She planned the murders in a plot to seek revenge against Daniel Lemaitre for sexually assaulting her as a teenager and against all the people who she felt failed her in some way. Elin Warner never expected to make the trip to Le Sommet, a high-end, minimalist hotel nestled in the Swiss Alps.

Sanatorium by Abi Palmer | Goodreads Sanatorium by Abi Palmer | Goodreads

Whether you’re hoping to keep the spooky season Halloween vibes going a little bit longer or are ready to dive into a wintry, chilling crime story, this month’s selection of new releases has you covered. Luckily for me, I had the perfect book for the job waiting on my to-read pile: Catherine Steadman’s brand-new release, THE FAMILY GAME. During the book it is revealed that the funding for the author's sanatorium stay came from an arts organisation which gave me pause for thought.Cecile expresses disbelief, but as soon as she leaves, Elin smells chlorine on the mask, alerting her to who the real killer is. Strip away the many (and oh, there are many) plot lines and supporting characters, and this is the set-up for a new hero to step forward in the thriller world’s never-ending battle against puzzle-loving serial killers. Don't miss The Retreat, the addictive new thriller from the global bestselling author of The Sanatorium. But Elin's taken time off from her job as a detective, so when her estranged brother, Isaac, and his fiancée, Laure, invite her to celebrate their engagement at the hotel, Elin really has no reason not to accept. I reviewed this as part of the shortlist for a new UK literary award, the Barbellion Prize, which will be given annually “to an author whose work has best represented the experience of chronic illness and/or disability.

Sanatorium: A Novel (Detective Elin Warner Series Book 1) The Sanatorium: A Novel (Detective Elin Warner Series Book 1)

In Sanatorium Abi Palmer gives everyone a mesmerising insight into pain and life affecting illness, but above all, into hope. But Detective Elin Warner soon learns the victim wasn’t a guest—she wasn’t meant to be on the island at all. Sometimes books or lyrics are described as "honest" and I have never really known what that means, but this book is honest. Almost as if women telling their stories of pain and disability in this format isn't real enough for those categories.Though I do not have the same conditions as Abi Palmer, her experiences are familiar to me, and I found a lot of solace and gained a sense of companionship through reading this book. DI Alex Finn, still mourning the death of his wife, Karin, from a brain tumour, investigates with DC Mattie Paulsen, who is also grappling with family issues. Ali’s experience illustrates how we are simultaneously bound by and yet not confined to our bodies so that there is a magic lantern effect in reading Sanatorium. Solidly enjoyable , a refreshing and original approach to personal memoir, particularly of illness and disability, and deservedly shortlisted for the fabulous Barbellion Prize.

thrillers – review roundup - The Guardian The best recent thrillers – review roundup - The Guardian

Water is a source of comfort and delight for Abi, the narrator of Sanatorium (whose experiences may or may not be those of the author; always tricky to tell with autofiction). and THE SANATORIUM delivers all the shifting suspicion and red herrings that readers expect from this beloved crime fiction tradition. I’m so honored to be able to reveal the cover for Vanessa Lillie’s buzz-worthy new mystery here on CBTB today! She confronts them about it, and Cecile reveals that the police found Daniel Lemaitre’s remains, and that Lucas didn’t want her to know.

One of the hotel employees, Adele, turns up dead in one of the pools, and Elin must investigate on behalf of the local police. More than any other criteria, the key thing these books have in common is simple: they are all books I’ve continued to think about since I finished reading them. Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge--there's something about the hotel that makes her nervous. Then Isaac’s fiancee Laure vanishes, a body is found buried in the snow up the mountain, and an avalanche traps guests in the hotel as a killer stalks the luxury corridors. When I tell her I'm struggling to function mentally, the doctor tells me I'm being too hard on myself.