26 February 2021

The Islanders

 

By S. V. Leonard
Crime | Psychological Thriller

My Review


When Kimberly King is randomly selected to appear on reality tv show LoveWrecked, it's come at just the right time. Having recently been fired from her job and with a pile of unpaid bills, she's determined to give it her best shot and win the £100,000 prize. 

Upon arrival at the secret Greek island villa where filming is to take place, events quickly spiral out of control when one of the contestants is murdered. A self-appointed 'judge' appears on a tv screen to announce that one of them is the killer and Kimberly must discover who it is, on live tv. For each hour it takes, someone else will die.

Ooooh I do love a good locked-room thriller and couldn't pass up the opportunity to read this one. The Islanders is the author's debut novel and I'm very pleased to say it lived up to my high expectations. Along the same lines as Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, which is one of my all-time favourite books, it was gripping, immersive and suspenseful. 

The tension increased with every passing second as Kimberly wrestled with her own deep-rooted self-doubt. The characters weren't especially likeable — each with a hidden dirty deed in their murky past. 

The book concluded with threads coming together nicely as both killer and motive were revealed. And yes, you've already guessed, this is another book I highly recommend. In fact I'm convinced it's going to be a big hit this summer. It's definitely one to put on your reading list.        

Book Source: Review copy from the publisher
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Canelo Crime (11th Mar 2021)
ISBN-13: 978-1800323445

The Blurb


Her dream escape is about to become a nightmare…

Kimberley King has spent the last five years trying to outrun the reason she left the police force. Her life is a mess and she’s desperate for change. So when she is randomly selected for the new series of the hit show LoveWrecked, she can’t pass up the chance to win the £100,000 prize. All Kimberley needs to do is couple up with one of her fellow contestants, win the infamous LoveWrecked challenges, and she will have enough cash for a fresh start.

But the island isn’t the paradise she was promised and within hours, one of the contestants is dead. Then the announcement comes: one of the islanders is a murderer and Kimberley must find out who, live on television. For every hour it takes her, one more person will die.

The game is rigged, everyone is hiding secrets, and time is running out…

The Author



S. V. Leonard was born and grew up in the little seaside town of Formby near Liverpool. She studied Classics at Oxford University and has lived and worked in Australia, Poland and Malaysia - places which she still thinks of as home. She now lives in London with her boyfriend.

When not reading or writing crime novels, she can be found: drinking oat-milk lattes; wine-tasting with friends; cooking any Meera Sodha recipe; breaking out of escape rooms; or doing historical walking tours of London. She finds it hard to stop her favourite activities from creeping into her stories.

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