The Lodge by Sue Watson
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 26th October 2023
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Published: 24th October 2023
★★★★ 4.5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
‘Please – someone – help us. We’re at The Lodge, the snow is everywhere. We’re trapped. There was an argument last night… things got out of hand. Someone went missing in the middle of the night. We think they might be dead…’
Two days ago the Wilson family checked into the imposing, glass-fronted Lodge, surrounded by snow and perched perilously on the edge of a cliff looking out to a grey sea. Not everyone was looking forward to the family get-together. But mother-in-law Angela insisted the winter trip would help heal their rifts…
Danni: The new wife who feels like an imposter. She doesn’t trust anyone – even her husband. But is she trustworthy herself?
Fiona: The ex-wife who feels that all eyes are on her. She’s here for the sake of her children, but she fails to hide her seething jealousy towards her ex-husband’s new family…
Angela: The mother-in-law who can’t help but interfere. She planned the family holiday to get everyone together, but does she really want to keep the peace?
Scott: The husband torn between his ex-wife and his new wife. He says he wants to do right by his family, but he’s been telling lies to them all. Now his darkest secret is about to be revealed.
After a night of arguments, morning breaks with a single scream. Not everyone came to The Lodge to play happy families. Someone came to get revenge…
A completely gripping, utterly twisted thriller that will leave your jaw on the floor. Perfect for fans of The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and The Girl on the Train.
MY THOUGHTS:
One family...one holiday...one chance for murder...
One wife, one ex-wife, the husband, his mother, his two teenage/adult by said ex-wife, a 12 month old baby by now current wife and a personal chef with a possible hidden agenda. What could possibly go wrong?? This dysfunctional family are the stars of this locked room thriller set in the beautiful and picturesque Cornwall that is snowed in for this tale. Sue Watson does family drama on a whole other scale here right up to the barely convoluted end.
Fiona is just getting her life back on track after her husband Scott threw a grenade into their marriage by sleeping with a colleague and then marrying her. She's tried the dating life and discovered it's not for her so it settling back into her own rhythm when she receives an invite from family matriarch Angela to join them all on a family holiday to a secluded lodge in Cornwall to celebrate her 75th birthday. And she does mean...everyone. Including Scott's new wife Danni and their bouncing baby Olivia. Fiona really doesn't want to play happy families with her ex and the newer model he traded her in for, but her former mother-in-law hinted that it may be her last birthday. So Fiona felt she could hardly refuse.
From the moment everyone arrived, tensions were high. It was clear from the outset that no one was comfortable with the arrangement but were here for Angela. Even the birthday cake was a bone of contention as both Fiona and Danni had made one specially because Angela always said "that it wasn't my birthday without Fiona/Danni's cake!" Really? Talk about awkward. And then came the sabotage. Who was really guilty there?
Honestly, I think Angela was winding everyone up by inviting them all to the lodge for "a nice family holiday". How on earth did she think it would go? The entire weekend was doomed from the start. And then she announces their own personal chef in the form of former lab assistant from Scott's school, Jenna! How did she go from lab assistant to waitress to cordon bleu chef in a matter of months?
And then the police arrive one evening to announce a hit and run on the road leading to their lodge the evening of everyone's arrival. They seem to think one of them guilty! And when one of them disappears in the early hours of the morning, everyone is on tenterhooks as to what happened...and more importantly, why?
Let's talk about the characters...or not. There really isn't much to like about many of them. First of all, Danni. She got on my nerves from the off. Her irritating annoying little snipes at everyone made me want to slap her. Jenna? She was annoying on another level, sidling up to "Scottie" and trying to be the centre of his attention at every opportunity...even in front of his wife. Both of them! Fiona? I liked her but some of her decisions were questionable. Scott? Simply put, he was a tool. He'd have a shiny toy that he had been happy with until an even shinier one came along and then he decided he wanted that one instead...and so he risked everything by being an absolute idiot. And he didn't stop there. Georgia was incredibly insecure and anxious about just about everything. Sam seemed a little cagey...what was he hiding. Even baby Olivia got on my nerves with her constant screaming and wailing...and I couldn't even hear her! And then there was Angela. I really think she was winding everyone up by inviting them all to the lodge because what did she honestly think was going to happen? But then she did want one last birthday with them all. One last birthday that she could enjoy as Angela. And therein lies the conundrum.
There was so much cattiness and bitchiness going on with Danni being the main instigator and Jenna being a little more subtle in her approach. I really didn't like any of the characters but Fiona and Angela were the lesser of the evils I think. I guess I found a little sympathy for Angela in her case which is maybe why I was relatively okay with her.
The ending was somewhat convoluted with an epilogue that seemed to go on forever. But held within those pages were the answers we were all seeking. What really happened in Kynance Cove in Cornwall?
This atmospheric thriller is the perfect locked room mystery that will have even the reader on edge being locked up with all these characters for company. But what a fun read it was. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with with Sue once again and once again in Cornwall, always an atmospheric setting.
Tightly plotted, well written, tense, chilling and a thoroughly entertaining read.
I would like to thank #SueWatson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheLodge in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue has written sixteen novels (many involving cake), and many have been translated into several languages. Sue is now exploring the darker side of life with her latest thrillers OUR LITTLE LIES, THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR, THE EMPTY NEST, THE SISTER-IN-LAW, FIRST DATE, THE FOREVER HOME, THE NEW WIFE, THE RESORT, THE NURSERY, THE WEDDING DAY and THE LODGE.
Sue explored the darker side of life for her latest book 'Our Little Lies,' a dark, psychological thriller completely devoid of cake. She's hoping this change in direction will be reflected on the weighing scales.
Originally from Manchester, she now lives with her family in leafy Worcestershire where much of her day is spent writing – and procrastinating. Her hobby is eating cake while watching diet and exercise programmes from the sofa, a skill she’s perfected after many years of practice.
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