A review by what_heather_loves
The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

"Here's something that surprises me: you'd think that fact that I can't control what happens up at Dark Fell Barn tonight would drive me crazy after all my painstaking planning, but it's exciting me, making me feel like I'm alive and reassuring me that I can feel something again. It's how I know I'm doing the right thing." Present day North Northumberland and three friends have come to stay for a long weekend at remote Dark Fell Barn. Their husbands were supposed to be with them, but are all suddenly busy, arriving the following day. First the reader meets the elderly farmer and his wife who are renting out the barn, John (suffering with dementia) and Maggie (trying her best to care for him and keep their beloved farm going). Then the reader meets the three friends, capable ex-military Jayne but who has experienced traumas, struggling new mum and GP Ruth, and younger, naive and newly married, Emily. There's a devastating letter waiting them on their arrival seemingly from an absent friend, beautiful and charismatic Edie, informing them "by the time you read this, I'll have killed one of your husbands". Events spiral from there as bad weather isolates them further and they wonder if they can trust one another. Wow, this book is gripping and has a number of twists and turns! It's definitely one of those books to stay up late reading, to find out what happens. There are narratives from a number of characters, including the unknown killer. Without giving away any spoilers, some of the narrators are definitely unreliable. I enjoyed the farm owners' perspectives, understanding their situation, as well as getting to know the three women, who were a tight-knit group, but already struggling in their own and different ways before their arrival at Dark Fell Barn. I can see how some readers may find the different narratives confusing, but feel this is deliberate, so, like the characters, the reader doesn't know who to trust. Pacy, tense and atmospheric, this is a must-read for claustrophobic thriller fans.
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