The Chateau: the twisty new thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Chalet

This is the second thriller from southwest France based Catherine Cooper and having enjoyed The Chalet, I was looking forward to reading The Chateau – and it was one of those books that from the beginning, I knew I was going to love. This book follows Aura and Nick as their family make a fresh start in France. Nick needs an escape from events that happened before they left the UK, Aura has found her dream, and she is sure turning a run-down chateau in France into a B&B is the answer to all their problems. But the thing about problems is that they have a habit of following you, no matter how much you try to distance yourself. As Nick and Aura’s uncomfortable relationship is tested to its limits by a huge renovation project, adjusting to life in a foreign country and their every move and cross word caught on camera by a TV film crew, I was hooked. In this book, Catherine has created an absolute gem of a read. There is no shortage of bodies and mysterious events to piece together, and a great cast of characters too. From Aura, who I instantly loved-to-hate, with her wishy-washy ways of organic parenting, to the hilarious expat misfits they find themselves living amongst, I wasn’t expecting to laugh so much in a thriller. I loved this book and slowly discovering who had done what, and why. I’m sure that anyone who has spent any time living in France and joining in the murky world of the online forum, will love it too. I really hope to read more from Catherine Cooper soon.

Catherine Cooper is PHENOMENAL!! At first I didn’t know if I wanted to continue as I found it boring and hard to get into but it started progressing quickly and I’m so glad I kept reading. Everytime I thought I was right about something the twists revealed what really happened. I love the foreshadowing also. The dialogue is great and relatable in more ways than one. I personally don’t like long chapters so this was a great book for me. I definitely recommend.

A very good book. Will keep you reading until dawn.

Rating: 3.8/5 I was mightily impressed by Catherine Cooper's debut novel, "The Chalet", so there was never any doubt that I was going to read her next book too. In my review of her first novel I made the observation that it should appeal to keen readers of Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley and Cally Taylor. That is equally true of "The Chateau". At various points I sensed echoes of Cally Taylor's "Sleep", Ruth Ware's "Turn of the Key" and Lucy Foley's "The Guest List". However, even though you can discern some of the influences on her work, Catherine Cooper is still very much her own writer who has produced another captivating mystery. Married couple, Aura and Nick, have left England behind and invested in a new life in France with their two young sons. They have purchased a run-down chateau, for which they have ambitious plans, and they are broadly welcomed by the local expat community - but there are ongoing tensions beneath the surface. As in "The Chalet" the story operates across dual timelines: Initially around the time of the move to France, but then also to a point a few months earlier, when Aura & Nick were still in England. The author uses various protagonists to provide the narrative and again succeeds in giving each one a distinct and credible voice. As she showed in her first novel, Catherine Cooper is quite adept at incorporating some misdirection into the plot, but on this occasion I felt the final outcome was a bit over-engineered. It isn't awful by any means, but the quality of the build-up to that point deserved a more compelling alternative. Overall, I don't think this is as strong an offering as "The Chalet", but it is, nonetheless, a creditworthy follow-up to that impressive debut and a delight to read. There are times as a reader when you come across a writer whose style just resonates with you and, as a result, the reading process becomes effortlessly enjoyable. Based on her first two novels Catherine Cooper may well be falling into that category for me and I will certainly be coming back for book three.

I could not wait for this book to come out! I won't give anything away, but another fantastic and suspenseful thriller! Run and buy this!