In the start of a new series, Sarah Ward takes readers to a luxury hotel on a rugged, isolated Welsh island, where an ex-detective, still recovering from the knife wound that ended her police career, has taken a job as a night manager, keeping guests safe. Bad timing: one of the newly-arriving guests is a cold-blooded serial killer, When one of the guests dies after apparently recognizing another of them, Mallory Dawson figures out that she was the only surviving victim of the "birthday girl," who years earlier poisoned all of the girls who came to her party. But which one is it? There are several plausible suspects, but the number dwindles as, one after another, poisoning continues.

There are definite Agatha Christie vibes here, as well as an overall gothic feel, with the rugged island, once a cloister for nuns, cut off by a bad storm. The plot is nicely tangled and the tension ratcheted up along with the characters' anxiety. Yes, it's all pretty implausible, but it makes for an entertaining thriller that's also a palimsest of crime fiction classics, written by someone who knows her genre.

A fantastic read! What a perfect setting for a thriller, an isolated island in a storm - this creates some amazing tension and it helps create a feeling of claustrophobia and anxiety. The story is beautifully plotted, very suspenseful with twists galore. The characters are beautifully drawn and complex to keep you guessing to everyone’s motivations. A real page turner highly recommend!

This was fine, but personally nothing to write home about. The writing didn't stand out to me and the plot premise, while exciting on paper, ended up being just okay. I'm sure there will be thriller readers who will enjoy this one, though, so keep an eye out for this book.

The Birthday Girl by Sarah Ward was quite the read - I finished this book in no time! It will be available from the 6th of April.

A remote island hotel;
a strange combination of guests;
guests dying in suspicious circumstances;
a killer who killed her friends at her eleventh birthday party;
has she returned?

That is the story and the setup of this thriller. The story is well written and executed perfectly. You do get the uneasy feeling of being stranded in this island during an awful storm, cut off from the outside world, having to rely on a , cripple, ex-cop. This book is suspenseful with great twists that keep you glued to the pages and makes you want to keep reading until the early hours.
The characters are great and you get to know them well enough to understand their motives and their attitudes.

A great recommendation!

5/5⭐

A very promising start to a new series from the excellent Sarah Ward. Set on an island off the coast of Wales during a period of stormy weather and with all communications down, this is a gripping, tense and atmospheric novel which delivers stunning revelations at every turn. Mallory Dawson was a cop but is now managing a hotel on this remote island; a number of women are staying at the hotel, one of whom killed several of her childhood friends. The task confronting Mallory is to find out which, and try to prevent further carnage. Brilliant!

From the beginning I could not get into this book. There are so many characters to keep up with right from the start. At no point was I shocked or surprised, I was bored throughout the entire book.

The Birthday Girl by Sarah Ward is a totally gripping psychological thriller that will have you turning the pages well into the night!
The storyline was very interesting, it sucked me in and had me glued to my Kindle.
The plot and characters were really good.
It's smart, dizzyingly twisty, well-plotted, resonant, and just wonderfully written.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Canelo for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Wow! What an absolute corker! Fantastic characters, very well written and a good amount of creepiness and threat, I can't wait for the next in the series with Mallory Dawson, well done Sarah

This book has a feeling of the great Agatha Christy novel: interesting set of characters on a isolated Welsh island. I enjoyed getting to know the main character: Mallory Dawson - the new night manager at a boutique hotel and former detective. I was intrigued from the beginning and was taken for a fun ride.
Looking forward to next books in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo for allowing me to read and give an honest review of this publication.

Medically retired detective Mallory Dawson is just beginning a brand new job as night manager for a remote hotel located on a Welsh island when a massive storm prevents guests and staff from leaving. By the end of the first night, Mallory already has two dead bodies on her hands, and with a little research she learns that all guests are not who they say they are: one of them was found guilty of poisoning and killing almost all of her guests at her 11th birthday party, and it seems as though she has come back to finish what she started.

This book was reminiscent of Lucy Foley's " The Guest List" in terms of setting and multiple POVs. Most of the story is told through Mallory's POV, but we get a handful of chapters from the three women suspected of being "The Birthday Girl".

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. Mallory was certainly a likable MC and I absolutely loved the setting. It was a bit of a slow start but once the body count started, I was hooked. However, I'm rating this a 3.5 star read (rounded up to 4), and that's only because I feel like the suspense was REALLY building but then the moment we finally discover who the killer is, it just... fell a little flat? Of course this is personal opinion so others may have loved how this scene played out, but I guess I just wanted a little more *bang* when we finally got an answer.

It appears as though there will be more books in the Mallory Dawson universe and it's likely I'll read the next one as I did like the overall pacing and characters.

Thank you to NetGalley & Canelo for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a simple story with at times far fetched storylines! I thought the way they with the dead bodies was a little silly and found it lacking in depth! That said I read it all and did find myself wanting to know who The Birthday Girl was

Eldey, a secluded Welsh cliffside island, is the scene for this fast-paced whodunit by Sarah Ward.

Welcome to the newly renovated Cloister hotel, with it’s rich religious history as a convent and the famous death of a poisoned young Anglican nun.

Mallory Dawson, a medically retired detective, is the new night manager. Her first days on the job prove to be unexpectedly wrought with a body count that continues to grow, and amidst the battering winds and rains of Storm Ettie, the occupants and staff of the Cloister hotel are trapped and unreachable for the next few days.

Mallory, with a little help, has her sights set on three possible suspects.

Mona, the first to check into the Cloister, is an artist looking to work on her illustrations of the local flora and fauna of the island.

Beth, on a weekend get away with her husband and her toddler daughter, Edith.

Charlotte, who was expecting a romantic getaway with her husband, but the weekend turned into a trio with her stepdaughter Julia in tow.

It’s up to Mallory to figure out who the killer, known as The Birthday Girl, is before another victim is found, or even worse, the killer sets their sights on her.

***I would like to thank NetGalley and Canelo publishing for the advanced copy of The Birthday Girl, and for the opportunity to review my first, definitely not my last, Sarah Ward novel. This review is my opinions and is unbiased.***

Mallory is a former cop injured in the line of duty and unable to return. She takes on a temporary job at a remote hotel while she figures out what she will do next career wise.

Unbeknownst to Mallory a killer has lured several people to the hotel for nefarious reasons.

The killer was tagged "the birthday girl" by the media when she poisoned her friends at her 11th birthday party.

Mallory doesn't know who to trust and who to believe. How will she figure out which guest could be the birthday girl?

A storm makes it a great locked door type read. Lost of suspects and theories kept me guessing.

At the end of the book I learned that this is the first book in a series. I will be on the lookout for the next one. This is my first book by Ward, but won't be my last.

Thanks to netgalley and Canelo for the arc.

4.5 stars.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Canelo and Sarah Ward the wonderful author for the early copy of this book to read.

Where do I start? This book is fast paced, full of twists and mystery. Just when I thought I'd sussed out who The Birthday Girl was I'd be changing my mind again. It kept me guessing until the reveal at the end.

The main character Mallory (great name) is an ex detective now working as a night manager on the island Eldey whilst an injury recovers. Although the amount of things she has to deal with her leg hardly gets the rest it needs. Brilliant dynamic between the characters, I really liked Elsa too.

Only criticism is if I were on the island there is no way I would be as blasé as the characters having witnessed/experienced what they did.

You'll love this book if you enjoy a mystery/Agatha Christie type book.

I will definitely be looking to read more of the author's books.

This was a good “locked room” type mystery that takes place at a fancy hotel on a secluded island. We know that a woman who killed her friends as a child is planning something nefarious but we don’t know who she is or who she is after. The story is told from the POV of Mallory, who was a cop but got injured and is now working as the hotel’s night manager. When people start dying, Mallory relies on her cop instincts to figure out what is going on while also trying to keep the remaining guests safe.

The book had a lot of characters, which is usually annoying to me, but I didn’t have any trouble keeping them straight. The author did a good job at differentiating them while not spending a whole lot of time on each one. The setting was atmospheric; between the hotel, the seclusion of the island, and the storm, I really felt like I could picture myself there. I went back and forth the entire book as to who the villain was, even suspecting impossible choices. It made sense when it all came out, but I can’t say I was ever sure until it was revealed.

Overall, this was a good mystery with a unique twist on the “locked room” genre and I’d recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL is a tense, fast paced, isolated thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. This book takes place on a remote island and mostly follows the point of view of Mallory Dawson, a medically retired detective who is the new night manager of an isolated hotel on the island. There is also, however, a serial killer among the guests, known as The Birthday Girl, and she has murder on her mind once again. There are three guests who fit the age and profile of The Birthday Girl, and Mallory has to figure out who it is before it’s too late…

We don’t find out who the killer until the very end and I guessed it completely wrong so I was really surprised. I didn’t know who to trust and I really loved this concept! This was such a fun, quick read that kept me guessing and I mean it when I say I couldn’t put it down. I think this is actually the first book in a series so I can not wait to read the next instalment in this series and read more about Malory Dawson, who was a really fascinating character.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Canelo for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Closed room mystery, well, closed island. Set in a very up-market hotel, former nunnery, on an island off the Welsh coast. The first night for the new night manager, ex police detective still recovering from serious stabbing during her police days and, a colleague drops dead. Body and hotel owner head off to the mainland for formalities, big storm arrives and island cut-off. The guests are an odd bunch. The staff also quirky. More bodies, killed in imaginative poisoned ways. Mallory, the night manager, is determined and focussed on seeking out the killer and has plenty of red herrings to chase even though there are rather few suspects with which to start and getting fewer all the time, Tensions rise especially as the storm strengthens. People want to leave, but can't; people want to keep secrets hidden, but they can't. Bit too much running around outside in the storm. The killer, who was obvious I'm afraid, worked well as she (yes, the title says that so no spoiler) has to keep modifying her well-drawn up plan with Mallory, at times, one jump ahead. A good read and I think that Mallory could become a favourite character in time. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This was my first book by this author, and I found it interesting enough that I would definitely read others by her.

The Birthday Girl is a multiple POV murder mystery, where guests are trapped on an island as a storm rages on. Bodies start piling up, and former detective turned night manager, Mallory, is forced to take over and solve the mystery.

While I enjoyed the story, there were some plot points that didn't make sense, and parts that dragged on way longer than necessary. The end just kind of happened, without much fanfare. All that said, I would recommend this and would read other books by this author.

I have read quite a few books by Sarah Ward and enjoyed them so I was glad to get accepted by Netgalley to get an ARC of The Birthday Girl but unfortunately I just did not get on with the novel and I did not finish the full novel.

We meet ex-cop Mallory who has taken a job at a hotel on a remote island near Tenby. I found Mallory to be quite annoying if I am honest and I just did not resonate with her as a woman at all. There are quite a lot of different characters who are at the hotel for their own personal reasons.

The storyline happened super quick and we are thrust into one of the staff dying at reception and Mallory is witness to it, the hotel manager goes with the deceased to the main line but a storm hits and he can not make it back to the hotel Therefore Mallory is in charge on the hotel along with some other staff. Being an ex-police person Mallory is suspicious of the death of her co-worker and sets out to investigate.

We are introduced to the other guests and we know there is a murderer amongst the guests but we do not really know which one.

I really hate giving up on a novel, especially by an author that I have previously liked but I just could not get into the writing style of this book. I found Mallory to be quite a rude individual and actually did not like her character.

Thanks to Sarah Ward, Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for this ARC.

Happy Birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear ....... oh dear.... So did I like this book. Yes. Was it good. I don't know. I enjoyed it for what it was.