Darcy, Kate, and Camilla became friends through a tragedy 22 years earlier. Darcy is getting divorced after years of helping her husband’s business and raising their kids, but she wants to celebrate with a trip to the Maldives, so she pays an astronomical sum to have them all go in luxury. However, it seems the tragedy they thought they left behind might have followed them to this beautiful island.
Parts of this I really enjoyed, but certain things didn’t work as well.
There were a few things that didn’t fully make sense. If you’re going to give someone an allergic reaction, you’d need to know they had an allergy, and if it’s undiagnosed, how would you do that?

I was intrigued by this book because (a) I love a good thriller/mystery and (b) the Maldives is on the bucket list.

The book starts off strong but intense. A young archaeology grad student survives a mass murder that happens at her boarding house as she sleeps. Fast forward 20 years, and we meet three friends - Camille, Darcy, and Kate - heading to the Maldives to celebrate Darcy's divorce. Once there, they meet Jade, a young new bride whose husband is decades older than her and has a temper. The women (especially Kate) take Jade under their wing and a new friendship quickly forms.

The multiple POVs and timeline jumps took a minute to get used to, but once I did, I enjoyed the different perspectives (I'm usually a sucker for a good multiple POV), although I found it interesting - and a bit confusing - that Jade's POV was in first-person while the other three where in third-person. I found it refreshing that 3 of the 4 main characters were in their 40s; a lot of books seem to lean towards younger MCs.

There were just enough twists and misdirects to keep me guessing - particularly the twist at the end.

Multiple deaths. Questionable suspects. A possible hacker into an AI system (side plot line, but still relevant). Plus a beautiful setting. Overall a solid locked-room mystery/thriller.

Exciting and delightfully twisty. This one had so many pieces that I didn’t guess what was happening until the end!

A vacation meant to be full of celebration leads a group of women in over their heads as the anniversary of a gruesome event from their past stirs up bad memories and somehow makes it onto their trip. Not everything can be a circumstance and when a body shows up on the island, what was a closed case now has fresh suspects. This novel was such a thrilling read! The twists and turns of this vacation from hell made for the perfect quick read.

I was a bit hesitant starting this book because locked room mysteries with older adults tend to be boring and whiny. Instead my breath was taken away at all the twists and turns and what friendship means.

This was so good!! This is a new pen name by one of my favorite authors (and humans) ever, CJ Cooke. But this is very much unlike the books that she writes under CJ Cooke, which are gothic thrillers. This one was in a bright, sunny location focused on a group of friends on a divorce vacation. I loved this just as much, though. She is such a talented author for being able to do both! This was a perfect escape into a warm, luxurious getaway, (with lots of dark moments sprinkled in) and the story weaved perfectly with so many twists and turns.

Darcy, Camilla, and Kate ~ three friends who share an unusual connection ~ meet up for a trip to the Maldives. The vacation does not end up being as idyllic as they thought it was going to be.

I enjoyed the twists & turns and the "ah" moments. I will be looking up more books by this author, AKA "C.J.Cooke".

Thank you, NetGalley and Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

A scholarship archeological student in their early twenties finds the entire student group and her professor massacred in Spinnaker Guesthouse. However the tragic incident gets swept under the rug due to the 911 tragedy. In comes Kate who is still dealing with ptsd due to the incident . Kate works as a ghostwriter 22 years later when she comes upon other victims of the tragedy. Kate is invited to Darcy’s divorce party in a beautiful resort and they are also supporting each other as the anniversary approaches. Things get out of hand as they meet a newlywed and her abusive husband and things start happening. What is going on?? And can all of them survive. I really enjoyed the twists in this one. Would love to read another of their books.

Looking for an exciting summer read? Look no further than Cara Carver's 'Bad Tourist'. The novel centers around three friends, Darcy, Camilla, and Kate, who take a beach vacation together. They enjoy the sun and relax in a luxurious villa on a lush island. However, their idyllic vacation takes a turn for the worse when they meet Jade, a young woman in an abusive relationship with her husband, Rob. The trio plans to help Jade escape from her toxic relationship, but things get complicated when they discover that an unknown entity is targeting them. As they try to uncover the truth behind the attacks, they realize that their pasts might be catching up to them. Kate, in particular, has been haunted by a traumatic experience from her past, where she narrowly escaped a murderous rampage. With a gripping storyline filled with suspense and twists, 'Bad Tourist' is a must-read for anyone who loves a good thriller. This is a book that you won't be able to put down until you finish it. I loved the characters, plot, and ending, which I didn't see coming at all.

I just reviewed Bad Tourists by Caro Carver. #NetGalley

I read a lot of thrillers and yet, this felt wholly unique and I had no idea where the story was going. Every twist surprised me. I enjoyed reading from each character's POV and Darcy, Kate, and Camilla as the three unlikeliest of friends were all fascinating to me. Jade's character added another layer of mystery and intrigue. Loved the tropical island setting. One of my favorite resort thrillers by far and couldn't put it down. Will highly recommend to thriller fans.

Darcy, Kate, and Camilla are bound together by the chilling memory of a horrific mass murder that took place on the eve of 9/11—Darcy's boyfriend and Camilla's brother were among the victims, while Kate miraculously survived, asleep through the carnage. Fast forward, Darcy, fresh from a divorce, organizes a celebratory getaway to a luxurious Maldives resort with Kate and Camilla. They're united by a suspicion that the convicted killer wasn't acting alone and enlist a detective to uncover the truth. What follows is a whirlwind of unexpected violence and revelations.

"Bad Tourists" grips you tightly and keeps you guessing with an accelerating pace of clues towards its climax. Just as the plot's feasibility starts to be questioned, you're already too engrossed to let go. The novel vividly portrays its characters, including a new friend at the resort, Jade, whose story adds a poignant, authentic layer to the narrative.

✨Alternate Timelines
✨Multiple POV
✨Summer Vibes
✨Fast Paced Thrillers

Hands down a YES for me! This was my first Caro Carver read and I will forever be looking for more! This book was immediately placed on the book clubs book reads list for when this book releases. A must read and must have on the TBR. This book will have you in a chokehold from the very beginning and will not let go until the very end. The fast pace, the anxiety I had through this book….the multiple timelines and POV made this even more exciting going back and forth and getting all the stories. This book is going to be a HIT this summer and may actually be a re-read for me as well to feel those thriller vacation summer vibes.

Bad Tourists
Caro Carver
Pub Date: July 9, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Three tight-knit friends embark on an extravagant divorce trip to the Maldives where they can unwind and celebrate a new chapter in midlife—until they realize the resort of their dreams is harboring a killer.
Truly intriguing and great book! Told in multiple POVs, you’ll want to pay close attention to this read. Every character provides a piece of the puzzle to this vacation thriller, which would surely be a great read for your summer.
4 stars

This is the most intriguing story I've read in a long time. Wow. Very engaging from start to finish! Lots of twists and turns. You won't be disappointed!

I was really impressed by this book! It was super twisty and suspenseful with multiple mysteries unraveling at the same time that really kept me engaged. The use of AI was a unique concept that was executed well and made for a twist that I didn’t see coming.

This book was a fun, twisty little read. The story of three friends, Darcy, Kate and Camilla, bonded by tragedy, going on a luxurious vacation, to celebrate Darcy’s recent divorce. Of course in a book like this, a vacation is never just a vacation. There are a few side characters we meet and we also find out it’s the anniversary of the serial killings that brought them all together.
I give this a 3.5 rounded up to a 4. I did find this to have a bit of a slow start, but I stuck with it and I’m glad I did.
Big thanks to Netgalley for giving me an ARC for this book!

Not my cup of tea. I read about 25% then skimmed the rest. A little to formulaic and a little
Too much blood.

The book has a very strong beginning, then it gets a bit slow but after that you can't put it down. There are many twists and suspects. The ending is very unexpected. I really like it and definitely recommend to fans of mystery/physiological thrillers.

Bad Tourists by Caro Carver was the kind of thriller that keeps the reader flying through pages needing to know more, while keeping the tension high and rife with paranoia. It’s almost to stop reading with the bits and pieces slowly doled out that hint at the mysterious circumstances that are afoot in what seems like an otherwise normal situation with normal people. This book was definitely expertly done as far as keeping me guessing and wondering what exactly was about to happen, and even what precisely was happening that was all going to come to a head as the plot was tied together.

I really enjoyed the shifting timelines. While the majority of the story took place in the present while three friends are on vacation, there are the odd chapters that shift to a bit before the present timeline that worked to bring the entire plot together and reveal piece by piece necessary information to have this all come to a head. In top of this is the distant past, when the major event in these characters lives took place that sets everything off in the first place. The three friends are tied together by a great tragedy that occurred, a mass murder, where one of them, Kate, was actually present, whereas the other two, Darcy and Camilla, were tied to the murders by victims involved who they knew. These past timelines were particularly notable because you can see how it brings the whole overarching story and mystery together and I loved this.

I also enjoyed the shifting perspectives. You get to see events from each woman’s, perspective, as well as one that felt to me like such a wild card initially, Darcy’s ex-husband who it’s difficult to see how he fits into the greater story when he first appears. But getting each characters unique perspective on events both past and present kept things interesting and felt suitable for the story being told. There’s also another surprise point of view that pops up in the second part of the book that seems both entirely random, yet becomes very revealing as the story progresses. When the story finally started coming together and these two additional point of views steadily started to make more sense, my enjoyment of this book actually amped up because it’s so masterfully weaved into the plot and eventually makes so much more sense, though initially confusing. The fact that there is a kind of revelation to the different view points being included really hit this novel home for me. When I first started the book I did struggle a bit with the tense it’s written in, though this is obviously more of a preference complaint on my end so isn’t intended as a discouragement from this book. It eventually got easier to deal with for myself and was something I was able to overlook in my intrigue of the plot.

In the end I did very much enjoy Bad Tourists, it’s almost slow burn in the sense that it’s not initially clear what the thriller is going to consist of, besides being related to the events of many years previously clearly being related to it. It starts out as a very ordinary women’s get away between friends and slowly introduces the more curious, mysterious aspects of the plot. I very much recommend this book to thriller lovers!

This is the absolute perfect beach read. It has mystery, intrigue, and people not telling the whole truth. Watch out because you never know who will end up dead….
Four star read!