I purchased this book for my own collection.
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Published: July 19, 2022
Summary:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Sanatorium, a Reese’s Book Club Pick, detective Elin Warner’s second outing, as she uncovers the truth behind the suspicious deaths on a stunning island getaway.
Most are here to recharge and refresh. But someone’s here for revenge. . .
An eco-wellness retreat has opened on an island off the English coast, promising rest and relaxation—but the island itself, known locally as Reaper’s Rock, has a dark past. Once the playground of a serial killer, it’s rumored to be cursed.
Detective Elin Warner is called to the retreat when a young woman’s body is found on the rocks below the yoga pavilion in what seems to be a tragic fall. But the victim wasn’t a guest—she wasn’t meant to be on the island at all.
When a guest drowns in a diving incident the following day, Elin starts to suspect that there’s nothing accidental about these deaths. But why would someone target the guests, and who else is in danger?
Elin must find the killer—before the island’s history starts to repeat itself . . .
My thoughts:
This is the second book in Sarah Pearse’s Detective Elin Warner series and I have been waiting for this book since I finished the first one, The Sanatorium. I loved that one and this one did not disappoint!
Once again I loved that we had another locked-room type mystery that was just as twisty and addicting a read as the first one. I found myself flipping through the pages, reading this in two sittings because I was just so caught up in what was going on and needed to find out where it was all leading. The setting of the book could not have been more perfect – an island that has its own creepy history brimming with secrets that somehow play into what is going on in the present. The question is, why? And can Elin figure it out before someone else is killed?
Elin continues to be such a fascinating character. She has definitely grown and evolved from the first book. She takes initiative and is a bit more resilient. She is called out to the island that houses a wellness retreat, but things take a personal turn quite quickly. On top of the murder investigation, she is also worried about a stalker, but luckily has a steady partner in Steed. I’m looking forward to seeing how that develops moving forward because I think he the one good thing in her life – both professionally and personally.
The twists and turns this book take really keep you on your toes and I loved that every time I thought I had it all figured out, that I thought I knew who was behind the murders, a new clue would be dropped to shake things up. I loved being with Elin again and look forward to seeing what comes next in this series.
Books in this series:
- The Sanatorium
- The Retreat
