This was twisty and a bit gory. I enjoyed it after I realized there would be a bit scarier than I would ordinarily gravitate toward. I liked the familial aspect. It wrapped up fairly quickly so that felt a bit rushed. I thought it was a great mystery/thriller/study in how people feel about unsolved mysteries and what they will do for a news story.

Tessa Nilsson, host of the true crime podcast The Witching Hour, is ambivalent about being invited to her friend Annaliese's bachelorette party. On the one hand, she's happy to reconnect with her school friends for such a happy occasion. On the other, she's recently suffered a very public professional disaster and wants nothing more than to hide out as long as possible. Her sister, Lena, who is also invited to the event, finally convinces her to go. Tessa has an ulterior motive for agreeing to go. She's hoping to look into the unsolved disappearance of four young women 10 years previously. The disappearances happened on the same island where the party is being held: Isle Blind. At the time the four young women disappeared, the island was just a small, uninhabited island. Now a resort is being built there, but it hasn't officially opened. The five guests are joined by Irene, who is running the hotel and hosting the weekend. Irene's sister Matilda is one of the women who disappeared a decade ago, so Tessa plans to question her as soon as she can. Of course, on an isolated island, everyone is forced to give up their cell phones on arrival, so you just know that's going to become a problem . . .

There is one man on the island, the chef Adam. Tessa gets a bad feeling about him, but begins to wonder if it's just her imagination. Then one of the women suddenly is gone and their one way off the island, a small dingy, is cut loose from its mooring and begins to drift out to sea. Can Tessa survive long enough to solve the earlier mystery?

I enjoyed the isolated location of the events as well as the old and new mysteries to be solved. Why Tessa is facing public scorn and possible financial ruin is also eventually revealed. An exciting, fast-paced thrill ride!

In 2012, 4 friends went on their annual summer trip to an island off the coast of Sweden. They disappeared in what appeared to be a boating accident. 10 years later, a yoga retreat has been built on the island, and Tessa is part of a bachelorette party weekend attending the retreat. Tessa is a true crime podcaster, hoping to actually find out what happened in 2012 without anyone knowing. I really enjoyed Sten’s “The Lost Village”, and while this one wasn’t nearly as frightening, I still enjoyed it. A good weekend read. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.