Mallory is a former detective who moves to an island to serve as a night guard for a luxury hotel. There, she ends up trapped as a serial killer free from prison takes revenge on people from her past. I enjoyed this book, but found it to be a little slow for my taste.

DNF @ 39-40%. I am getting a little bit tired of reading books where people are cut off from the world while being picked off one by one. It has been done so, so many times in the past that it's old now. I really did like Mallory's story, how she went from being a retired police officer recovering from terrible injuries and being forced to shift careers only to get stuck in a situation that basically no one can relate to. This aspect of the story is handled well, is very detailed, and is engaging. There are some good spooky, macabre atmospheric descriptions that I liked, too, but unfortunately, I didn't find myself connected to the rest of the story as a whole and didn't really care to finish this book to see where it would wind up. It makes it less compelling when there are literal murderers staying at the same hotel! Misdirection, or is the answer already spelled out? I don't want to know, honestly.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Ward, and Canelo for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for me reveiw.

This book kept me entertained throughout & I was waiting to see what was going to happen! I would definitely read another book by this author!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this ARC.
I enjoyed this book and the story line.
I think it was well written and well set out.
This is my first title by this author and will read more in the future.
4/5 stars.
Thanks again

This is a really atmospheric lock down mystery set on a Welsh Island, just off the coast. I found the storm conditions to create the 'lockdown' situation rather contrived and that annoyed me somewhat. However, if you view reading this as a more modern day 'Agatha Christie' (ie unrealistic and contrived) type of experience, then you just take those matters as given and enjoy the read.
There are many twists and turns which should keep many readers guessing but another comment would be that I felt that there were not quite enough guests/characters for us to put in the mix and consider as suspects. Once you took out the children, detective and staff, there were just not quite enough other options.

This was a great contemporary take on a Christie-style mystery.
I've read a few books recently that have a mix of characters all trapped in a location with a murder or murders but I've enjoyed this book more than the rest. Ward's writing style makes it an easy read and the plot raced along. I liked the lead character - Mallory Dawson, a former Met detective. The setting is a hotel on an island off the welsh coast and it would be giving nothing away to say that the plot relies on the island being cut off from the mainland due to 'inclement' weather - but what might be seen as a cliche does nothing to detract from the story. What might start out as a mystery becomes more of a thriller as the main character has a race against time to stop the body count rising. There are hints of supernatural elements and a satisfying conclusion.
Pleased to see that this is the start of a series.

If you're seeking a captivating crime fiction series, look no further!

Meet Mallory Dawson, a former Met detective forced to retire after being stabbed while apprehending a criminal in London. Divorced and with a teenage son, she starts a new job as a night manager/security guard at a remote boutique hotel on a storm-ridden island off the coast of Wales.

The Cloister Hotel, once a convent, adds to the atmospheric setting with its own ghostly legend. The isolated island houses only the hotel, outbuildings, and a mausoleum.

Night manager at an offseason hotel is the new job for Mallory, an ex-cop with an injury that keeps her off her chosen profession. That’s not to say that those skills don’t come in handy when a series of deaths occur after she arrives at the island where this hotel is located. All that geography adds to the Agatha Christie type mystery that becomes more exciting when a mega storm arrives and all the “suspects” are stranded.  
   The question is who is /what was the Birthday Girl and how do you win that title? It comes with a macabre story that unfolds slowly as all mysteries should.
   An exciting murder mystery to be absorbed in while you imagine the wind whistling through the trees, the rain pelting down and awaiting the next victim.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunty to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is the first book I have by this author, I found it enjoyable. I thought parts of thwe story dragged but maybe I was just anxious to know more. This is the first book in the Mallory Dawson series. I think it has great potential but hope to learn more about Mallory in subsequent books, as I felt we learned very little about her personally.

Mallory being injured on the job, has been medicaly retired from the police force. She is looking for work while she recovers and decides on a hotel security job on a secluded island, time to get away and recover mentally and physically. That is not meant to be as the first dead body appears in her first few says and then the island gets completely cut off by a terrible storm. She is left in charge of the hotel guests and two staff members, but then the bodies start to pile up and Mallory, with the assistance of Michael, a guest who is a doctor, she discovers that the dead have been poisoned. This eventually leads her to believe that the infamous "Birthday Girl:" is on the island with them and exacting revenge on the guests. Everyone knows the story of Byrony Clive, an eleven year old who poisoned all of her birthday guests, but which ofthr guests is she. Will more die before they are rescued, will Mallory discover who the killer is.

I will definitely check out more book sin this series.

This is one of my favorite kinds of mystery thrillers - a group of people cut off from the world and people dying one by one with no clue who the killer is or who will be next. The storm also added to the atmosphere. I think perhaps there were a few too many characters to keep track of, but overall this was a fun, fast-paced read. 4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was published on April 6, 2023.

The Birthday Girl by Sarah Ward -4 /5

Available for purchase at Barnes and Nobles, amazon, KOBO, and Bookshop.

General Fiction - Mystery & Thrillers

I love a good mystery & thriller novel that truly sets me on edge. The characters and suspense can make or break a story and this one did not disappoint. I loved following the characters throughout the story and putting together little pieces of information that just throw you for a loop. Birthday Girl comes full circle will all a great story needs to grasp the attention of the readers, a story I couldn't recommend enough.

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo for the eARC.

The Cloisters is a very upmarket hotel set on a Welsh island just off Tenby. Mallory Dawson is recently retired from the police & is still recovering from injuries sustained in the line of duty. She applies for the post of night manager. There are not many guests as the season is close to it's end. Just as she is settling into her new role the receptionist is suddenly taken ill & dies. The manager goes away with the body & Mallory tries to carry on as if nothing is wrong. However people begin to feel slightly unwell- including her. A storm brews up, the island is cut off & then someone else dies. There are interruptions to the general narrative as someone talks of their fascination for poisons. There are also pointers to a child killer who murdered friends at her birthday party. Having been given a new identity & cut off Mallory strives to find out who she is before more bodies mount up!

I'm a bit of a sucker for murders on cut off locations, so I was attracted to this book. It was a good read that kept me guessing. I liked Mallory & look forward to reading more about her. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

This book wasn't for me. The locked room mystery was just a bit boring and I was excited to get back into it. The scene setting is done well but it wasn't enough to keep me hooked so I ended up DNF.

Fantastic story.
Such a great book. I loved Mallory and the way she thinks. I loved the storyline and the ending.

This book was so gripping and was full of twists and turns until the very end.

On the blurb of the book we are given the three potential suspects who are Mona, Charlotte and Beth. These 3 characters are all guests at The Cloister Hotel. The story is told from the perspective of Mallory and the 3 suspects. I liked how the chapters of the 3 suspects always started with the same sentence each time.

I found that it was so good that the book had you guessing the whole way through and that you didn’t know who the killer was until the very last minute. It really kept me hooked.

Mallory was such a great character and I can’t wait to see how she is developed as the series continues. I would also love to see more of Elsa as the series carries on.

The setting of Eldey and The Cloister Hotel were described so well and very vivid which helped to visualise the isolated setting.

I love the short chapters and found that it was such a quick read.

Thank you so much to Tandem Collective Uk for allowing me to take part in this readalong and thank you Sarah Ward, Canelo and Tandem Collective UK for the #gifted copy of this book. Also thank you to NetGalley for the ebook copy.

I love Sarah Ward's series featuring DC Connie Childs and also the novels she has written under the name Rhiannon Ward so was looking forward to reading The Birthday Girl.
It's set in a hotel called The Cloister, on Eldey island, off the Pembrokeshire coast. Mallory Dawson arrives as the new night manager just as a storm is approaching the island and a staff member dies from suspected food poisoning. We learn early on that a convicted killer called The Birthday Girl is one of the guests and this sets up the suspense from the beginning.
It's a beautifully atmospheric novel and the hotel and island setting is well drawn. I liked the characterisation, although working out who individual characters were was initially confusing. I did find it a little too simply written and I'm not overly keen on locked room mysteries, so for me this was not hugely original or as compelling as the author's previous work.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I enjoyed this atmospheric mystery. Everything from the characters to the setting were really well done and kept me guessing the whole time.

Okay, my friends, this one was interesting.

It was definitely the first of a series as Ward took time to help us get to know the main character, Mallory Dawson in a way you might not of if it were simply a stand alone mystery.

Mallory is a detective who has been newly relieved of duty due to medical reasons. As the story goes on, we get bird crumbs of her back story, her character, the way she thinks and how she processes what's going on around her. As you can imagine, once a detective, always a detective.

She takes a new job on Eldey island providing security and night management for an elite hotel. It doesn't take long for things to go really wrong. What ensues is a dangerous locked door mystery. If that's your jam, then I think you'll enjoy this book.

The only thing that felt a little off was how quickly Dawson's character made the connection between the murders (spoiler, there are murders at the hotel) and a recently released from prison serial killer known by the moniker of the Birthday Girl. Otherwise, I felt like the story was crafted quite well. Everyone at the hotel felt like a potential victim and the potential criminal. Even once Dawson had narrowed it down to three suspects, I had a hard time deciding whodunnit, so to speak.

The island setting was atmospheric and spooky and lent a perfect backdrop to the locked door nature of it all. While there were multiple characters - and multiple POV for the story - it never felt overwhelming or convoluted. I can't say I liked the characters, as some were really unlikeable, but they each added something to the story. There is one supporting character I especially liked and I hope we get to see some. more of him in subsequent novels in the series.

This is my first novel by Sarah Ward but likely won't be my last. If you like an Agatha Christie type feel to your mysteries, I'd suggest you give this one a go because it has that in spades.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my e arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Birthday Girl encapsulates everything that I love about Sarah's books.
It's fast paced, twisty and nail biting. It's a locked room mystery that you won't want to put down!

** ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

An entertaining suspenseful triller. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the remote island setting, which added an extra layer of tension to the story. It reminded me of "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the end. If you're a fan of psychological mystery thrillers, definitely give this one a go. This is the first book in the Mallory Dawson series and i am looking forward to the second book.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.