The Woman on the Cliff is a solid mystery novel. It’s a who-dun-it, full of past regrets, politics and things left unsaid. It progresses at a steady pace, flicking between present day and the past, as it unravels the mysterious circumstances surrounding a student’s death and the lasting impact it has had on her housemates, even years later.

The plot was good: the switch between the two time zones helped create the tension, building suspense as facts are hinted at in one time-zone and then explored in more depth in the other. The murder is introduced before you get to know any of the characters or their relationships, which works effectively to keep pointing the finger at different people as various events unfold.

There’s a handful of characters that make up the plot. Due to the split narration, however, it feels like there are more. Ros as a student is a bit of a push-over: she meets a forceful friend at a vulnerable moment and spends half the book defending Elspeth, even when she knows it’s not right. But Ros as an adult – a mother, a widow and a woman haunted by her past – is a much stronger character. You see Ros grow as the novel progresses: she makes her own decisions and won’t let the matter drop, even when it becomes clear the threat could get personal if she pursues the inquiry into her house-mate’s death.

There doesn’t need to be a reason, I think. In my mind I have a vision of a universe that is morally bankrupt, where money and the promise of a comfortable life outweigh the value of a single human life.

Innes plays a crucial role in the book but never becomes the lead: that part belongs purely to Ros. In the past, Innes is overlooked, with very little page time. In the present day, he knows to ask the right questions to give Ros the chance to really step up. He’s a great supportive character and I loved that he doesn’t become more than that.

The crux of the book for me was Ros and her friendships – both past and present. I won’t delve into them too much here for fear of spoilers – there are some strong characters and you get a sense from them early on whether they’re as innocent or, indeed, guilty as Ros believes.

The pacing remains steady throughout the book with a few key events helping to spike the tension: believing Innes is a liar, the attack on Ros’ daughter but, just as importantly, Ros learning who she can trust and making decisions long overdue. There is a lot of misdirection and I had no idea who I thought was the murderer: some candidates were too obvious to truly believe it would be that simple.

Talking of which, there were some components that I wasn’t certain were entirely clarified or where they fitted in. The potentially corrupt policeman and his new life in America. Some of the political ramifications of what occurred… But that could be I missed details because the politics (thankfully, not a big part of the book) went over my head a little.

A thoroughly enjoyable mystery that was a really satisfying read. Definitely a recommendation!

An interesting read, although the suspense was slow to build. I was not a huge fan of the writing, which was very to the point, but the characters were engaging and well-developed. While it was a good book, I felt that it was not incredibly unique as far as mystery novels go.

I enjoyed this book which involved a murdered woman and a man who hanged himself leaving a suicide note.  Thirty years pass before the policeman at the time Innes Nevin meets up with Ros Maitland who was one of the women who lived in the house where the murdered Moira lived and together they re-investigate the case.

This is a brilliant new standalone book by Janice, which made for an interesting read. 
The book is told from Ros' point of view and switches from 1988 to 2018 as we discover what happened to her housemate all that time ago when they shared a house at Universtiy.
Originally back in 1988 someone admitted to killing Moira, and then killed himself, but was this true? In present day Ros isn't too sure and we follow her as she arrives at this view point.
The book has a lot of twists in it, both in the past and present day aspects, which kept me guessing throughout
I really liked the two main characters as they investigated what had happened and we got to know the back story in a very unique way throughout the book.

Thank you Netgalley for the copy in return for my honest review.

Well let me just say this book is a gooder. Definitely a gripping thriller with that plenty of twist and turns, the suspense was just enough, not over done and kept me wanting more throughout. Excellent setting, characters were well developed, the plot (well you’ll understand) and the final conclusion... I will just leave it at that! 
Wow

An exciting read.I enjoyed reading this book it was different from this authors usual stories. It kept me gripped till the end and was not expecting the twists in the plot.

This is a solidly written novel with characters that really stand out. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader glued to the pages.

The Woman on the Cliff was a well written crime/mystery novel, abeit with a slightly unrealistic ending. What I did like, apart from the twists and turns, was the character development and the relationship between Ros and Innes.

An enjoyable read set between the time of an unsolved murder of a university student and the revisiting of the crime some years on. The character development was good especially between the retired detective and the main female character. It came to an interesting end and I enjoyed it.

Interesting story! .  Well-written mystery with a cold case that is reopened.  Lots of twists and turns that will keep you turning pages.

When Ros' daughter Izzy wants to go to university in St Andrews as Ros did. It seems that the past is coming back to haunt her. When Ros was in university one of her house mates was murdered and now the young policeman who was helping investigate the murder is walking towards her on the beach.
What a great read I found this book hard to put down and wasn't disappointed with the ending. Definitely 5 stars.

In 1988 a young college student is murdered and one of the men she had a relationship with commits suicide leaving a note confessing to her murder. The murder has haunted the young policeman who was part of the initial investigation and the women who were her roommates. Years later a chance encounter between Innes Nevin (the policeman) and Roz Maitland (one of the roommates) prompts them to start asking questions and reinvestigating the murder. 

The story is told through flashbacks between the past and the present which is interesting because it gives a sense of the relationships between the five women. The motive for the murder seemed a bit farfetched to me and left me feeling a bit disappointed because I didn’t feel that all my questions were answered in enough detail.

1988. Five students at St. Andrews University share a house. It is clear that the five girls don't all get along and that there are some tensions and disputes. But then Moira,a stunning,clever and a very confident girl is found murdered on a cliff path. Her boyfriend is charged with the murder but before the police can arrest him,he commits suicide leaving a note saying he killed her.
30 years later,Roz,one of those students returns to St. Andrews accompanying her daughter who is ready to start her studies. Roz meets Innes Nevin, one of the policeman of the original investigation. The murder of Moira has left a deep impact on him. He was never completely convinced of the culpability of the boyfriend. And very slowly they try to discover the truth behind this horrendous crime.
This is an easy reads that keeps your attention (perfect for a flight where you sit between a snoring bloke and a grumpy teenager) right until the denouement .Then the story becomes a bit messy,confusing and goes definitely over the top. And the explanations are not exactly crystal clear and satisfying. Pity...

The author wrote a thriller that started with a bang and just kept going!  The twists kept coming, so I couldn't put it down.  I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Definitely an enjoyable read.  A bit of an unrealistic ending, but otherwise a solid mystery /suspense novel.  Not five stars, but still excellent and engaging.

Another excellent story from this author although away from her Neal and Merry detective series. Five young female students share a house in St Andrews, disparate characters that rub along ok most of the time. One, Moira, is then murdered and, a few days later, an ex boyfriend commits suicide leaving a note admitting to the murder. The story then moves forward 25 or so years with one of the students, Ros, now bringing her daughter to University. Whilst walking along the beach feeling somewhat bereft having left her daughter, she crosses paths with the detective, Innes, who found the murdered girl and who has never really come to terms with the violence of the crime and the rapidity with which it was solved, it being his first murder case.  They have coffee, talk about old times and he shares his discomfort about the case with her. This leads to their working together unravelling the lives of the students and friends/lovers of the past as well as developing their own relationship. Both are widowed and both have had to come to terms with violent deaths - Innes through work and Ros her husband, The past and present characters are well-drawn and complex; their equally complex relationships all contribute to the twists and turns in the story - from naivety, jealousy and greed to insecurity and passion. Bring in politics, students and academic life of the 1980s and this all leads to a thoroughly good read, The author also has an excellent sense of place - you can feel the wind on the cliffs near Innes' cottage, you can see the student house of the 1980s - more like this please. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffee Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

After reading some other books by this author I was expecting great things and I was not disappointed at all! In 1988 Ros is a student at St. Andrews University. After an unhappy first year she makes a new friend in Elspeth and things start to look up. They find a house to share, along with three other girls. Moira, Lucy and Shona, and get on with student life. One day two policeman, CID Detective John Menzies and uniformed constable Innes Nevin, show up at their house and announce that Moira has been murdered, her body found on a cliff top path. A few days later an ex-boyfriend of hers, Stuart Brogan, is found hanged with a suicide note confessing to her murder. Investigation closed. Thirty years later this all seems a distant memory overshadowed by the rest of life's events. Ros is a widow living in London with one daughter, Izzy. The story starts with their journey up to Scotland where Izzy has taken up a place at her mother's old university. In the intervening years Innes Nevin has risen through the police ranks and has finally retired after thirty years' service. However there has always been one case that has niggled at him as being closed too swiftly, and he is already considering mounting his own investigation when he unexpectedly runs into Ros. Together they form a plan to revisit old friends and with some alarming new evidence that surfaces they start to dig into the past with alarming consequences. The author teases us, revealing little pieces of the back story as the chapters alternate between the past and the present day. What you think is clear cut at the start of the book becomes very murky as the story progresses and the reader learns some disturbing truths about relationships in that house before Moira's death. This story is a great mystery story, with lots of twists but the big question is will the truth ever be revealed? A clever plot and highly recommended.

A perfect stand alone crime thriller!
5 young women lodged together on a collage trip in the 80's. Some of the women got along, some didn't
 Then one of them is found dead. A friend of one of the women commits suicide with a note in his pocket confessing to the murder. 
Decades later one of the women is taunted and wants to find out the truth......
This book is addictive and full of twists. An enjoyable read while curled up on the sofa with a hot cup of coffie!!

I found it a very difficult story to get into, but well worth persevering with as the story progressed I found it more and more interesting and a good read..

I picked up this book due to the intrigue in the tale. An incident which happened 30 years ago and its effects felt till today. Moira was found dead on the cliff top in 1988, and her alleged murderer committed suicide with a confession note. She stayed with Roz and 3 other girls, and her death affected them all.

In the present time, Roz's daughter had joined the same college and was attacked by a random stranger. Roz met the ex-cop Innes Nevin who had investigated Moira's murder and soon realized the wrong man had been framed, and probably the murderer was someone she had known.

Author Janice Frost has written a solid murder investigation, the old fashioned sleuthing, which depended completely on intelligence and asking the right questions, getting the stories straight even after 30 years. There were no gadgetry or forensics involved. I liked that body language and instinct played a huge part.

Innes and Roz made a good team. The other friends added to the layers of this mystery as memories unfolded and the dirty truths revealed. The story was told in dual timelines. Romance between the two was sweet and kept to a minimum with more focus on the past and murder. I liked that.

The only niggle which hit me was there were no headings to the chapter, and since the characters were the same in both the timelines, I was confused about the time frame till I read down the page.

Janice's writing kept me hooked to the murder mystery. It was clean and focused. Overall, a fun read.