I've been an avid reader of Peter Swanson's novels since I encountered The Kind Worth Killing back in 2015. I've read them all and given them glowing reviews - most recently the admirable Rules for Perfect Murders, which I reviewed on Shiny last year (here). Now here's his latest, just published. How does it measure up?
If you're not familiar with Swanson, you should know that he writes psychological thrillers - very twisty ones - and each a standalone. This one is about a young woman named Abigail Baskin. She lives in New York City. When we first meet her she is in a state of nervous shock. She's just spotted a man who she has recently spent a very enjoyable but illicit night with in a holiday hotel. Why illicit? Because Abigail is about to get married and the holiday hotel is where she's having her hen night. They had exchanged fake names and not given each other any contact details, so she's shocked later that day to discover an email from him - how did he know her address?
Abigail's fiancé Bruce is very rich. He's also, as she admits herself, boring. Is she marrying him for his money? She would deny this fervently, though she admits it will be helpful for her career in the arts. She actually likes the fact that he's boring - she's had too many affairs with men who certainly weren't, and they haven't ended well. So she's looking forward to a comfortable, peaceful life with Bruce. But Bruce has a strict moral code, and if he were to discover her one-night stand with the man she knows only as Scottie, he will never forgive her, and the marriage will be off.
Fortunately she feels confident, after agreeing to meet with Scottie, that he won't get in her way or make trouble for her. So the wedding goes ahead. Now it's time for the honeymoon. Bruce hasn't told her where this is to take place, but as they set off in his car, he tells her that the place they are going does not allow phones or TVs or any means of getting online. 'It's all part of the experience', he says. After a long drive north they arrive at a small private airport and soon they are up in the air and as they cross the blue ocean, Abigail is excited.'This is my life now' she thinks, 'one adventure after another'. Little does she know what adventures await her on the tiny island.
The place seems perfect at first. Bruce describes it enthusiastically:
There are great walks on the island. There's an indoor swimming pool that has to be seen to be believed. There's a spa, but most of the activities are like camp activities for grown-ups. You don't have to do them, but if you want to, there's archery, and sailing on the pond, and an art studio. You can paint pictures and do pottery....Personally I like the lodge. You can sit by the fire and read. They bring you drinks. It's pretty sweet.
All goes well for a few days, though Abigail is rather disconcerted to find there's only one other woman on the island. The other guests are wealthy men like Bruce. The staff are assiduous and welcoming, the cabin is lovely, and she looks forward to a relaxing stay. But the some strange things start happening and Abigail's honeymoon escalates into a nightmare.
To say more would be to give too much away. I must admit that I found some of the final revelations a little implausible, but what do I know? Maybe such things do happen in this mad world. In any case I did enjoy this book - Swanson is a skilful writer and very good at building tension and planting doubts in the reader's mind. You may or may not disapprove of Alison's behaviour, though I suspect she's not alone in opting for a final fling before her marriage. If you're thinking of doing this, you'll probably have second thoughts after reading this book. Never mind the final denouement, the guilt and anxiety she suffers before the wedding are almost unbearable.
So is this a morality tale? Not at all. But in addition to the puzzles and the thriller element, it gives a rather worrying picture of the sort of things men with too much money may enjoy. Enough said. Thanks, Faber, for the review copy.