The Retreat by Sarah Pearse - Book Review

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I was really excited to get a first peek at *The Retreat by Sarah Pearse. I thoroughly enjoyed her first book The Sanatorium and I couldn’t wait to see what this one would be like! Read on for my full review.

Book Description

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 . . .

What I Thought

I’m still processing the ending! Wow what a book! Sarah Pearse had a tough challenge on her hands to top The Sanatorium, but she has done it! The plot twists are on a much higher level than you could imagine. The character who I thought was the one totally was not! There were many times when I didn’t see that coming! I’m having to think carefully about what I’m writing so I don’t spoil it.

So The Retreat brings back detective Elin who we first met in The Sanatorium. Elin is still having nightmares to do with the loss of her brother many years ago, her dad not talking to her, an older case taunting her amongst many other things! She is supposed to be taking it easy with her workload. But if you remember Elin from the first book, taking it easy isn’t in her.

Her relationship with boyfriend Will is strained and gets even more so throughout the book. Will their relationship survive this? Is there something he is hiding?

She gets drawn in to the case of accidental death on the island of someone who wasn’t supposed to be on the island. Along with DC Steed her new partner, Elin soon finds herself in way over her head, and the both of them alone without police backup. The body count starts to rise, and Will’s sister, Farrah, manager of The Retreat goes missing.

She pushes and pushes herself to the point of exhaustion. Elin won’t give up until the perpetrator is caught.

The atmosphere of the whole book is creepy. You are definitely in for a rollercoaster ride of whodunnit with this one. You are sucked into the story right from the start. The plot twists are relentless, along with secrets and lies. You will be on the edge of your seat and won’t want to put this down! It’s a definite must-read!