Title – Storm
Author – Stephanie Merritt
Published – June 2022
Genre – Psychological thriller
If you’re a regular visitor to my blog you’ll know that psychological thrillers can be a bit hit or miss for me, too often they fall into predictable tropes and centre around unlikeable characters – so it’s always a pleasure to come across a book that is a cut above the rest.
After a brief prologue the book opens as Jo arrives at a French chateau for an anniversary party; the guests are a group of university friends and their families – although Jo is on her own, her connection to the group through her late husband who was at uni with the men of the group.
On the first evening a young woman, Storm, arrives who says she is the girlfriend of one of the party who is yet to arrive. Her presence does nothing to soothe an already strained atmosphere. Jo hasn’t really recovered from the loss of her husband and her vulnerability plays a part in the way events unfold, she’s also an outsider and strikes up a friendship with Storm.
As the story develops it becomes clear that pretty much everyone has a secret, some more serious than others. I did get an inkling of where the story was going but what I thought would be the end actually took place around half way through the book and there were more twists and turns to follow.
While the characters weren’t particularly likeable, many with no redeeming features, they weren’t written as caricatures – they came across in a very realistic way and believable way.
You often have to suspend disbelief in this genre however there were a couple of moments where the small details were so true to life that I had to admire their inclusion – when you’ve read the book one would be what I think of as the ‘instagram example’.
I loved this book – it’s not meant as an insult to say this would make a great beach read. I managed to read ii in around a single day – when the sun was out and I could just sit and read in the garden, the setting of a posh house party at a chateau in the Dordogne has touch of escapism about it which is great when you’re taking a break.
Many thanks to the publisher for the Netgalley.
Novel Heights 