A classic Agatha Christie-style murder mystery— Elin Warner and her boyfriend Will come to Le Sommet, a new 5-star luxury hotel and spa nestled above the Swiss town of Valais, to attend the engagement party of her brother Isaac and childhood friend, Laure. The air bristles with tension from every source; Elin has been estranged from Isaac since the questionable circumstances of the childhood death of their younger brother Sam, and her related PTSD flashbacks, as well as Isaac’s failure to assist during their mother’s recent illness and death. Le Sommet was a renovation of a former sanatorium by the grandson of the original builder, constructed despite great protest from the locals. Its past is revealed to have its own shadows. They are in the midst of unusually heavy snowstorms, raising the avalanche risk to its highest level. Into this mix is added the discovery of the body of the architect, who went missing prior to the build’s commencement. The body bears a peculiar set of trademark signatures of the killer; and wouldn’t you know, another body appears with the same signature a day into Elin and Will’s stay.

The plot isn’t as tight as I’d like. Mysteries really depend on logic, accountability for each detail, and no missteps or loose ends. Some of the unspooling has loose ends, however, Pearse manages the overall structure pretty well. I especially like her character development; Elin Warner, a detective on leave from her British police force, due to both her mother’s care and death, and her shaken confidence after a near death during an attempt to apprehend a killer, due to a combination of bad circumstances and her flashbacks of Sam’s accidental death; she is the perfect detective for this series of murders. She clearly has the right combination of thorough, persistent, detailed collection of facts, coupled with good intuition. Battling her unresolved role in her brother’s death gives her the right degree of self doubt and questioning her own judgement and motives. Protective behaviors of Will, and questionable behaviors of Isaac lend more doubts and red herrings. The relationships between the missing architect Daniel LeMaitre, the builder Lucas Caron, and his sister, hotel manager Cecile Caron, have plenty of shadows and questions to cast deep suspicions. Pearse does many things right in this story, from the characters, to the setting and its inherent dangers, to the timing of each twist and discovery.

The book reminded me of Ruth Ware’s last book, One by One, also set in a new, glamorous Swiss hotel during an avalanche. Cutting the protagonist off from any assistance, and putting the group of characters in a stressful situation with a killer on the loose is a useful device. While not as masterfully handled as Ware, I nonetheless believe you will enjoy this chilling (I had to use the pun!) mystery. Recommended.