The Retreat: A Novel

An idyllic 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. As the body count climbs, Detective Elin Warner must race to unravel the mystery. The Retreat is Sarah Pearse’s second novel and she knocked it out of the park! I loved The Sanitorium, her debut novel, and truly didn’t think it could get any better. Wow was I wrong! The ending is exceptionally well done and I had absolutely no clue who the killer was until the very last second. The characters are well crafted and entirely believable (&$#£! Jo 😡). I was particularly impressed with the evolution of the lead character, Elin Warner. While I liked her in the first book, the character felt slightly one dimensional. In The Retreat, Elin is stronger, more likeable and feels less like a character in a book and more like a living, breathing person. With The Retreat, Sarah Pearse has crafted an intelligent, tense and evocative novel that far exceeds her debut novel (and believe me, her debut novel was awesome). Although I am confounded as to how someone as kind and likeable as Sarah is able to write villains as well as she does. If you have ever had the pleasure of interacting with Sarah on social media, you will know what I mean. ☺️ If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading Sarah’s books, add The Sanitorium and The Retreat to your TBR now. You won’t be disappointed!