Title: The Retreat by Elisabeth de Mariaffi
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: C+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
She came looking for inspiration. Instead, disaster strikes.
Maeve Martin arrives at the High Water Center for the Arts, a gorgeous lodge nestled deep in the Rocky Mountains, determined to do one thing: begin her own dance company. A retired performer and mother of two, time is running out for her to find her feet again after the collapse of her disastrous—and violent—marriage. And at first, there’s a thrill to being on her own for the first time in years. Isolated in the snowy beauty of the retreat, Maeve can forget the ghost of her past for an hour, for a day.
But when an avalanche strikes, Maeve finds herself trapped with six other guests. They’ve lost all power, phone service, heat, and the road back to town. At first, there’s a sense of camaraderie—the fire is warm, the freezer well-stocked. But as the days pass and the storm rages on outside, tensions start to run high. Help is coming, so they just have to hold on, right?
Then the first guest meets an unspeakable death. Followed by another. Soon Maeve must admit how little she knows about these strangers . . . and how useless a locked door is if the darkness is already inside.
Review:
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.
