The Last Resort by Susi Holliday

 

The Last Resort by Susi Holliday.

Published 1st December by Thomas and Mercer.

Available now as an Amazon First Reads title.

From the cover of the book:

Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One perfect crime.

When Amelia is invited to an all-expenses-paid retreat on a private island, the mysterious offer is too good to refuse. Along with six other strangers, she’s told they’re here to test a brand-new product for Timeo Technologies. 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’re all forced to wear a memory-tracking device that reveals their dark and shameful deeds to their fellow guests, there’s no hiding from the past. This is no luxury retreat—it’s a trap they can’t get out of.

As the clock counts down to the lavish end-of-day party they’ve been promised, injuries and in-fighting split the group. But with no escape from the island—or the other guests’ most shocking secrets—Amelia begins to suspect that her only hope for survival is to be the last one standing. Can she confront her own dark past to uncover the truth—before it’s too late to get out?

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What a lot of fun this book is! 

Seven strangers are lured to a luxury retreat on a private island, for the weekend of their lives, with false promises of riches in return for their 'expertise'? How very Agatha Christie you may exclaim... and yes, there are definitely echoes of the Queen of Crime herself in the set-up, but dear readers, there is so much more.... 

Imagine if you will, what would happen if someone had access to all your dirty little secrets and indiscretions? Perhaps, if your sins are small, you would not be too worried, but what if they were whoppers that would bring your downfall should they become public knowledge? And some of the secrets that come to light in this story are whoppers indeed.

Susi Holliday takes this idea and then ramps it up a notch by bringing in some technological advances that allow someone's memories to be tapped into and displayed for all to see - not to mention by also allowing us to see first hand the rather dodgy extra features associated with these new gismos. Pretty scary stuff!

The beauty of this book is that we know each of our seven strangers are heading for their own individually designed nightmare endings and as the tension mounts they begin to drop like the proverbial flies.... all for a single purpose that serves to force Amelia to confront an uncomfortable truth from her own past.

So, shades of Agatha Christie, with her scene setting and unveiling of secrets from our cast of players, but they are also players in another sense too - because this is not your usual Christie weekend house party. There is a wonderful feeling that these seven people are being played from the very start and that they are engaging in some sort of dangerous game, and as the first metaphorical die is cast the bloodletting begins in earnest. It put me in mind of a cross between Jumanji, The Crystal Maze and a honest to goodness slasher movie, and the pace is fast and furious all the way through to the intriguing denouement.

This is certainly one for the lovers of a thrill ride, but this book also asks some interesting questions about some meaty (pardon the fleshy pun)  themes. It will leave you mulling over deep thoughts about the nature of memory, the role of technology and social media in out lives, and how we deal with guilt.

I must admit that the ending of this book did side swipe me a little, and that perhaps some aspects were tied up a little too quickly, but there is scope for more from these deliciously dark themes, as they could be teased out for more gory, dystopian technological fun - and judging by the way Susi Halliday weaves her menacing storytelling skills here, I would definitely be up for reading it!

Thank you to Susi Holliday for gifting me an ebook copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Susi (S.J.I.) Holliday grew up in East Lothian, Scotland. A life-long fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in various places, and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham prize. She lives in London (except when she's in Edinburgh) and she loves to travel the world.

Her serial killer thriller The Deaths of December, featuring Detective Sergeant Eddie Carmine and Detective Constable Becky Greene was a festive hit in 2017.

Her next two releases, The Last Resort and Substitute are due out from Thomas & Mercer late 2020 and summer 2021 - both of these books are suspense thrillers with a technological element (a blend of Black Mirror, Tales of the Unexpected and The Twilight Zone).

Writing as SJI Holliday, she also has three crime novels set in the fictional Scottish town of Banktoun, which are a mix of police procedural and psychological thriller. They are: Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly - all featuring the much loved character, Sergeant Davie Gray.

Also as SJI Holliday, her spooky mystery The Lingering was released in September 2018, followed by Violet - a psychological thriller set on the Trans-Siberian Express - in September 2019. Violet has been optioned for film.