The Chalet by Catherine Cooper

HarperCollins | 12 November 2020 | 400 pgs

Source: Library 

Catherine Cooper brings the readers to a ski resort set in the chilly La Madiere in which nature, motives and revenge all play a part in this psychological thriller.  

The year is 1998 and we're first introduced to two brothers, Will and Adam Cassiobury, as they bring their girlfriends for a ski holiday in La Madiere. The relationship between the two brothers are somewhat strained since they often seem to disagree and argue constantly. On the other end, Louisa (Will's girlfriend) struggles to fit into the group given the differences of social and class status. When Will and Adam decided to take a challenging ski route together along the French Alps on one occasion, they lost their way and out of ambitious pride, Adam figured they'd find their way out themselves while Will argued they should find and seek help from their guides. Cameron, the guide as well as the chalet owner, worries more about the sales and reputation so he didn't react quickly to the disappearance of the Cassiobury brothers until at a later stage; by then it's impossible to ignore given the severity of circumstances and sadly, only one brother is found. 

Twenty years later, two families visit the same place for a luxurious holiday. The husbands knew each other for their business connections and Cameron is still running the chalets like before. This group of acquaintance has reasons behind their holiday and most of all, they're linked to the missing brother. When a snowstorm strikes and they're stranded in the resorts, their worry and fear is further escalated when a body is found due to the avalanche, leading them the question if it's the body of the missing brother in 1998. As the story progresses and more plots reveal, the reader will soon learn that there's more to the missing brother case and that there's more than one in the group who knew about the incident twenty years ago. 

There's something about claustrophobic setting and unreliable narrators, isn't it? This may be a common trope in the suspense genre but yet it continues to hold its appeal and most of all, they never get old (at least in my opinion). The Chalet ticked most of the boxes under my suspense criterion although I've to say I liked none of the characters here. (well, maybe except for one but . . .) The story is split into two timelines with multiple narrators and both have well-balanced contents and fleshed out characters. I liked the chilling, atmospheric setting of La Madiere and this remains as my favourite throughout the book as it was quite well depicted (and I've learned a few things about skiing, too!) Overall it was a good read for a debut novel. 

(I Googled the author and stumbled upon this interview.)

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