The Holiday

THE HOLIDAY, a smooth, placid, unsuspecting water that turns to tsunami in the end. DON'T READ THIS BOOK UNLESS YOU HAVE TIME ON HAND...!!! Four best friends, KATE, ROWAN, JENNIFER & ISOBEL. Friends for more than half their lives decides a long awaited get together, a week long HOLIDAY, in a sprawling French villa, in south of France, with their families this time round. What was suppose to be a perfect holiday for KATE and her friends slowly begins to unfold into a spiraling whirlpool of deceit, ugly secrets, rage and death, with KATE discovering on the very first evening that her husband is having an affair... with one her best friends. Twelve people (young and old, children and adults) in one big palatial French villa, for one week, holding back dark secrets threatening to put everything at stake for four best friends, threatening their life long friendship, resulting into..... a murder. And one of them is a killer. What a roller coaster ride this. Not a dull moment. None. Outstanding characterisation, absolutely brilliant. Flawless writing at a neck break speed. And a plot that will keep you guessing till the very end (that is if you still manage to hold on to the edge of your seat.) You can't stop but to feel the shades of AGATHA CHRISTIE somewhere in the climax or at the beginning of it. Not the writing style, not the story, not in anything in particular. But it's just there, that feeling. Jus for a brief moment. T M LOGAN has done it again with this GEM, for the third time. Trust me guys when I say this, LOGAN is here to stay. And stay for a long time. WHAT A BREEZY READ...!!! WHAT A WRITER...!!!

It's a very thrilling story. Till the end the reader can't guess what's happening and what's the matter. It engages whole the time with suspicion.

For almost the entire book, I was led down the path of the cheating friend & husband story. I thought to myself – this is the oldest story in the book, I can’t believe that I’m reading this – but then the last 20% happened and WOW the twists and turns started and jerked me around until the big reveals at the end. My favorite quotes: “It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” This book is about family, friendship, marriage, motherhood, mental health, murder, social media, betrayal, lies and secrets. The story is a slow burn to start, but I loved the surprises and how this book turned out nothing like it seemed. I wish that the plot twist at the end started earlier in the book, but maybe I just need to go back and re-read the clues.

Two stars or three? I'm not sure! Didn't like any of the charcters much, and the same goes for the ending too. I kinda felt lost here and there, and was struggling to finish the chapters. I won't recommend it.

It will keep you hooked till very last word of the novel. Specially the ending ,I bet no one will have what to expect.

Written in a very engaging style. A good set of characters. You can guess but you may be wrong. I found the narrative very compelling. The settings are described well. Good depth provided to most of the characters.

A very good read . You keep suspecting everyone all along. Worth buying.

Interesting with layers and layers of mystery, doubts and suspicions. Unpredictable until end . The story evolves well and keeps the interest riveted till the last page.

T M Logan's third novel takes place in a villa in the south of France – the perfect setting for a scorching thriller full of simmering tension and heated emotions. Four best friends, and their families, head to Provence to spend a week together to celebrate turning forty. Four friends who share a history, share memories and with whom they share all their secrets. Or do they? What happens when you go away with a group of people you think you know, only too find you don’t know them at all? I’ll tell you what happens – you get an absolutely compelling, page turning read that forces you to constantly reassess your opinion of each character and then constantly surprises or shocks you with the secrets these characters might be trying to hide from each other! The Holiday is the perfect addition to any suitcase this summer! It's pace is well judged, it's a scenario that's relatable, the characters are easy to identify with and feel empathy towards, and a plot which leads you down one path but then takes you towards at a totally unexpected destination. I was really impressed with Logan’s clever and complex plot; it continued to keep me gripped until the very last page. The last third of the novel is absolutely heart stopping and the tension soars to such a high degree, it smashes any heat wave recorded this year! The main character is Kate and we spend most of the novel with her. She uncovers something very unsettling as soon as she arrives at the villa and this sets up an atmosphere of unease, suspicion and threat from the outset. I found Kate authentic and believable, and was impressed with Logan’s creation of such a convincing female voice. As the novel develops, we quickly realise that it’s not only Kate who is grappling with problems preventing her from enjoying the break. Each of the four friends have things from the past – and the present - that they are trying to keep from bubbling towards the surface. Initially it looks as if this is a story about an affair and a breakdown between a couple, but the longer the group spend together, the more we learn about the the other characters. Soon it's clear that they are all flawed, all suffering and all trying to maintain a façade to protect themselves or their children. Each of the four friends is well crafted, with snapshots from some of the husbands to help show further insight or observations about what is happening at the villa. I loved how curious I was to find out more about each of the women, their relationships with each other, their motivations, fears and dilemmas. There are some powerful scenes, some emotive issues raised and basically, well, it's just a fabulous read with a cast of fantastic characters and such a dramatic finale that nothing - not even a crisp, cool glass of wine - will be able to distract you from finishing it! I was hugely impressed with the depth and interweaving plot lines, how expertly Logan handles the multiple threads and how well he captures the range of relationships and dynamics between the families, friends, husbands, wives and children. The dialogue between the teenagers is particularly strong and the way their problems, concerns and secrets wriggle their way into the forefront of the story is really clever. It really is a terrific read and an exceptionally well executed thriller. I definitely recommend this tense, compelling thriller about families, friendships, secrets and lies. Whether you are on holiday or not this summer, make sure this book is on your shopping list for travel essentials!

Ein sehr guter Logan! Ich habe das Buch verschlungen!

Great mystery/thriller:) Hooked me from first page 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Ce livre m'a plu bien que un peu lent. Ce n'est que dans les deux derniers chapitres que les choses se précipitent.

la suspense tout au longue du livre avec une tournure pas du tout prévue jusqu'à la dernière page. Merci pour cette bonne lecture et bon moment.