I kicked off the New Year with a Mysteriously good book, and a growing love for Sarah Pearse. A few months ago I read and wrote a post about her book The Sanatorium. I loved everything about that book, and pretty quickly bought her next book, The Retreat. Obviously, it has taken me a while to circle back around, but nonetheless, here we are!

Summary time:

Detective Elin Warner is back and mostly better than before. She’s now living with her boyfriend, Will, and back to work starting with smaller cases before taking on larger ones. Naturally, life has other plans for her. She and her new partner, Detective Steed, are sent to an Island Getaway called The Retreat when a women’s body turns up. The catch? Will is the architect who built the resort.

It doesn’t take long for a second body to turn up, and those who are left on the island begin to panic. The primary people left are the Leger family, whose relationships are very complicated, and the staff. Warner and Steed are thrown to the wind and race to catch the killer.

On page 52, there’s two lines Pearse wrote that I think perfectly summarizes the book: “At first glance is seems like they’re in the throes of love, but when she looks again, she can see that the top one is battling the other one. Pining into submission.”

Pearse again hit the mark for me. One of the main things I love about this book is how grief is shown and handled. She explores the ways different people cope with grief whether that be pushing others away, losing interest in hobbies, or distracting yourself to ignore the pain and reality. She doesn’t just stop there because she also shows how others react to a persons grief and how they choose to interact with them. I feel this is a unique element to both of Pearse’s books that make them unique and full of exploration.

Secondly, she does an amazing job exploring familial relationships and how complicated they are. This book is riddled with family drama, mostly between sisters, that move the sequence of events. The hurt runs deep, and we all know what happens once the final straw causes everything to fall apart.

The only complaint I have with this book is the ending. Everything tied up within the last 5 or so pages. It felt slightly rushed. On one hand, I didn’t mind but on the other, I wanted more.

Pearse’s next book comes out in July of this year (I truly cannot wait)! Her writing and creativity captured my attention twice now, and I can’t wait to read her next book. If you haven’t read The Sanatorium or The Retreat yet… what are you waiting for!!! Now’s the time 😉

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery’s with twists and turns, complicated relationships, and eerie locations.

Sources:

Pearse, Sarah. The Retreat: A Novel. Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, 2023.

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