Sara-Jayne Townsend is a published crime and horror writer and likes books in which someone dies horribly. She is founder and Chair Person of the T Party Writers’ Group. http://sarajaynetownsend.weebly.com/
When Amelia is invited to an all-expenses paid retreat on a private island, the mysterious offer is too good to refuse.
She’s told (with six other strangers), they are here to test a brand-new product for Timeo Technology. But the guests’ excitement soon turns to terror when the real reason for their summons becomes clear. Each guest has a guilty secret. And when they are all forced to wear a memory-tracking device that reveals their dark and shameful deeds to their fellow guests, there’s s no hiding from the past.
The initial idea of this book intrigued me from the start – presented as Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” meets “Black Mirror”, I was immediately hooked. Another hook that drew me in from the beginning were the references to Enid Blyton’s “Famous Five”. There are flashback sequences in the book that refer to a young girl known as Anne, and her friend George. We know these are not their real names, and it’s not made clear until the end whether George is male or female. The private island that the seven characters are brought to is known as Nirrik Island – and anyone else who was into “The Famous Five” as a kid, like I was, will immediately pick up on the fact that this is Kirrin Island backwards.
To a certain degree, the end of this book I found a tad disappointing, but maybe that’s because I was so blown away by the outstanding premise, and was expecting the ending to be as explosive as the concept. Of the seven characters that we are introduced to, none are particularly likeable, but like Christie’s “And Then There Were None”, they all have dirty secrets that are aired in public, and we know from the start it’s not going to end well for everyone.
Despite its flaws, this book is a real page-turner. Having had the premise set up from the outset, it’s clear that these characters are here to be tried and convicted for whatever sin they have been concealing. You’re left wondering who’s going to die and who will be left alive, and you want to keep reading to find out.
It is a gripping novel with an utterly compelling premise, let down slightly by a somewhat anti-climactic ending, but worth a read nevertheless.
