Published October 10th, 2024 by Doubleday UK
Crime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this atmospheric and suspenseful thriller. Thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and to Doubleday UK for the gifted proof in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
AS FEATURED ON BBC RADIO 4 FRONT ROW
‘Utterly compelling. Could not put it down.’ LIZ NUGENT
‘Really, really, REALLY good. Highly recommended!’ MARIAN KEYES
‘I LOVED this art-world-set thriller with its stately-home Saltburn vibe.’ DAILY MAIL
THE CHILLING AND ADDICTIVE NEW THRILLER FROM THE MULTI-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR.
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WELCOME TO ERIS – A SCOTTISH TIDAL ISLAND WITH ONLY ONE HOUSE, ONE INHABITANT,
ONE WAY OUT. . .
A place that is unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day. Once the hideaway of Vanessa, a famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.
Now home to Grace. A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.
But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, Grace receives an unexpected visitor.
And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge . . .
‘A gripping, ambitious, big-skied novel about women who refuse to surrender to the tide.’ ERIN KELLY
‘Extremely hard to put down.’ MICK HERRON
‘A masterpiece! Gorgeous and chilling.’ SHARI LAPENA
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MY REVIEW:
Eris Island is a secluded island off the coast of Scotland that has just one house, one inhabitant, and is cut off from the mainland for twelve hours each day. This made it the ideal sanctuary for Vanessa Chapman, an eccentric and reclusive artist, who lived and created much of her work there until her death five years ago. Upon her death Vanessa bequeathed her home to her companion, Grace, but her work to gallery owner, Doug Lennox. But there are works rumoured to be missing, and when a human bone is discovered in one of her sculptures, Janes Becker is sent to Eris Island by the Lennox family to investigate. Will he finally reveal the secrets Eris has kept hidden for decades…
It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by Paula Hawkins, but I loved The Girl on the Train and knew I needed to read this one as soon as I read the synopsis. It started strong: the beautiful and compelling prologue pulling me in and telling me that this was going to live up to the hype. And it did. Atmospheric, claustrophobic, tense and alluring, The Blue Hour is a story about dark secrets, fractured people, male violence, and women who refuse to conform. Skillfully written, tightly plotted and twisty, there’s a dark, haunting and mysterious atmosphere that permeates the pages from start to finish. It’s a darkness that feels seductive, luring you to Eris Island and its long-held secrets and holding you in its thrall. The island’s harsh, unforgiving and isolated landscape only heightened these feelings. Eris seems like the perfect place when you want peace or solitude, but it’s frightening when things go wrong. And while I had my theories about what had gone wrong, I didn’t predict even a slither of the many twists and turns. Hawkins steadily builds the tension to its heart-pounding crescendo, leaving me breathless when all was finally unveiled.
The story is told by dual narrators: Vanessa’s companion, Grace, and James, who works for the Lennox family. While James seems reliable, steadfast and someone who is what he appears – a fanboy of Vanessa’s who now works for the family who sold her artwork – Grace is more of an enigma. We know Grace is keeping secrets and are never sure if we can trust her. Is she just protective of her dear friend and her legacy or is there something darker to what she’s hiding? This mystery added to the tension and kept me on tenterhooks. Meanwhile, Vanessa may have passed five years before, but she is kept very much alive by the inclusion of extracts from her diary before each chapter. These were often my favourite parts; the author dropping breadcrumbs of clues for us to piece together as we try to unravel the mystery of what really happened on Eris Island.
Eerie, suspenseful and totally riveting, The Blue Hour is a thriller not to be missed.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
PAULA HAWKINS worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, she moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller The Girl on the Train became a global phenomenon, selling over 23 million copies. Published in over fifty languages, it was a No.1 bestseller around the world and a box-office-hit film starring Emily Blunt. Paula’s most recent thrillers, Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning, were also instant No.1 bestsellers. In 2021 A Slow Fire Burning was nominated for Thriller of the Year at the British Book Awards. Her upcoming thriller, The Blue Hour, will be published around the world in October 2024.
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BUY THE BOOK:
Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links
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Thanks for reading, Bibliopihles xxxxx
Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.
