Hugo and Simon are, at times, monstrous - boorish and the type of banker twits that unfortunately one encounters on holiday. The characters are ghastly, there is no other word for them. But this took nothing away from the story as I then began to question my choice as red herrings came into play so that by the end of the novel I had talked myself out of the decision. I preface this by saying what I always say when reviewing a crime novel namely that I NEVER guess the murderer.In this instance, I did manage to guess, which is a first.

I read this in the period between Christmas and New Year and really enjoyed it. What is Ria hiding? and which brother died? What really happened that day in 1998 on the mountain. 20 years later a group of characters gather in a luxury ski resort each hiding a secret and one is waiting to commit a murder, when a body is discovered in the snow. In 1998, 2 brothers ski into a blizzard, one returns and one disappears never to be found. The cover promised 'Four guests, one luxury getaway and one perfect murder' and depicted 5 champagne flutes, one broken with a hint of blood on it. So it was that I stumbled upon 'The Chalet' by Catherine Cooper. And it was this formula, I believe led to the success of her novels. Lucy Foley took this one step further and threw in an added element of not revealing the victim until the end. People love a great mystery, a set of ghastly characters gathered together and ultimately for someone to get their comeuppance, even if they are not necessarily the murderer.

Last year was the breakout year for Lucy Foley and very well deserved it was too. Publishers and Booksellers are very smart cookies, let it be said.

The Chalet by Catherine Cooper