Catherine Cooper – The Chalet

‘The Chalet’ by Catherine Cooper attracted me immediately. The cover is divine and it felt like it was beckoning to me, inviting me in to read this tantalising book! I was invited on the Blog Tour and immediately snatched my chance. This is a suspenseful debut thriller set in the fictional ski resort of La Madiere France is so fantastically twisty. There are plenty of thrills to be had without needing to leave your sofa or subject yourself to the freezing temperatures there.

The story begins in 1998, December. Two brothers have taken their girlfriends on a skiing trip. A decision to go off-piste with a couple of guides just to spend a bit of time with their competitive sibling rivalry turns into so much more when the weather turns. Only one brother comes back. Twenty years later a group of four people arrive at the same resort for a week of luxury. These people are the ones who solve this mystery. A moment where past and present collide, the key to the identity of the killer being held by more than one person after all these years.

The story is written in alternating timelines and I do enjoy a dual timeline! Keeps me glued to the story. The brothers Will and Adam in 1998 and then January 2020, Hugo and his wife Ria desperately schmoozing Simon, A prospective investor in Hugo’s business. I always get carried away as the tension rises as the story unfolds and events grow more and more relevant. There is also another anonymous child who tells us of their neglected childhood. How they had to become independent to survive, now thus had me so curious, I was dying to discover the relevance to the main plot.

This story is one where the author has transported me to a rich man’s world, with the vividness of the writing. I have never and will never experience skiing and the luxuriousness of the surroundings, I felt part of it all. Immersed so much time slipped away constantly!

A really enjoyable and very well written debut. Thanks to Random Things Tours, Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the copy of the book to write my review today.