Talk about slow burn! The first third of the book was extremely slow and didn't really have anything going on. The rest of the book was picking up the pace just a tad, but it at least kept my interest. Emily was a great character, and I really enjoyed her perspective of the trip. I was not a fan of the "supernatural" aspect. I feel the novel would have held up without it. Overall it was just an ok read for me. 

*Thank you @berkleypub for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

This one definitely kept me guessing for a while and I liked the way it all played out. The piece about the clock was a little strange but the setting was perfect for this story. I liked the main character, she was was resilient and had a strong moral compass. I was a bit frustrated when it seemed like justice would not be served but the ending made me feel better about the progression of the story and hinted outcome.

I really wanted to love this one, but it was unfortunately too slow moving and not to my taste. I liked the author’s voice and would take a chance on another book of hers; this one just didn’t do it for me. I did not post to my social media or recommend in a TV segment.

I was so excited for this new release, which follows an Oxford fellow named Emily. She has recently lost her husband and is battling grief when she gets an offer to attend a retreat in the French Alps.

It was a slow burn, but a bit too slow for me in the end. 

*many thanks to Berkley and Netgalley  for the gifted copy

If you’ve been following my reviews at all the last few years, you know I love a great isolated setting when I’m picking up a mystery/thriller read. Elliott transports readers to a rustic chalet in the Alps where transportation and interaction with locals is available only if you’re willing to walk to it. Mix that claustrophobic location with a group of friends and colleagues that have secrets to hide and you’ve got a formula for a great read! 

From the start of this story, the reader is introduced to Emily, our main character, whose current life is anything but perfect. Coming on the heels of losing her husband in a tragic accident, Emily has become paranoid she is being stalked following multiple burglary attempts. When she gets to the chalet she’s expecting some time to relax, but is thrown into a web of secrets and deceit that is bound to turn deadly. 

Elliott sets things up to slowly build in tension, while managing to keep the pacing moving forward at a medium rate. This isn’t a slow burn, but it’s also not an extremely fast-paced read. I loved the way small details were revealed to keep me guessing throughout my read of this book!

Highly recommend checking this one out for fans of locked room style mysteries!

A huge thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy!

A locked room mystery that had me intrigued from the beginning . It’s very atmospheric and I loved the full cast of characters and their development as the story progressed . I did figure it out early on though it didn’t make this any less enjoyable.

I picked this one up because it was academia-adjacent, and I do love a good dark academia thriller. It ended up being a bit different than most of the thrillers I read.

Emily is a recently widowed Oxford academic on retreat at a rustic (too rustic for me – it was without electricity or running water!) chateau in the French Alps. The day Emily is set to leave for her trip, she misses her flight and returns home to find a masked intruder, who flees. Emily is shaken (even more so after learning there was also a break-in at her office) but determined to make the journey. It’s an annual gathering of students and professors, though this is the first time she’s been invited. Once there Emily reconnects with friends and colleagues, among them Will, his partner Jana, and Peter, who worked closely with Emily’s late husband Nick. Emily also meets Mike, a Canadian colleague of Nick and Peter’s, and various students who’ve been invited to the retreat, including the vivacious Sofi, her closest friend, Julie, and James, who appears to be as total prick for no apparent reason.

The group settles in for the first night at the chateau but there’s an odd energy in the air. There’s a grandfather clock that ominously chimes at unexpected times. Emily is the recipient of an unexpected and unwelcome kiss. The next day, things get weirder; Emily realizes someone has searched her room. Glass fragments are found in her wineglass, luckily before she can drink from it. And then she stumbles on a shocking sexual liaison.

Eventually, one of the group goes missing and is found dead – murdered. I was a bit disappointed with the identity of the victim; it felt cliché and vaguely misogynistic (the sexy character always seems to be the first to go). As the group waits for clearance from the police to leave, suspicions are heightened and various people act out.

I say this felt a bit different than my usual thriller – it was a little less frenetic. There were twists, sure, but nothing too out of left field. There’s a mild paranormal element to Bright and Deadly Things that didn’t add much to the story for me. The chateau has suffered several fires over its long history, at strangely regular intervals. (It turns out that it’s due for the next one…right as the story takes place!) The grandfather clock looms over the house and the characters; there is a strong suggestion that it has an unhealthy influence towards reckless behavior, and the denizens of the chateau find that they all dream about the clock each night (which would be enough to weird me out). The weather and the isolation (the chateau can only be accessed by a tram up the mountain and then a walk down) also prey on the characters. Emily has to contend with 1) her suspicions that someone is searching for something related to her late husband’s research; 2) her fear that a killer is on the loose and 3) uncertainty about whether 1&2 are related or not.

I gave Bright and Deadly Things a B – I found the story and characterizations mundane, but the setting was interesting and the resolution to the mysteries was reasonably satisfying.

An enjoyable read, but nothing out of the ordinary.  Emily is newly widowed and decides that a trip away from all might in order.  She settles on the French Alps and winds up in a gorgeous place with very few conveniences - like electricity.  Before she leaves she has an occurrence at home which makes her a day late and is an indication of things to come.  There is a murder where she is a number of other circumstances to add to the mystery of the  book.

I could just about spank myself for letting this book sit on my shelf for way too long. 

Bright and Deadly Things easily slipped into my most favored book of 2023. 

WOW! 

This book was absolutely sensational! 

This weekend in NJ we had some pretty awful weather but if you like to look at the glass half full as I aspire to do, I turned this dreary weekend into a non stop binge fest with books that completely consumed every minute of my day. 

I had no clue what this book was going to be about when I had picked it up. I loved the cover, and to me, that can sometimes be enough. 

Well, it was more than enough! I sure know how to pick.a winner when I go with my gut instincts (or bright and shiny covers) 

There were SO many surprises within the pages of this book. I never once wanted to put this book down or even stop for a bathroom break. I could not get to the next chapter fast enough and the suspense had my brows sweating! I knew in my head I wanted to slow down and absorb every word but the storyline was so intense I just needed more more more! 

I devoured this book in one sitting and I don't have one regret...

Teaser:

A remote back-to-basics mountaintop retreat in the French Alps turns deadly as an Oxford fellow finds herself in the crosshairs of her late husband’s dangerous secrets.
 
The Chalet des Anglais should be the ideal locale for recently-widowed Oxford don Emily to begin cutting through the fog of her grief. With no electricity, running water, or access by car, the rustic chalet nestled at the foot of the verdant, snow-topped Alps should afford Emily both time and space to heal. Joining her will be a collection of friends from the university, as well as other fellows, graduates, and undergraduates.
 
Something feels off, though—heightening Emily’s existing grief-induced anxiety. Before even making it to the airport, she’s unnerved by a break-in at her home. Once at the chalet, tension amongst the guests is palpable. Her friends and colleagues are behaving oddly, and competition for a newly opened position has introduced a streak of meanness into the otherwise relaxing getaway. As hostilities grow, Emily begins to wonder if the chalet’s dark history has cast a shadow over the retreat. In the salon, a curious grandfather clock looms, the only piece of furniture to survive a deadly blaze a century ago. As its discordant bell begins to invade everyone’s dreams, someone very real has been searching through Emily’s things and attempting to hack into her computer.

When a student disappears, Emily realizes that she’d better separate friend from foe, and real from imagined—or the next disappearance may be her own

Bright and Deadly Things by Lexie Elliott is a slow burn thriller novel. The story in Bright and Deadly Things is sort of a locked room mystery or in this case a remote and atmospheric mountaintop retreat in the French Alps mystery.

Emily Rivers is a recent widow who has been invited to the Chalet des Anglais, a remote retreat in the French Alps. The trip doesn’t begin well for Emily with dealing with an intruder making her arrival to the retreat delayed. Once arriving though Emily quickly finds the tension among the guests and needs to determine who is actually a friend.

For this reviews I must do a play on the title of Bright and Deadly Things by Lexie Elliott with telling my bright side to the story and what for me became deadly as a reader. The bright spot of the story that kept me going was the setting that swept me into the eeriness and kept the pages turning. The deadly side that lowered my rating would be the pacing of this one, it was simply too slow moving for my taste with the pacing even feeling a bit off with some extremely slow times. Those that do enjoy a slow burn should feel much differently so I’d suggest giving this one a try!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was an addicting locked room mystery!! I was all for it. I loved this book and can't wait to read more books by this author in the future. I loved the atmospheric vibe of the book. This one kept me guessing the whole time.

Book: Bright and Deadly Things
Author: Lexie Elliott
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Pub Date: February 14, 2023

I had to DNF it. I started it several times and just could never get more than a few chapters in. Way to slow for me and I just never made a connection to the characters to care about them. 

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is February 14, 2023.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for access to this arc. 

 I picked this one up because it was academia-adjacent, and I do love a good dark academia thriller. It ended up being a bit different than most of the thrillers I read.

Emily is a recently widowed Oxford academic on retreat at a rustic (too rustic for me – it was without electricity or running water!) chateau in the French Alps. The day Emily is set to leave for her trip, she misses her flight and returns home to find a masked intruder, who flees. Emily is shaken (even more so after learning there was also a break-in at her office) but determined to make the journey. It’s an annual gathering of students and professors, though this is the first time she’s been invited. Once there Emily reconnects with friends and colleagues, among them Will, his partner Jana, and Peter, who worked closely with Emily’s late husband Nick. Emily also meets Mike, a Canadian colleague of Nick and Peter’s, and various students who’ve been invited to the retreat, including the vivacious Sofi, her closest friend, Julie, and James, who appears to be as total prick for no apparent reason.

The group settles in for the first night at the chateau but there’s an odd energy in the air. There’s a grandfather clock that ominously chimes at unexpected times. Emily is the recipient of an unexpected and unwelcome kiss. The next day, things get weirder; Emily realizes someone has searched her room. Glass fragments are found in her wineglass, luckily before she can drink from it. And then she stumbles on a shocking sexual liaison.

Eventually, one of the group goes missing and is found dead – murdered. I was a bit disappointed with the identity of the victim; it felt cliché and vaguely misogynistic (the sexy character always seems to be the first to go). As the group waits for clearance from the police to leave, suspicions are heightened and various people act out.

I say this felt a bit different than my usual thriller – it was a little less frenetic. There were twists, sure, but nothing too out of left field. There’s a mild paranormal element to Bright and Deadly Things that didn’t add much to the story for me. The chateau has suffered several fires over its long history, at strangely regular intervals. (It turns out that it’s due for the next one…right as the story takes place!) The grandfather clock looms over the house and the characters; there is a strong suggestion that it has an unhealthy influence towards reckless behavior, and the denizens of the chateau find that they all dream about the clock each night (which would be enough to weird me out). The weather and the isolation (the chateau can only be accessed by a tram up the mountain and then a walk down) also prey on the characters. Emily has to contend with 1) her suspicions that someone is searching for something related to her late husband’s research; 2) her fear that a killer is on the loose and 3) uncertainty about whether 1&2 are related or not.

I gave Bright and Deadly Things a B – I found the story and characterizations mundane, but the setting was interesting and the resolution to the mysteries was reasonably satisfying.

Bright and Deadly Things is an atmospheric and well written locked room thriller by Lexie Elliott. Released 14th Feb 2023 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 384 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is an engaging thriller with a strong (and never fully explored) paranormal element set in a remote and secluded chalet in the French Alps. A group of Oxford academics have gathered at the chalet, operated as a retreat by the university. Based on a factual retreat (blissfully free of malevolent grandfather clocks), it's a perfect setting for a creepy gothic locked room murder mystery thriller, and the author manages to get great mileage out of it. 

The author has a firm grasp of narrative tension and this is a prime example of mastery of setting and atmosphere. I was continually surprised and impressed by how darned *creepy* the book was without resorting to major jump scares, gore, or indeed anything explicit. The ensemble cast is an eclectic, disparate group, and the story is full of dread without anything specific happening in most of the first half of the book. 

There is one short and slightly explicit scene with sex in the book, but even that one is both integral to the plot and infused with a distinctly nightmarish quality, not titillating in the slightest.  The climax, denouement, and resolution are self contained in the story and were moderately satisfying. For fans of Ruth Ware and Valerie Keogh, this one will tick a lot of the same boxes. 

Four stars. Creepy and compelling.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A slow burning suspense of the locked room variety, this one started out really strong for me, but fizzled a bit at the half way point. I do think most seasoned crime fiction readers will figure out the big reveal well before intended, but the sense of place, atmosphere, and characterization are excellent and well developed. If you enjoy mysteries and do not mind the slow pacing, I’d recommend giving this one a try.

Quick and Dirty⁣
-locked room (kinda) murder mystery⁣
-dark academia⁣
-remote/isolated setting⁣
-creepy supernatural vibes⁣
⁣
Synopsis⁣
The emotional fog is finally starting to lift for Emily. Her husband's recent death derailed her momentarily, but she's finally getting her life and career back on track. Next stop, the Chalet des Anglais with a small group of fellow Oxford educators and students. This remote chalet in the French alps is as remote as they come, giving her and her fellow academics an opportunity to unplug, research, and relax. But things get off to a rocky start when Emily's home is broken into the night before she leaves for France. But trouble and tragedy seem to follow her. ⁣
⁣
Musings⁣
This was my first novel by this author, and hopefully, it will not be my last. I enjoyed this book from start to finish, finding it a super fast read that kept me engaged throughout. The author does a great job capturing the higher academia dynamics (I dated a Professor for many years), from the social hierarchies to the in-fighting/competition. The grief subplot was sort of lost in the suspense of the murder mystery, which I found a little disappointing. If ever there was a reason for a narrator to be unreliable it would be intense grief, so that seemed like a missed opportunity. What I did appreciate was that no one character was unreliable; they all were experiencing the same dreams and altered reality. Given the influence over the entire cast, I wanted a bit more of an explanation for the supernatural subplot. Overall, the suspense was there to keep this moving forward. I think anyone who enjoys dark academia will find this enjoyable.

If you’ve read anything by Lexie Elliot, then you know her talent of writing atmospheric stories that are pure escapism. You also know her ability to write groups of friends/colleagues who are all truly TERRIBLE to each other. 

Things I enjoyed:

▪️Emily- she was dealing with a truly insane set of circumstances and continually fought to rise above.

▪️The narration- while Fiona Hardingham takes on the majority of the narration, having a full cast of narrators worked so well! 

▪️The creepy grandfather clock- no spoilers I promise, but I would love to see a series of short stories of different groups dealing with that creepy clock. 

▪️I thought the author did a great job bringing the story home as there is a lot going on!

Things that didn’t quite work:

▪️The pacing wasn’t great. Bright and Deadly Things is a slow burn and then certain moments seemed rushed. 

Overall, this one fell a little bit flat for me, but I am still curious to see what Lexie Elliot does next!

Emily has been invited to spend a few weeks at the Chalet des Anglais, an Oxford-owned chalet in the French Alps, part of an exclusive group that includes friends and colleagues as well as a few undergrads. She’s recently widowed and hopes the break will help her move on from the fog of grief that’s kept her spellbound. But she soon finds an undercurrent of tension and dread, not to mention that competition for a newly-opened position is creating an undertow of unpleasantness amongst her closest friends and colleagues.

Things got off to a rocky start. First Emily missed her flight, then she returned home to interrupt an intruder in the act of ransacking her husband’s study. Even in France, her laptop is suspiciously warm to the touch, and she takes to hiding it under her mattress. The chalet itself has a dark history, with a grandfather clock that seems to brood over the gathering with an air of horror. It literally seems to bring out the worst in everyone.

When one of the undergrads is found dead, Emily finds herself in the position of not knowing who she can trust. Are old friends really all that they seem? Is the chalet as menacing as it feels?

I really enjoyed reading Bright and Deadly Things. Most of the narrative is told from Emily’s point of view, but we read occasional diary entries from other characters. Things build and build to a very satisfying denouement, that while I didn’t exactly see coming, fit in with the opinions I’d formed of the various characters. A great read! Highly recommended.

Emily is still grieving the death of her husband, on her way to a reading retreat in the Alps at the Chalet des Anglais when she interrupts a break-in at her house. It seems nothing has been taken, however, her husband’s office has been disturbed. Could his past research have been the target? Emily continues onto the chalet with lots of questions. 

At the chalet she’ll been meeting up with friends, but also colleagues of her departed husband. A very rustic location with no running water or electricity, it’s supposed to invigorate the mind, but tensions are high between the guests. Emily finds her things have been searched, most notably her dead husband’s old laptop and then a beautiful student with a controversial past goes missing.  Then there’s the old clock that survived a previous fire that unsettles everyone. Was there a bit of a paranormal aspect to it? Not sure. 

Bright and Deadly Things was an interesting, atmospheric mystery. Mostly told from Emily’s perspective you get the unease she feels and that builds as the story continues on. Emily suspects there’s something about her husband’s research at play but she’s not sure why it’s important or which of the guests could be responsible for her break-in and repeated attempts to access the computer. The missing student is whole other situation that I won’t spoil, but there are several potential suspects.

I enjoyed this story and was fully invested in the mystery. I like Emily a lot. There was an undercurrent of danger, and she didn’t know quite where it was coming from. She was very much the amateur detective searching for the truth, not knowing or being able to trust just about anyone staying at the chalet. There was also a bit of romance for Emily and I was completely on board for it. 

It is interesting to note that the Chalet des Anglais is an actual reading retreat the author attended, located in the alpine mountains, used by Oxford University since 1891. It sounded like a beautiful spot, but I’d be a little spooked visiting there after reading this!

Bright and Deadly Things is the latest release from Lexie Elliott, one of my go-to authors. I was so excited for this release and it did not disappoint.

This story follows Emily, an Oxford fellow, who recently lost her husband and is battling overwhelming grief. As she is getting her life back on track, she gets an offer to attend a retreat at the Chalet des Anglais in the French Alps.

This is a bit of a tradition for Oxford fellows and scholars. It's looked on as a 'reading week', where they can go and engage in any academic pursuit they so choose. They live in the Chalet together, drink, dine and engage in what are hoped to be enlightening discussions. Of course, when you get a bunch of adults living together under one roof, you're also sure to get a lot of drama.

Also attending are Emily's BFF, Jana, as well as other friends and coworkers of her and her late-husband's. There are also a few students, who although Emily doesn't know them personally, all seem interesting enough.
Most interesting is a girl named Sofi. The kind of girl who all eyes go to when she enters a room. She seems to be the black sheep of the bunch, but is sure to add some entertainment value and a bit of uncomfortablity.

Just prior to the trip, Emily walked in on an intruder who had broken into her house. Even though nothing was taken, she's left rattled by the encounter. Later she hears her office building was broken into as well. As her time in the French Alps begins, she cannot shake the feeling that someone is after her, or spying on her, or worse. Is it just nerves, brought on by grief and the break-ins, or is it something more?

Bright and Deadly Things had a great set-up. I really enjoyed meeting Emily and going on this journey with her. The rest of the cast were very intriguing as well. When it starts to feel like someone is after her, messing with her really, I suspected everyone of having it in for Emily. I really couldn't suss out who could be behind the mysterious occurrences. I also considered a Murder on the Orient Express scenario; that's how well Elliott disguised the truth behind what was happening.

You might be wondering, what is the actual mystery here, is there a murder, etc. I don't want to go into any of that specifically, as I feel it's best to go into this one knowing as little as possible. I will say that it is a whole host of things that contribute to a general overriding feeling of dread and anxiety. Here they are at this very remote location, cut off from the world with no phones, wifi, or even electricity. Tensions run high in a competitive academic environment and feelings, amongst other things, are bound to get hurt.

I was really feeling for Emily. A lot of the things happening to her are quite scary. I don't know what I would have done in her shoes; probably would have just kicked some butt and asked questions later.

One of my favorite things about Elliott's writing is her deep sense of place. You always know where her stories are set, the environment, local area, vibe, etc. All these aspects are an important part of her storytelling and I love that. Honestly, I always want that. I want to be able to feel like I am there too, right along with the characters, no matter what they are going through.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable reading experience for me. I always enjoy Lexie Elliott's writing style. Her sense of place, character work and slow-burn suspense is very well suited to my tastes.

I was pulled into this one from the beginning. I was invested all the way. Elliott kept me in the dark enough to keep me engaged and guessing throughout. I also liked the light 'is it supernatural, is it not supernatural' vibes. 
The setting and academic atmosphere were great as well. This takes dark academia on a bit of a field trip.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can't wait to see where Lexie Elliott takes us next!