"Echo Ridge" by Audrey J. Cole

 

"Echo Ridge" by Audrey J. Cole is a compelling thriller that kept me eagerly reading until the very end. Told alternately from the first-person POVs of two women, it follows Naomi, a grieving mother, and Jade, a tai chi instructor, whose lives collide at the luxury wellness retreat.

After being cheated out of her invested money by her best friend and business partner, Jade reinvented herself by accepting her aunt's offer to run the Echo Ridge Sanctuary and teach tai chi as well. There, she finds some comfort in nature and in her friendships with her aunt and the cook, who has his own baggage to deal with.

Naomi's eldest daughter was murdered, but the case was never solved. She firmly believes her son-in-law is the murderer, and she is so consumed by her hatred toward him that she has put her life on hold. Her youngest daughter, Miranda, takes her to the isolated retreat in the hope of reconnecting with her.

The serenity of the retreat is shattered when two new guests arrive: Jade’s former best friend, Piper, and her fiancé, Dylan, Naomi's son-in-law. The plot thickens when one of the guests disappears, and a violent storm prevents any of them from leaving. They have no internet connection, and the satellite phone is down. Secrets, paranoia, and chaos set the stage for murder, and there is a murderer on the loose.

I enjoyed the book immensely. It was well written and moved smoothly from one POV to another. The author has seamlessly woven themes of grief, betrayal, jealousy, and fallible human nature into the story. Cole also creates some good characters, and I liked the emotional dynamics between them. I liked Jade, and I felt sorry for Naomi, although she went too far at times. Both of them have a couple of things in common. They were full of hatred and anger and needed to learn to let go. I didn't like Piper and thought her behavior reprehensible. A couple of characters surprised me, for better and for worse. I won't mention names to avoid spoilers.

The first half had a slower pace than the second, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I liked the breathing sessions, the tai chi, and the hot springs, which gave the story a nice sense of setting. The second half was faster-paced, with a good build-up to the twists. While I didn't guess some of the twists, hooray to the author for that, I did guess the final twist. It didn't lessen my enjoyment, though.

All in all, it was an interesting and thoroughly enjoyable read with a satisfying conclusion. Although the trope may be familiar, the execution was original and well done. The setting is beautifully constructed, and the tense, claustrophobic atmosphere deepened the story. I recommend it to fans of locked-room mysteries and vacations gone awry. The author has woven a well-crafted mystery with plenty of intriguing characters, a delicious amount of suspense, and a few dashes of crime.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book:  "Echo Ridge" by Audrey J. Cole