Title: The Weekend Escape
Author: Rakie Bennett
Published on: 8 October 2021
Genre: Mystery and Thrillers
It was meant to be a fun reunion, a chance for six friends to reconnect and relive the adventures that brought them together in the first place. A fun reunion on an island in the middle of a brewing storm, what can go wrong?
But the minute they reach the island, things start going sideways. One of them barely escapes a climbing accident – it is later found that the rope was cut and someone was meant to fall. But why? This is followed by another ‘accident.’ Soon, the six friends realize someone is out there to harm them, or worse, kill them. But is it a stranger or one of them?
They’d failed to contact the mainland, failed to raise the alarm, failed to summon help. No one was coming to rescue them.
What a gripping, mind-blowing, engrossing page turner! Wow! I was hooked on to the story and could not put it down until the end. Six friends on an island, cut down from the mainland thanks to a storm and a murderer in their midst, now this is my kinda ‘locked room-ish’ mystery! Or rather, stranded on an island mystery! *devious music in the background*
Lyndsey, Bobbie, Sonia, Juliet, Val and Amanda meet after years – the trip to the island is supposed to be reunion party of sorts. But as soon as they arrive and begin their climbing expedition, Amanda hurts herself – her rope snaps and she ends up injuring her leg. To add to the ‘mystery’ is the weather – it starts to rain non-stop and the chilly wind is unbearable. As the six reach their ‘cottage’, they are welcomed by cold, damp and musty smelling rooms. The bunk bed is for four people and there are three mismatched dining chairs. And as a cherry on top, there is no electricity and the tap water is muddy.
The warden Marne arrives and the ladies ask her to contact the mainland. Marne says the radio is broken. Thankfully, she gets the generator started so the six friends are hopeful the radio would work too. In the middle of the night, Bobbie screams and says she saw someone at the window. But when the others get up to check, there is no one.
The next morning, Bobbie is nowhere to be seen. The storm is picking up pace and the radio is beyond repair. There is no way to contact the mainland so this means Amanda will receive no medical attention until the next boat arrives.
The mystery behind the murderer on the island adds a dash of eerie to the story. Also, the suspense keeps you guessing till the end. As the story proceeds, we learn each of the six friends has a dark secret – and this reunion was more than just a ‘fun outing.’ The warden acts weird and the ladies doubt if she’s the perp – but why should she want to harm them?
The friends begin to turn on one another and the horror is unleashed. It looks like only Lyndsey is trying to keep them together… or, is she? Whom to trust and whom not to? Lyndsey has no idea what her friends are up to…
If you are looking for a nail-biting weekend read, I highly recommend you to give The Weekend Escape by Rakie Bennett a try. Believe me, this story will keep you guessing till the end.
Many thanks to the lovely Sarah from One More Chapter for sending me an ARC of the book. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.
The Book Decoder 
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