I have liked the previous two books I’ve read by Tara Laskowski, One Night Gone and The Mother Next Door, so I was excited to pick this newest release up and was not disappointed.
The Weekend Retreat is a December 2023 release from Graydon House Publishers
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, see disclosures for more detail.
About the Book:
Every year, the illustrious Van Ness siblings, heirs to a copper fortune, gather at their lush winery estate for a joint birthday celebration. It’s a tradition they’ve followed nearly all their lives, and now they are back with their significant others for a much-needed weekend of rest and relaxation, away from the public spotlight.
With lavish comforts, gorgeous scenery, and indulgent drinking, the trip should be the perfect escape. But it soon becomes clear that even a remote idyllic getaway can’t keep out the problems simmering in each of their lives. As old tensions are reignited, the three couples are pushed to the edge. Will their secrets destroy them, or will they destroy each other first? And who’s been watching them from beyond the vineyard gates?
When a torrential rainstorm hits, plunging them into darkness, the answers prove all too deadly…
My Review:
I gave this book three stars
Entertaining locked room style mystery. Not about a weekend retreat (which is getting to be an overdone premise) but a family party gone awry.
The Van Ness siblings and their significant others gather at their remote family estate winery. The matriarch of the family passed away, and now twins Harper and Richard are celebrating their 35th birthday and younger sibling Zach has brought his girlfriend (who quickly becomes his fiancee after arrival) Lauren. There is also a mysterious, unnamed “Party Guest” who is another narrator. We alternate between the females and the party guest, as the evening slowly unfolds and becomes more ominous. Everyone is keeping secrets, and some of them turn out to be deadly.
Although I didn’t find the identity of the villain, nor any of the events to be all that surprising, the journey is quick and it kept me engaged throughout to see how it would all unfold. I do enjoy stories of wealthy people behaving badly, and this one had that for sure. I’m not always the biggest fan of stories that begin with the ending incident (in this case it is a report of two deaths at the mansion) but this book was all right because the foreshadowing wasn’t excessive, it just piqued the right amount of interest rather than giving too much away.
The setting has a gothic feel with the hidden rooms and passageways, and while the mystery itself wasn’t spectacular, the reading experience was entertaining enough to recommend this book.
About the Author:
TARA LASKOWSKI is the author of The Mother Next Door and One Night Gone, which won an Agatha Award, Macavity Award, and Anthony Award, and was a finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, Left Coast Crime Award, Strand Critics’ Award, and Library of Virginia Literary Award. She is also the author of two short story collections, Modern Manners for Your Inner Demons and Bystanders, has published stories in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and Mid-American Review, among others, and is the former editor of SmokeLong Quarterly. Tara earned a BA in English from Susquehanna University and an MFA from George Mason University and currently lives in Virginia. Find her on Twitter and Instagram, @TaraLWrites.
Author website: https://taralaskowski.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TaraLWrites/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tara.laskowski.9
