Description
A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway . . . but when the storm hits, no one is getting away. It's winter in the Catskills and Mitchell's Inn, nestled deep in the woods, is the perfect setting for a relaxing–maybe even romantic–weekend away. It boasts spacious old rooms with huge woodburning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar, and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just curling up with a good murder mystery. So when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a blizzard cuts off the electricity–and all contact with the outside world–the guests settle in for the long haul. Soon, though, one of the guests turns up dead–it looks like an accident. But when a second guest dies, they start to panic. Within the snowed-in paradise, something–or someone–is picking off the guests one by one. And there's nothing they can do but hunker down and hope they can survive the storm.
Review : 5 Stars
I picked this book up after reading a very good but mentally exhausting book. Of all the books on my immediate to read list, this seemed to be the easiest choice. And man, was I wrong. I started this book very late at night and promised myself that I would only read one chapter and stop. But with Shari Lapena's writing it was an impossible promise to keep.
I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan time and again while reading this book I actually thought I was reading Christie. The book has striking similarities with Christie's 'And then there were none'; the set up is similar with the guests going to an isolated vacation spot, just the butler and the cook-housekeeper to attend to them. The plot too runs on similar lines with more than one person ending up dead. The key difference however is that in Christie's book the isolation was not unplanned whereas here it is unplanned due to the storms. So it's hard to imagine how a murder set it up since obviously they can't control the weather. However if you remember And Then There Were None, then you may focus on one of the guests with that colored perspective. I won't say if you will be right or wrong since that would give the mystery away. The story is well crafted and the twists are sudden. There is tension that builds up and you can feel it as you read along. The temptation to go to the end and find out the truth is prevalent but at the same time the fear of missing out on the story is much stronger and one can resist the temptation. The characters are all interesting and each one seems to have a mystery about them. As a reader you really want to find out more about each guest and host instead of just finding out who the murderer is. The complexities of human nature are well played here and the plot only thickens as you read more about each of them. Each character is very real and relatable. I like how the story flows and pulls you in. In a single word, the ending is brilliant! It is impossible to predict and leaves you stunned.
The main reason I give the book 5 stars is because even though the writing and the plot premise was similar to Agatha Christie's book, the author in no way replicates the tale and instead misleads you to believe that you may know who the murder is because you've read And Then There Were None. This misleading of the reader is a game that Lapena plays with the reader and for that I tip my hat to her. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Shari Lapena has lived beyond my expectations with this one!
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