Thriller

The Retreat

The Retreat

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  • Create Date：2021-08-03 10:51:09
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Elisabeth de Mariaffi
  • ISBN：1443461520
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Summary

Everyone has a secret to keep 。 。 。

Maeve Martin arrives at the High Water Center for the Arts determined to do one thing: launch her own dance company。 Time is running out for the former principal dancer and mother of two to find her feet again after the collapse of a disastrous and violent marriage。 At first， there’s a thrill to being on her own for the first time in years， isolated in the beauty of a snowy mountain lodge。 

But when an avalanche traps the guests inside， tensions run high。 Help is coming， so they just have to hold on， don’t they？ But as days pass， the other guests are struck down by mysterious deaths， one by one。 Now， as she waits in fear， Maeve must admit how little she knows about anyone else 。 。 。 and how useless a locked door is if the darkness is already inside。

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Reviews

Tan ，

Engrossing！

Crystal Hiatt ，

I enjoy a good whodunit mystery。 Plus the chilly setting and claustrophobic atmosphere should have made this book a win。 Unfortunately it just takes way too long for anything suspenseful to happen。 Even after the avalanche， the pacing is incredibly slow and nothing of note happens for awhile。 My attention was just in and out trying to read this one。

Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse ，

I did not enjoy this one very much。 I found the plot slapped together， and none of the characters evoked a strong response。

Kathy ，

3。5 stars。The Retreat by Elisabeth de Mariaffi is a tension-filled mystery with a fantastically creepy setting，Ballet dancer Maeve Martin is thrilled with the opportunity to stay at the High Water Center for the Arts。 She does have a few reservations about the isolated location but she shrugs them off soon after her arrival。 She gets off on the wrong foot with Sadie Kwon who is Director Karolina Rhys’ assistant。 Maeve is excited about her quick friendship with filmmaker Anna Barthelmy。 She is fl 3。5 stars。The Retreat by Elisabeth de Mariaffi is a tension-filled mystery with a fantastically creepy setting，Ballet dancer Maeve Martin is thrilled with the opportunity to stay at the High Water Center for the Arts。 She does have a few reservations about the isolated location but she shrugs them off soon after her arrival。 She gets off on the wrong foot with Sadie Kwon who is Director Karolina Rhys’ assistant。 Maeve is excited about her quick friendship with filmmaker Anna Barthelmy。 She is flattered by the attention of artist Sim Nielssen and a little leery of facilities’ manager Dan Darling。  Journalist Director Justin Doyle is always ready for fun but he enjoys stirring up trouble。 Maeve is finally hitting her stride in the dance studio when an avalanche then winter storms trap her and the others at the isolated lodge。  The death of one of their group convinces Dan it is time to attempt to hike to the nearest village for assistance。 Will help arrive before another life is lost？Maeve is a former up and coming ballet dancer who is now a mother of two young children。 Having finally escaped her former controlling， abusive husband， she would like to start her own dance company。  She is planning to use her time at High Water to get back in the groove of dancing again。 Maeve mostly keeps to herself， but she feels pressured to spend time with the other guests at the lodge。 She really enjoys Anna but the undercurrents between the various people make her uncomfortable。 Maeve is also experiencing frightening nightmares that she struggles to understand。 When the storm knocks out the electricity and phone service，  Maeve does not if she can trust any of the people she is stranded with at High Water。The Retreat is an atmospheric mystery with interesting yet underdeveloped characters。 Maeve finds it difficult to quiet the negative inner voice of her former husband as she resumes dancing。 She also discovers she does not trust her judgment as she gets to know the strangers she is staying with。 The other guests already know one another and it is difficult for her to understand the strained relationships between them。 The storyline is fast-paced and Elisabeth de Mariaffi turns up the suspense as this intriguing mystery comes to a bit of an unsatisfying conclusion。 。。。more

Sarah Richards ，

This was a slow burn at first and then， woah！ Complex characters， a creepy setting， a winter storm， and a bear: all the ingredients for a perfect suspense。

Deborah Brewster ，

I was excited to read this book and picked it up for a cottage week。 Unfortunately， it wasn't the page turner I was hoping for。The atmosphere was well done。 I could absolutely picture the snowy mountain landscape， the buildings， the studio and I think the writer's ability to convey the cold， solitude， sounds and vastness was excellent。But the weakness was in the characters and thin plot。 The characters were poorly drawn and a couple of them were interchangable。 While the past trauma for the main I was excited to read this book and picked it up for a cottage week。 Unfortunately， it wasn't the page turner I was hoping for。The atmosphere was well done。 I could absolutely picture the snowy mountain landscape， the buildings， the studio and I think the writer's ability to convey the cold， solitude， sounds and vastness was excellent。But the weakness was in the characters and thin plot。 The characters were poorly drawn and a couple of them were interchangable。 While the past trauma for the main character gave a window into to her reactions， the others lack real motivation。 As a result， I did not find the plot engaging and it all seems like a bunch of stuff happening that doesn't really make a story。I like it when a book leaves you with questions， but the question I was left with after The Retreat was 'why did any of that happen？' 。。。more

Christine ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Dancer Maeve goes to an isolated artists retreat for 14 days。 Her abusive husband has died， and she has two small children who are staying with her mother。 She is trying to start over with her own studio。 At the retreat， there are a small group of eccentric artists。 An avalanche occurs trapping them all in。 Sim， one of the other artists， winds up being crazy and killing everyone。 Too long and just kinda boring。

Bookreporter。com Mystery & Thriller ，

For the first time in years， Maeve Martin has some time for herself。 The dancer and mother of two young children has extricated herself from an abusive marriage to a brutal， Svengali-like husband。 Now， she’ll be spending two weeks at the High Water Center for the Arts， a remote artists’ retreat in the Rocky Mountains。 But instead of a blissful period of uninterrupted creativity， what Maeve gets is a nightmarish fight for survival when an avalanche cuts the center off from the outside world。In TH For the first time in years， Maeve Martin has some time for herself。 The dancer and mother of two young children has extricated herself from an abusive marriage to a brutal， Svengali-like husband。 Now， she’ll be spending two weeks at the High Water Center for the Arts， a remote artists’ retreat in the Rocky Mountains。 But instead of a blissful period of uninterrupted creativity， what Maeve gets is a nightmarish fight for survival when an avalanche cuts the center off from the outside world。In THE RETREAT， Canadian author Elisabeth de Mariaffi offers her own twist on the ever-popular “thriller-set-in-an-isolated-location” genre。 Things seem off from the moment Maeve arrives at the center in the middle of a November rainstorm that will soon turn into a blizzard。 “Be alert。 All wildlife is dangerous，” warns a sign as she heads up the mountain。 But the real danger lies with the center’s other residents， a group of six artists and support staff who already have established their own rhythms， loyalties and vendettas by the time she gets there。 Maeve is very much the new girl in school， unsure of whom she can trust and fearful that some might not hesitate to stab her in the back。 Of particular concern is Sadie， an ex-dancer and the inscrutable young assistant to High Water’s charismatic director， a former painter named Karolina， who takes an immediate dislike to Maeve。An avalanche on Maeve’s third day at the center strands the group at High Water without heat， power or means of calling for help。 （Somewhat implausibly， the center’s sole means of communicating with the outside world after the disaster is a small， hand-cranked radio that fails to pick up any signal。） Days pass， and no sign of rescue arrives。 The temperature is dropping outside， but in the lodge it’s a hothouse atmosphere。 The group grows increasingly restless， splintering into shifting factions as they debate what to do next。De Mariaffi takes her time --- perhaps too much --- setting the stage and layering on the suspense in her deliberately paced and atmospheric book。 The first death doesn’t occur until the novel’s halfway point， when one of the artists is discovered dead outside of the building one morning。 Did she merely step out for a late-night cigarette and find herself locked out， with tragic results？ Or is something more sinister afoot？ De Mariaffi is content to leave it ambiguous。 Deaths occur in THE RETREAT， but Maeve does not witness them herself， leaving the question of what exactly happened unclear。Maeve’s response to the crisis unfolding at High Water is informed by her own past trauma。 Her marriage to Iain was violent and controlling， both personally and artistically。 Spending time at the retreat is meant to be a way for her to reclaim her voice and， as an aging dancer， move forward to the next stage of her career as a choreographer and director of her own troupe。 But the environment at the center ends up calling up past ghosts。 After she left him， Iain pursued Maeve from city to city， and that predator-prey dynamic is replicated in the book’s tense final chapter， as she finds herself being hunted across High Water’s treacherous frozen grounds。At the beginning of THE RETREAT， Maeve reflects on the reasons she has come to High Water。 Though only 34， she is， in dance terms， practically geriatric。 Giving birth to two children has permanently changed her body （in private， she calls her C-section scar her “career-section”）。 She must learn to replay her instrument and declare herself as an artist and as an individual。 Some of the book’s best scenes feature her working toward that goal。 Maeve has spent much of her life following the lead of others --- first， her domineering， demanding mother， and then her husband， who “wanted her driven and exhausted。” “You could never direct， Maeve，” she recalls him telling her。 “All you can do is what you’re told。” By the book’s end， she’s learned that not doing what she’s told is key to her survival。Reviewed by Megan Elliott 。。。more

Lynn Williams ，

3。5/4 of 5 starshttps://lynns-books。com/2021/07/22/th。。。My Five Word TL:DR Review : In two minds about thisThe Retreat is going to be an unusual review to write because I seriously am in two minds about this one。 On the one hand I loved the writing。 The book is absolutely full of atmosphere。 It’s a locked room mystery。 The setting is excellent and the sense of nature well described but on the other hand I found the ending a little unresolved in some respects and the antagonist lacking motivation 3。5/4 of 5 starshttps://lynns-books。com/2021/07/22/th。。。My Five Word TL:DR Review : In two minds about thisThe Retreat is going to be an unusual review to write because I seriously am in two minds about this one。 On the one hand I loved the writing。 The book is absolutely full of atmosphere。 It’s a locked room mystery。 The setting is excellent and the sense of nature well described but on the other hand I found the ending a little unresolved in some respects and the antagonist lacking motivation or believability。As the book begins （and after a dramatic opening prologue） we meet Maeve Martin as she arrives at the High Water Centre for the Arts。 Tucked up in the Rocky Mountains is a beautiful lodge surrounded by trees and nature。 The Retreat boasts quiet space， a stunning lodge and small cabins where people can work uninterrupted。 Maeve has taken a two week break and aims to use the time to formulate a plan for her own dance company。 Unfortunately， not long after her arrival disaster strikes。 Ever worsening weather leads to an avalanche and the centre is completely cut off from any means of contact with the outside world。Without doubt The Retreat excels in terms of the writing。 Mariaffi conjures up a fantastic setting and then proceeds to cloak it in the most creepy and pervasive atmosphere。 In fact the first two thirds of the book held me gripped – I sat up into the early hours reading and I can say that I was genuinely a little freaked out – by which I mean scared！ The final third was where the ploit started to hot up and the body count began to rise。I think， if memory serves， that there were seven people left stranded following the avalanche， a mix of people， a couple of characters who run the retreat and a mix of creatives including artists， film makers and dancers。 Maeve feels a little like an insider as the others have all met previously and she often doesn’t understand the nuances of the group and their inside jokes。 There appears to be rivalry， particularly between certain characters and Maeve’s arrival seems to be the catalyst for things to escalate。 Maeve is coming to terms with a number of things。 She experienced a violent marriage that has now ended and she is also coming to terms with the fact that her dancing career is coming to a conclusion and trying to think of her future。 She’s left her two children in the care of their grandmother although she seemed to have a rocky relationship with her mother that leaves her anxious。 We find out much of Maeve’s history over the course of the story but it’s included in a very natural way and adds to the feelings of tension and fear that Maeve experiences。In terms of criticisms。 Well， I think the plot became a little chaotic in the final quarter （or Day 7）。 I wouldn’t say that I came away from the book with all my questions answered and the eventual murderer seemed very thinly drawn to me。 I just didn’t buy into the motivations or reasoning to be honest。 I noticed a few reviewers mentioned the over long chapters – I wouldn’t say that I found this a problem but each chapter represents one day and some of the chapters are indeed quite lengthy so bear that in mind。To be fair to the author， and in spite of my reservations I still came away from this read with more positives than negatives。 I loved the writing and I guess the plot played second fiddle a little to that aspect。I received a copy through Netgalley， courtesy of the publisher， for which my thanks。 The above is my own opinion。 。。。more

Travis Ralston ，

This was a lot of fun。 I found myself genuinely intrigued by the mystery that slowly unfolded。 Mariaffi did a terrific job building suspense and a lingering feeling of dread。 Isolation can be scary as hell。 We've all been there。 Every shadow is something else。 Every noise seems closer and louder。 I really enjoyed how contained the story was。 There weren't unnecessary branches or side tracks。 You are with Maeve from start to finish。 You get a real sense of her passion。 Of her trauma。 Of how she w This was a lot of fun。 I found myself genuinely intrigued by the mystery that slowly unfolded。 Mariaffi did a terrific job building suspense and a lingering feeling of dread。 Isolation can be scary as hell。 We've all been there。 Every shadow is something else。 Every noise seems closer and louder。 I really enjoyed how contained the story was。 There weren't unnecessary branches or side tracks。 You are with Maeve from start to finish。 You get a real sense of her passion。 Of her trauma。 Of how she wants to take back control of her life。 All in all， The Retreat is a worthwhile read。 。。。more

Kristi ，

When Maeve arrives at High Water Center for the Arts， she’s embracing the chance to take back her life and create the dance company that will put her back in the field she loves。 Coming out of an abusive marriage and raised with a domineering aggressive mother， Maeve is finally in a position to fully pursue her dream。 There are other artists staying at the Center during the off season and at first， it’s a snowy winter wonderland and Maeve is achieving more than she thought possible until an aval When Maeve arrives at High Water Center for the Arts， she’s embracing the chance to take back her life and create the dance company that will put her back in the field she loves。 Coming out of an abusive marriage and raised with a domineering aggressive mother， Maeve is finally in a position to fully pursue her dream。 There are other artists staying at the Center during the off season and at first， it’s a snowy winter wonderland and Maeve is achieving more than she thought possible until an avalanche strikes and the Center is cut off from power including heat and phone service。 Maeve and the other guests aren’t very worried – at first - but then things become a bit strained as it becomes harder to stay warm and people begin to crack under pressure。 When people begin to die， Maeve has to struggle to stay alive and the number of people she trusts slowly dwindles。 I loved the setting and atmosphere that Ms。 De Mariaffi created; it is tense and suspenseful with the locked room mystery theme that I so love！ In this case， it’s a locked retreat and everyone is suspect。 Each of the characters is uniquely written and there were enough twists and red-herrings to keep me invested throughout。 My thanks to @NovelSuspects for this gifted copy！ 。。。more

Daniel ，

More reviews and writing content on my blog: https://thedanielhurst。wordpress。comThe Retreat by Elisabeth de Mariaffi is about a former dancer named Maeve， who goes to a secluded arts center in the mountains to generate ideas for the dance company she wants to form。 While she's there， she meets some of the other artists and the small group running the center， all of whom seem to have complicated relationships with one another， and grapples with missing her children and memories of her abusive ex More reviews and writing content on my blog: https://thedanielhurst。wordpress。comThe Retreat by Elisabeth de Mariaffi is about a former dancer named Maeve， who goes to a secluded arts center in the mountains to generate ideas for the dance company she wants to form。 While she's there， she meets some of the other artists and the small group running the center， all of whom seem to have complicated relationships with one another， and grapples with missing her children and memories of her abusive ex-husband。The one thing I can say for this book is that the author knows how to create atmosphere。 The creepy language used to describe the setting and the blurred lines between Maeve's memories and dreams and her reality come across strongly throughout the book。Beyond that， the book doesn't have much to offer in terms of plot。 About 75% of it is establishing relationships with a couple plot points sprinkled in。 The plot and dialogue are so muddled with atmosphere that the physical description of the action is often indiscernible。 The ending is also dissatisfying with no real explanation for the characters' behaviors and a lot of chaos for no payoff。I wish I had more good to say， but alas， this was a miss for me。 Thank you Netgalley and Mulholland Books for the eARC and the opportunity to review it。 。。。more

Kayla （krakentoagoodbook） ，

This book had such a fantastic premise with the locked room mystery type vibe set in a snowy climate。 I should have loved it， but unfortunately， I didn't think it had the best execution。 The pacing was alright - it's broken up into 7 sections （one per day） instead of chapters。 This did make it harder to get through because some of these sections were very long。 It would have worked better for me to have chapters with headers describing which day it was。 I feel confused and ambivalent about the g This book had such a fantastic premise with the locked room mystery type vibe set in a snowy climate。 I should have loved it， but unfortunately， I didn't think it had the best execution。 The pacing was alright - it's broken up into 7 sections （one per day） instead of chapters。 This did make it harder to get through because some of these sections were very long。 It would have worked better for me to have chapters with headers describing which day it was。 I feel confused and ambivalent about the general plot and reveals。 I still don't entirely understand the reasons behind why anything happened。 The characters were not particularly likeable overall。 Maeve， the main character， is a former dancer who's trying to become a director。 She was previously in an abusive relationship and is trying to recover from this while simultaneously dealing with a strained relationship with her mother。 Maeve is alright， but I don't have the best connection to her。 The best part of the book for me was this friendship that develops with Anna， one of the other guests。 This seems like a really nice friendship， and I wanted to see more of it！ Everyone else seemed to be manipulative in their own ways though。 I really disliked some of the other characters， especially Dan and Sim because both of them seem very controlling。While this had great potential， the story was a bit lackluster for me。 That being said， I think I'd still be interested in checking out future books from this author。I received a copy of this for review from the publisher via NetGalley - thank you！ All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Nicole Wuthering Vines ，

This was such an eerie and atmospheric thriller that was extremely well written。I enjoyed how Mariaffi decided to structure that chapters into the days at the retreat but it ultimately left for some extremely long chapters with just 7 days。 Locked room mysteries are one of my favourite tropes but unfortunately with so many of these out this year， this one fell just a little short for me。 I did throughly enjoy how haunting Mariaffi was able to make the book feel by being so descriptive and creati This was such an eerie and atmospheric thriller that was extremely well written。I enjoyed how Mariaffi decided to structure that chapters into the days at the retreat but it ultimately left for some extremely long chapters with just 7 days。 Locked room mysteries are one of my favourite tropes but unfortunately with so many of these out this year， this one fell just a little short for me。 I did throughly enjoy how haunting Mariaffi was able to make the book feel by being so descriptive and creating such a cinematic vision。 I do however look forward to checking out more from this Canadian author！ Ultimately， this book will leave you with all the chills😉 。。。more

Sydney ，

This is a locked-room mystery with a snowy and suspenseful atmosphere （similar to Shiver， which I just finished recently）。 I loved the atmosphere in this one， however I didn’t really connect with or care about the characters， who all felt flat to me。 The chapters are broken up into days and since it all takes place over a week， it felt really long and drawn out。 I didn’t understand the motives behind what happened and there wasn’t backstory for the characters either。 Overall I was pretty underwh This is a locked-room mystery with a snowy and suspenseful atmosphere （similar to Shiver， which I just finished recently）。 I loved the atmosphere in this one， however I didn’t really connect with or care about the characters， who all felt flat to me。 The chapters are broken up into days and since it all takes place over a week， it felt really long and drawn out。 I didn’t understand the motives behind what happened and there wasn’t backstory for the characters either。 Overall I was pretty underwhelmed and bored for most of the novel， although it had great potential based on the premise。 Thank you to @novelsuspects for my gifted copy！ 。。。more

Tessa ，

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Still not totally sure about this one。 The Retreat is a tense， suffocating thriller about Maeve Martin， a woman who desperately wishes for two things: to escape her brutal， violent past， and to open her own dance company。 She decides to take a trip to a snowy， picturesque mountain art retreat and at first， all is well and lovely — until the avalanche traps her and her fellow art-lovers in their resort with no way of knowing when help is coming。 And there is something， or someone， waiting i ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Still not totally sure about this one。 The Retreat is a tense， suffocating thriller about Maeve Martin， a woman who desperately wishes for two things: to escape her brutal， violent past， and to open her own dance company。 She decides to take a trip to a snowy， picturesque mountain art retreat and at first， all is well and lovely — until the avalanche traps her and her fellow art-lovers in their resort with no way of knowing when help is coming。 And there is something， or someone， waiting in the shadows for them all。 I was so excited to read this because I *adore* this trope in thrillers。 When it's done well it's tight， breath-stealing， exciting， and has you flipping through the pages as fast as you can possibly go because you simply have to know what comes next。 Unfortunately， this one didn't quite hit that mark for me。 While the writing was absolutely beautiful and haunting， the chapters droned on， and the build-up vs execution had me scratching my head more than it had me racing to the end game。 As the plot unwound itself I was really just wondering — why Maeve？ It just doesn't make as much sense as I would like。 But oh， some of the imagery here was stunning。 There was definitely a visceral thread of fear， especially when it came to the actual entrapment。 Being stuck with a bunch of strangers is scary enough， and that rise of tension between the other people in the retreat would have been much more interesting to explore as a main focal point， I think。 It wasn't completely my cup of tea， but I did enjoy this novel and anyone who has a soft spot for this series of tropes should definitely check it out come 20 July！*My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review。* 。。。more

Jen Ryland ，

The low ratings on this made me nervous but I liked The Retreat！ After reading a lot of books heavy on dialogue and plot and light on setting， this book moved at a slower pace but did a good job of using an isolated setting and harsh weather to create a lot of suspense。The story is set at an artists' retreat where a handful of creatives （a journalist， a filmmaker， a dancer， an artist and two administrators） are gathered at one of those exclusive artist retreats。 Maeve， the main character， is sti The low ratings on this made me nervous but I liked The Retreat！ After reading a lot of books heavy on dialogue and plot and light on setting， this book moved at a slower pace but did a good job of using an isolated setting and harsh weather to create a lot of suspense。The story is set at an artists' retreat where a handful of creatives （a journalist， a filmmaker， a dancer， an artist and two administrators） are gathered at one of those exclusive artist retreats。 Maeve， the main character， is still a little mistrustful after getting out of an abusive relationship and looks forward to using the time away from her young children to get her career as director of a dance troupe on more solid footing。But then there's an avalanche。 A death。 And more and more bad luck。 Or is it？ For me， the star of this book was the Rocky Mountain setting。 After an avalanche cuts the retreat off from the world （no electricity or phone or internet） things start spiraling。The ending of this was a little crazy （and felt a bit unresolved） but if you don't mind a book with a slower pace and like a lot of atmosphere， definitely check The Retreat out！Read more of my reviews on JenRyland。com！ Let's be friends on Bookstagram！ Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review！ 。。。more

Tom Parsons ，

Maeve arrives at HIgh Water Center for the Arts ready to make a fresh start。 Her abusive husband had just recently been killed and frankly speaking， she was happy to be free of him。 But what started as a chance to begin preparations for a new life turned into a nightmare。 First an avalanche traps her in the resort with six strangers。 Then they start dying one by one and Maeve begins to wonder whether she can survive the whole ordeal。 Elisabeth de Mariaffi's new novel had lots of promise with the Maeve arrives at HIgh Water Center for the Arts ready to make a fresh start。 Her abusive husband had just recently been killed and frankly speaking， she was happy to be free of him。 But what started as a chance to begin preparations for a new life turned into a nightmare。 First an avalanche traps her in the resort with six strangers。 Then they start dying one by one and Maeve begins to wonder whether she can survive the whole ordeal。 Elisabeth de Mariaffi's new novel had lots of promise with the premise。 I expected from the brief plot synopsis a thriller along the lines of And Then There Were None。 Certainly she did a great job in setting up the story to be a tense thriller。 But there were two major flaws with the book。 First， the story turned into far too slow a burn for my taste。 In fact， the prologue jumps ahead to the seventh day of the narrative and previews the peril in which Maeve will ultimately find herself。 But then the sry goes back to day 1 with her arrival at the retreat and very slowly builds up the tension。 It seemed to me that the tension could have been ramped up much quicker and that would have ultimately made for a better novel。 The other major flaw was language。 Profanity abounds （especially f bombs） to the point that the book nearly became unreadable。 Readers should be given fair warning that if that is something that is going to offend you （as it did me） you will have trouble getting through it。My rating: 3 out of 5 stars。Thanks to @novelsuspects for providing me with a review copy of the book。 No other consideration was received in exchange for this review。#thrillers #bookreviews #novelsuspects #novelsuspectsinsiders #books #bookstagram #igbooks #igreads 。。。more

Grace Koshida ，

Maeve Martin arrives at the High Water Center for the Arts determined to do one thing: launch her own dance company。 Time is running out for the former principal dancer and mother of two to find her feet again after the collapse of a disastrous and violent marriage。 At first， there’s a thrill to being on her own for the first time in years， isolated in the beauty of a snowy mountain lodge。 But when an avalanche traps the guests inside， tensions run high。 Help is coming， so they just have to hold Maeve Martin arrives at the High Water Center for the Arts determined to do one thing: launch her own dance company。 Time is running out for the former principal dancer and mother of two to find her feet again after the collapse of a disastrous and violent marriage。 At first， there’s a thrill to being on her own for the first time in years， isolated in the beauty of a snowy mountain lodge。 But when an avalanche traps the guests inside， tensions run high。 Help is coming， so they just have to hold on， don’t they？ But as days pass， the other guests are struck down by mysterious deaths， one by one。 Now， as she waits in fear， Maeve must admit how little she knows about anyone else 。 。 。 and how useless a locked door is if the darkness is already inside。 。。。more

Tanja ~ KT Book Reviews ，

Caught in an avalanche， Mauve is now experiencing more than she bargained for。 It was supposed to be a retreat。 One to center herself and set the stage for a new career avenue。 Instead， Mauve is caught up in the drama of murder。 The Retreat has Agath Christie/Murder on the Orient Express vibes。 It's a group of seemingly likable people trying to survive till help comes， but someone is a murderer。 The Retreat of a fun thrill ride。 I can't wait to read more from author Elisabeth de Mariaffi。~Tanja* Caught in an avalanche， Mauve is now experiencing more than she bargained for。 It was supposed to be a retreat。 One to center herself and set the stage for a new career avenue。 Instead， Mauve is caught up in the drama of murder。 The Retreat has Agath Christie/Murder on the Orient Express vibes。 It's a group of seemingly likable people trying to survive till help comes， but someone is a murderer。 The Retreat of a fun thrill ride。 I can't wait to read more from author Elisabeth de Mariaffi。~Tanja*Thank you Novel Suspects and Mulholland Books for gifting this read。 Follow me on Instagram✿Twitter✿Facebook✿Pinterest✿TikTok 。。。more

Clare ，

Elisabeth de Mariaffi does it again with The Retreat。 I wrote that when I was reading Hysteria， her last book， that I had to keep putting it down because of the constant tension。 My heart couldn't take it。 In The Retreat， a faster-paced book， the word that won't leave me is MENACE。 The prologue lets the reader know what they're in for and the book then slowly builds the tension back to that point。 Maeve， The Retreat's main character， has good reason for her distrust in others， and reading the ot Elisabeth de Mariaffi does it again with The Retreat。 I wrote that when I was reading Hysteria， her last book， that I had to keep putting it down because of the constant tension。 My heart couldn't take it。 In The Retreat， a faster-paced book， the word that won't leave me is MENACE。 The prologue lets the reader know what they're in for and the book then slowly builds the tension back to that point。 Maeve， The Retreat's main character， has good reason for her distrust in others， and reading the other characters through her perspective means you never know who to believe， especially when people start dying。 I loved the physicality of Maeve's dancer identity， the way she measured every move or calculated risk at every turn。 Some of the menace in The Retreat comes as familiar tropes of bad weather and bad men， but it's in the small moments， a sound or a look， or a doubt， where I really felt the chills。 。。。more

Lexy Cabral ，

What I liked: The author does a great job with creating such vivid scenes。 I loved the atmosphere and some of the descriptions really spooked me。What I didn’t: The story is broken up into seven days so the chapters are pretty long and can be slow at times。 I wanted a bit more from the secondary characters and the ending was a tad abrupt。 This is the first book I’ve read by #ElisabethDeMariaffi and I’m really interested in getting my hands on another one of her books。 Thank you so much to @novels What I liked: The author does a great job with creating such vivid scenes。 I loved the atmosphere and some of the descriptions really spooked me。What I didn’t: The story is broken up into seven days so the chapters are pretty long and can be slow at times。 I wanted a bit more from the secondary characters and the ending was a tad abrupt。 This is the first book I’ve read by #ElisabethDeMariaffi and I’m really interested in getting my hands on another one of her books。 Thank you so much to @novelsuspects for my #AdvancedReaderCopy！ 。。。more

Heather Miller ，

This was an excellent thriller， claustrophobic and chilling （literally）。 The whole cast of characters seem untrustworthy， hiding secrets and schemes， and the ending was seriously intense。 Being stuck in a blizzard is always a good atmospheric trope in my opinion and the isolation and intensifying cold make an excellent backdrop for this story of mystery and danger。

Hannah Zunic ，

Thank you to Novel Suspects' Insider's Club and Mulholland Books for sending me an ARC of The Retreat。 A full version of my review can be found on my blog Reading Has Ruined My Life: https://www。readinghasruinedmylife。co。。。A trigger/content warning is needed before I get to my review。 The Retreat deals with a physically and mentally abusive relationship that involves stalking。 Gaslighting also plays a large role in this book so please be aware of that before picking up a copy。Synopsis time now。 Thank you to Novel Suspects' Insider's Club and Mulholland Books for sending me an ARC of The Retreat。 A full version of my review can be found on my blog Reading Has Ruined My Life: https://www。readinghasruinedmylife。co。。。A trigger/content warning is needed before I get to my review。 The Retreat deals with a physically and mentally abusive relationship that involves stalking。 Gaslighting also plays a large role in this book so please be aware of that before picking up a copy。Synopsis time now。 The Retreat follows a woman by the name of Maeve。 Maeve is finally out an abusive marriage and on her own for the first time in roughly a decade。 So she arrives at the High Water Center for the Arts， a lovely， secluded place nestled high up in the mountains， in order to do one thing: begin her own dance company。What should be a nice， quiet two-week retreat up into the mountains turns to disaster with the sudden appearance of a massive snowstorm， followed by a giant avalanche， that cuts High Water Center off from the outside world。 The days begin to pass with no rescue or hope in sight。 The other guests at High Water Center are at each other’s throats。 The temperature continues to drop both inside and out。 Food is running low。 And， slowly but surely， strange deaths befall the others。 Soon Maeve realizes how little she knows about those she’s with， and how little she can trust them。 The hook has me sold。 Is it anything new or never before done？ No。 But I love a good locked-room mystery。 I love trying to figure out who the killer is in a mystery; it’s one of my favorite things in the whole world。 This book also has another of my other favorite things: wavering sanity。 And it 100% adds to the story。 It especially adds to the main character。On her own， she's pretty bland。 She's a cut-and-dry final girl， and while there is nothing wrong with her， I've seen her character many times before。 She really doesn't become anything interesting until the end when the thriller reaches its climax。 Her focus is solely on building her dance company and providing for her young kids; she could care less about the others at High Water。 And I think that detracts from the story。 Since this novel is written from a first-person point of view， and Maeve is that character， readers don’t learn anything about the supporting cast until it’s too late。 It would have been more satisfying had Maeve spent more time getting to know and trust the others before the climax of the novel。 Then when small， unexplained things happen to her， there could have been more questioning if Maeve had done said thing or had someone else。 It could have added to the wavering sanity the snowstorm brings forth。 It would have made the back stabbing and trust breaking more poignant。 Still a fan of having her question if she’s losing her mind though; it just could have been done a little better。As far as the mystery itself goes， it is a very slow burn。 Elisabeth de Mariaffi painstaking building up the isolated world of High Water Center。 She makes sure every readers knows how isolated and helpless the characters would be if something tragic was to occur。 Now， while I'm not upset with the amount of world building that is done， I would have liked something to have occurred earlier in the book。 Nothing really happens until two-thirds of the way through。 The pacing could have been picked up just a tiny bit。 Once the mystery does actually start up， it is quite good。 I kept jumping back and forth between who I thought the killer was。Overall， this was a decent locked room mystery。 With a few more tweaks it could have been better。 Again， if you want to read the full version of this review you can click here: https://www。readinghasruinedmylife。co。。。And while you are visiting， take a look at some of the other reviews I have up。 New posts come out every Wednesday at noon EST。 。。。more

Luanne Ollivier ，

The Retreat is Elisabeth De Mariaffi's newest novel。 The locked room premise is a favourite of mine， so I was eager to check out The Retreat。 Maeve has taken herself to an arts retreat high up in the Rockies。 She was a prima ballerina， but with a failed marriage， two children and an aging body， she has now has her sights on having her own ballet company。 The two week retreat will give her inspiration and help her plan。 The choice of profession for the protagonist was quite different。 As Shakespe The Retreat is Elisabeth De Mariaffi's newest novel。 The locked room premise is a favourite of mine， so I was eager to check out The Retreat。 Maeve has taken herself to an arts retreat high up in the Rockies。 She was a prima ballerina， but with a failed marriage， two children and an aging body， she has now has her sights on having her own ballet company。 The two week retreat will give her inspiration and help her plan。 The choice of profession for the protagonist was quite different。 As Shakespeare said。。。"Though she be but little， she is fierce。" The six other staff and visitors in residence are quite the varied cast。 There's something off about each and every one of them。 And Maeve feels the tension right away。 Personally， I would have turned and ran。 But she stays。。。and an avalanche ensures that no one is going anywhere in the near future。 The dead body is definitely going anywhere。With the avalanche cutting the group off， the murderer has to be one of them。 The first bit of the book was a bit slow for me。 But the action picked up after the murder and kept racing forward from there on to the final pages。 This is the bit I enjoyed the most。 De Mariaffi has ensured that the reader will suspect everyone right down the final pages。 I did find the murderer's 'why' to be a bit of a stretch。 And as much as I thought I should， I never really bonded with Maeve as a lead character。The Retreat was a good read， but not a standout for me。 。。。more

Book Ninja ，

Getting inside the mind of someone who lives as physically as a dancer is no easy feat -- doing so while subjecting her to the level of stress and terror in this book is amazing。 Maeve has given up so much in her life and just wanted to take two weeks at a remote mountain arts retreat to kickstart her career after an abusive marriage and a difficult birth that left her unable to dance。 At first， she is able to put the world aside and get back to her passion， but then a freak storm causes and ava Getting inside the mind of someone who lives as physically as a dancer is no easy feat -- doing so while subjecting her to the level of stress and terror in this book is amazing。 Maeve has given up so much in her life and just wanted to take two weeks at a remote mountain arts retreat to kickstart her career after an abusive marriage and a difficult birth that left her unable to dance。 At first， she is able to put the world aside and get back to her passion， but then a freak storm causes and avalanche that traps her in the resort with a handful of other artists。 The wildlife outside， including a grizzly， is off-kilter as well， and the sense of being hunted out there is thick with dread。 That's until it starts to become apparent that people inside are being hunted as well。 Maeve is a fascinating character: full of doubt， regret， strength， and ambition。 。。。more

Michelle Sheehan ，

This book was good， but I did have some issues with it。 Throughout the book has the situation continually gets worse for Maeve， you do feel that tension and fear very vividly。 That's down to the amazing writing by Elisabeth de Mariaffi。 The way she writes makes you feel a part of the story。 You can feel the air getting colder and the dire circumstances getting scarier as the days go on。 Being stuck with six strangers during an avalanche is scary enough， but when one turns up dead， that's terrify This book was good， but I did have some issues with it。 Throughout the book has the situation continually gets worse for Maeve， you do feel that tension and fear very vividly。 That's down to the amazing writing by Elisabeth de Mariaffi。 The way she writes makes you feel a part of the story。 You can feel the air getting colder and the dire circumstances getting scarier as the days go on。 Being stuck with six strangers during an avalanche is scary enough， but when one turns up dead， that's terrifying because you no longer know who to trust， and Maeve certainly had her suspects。 I really enjoyed the story for that part of it。My issue was the super long chapters。 I get that each chapter is penned as a day。 But it should've been broken up a bit more。 I also wasn't too sure about the ending。 Like， it was abrupt in my opnion。 You can obviously guess what's going to happen， but a short epilogue to confirm that would've been nice。Overall I did like this book， but I didn't love it as much as I thought I would。 It was still a good thriller， and definitely one I'll recommend to my customers。 。。。more

Arianna Mclaughlin （arianna。reads） ，

Locked room books about a group of people stuck together during a snow storm seems to be trending this year。 The Retreat by Elisabeth de Mariaffi is a more literary take on the genre。 Maeve Martin is a dancer and a mother of two who was in an abusive relationship， She heads to an isolated arts centre in the mountains to work on her dancing and chorography。 Here， she meets a motley crew of other artists at the resort offseason and they are pulled together as the weather closes in and guests start Locked room books about a group of people stuck together during a snow storm seems to be trending this year。 The Retreat by Elisabeth de Mariaffi is a more literary take on the genre。 Maeve Martin is a dancer and a mother of two who was in an abusive relationship， She heads to an isolated arts centre in the mountains to work on her dancing and chorography。 Here， she meets a motley crew of other artists at the resort offseason and they are pulled together as the weather closes in and guests start to disappear。 Is there a killer in their midst？ Will nature keep them trapped？de Mariaffi's writing is beautifully atmospheric。 Her attention to detail with the environment and nature is compelling and really creates the scene。 The reoccurring imagery and presence of the bear was especially powerful。 The long chapters gives the book a slower pace and for me， decreased the tension in what should have become a high stakes scenario。 As we see everything through Maeve's eyes， we have to question her reliability as a narrator。 She keeps herself at arms reach from many of the characters so this is the experience the reader gets as well。 Anna was a standout for me and added humour to the environment。 As a locked room mystery， this is not my favourite。 I never truly bought into the fear of the human killer- the situations with animals and nature were much more tense for me and I can see that being totally intentional。 But where it excels is as an atmospheric literary novel。 This was my first read by the author and I will definitely check out more of her work。 Thank you to Mulholland Books， HarperCollins Canada and Negalley for the e-arc to read and review。 All thoughts are my own。 。。。more

Amanda Hixson ，

𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝑩𝒚: Elisabeth de Mariaffi （ @elisabethdemariaffiwriter ）𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Thriller， Mystery， Horror 𝑷𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕: 288𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕: @amazonkindle𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝑩𝒚: @mulhollandbooks𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝑶𝒏: July 20th 2021@goodreads 𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆: 3。40𝑴𝒚 𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆: ❄️❄️❄️ / 5 𝑺𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔Thank you @netgalley ， @nulhollandbooks and @elisabethdemaiaffiwriter for my gifted E-ARC of "𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕"。 A dancer arrives at a remote mountain retreat hoping for artistic inspiration—only to find it’s disaster that strikes when an avalanche 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝑩𝒚: Elisabeth de Mariaffi （ @elisabethdemariaffiwriter ）𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Thriller， Mystery， Horror 𝑷𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕: 288𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕: @amazonkindle𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝑩𝒚: @mulhollandbooks𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝑶𝒏: July 20th 2021@goodreads 𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆: 3。40𝑴𝒚 𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆: ❄️❄️❄️ / 5 𝑺𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔Thank you @netgalley ， @nulhollandbooks and @elisabethdemaiaffiwriter for my gifted E-ARC of "𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕"。 A dancer arrives at a remote mountain retreat hoping for artistic inspiration—only to find it’s disaster that strikes when an avalanche traps her among six strangers who begin， one by one， to meet unspeakable ends。This story was fast paced & thrilling， to an extent。 I am a huge fan of "locked-room mystery" novels and this story is exactly just that。 The beginning and middle were just complete turn pagers for me。 Wanting to know each character and how they act in our mystery story is key to solving a mystery am I right？ Once the avalanche hits you really want to just read everything up because you wonder how are these people going to get out of this， especially when someone has ended up dead！ Was it one of the guests or was it just an unfortunate accident？ I have to add that the chapters in this book are really "Days" and that there is only seven of them。 You see the trip our protagonist dancer takes is measured in days she has spent at this retreat， and I have to admit that after "Day 3" the days become very long。 Meaning the chapters become very long and I know that some readers are not fond of long chapters。 I myself over the years of reading enjoy shorter chapters in books， however that doesn't mean I'll hate books if they have long chapters， it's just a tiny disadvantage that some do notice。 Once again， the beginning and middle very exciting and eager to read all the juicy stuff， but then it became kind of long and tiring。 I just wanted to get to the end and see who or what our mystery problem was。Do you think you could survive in the Rockies， during a snowstorm， after an avalanche， with some suspicious activity going on？ 。。。more

Literary Redhead ，

With a nod to Agatha Christie， THE RETREAT spins a dark and twisty tale set in a gorgeous lodge in the Rockies。 Maeve Martin， a retired dancer who wants to start her own dance company， heads to the High Water Center for the Arts for a creative retreat。 She’s left behind an abusive marriage and longs for restful time alone。 But when an avalanche hits， she’s trapped with six other guests， and soon， one dies， then another， as I sat gripping my iPhone as I read， heart pounding， gasping at each turn With a nod to Agatha Christie， THE RETREAT spins a dark and twisty tale set in a gorgeous lodge in the Rockies。 Maeve Martin， a retired dancer who wants to start her own dance company， heads to the High Water Center for the Arts for a creative retreat。 She’s left behind an abusive marriage and longs for restful time alone。 But when an avalanche hits， she’s trapped with six other guests， and soon， one dies， then another， as I sat gripping my iPhone as I read， heart pounding， gasping at each turn and wondering if anyone would survive。 Wooeeeeeeee！ Pace is hindered by too long chapters but that said， I found THE RETREAT riveting。 Caution: Don’t read this at night！ Pub Date 20 Jul 2021#TheRetreat @novelsuspects #novelsuspectsinsidersThanks to the author and Novel Suspects for this fab read in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Retreat

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Retreat&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Retreat&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0