The Chalet

By Catherine Cooper

Published by Harper Collins Oct 2020

What’s it about?

French Alps, 1998

Two young men ski into a blizzard… but only one returns.

20 years later

Four people connected to the missing man find themselves in that same resort. Each has a secret. Two may have blood on their hands. One is a killer-in-waiting.

Someone knows what really happened that day.

And somebody will pay.

What I think:

The blurb of this book really hooked me in. It said described the book as being for fans of C. L Taylor and Lucy Foley, both of whom I’ve read and really enjoyed this year.

This book has two key timelines. In 1998, Will Cassiobury and his older brother, Adam, with their girlfriends arrive La Madiere in France for a for a ski holiday. Will has met his girlfriend, Louisa, at Oxford. She is not from the same social background as him as has no skiing experience She often feels out of place socially but her and Will seem very much in love.

There is a rivalry between Adam and Will that borders of spitefulness, especially from Adam’s part. He goads Will and mocks him. He convinces him to take on a challenging ski run during bad weather with tragic consequences.

In 2020, Hugo Redbush, owner of a luxury travel company, and his glamourous wife Ria are hosting a skiing holiday in a luxury cabin in an attempt to woo businessman Simon into investing in the company. Simon’s wife Cass is struggling to cope with new baby Inigo despite the support of a nanny. Ever present are manager Matt and chalet girl Millie who are the epitome of service with a smile as the group of guests struggle with their marriages and tensions mount.

The stories of the characters gradually emerge as the tension increases. This one of those stories where none of the characters can be trusted and at various points I suspected several people. there are a lot of people with unsavory secrets.

The ski resort setting is fantastic and adds to the tension as the weather worsens and people are confined to the chalet combined with the danger of the mountains.

This was a fast-paced, thrilling read with some great twists.

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.