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I have to believe that writing murder mysteries is a hard job. How will the author set up the story, playing fair with the reader without giving too much away �� yet do everything possible to keep our attention?

I couldn’t help wonder this after finishing this book.

She tries something different, but it doesn’t quite land right. For me.

It boasts a strong sense of place and engaging characters, but the presentation choices really lessen the story’s impact.

This was a donation to my Little Free Library Shed a while ago. I am now bringing my review to ŷ������.

Premise: Just before New Year’s Eve, a group of old university friends decide to go to an estate in the Scottish Highlands for their annual getaway. They arrive at the end of December. Just before a blizzard cuts them off from the outside world. As the weather worsens, so does everybody’s mood. And then��

Someone is murdered.

Who did it?

The plot description makes it sound like a whodunit. It was marketed as a thriller. But is it?

The book is told in 5 POV’s. Over 2 time periods. The first 3 perspectives narrating the story is prior to the murder, and the latter two is telling the story in the murder’s immediate aftermath.

The central issue with the book is that it goes to great lengths to hold back on the identity of the victim. Even though we are told early on that one of the guests died, Foley keeps the readers in the dark.

It isn’t until half way through the book, that we find out the gender of the victim. Why?

And in the final two chapters before the end, we find out who it is, but to be honest, by then, I figured out who it was �� did you?

So, is it really a mystery? There are clues and red herrings �� but they don’t work well when you don’t know what mystery you are trying to solve. And the eventual reveal is simply that someone saw the crime committed.

Sadly, the suspense only carries the story so far.

Am I being too analytical here?

The good news…yes, I will give it that…everything comes together in the last 50 pages. But, did we have to wait for it all then? Couldn’t the suspense have been evenly distributed?

Mixed emotions about this one. 3.5 stars.