Day: June 24, 2022

The Resort by Sue Watson is a psych thriller that has some Agatha Christie elements and is mostly a good read.

I’ll explain that in a bit.

I liked the setup of a luxury hotel on an island. Not being familiar with the area, however, I wasn’t sure if I believed how “tropical” it could be. It sometimes feels like the descriptions stick between “old school glamour” and tropical.

I also liked the whodunit aspect of the plot. In an isolated place, there are theoretically a finite number of suspects, so anyone could have been the culprit for the horrible events.

This feeling was especially strong when the police announced that nobody was going to be able to leave the island. You could almost feel the gate come down around the resort.

However, there were a couple of things that could have been a bit better.

Because the author focuses on the three couples, for the most part, the reader doesn’t get the feeling that anyone else is actually a suspect. So, that seems like a wasted opportunity. Suspicion of one employee seems to dissipate and go unresolved.

There are also a lot of inner monologues of characters thinking about things (sometimes to the point of tedium) and then later explaining that something happened.

I would have preferred there to be more action. The important events should take place “in time” where we can see them happening – not just read about them. This happens a few times, and it is a little disappointing. It also makes the characters slightly boring.

Also, noting whose perspective we are reading from would be helpful. It just felt muddied. And don’t get me started on the investigation by the police. (Ugh).

All that being said, I did guess a few of the twists. But, I did not catch one of the main whodunits, so the author did surprise me on that one.

The Resort has good bones. I didn’t get a lot of “psych” from the psych thriller, but there is a tension that builds throughout. I still like this author and will continue to look forward to her books.

Author Bio:

Sue Watson was a journalist on national magazines and newspapers before becoming a TV producer with the BBC.

Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue explores the darker side of life, writing psychological thrillers with big twists. Originally from Manchester, she now lives with her family in leafy Worcestershire.