Pages: 349
Published: 18th March 2019
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Content warnings: PTSD, domestic abuse
All Anna wants is to be able to sleep. But crushing insomnia, terrifying night terrors and memories of that terrible night are making it impossible. If only she didn’t feel so guilty…
To escape her past, Anna takes a job at a hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum, but when seven guests join her, what started as a retreat from the world turns into a deadly nightmare.
Each of the guests have a secret but one of them is lying – about who they are and why they’re on the island. There’s a murderer staying in the Bay View hotel. And they’ve set their sights on Anna.
Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One deadly lie.
Someone’s going to sleep and never wake up…
This is a book that unashamedly makes the most of classic thriller formulas, but despite the lack of originality, it successfully tells a story that focuses your attention. With a seven-strong list of suspects and a setting that is harsh in the extreme, it uses an intriguing mix of narratives and many forms of misdirection to keep you guessing at the outcome.
It is important to note that this is not a murder mystery; rather a case of who is conspiring to commit murder, which in a way gives it more of an enticing dynamic. Meanwhile, although it primarily plays on the tense and increasingly unsettling atmosphere, there is time for a lot of themes to emerge as characters battle the effects of issues such as grief, post-traumatic stress, and caring responsibilities.
The prologue sets everything up brilliantly as it immediately creates an ominous feeling and leaves you in no doubt that the plot is going to culminate in an intense and dramatic way. In doing so it sets your expectations high and for the most part, it generally delivers even if some of the characters do become a bit grating after a while.
What makes the story so intense is the growing isolation of the hotel with the lack of mobile phone connection and declining food supplies, along with the erratic behaviour of some of the guests. If you combine that with Anna’s realisation that one of them wants her dead, then the stakes are very high indeed and it never really lets up.
As soon as the seven guests start arrive at the hotel for check in, you are scrutinising them intently as you know that one of them is the would-be killer. Straight away it is clear that one or two are very obvious red herrings as the author is going all out to make them look suspicious. The key is to assess the ones who seem like the least likely culprits on paper, and this time I guessed right. When they are unmasked, you also realise that there were some well-hidden clues along the way.
The book is mostly told from Anna’s point of view, and the survivor’s guilt that she feels after escaping the car crash unscathed at the beginning is highly tangible. Her reluctance to drive and the decision to quit her job and move away are convincingly written and for that reason you it is quite easy to connect with her. Another aspect that is conveyed well is her insomnia, which causes her thoughts to run wild at times.
At first, the fact other perspectives such as Alex and Mohammed continue for the duration of the story came as a surprise, but they turn out to be interesting and effective. They all play their part in the overarching mystery and all the pieces fit together at the end. There was a good contrast to be found here too, with Anna being the survivor, Mohammed left in hospital injured and feeling hopeless, and Steve the vengeful, bereaved father.
You know from the prologue that the affable David is doomed from the start, which is rather sad as he was likeable and understanding. In regards to the hotel guests, the book does its absolute best to make you judge each one of them. For example Trevor is a loner but there is something more complex lying behind his anti-social veneer, while Melanie seems really fussy at first about the view from her hotel window but then turns out to be the kindest of them all. Even then, you are still considering her as a suspect.
Perhaps the main criticism is that even though they find themselves in a pressing situation, some of their actions are downright irrational. There is a surprising lack of panic among them when they become truly cut off from civilisation. Malcolm’s character shows a multitude of inconsistencies, and although Katie is developed a little she is never truly convincing. The final chapter sums that up, as it just felt wrong and to be honest, did not need to be included.
However, there are no problems at all with the setting. It may be one of the biggest mystery/thriller staples in the book, but it totally works. As the adverse weather sets in, you can really sense the power of it as any escape route from the guest house is cut off by flooded roads, adding to the menace. Even the relatively humdrum setting of the hospital is written well, conveying Mohammed’s hopelessness to good effect.
The writing is generally sound, if not quite as fast paced as some of C.L. Taylor’s other novels. Some elements of the mystery and Anna’s insomnia arguably gets a little repetitive at times, but the promise of finding out which of the guests wants her dead ensures it always involves the reading. Also, the occasional switching of narratives succeeds where it could easily have backfired.
Overall, a whole heap of classic tropes are thrown together here to create a story that is tense and full of foreboding. The opening gives way to a sense of build up and the red herrings keep you on alert, whereas Anna is a half-decent protagonist who actually has some conviction about her. It may not manage to blow you away with its brilliance, but it is a fairly good read nonetheless.
Nothing extraordinary, but it has a good mystery, an eerie setting and a very tense atmosphere. All considered, a pretty good book.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Stephen Reads Books 