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Not quite a tight-knit group then, but bonds tighten when a murder is committed and Samira is taken hostage. Or do they? Because gradually Brookmyre cleverly reveals that every woman on the island has a secret – and some of those secrets involve other members of the party. The tension ratchets up to 11 as the women split into pairs and set off to get help. Believe me, you won’t guess what’s coming next! Keeps you guessing until the very end – after an avalanche of revelations and twists’— THE TIMES, BOOK OF THE MONTH In theory a hen party should be the chance for the bride to celebrate with all the people she loves around her, but the reality can be different. “Once I put them all in a room together I began to get to know how they would behave. You might have known someone for ten years and you don’t really know anything intimate about them and equally there are people you have known your own life can be more of a threat to you because they know all your secrets.
He was also delighted to have the opportunity to explore a part of Scotland that he doesn’t know well, even if the weather wasn’t terribly welcoming: Firstly, Moira! What? For a years-ahead booked super luxurious resort, there is a crazy old lady roaming around? And why? Just.. no. I feel like the twist in the book was good and there were believable red herrings leading up to that point. I could have done without so much of the inner monologues and the dynamics between characters, as they took me out of the action sometimes. I found Jen to be a mostly likable character, and felt like I understood the intentions of all of the characters, which seemed realistic even if not likable. The end of the book tied up everything a bit too neatly in my opinion but I didn’t hate it. Some of the group helicopter into Clachan Geal, while Jen’s oldest friend, Michelle, comes over by powerboat. She’s a big-name pop star these days and has been in ‘retreat’ on a nearby island and she and another woman in the party have history. This is a disparate group; some are friends of Jen’s because they play tennis together, while Beattie is the sister of Jen’s late first husband. And then there is Samira, who nobody knows. She’s Zaki’s sister, a new mum in need of a break, and she was foisted upon Jen by her fiancé.This was the first book I have read from this author and I'm not sure after this if I want to read any of his others. We have been to St Andrews a lot but the Elie is one of these wee areas of Fife that you tend to bypass. Cosy Conversations on the Coast I don’t need perspective on us. I think we’re great. It’s just—’‘Not perspective about us, Jen. Perspective about you.’
Thinking about The Cliff House in particular, he says: “It’s very much about, if you put a whole lot of people on a small island and they realise somebody dangerous is on the loose and you’ve got this contained environment, the reader can be sure that all the components are already there. The party of women consists of Samira, whom Jen has never met before, Zaki's lawyer sister, whom he asked to be included because as a mother of two young children that are a handful, she desperately needs a break from the chaos and mayhem of daily life. To Jen's surprise and delight, her longstanding friend from childhood, 42 year old celebrity singer Michelle, famous as Mica, is able to attend. Helena is another childhood friend, a music teacher, her children have left the nest and her husband, Neil, has left for another woman. She used to be part of the group, Cassidy, until Michelle dropped her to pursue a more financially lucrative career as a solo artist, something she has never forgiven her for, a hurt exacerbated by the fact the two used to be the best friends. Beattie is Jen's suspicious and embittered former sister-in-law, still grieving the loss of her brother, Jason, who disappeared in incriminating circumstances. Nicolette is a fashion expert, and Kennedy is a injured tennis coach, Jen has known for 7 months and feels close to. The extent to which you might enjoy this convoluted and twisty tale will very much depend on your willingness to suspend disbelief. The initial set up is a little far fetched however at around the halfway point it stretches the bounds of credulity to beyond breaking point, and by the conclusion it's just plain ludicrous.Dark, heartfelt, stylish and thrilling, the kind of wonderfully original tale I just adore. Chris Brookmyre is a storytelling mastermind' This book was pretty good, though with a storyline quite similar to a lot of other recent books. The story centers on Jen, who is getting married and invites a bunch of her girlfriends to a mansion on a secluded island for her bachelorette party. It becomes clear that someone has murderous intentions, but who and why? I have enjoyed a number of Chris Brookmyre's books so enthusiastically, applied for a review copy of The Cliff House (2022).
Seven women. Seven sins. One night of judgment. Jen Dunne is forty-two and getting married for the second time, but that doesn’t mean she can’t go all out for her bachelorette weekend. She’s taking her closest friends to the kind of place that has a years-long waiting list for a three days of super-exclusive luxury accommodation on a remote Scottish island. So excited by the complicated means of transport required to get to the island, no one gives much thought to the implications for getting off again, especially if the weather should turn. But why would they? They’re in for a time they will never forget. Just not for the reasons they imagine. There are seven protagonists in THE CLIFF HOUSE, with the narrative perspective shared between all of them. This was so that it is not obvious to the reader who is favoured, innocent or guilty. I spent three months constructing their personalities and their individual crimes, so that their hidden sins would be appropriate to each of them. What was fascinating was that when I put them together on the island, things started sparking between the characters that I had not anticipated, as I started to understand how they would react to one another. It’s like a toy box and you are going to let them root through it and you are not going to have some new character arrive three quarters of the way in.”
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Jen is soon to be married to the handsome Zaki. He seems like the perfect husband-to-be but Jen has been bitten before and still doesn’t completely trust him. In fact, as this story unfolds, we realise that Jen doesn’t actually trust anyone. What happened in her past has been affecting her life ever since. When you first created your protagonist for this book, did you see an empty space in crime lit that you wanted to fill? What can you share about the inspiration for that character? I’m sorry to be so critical. The prose is good and others who enjoy this genre may well like the book, but for me it was just a string of stale, implausible characters and situations. I hope that Brookmyre will hive us another Parlabane book, but it seems that his other fiction is really not for me. Conversations on the Coast has a slightly different format to other literary festivals. with one author talk a week, spread out over a month rather than a cluster of events. She finally said something conciliatory. ‘We should take the weekend to talk this through. I’ll cancel the trip.’
As well as Jen, there's the pop diva and the estranged ex-bandmate, the tennis pro and the fashion guru, the embittered ex-sister-in-law and the mouthy future sister-in-law. This is a special novel. A brilliant, original, up-to-the-minute tale with all of the dark, edgy, humorous brilliance we’ve come to expect from one of the finest crime fiction writers in the world’ Jennifer is forty-two and getting married for the second time, but that doesn’t mean she can’t go all out for her bachelorette weekend. She’s taking her closest friends to the kind of place that has a years-long waiting list for a booking: three days of super-exclusive luxury accommodation on a remote Scottish island. So excited by the complicated means of transport required to get to the island, no one gives much thought to the implications for getting off again, especially if the weather should turn. But why would they? They’re in for a time they will never forget. Just not for the reasons they imagine. I do plot things out quite carefully but you always need room to allow the characters to breathe – it’s always a kind a balancing act.” From the top, the plot was where this story soared. Starting off as a slow burn as the women arrived and their relationships were established, things really got underway about a quarter of the way into the book. From there on out, the revolving door of multiple POVs kept me just as bamboozled as the characters themselves. And while each of their individual thoughts could have been confusing, they were anything but. In fact, the way it was written actually felt much more like a single POV storyline, but allowed for a near omniscient perspective. And for this plot to be a hit, that was a definite must.
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Being isolated from friends during the pandemic that led to me thinking about the family of friendship and different levels of friendship. That evening they’re all letting loose with a few drinks as they wait for dinner. Before they know it, however, small things start to trigger the group and a disagreement breaks out. That’s not surprising, of course, given the fact that Jen’s venomous ex sister-in-law and her gossipy future sister-in-law are in attendance. Adding to the fray are her two best friends from childhood—one of whom is a pop star sensation while the other is her publicly ditched ex-bandmate. Throw in their tennis coach and the group fashionista and fireworks were always sure to be on the horizon.
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