The Cliff House: A Tale of Suspense

Tartan noir writer Brookmyre (The Cut) sets this satisfying closed-circle mystery on a private island in the U.K.’s Outer Hebrides. To celebrate her upcoming second marriage, Jen Dunne, 42, has invited six women—“some out of sentiment and nostalgia, some out of wishful thinking, and some out of obligation”—to join her for a weekend at a luxury island estate. Many of the guests don’t know each other, one may hate Jen, two certainly hate each other, and all of them harbor closely guarded secrets. With no cellphone service and their helicopter not due to return to the mainland for 72 hours, things quickly go from bad to worse. First, Joaquin, the handsome private chef Jennifer booked for the occasion, is found dead. Then one of the women disappears, and the rest begin receiving group email messages signed “The Reaper” that make increasingly threatening demands of Jen and her guests. As each woman’s secrets slowly come to the fore, they must find ways to band together, lest they become the next target. Brookmyre keeps the pages turning on the way to a stunning climax, offering ample opportunity for each of his characters to exhibit unexpected levels of grit and grace along the way. It’s exhilarating fun. Agent: Caroline Dawnay, United Agent. (Nov.)