. The house (and some others) are near an eroding cliff which is of some concern to the home owners in the area. Kate (and others) look into ways to save the houses yet also take into concern some of the environmental impact of various things to do in the water (meaning sea walls, barriers, etc.). Kate’s plan causes some issues with locals but, as she points out, it’s a compromise. On the day of the “big vote,” one of Kate’s neighbors is found missing … then dead. There are some fishy circumstances surrounding his death - and could it somehow be tied to the death of Ryan a year previously? This book took a few turns into red herring land, but it was nice to read not only Kate’s viewpoint, but also that of one of the investigating officers. One could see how “The Bluff” refers to both Kate’s crumbling marriage but also to how she hopes to rebuild herself and her life. I found a few things a bit odd - the ending and the possible romance for a character - but they were plausible (I just didn’t care for them). This was a pretty fast read, though there was a slow build-up, and I did like the different POVs.

This was a slow burn psychological suspense that heated up to a twisty, thrilling finale. A domestic thriller with a timely topic in the background. Great setting. Highly recommended,

*The Bluff* is a captivating thriller that skillfully intertwines suspense, mystery, and personal drama against the backdrop of a perilous natural setting. With its high-stakes plot and complex characters, the novel is a masterclass in building tension and intrigue.

The story centers on Kate, who relocates from Manhattan to the small, picturesque town of Crest Lake, only to find her life and her home precariously positioned on the edge of a crumbling bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. The initial charm of small-town life quickly turns to anxiety as Kate deals with the loss of her husband, Ryan, who died in a mysterious car accident. The plot thickens as Kate’s attempts to sell her unstable property are thwarted by its dangerous location and a contentious local committee.

The novel’s tension escalates dramatically when a heated debate over the bluff’s future leads to the murder of Kate’s adversary on the shoreline committee. As the community's frustrations boil over and suspicions rise, Kate finds herself entangled in a web of deceit and danger. The murder investigation threatens to unearth more than just the identity of the killer—it risks exposing Kate’s own buried secrets.

The strength of *The Bluff* lies in its meticulously crafted suspense. The author excels at gradually building tension, creating an atmosphere of unease that permeates every aspect of Kate’s life. The bluffs themselves become a potent symbol of the novel’s themes, embodying the precariousness of Kate’s situation and the crumbling facade of her seemingly perfect life.

Kate is a richly developed protagonist whose internal struggles and external conflicts are portrayed with nuance. Her journey from grief and isolation to desperation and determination adds depth to the narrative. The supporting characters, including the local committee members and townsfolk, are well-drawn and contribute to the story’s intricate dynamics.

The novel’s climax is both shocking and satisfying, with revelations that tie together the various threads of the story in a dramatic and unexpected fashion. The blend of personal stakes, community tensions, and the looming threat of the bluff’s collapse creates a gripping read that keeps readers on edge until the very end.

*The Bluff* is a thrilling page-turner that expertly combines elements of mystery and psychological drama. It’s a compelling exploration of loss, secrets, and the lengths to which people will go to protect their lives and reputations. For fans of suspenseful thrillers with a strong sense of place and character, this book is a must-read that promises to leave a lasting impression.