This psychological thriller was atmospheric and fully engaging. It read easily and kept me entertained through out. My only issue was that there were too many unanswered questions once the book ended. Perhaps that’s what the author wanted.

The Blue Hour is an atmospheric somber story. I was looking forward to Hawkins' writing style and a slow burn story. As expected it was captivating and Hawkins' talent pulled me in to this sad, somewhat lonely story with moments of beauty. Overall, a 4-star book, but the ending seemed too abrupt, I wanted a stronger more conclusive ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great mystery! Engaging without being scary, which I appreciate! Would definitely purchase for the branch and think it would be an engaging book discussion title.

If you liked "The guestlist" and "daisy darker" you will like this one

This is a middle of the road thriller for me, well written and lots of twists and turns but this did not top my list as the end was not as much as I would expect for the amount of slow burn that this book had —however when you have a slow burn that’s very obviously building up to the end, the ending will then make or break the book for you. In this sense I felt like the ending didn't give me enough and I was flipping through asking if I missed a chapter.

This was a quick read and I was able to knock this one out pretty quickly but overall I wish this one hit a little bit better

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found the mixed media helped to create a perfect pace. Through journal entries, news articles, and multiple POVs & timelines, The Blue Hour leads the reader on a journey into an artist’s history and the obsession surrounding her.

I am not a huge appreciator of art, but the way this was written fully immersed me into the world of Vanessa Chapman, a recently deceased artist who lived on an isolated island in Scotland. Just the idea of living on an island that is only accessible at low tide made me shiver a bit.

While a couple of the twists in this were a little predictable for anyone that reads thrillers regularly, I found that I liked the story and the journey enough to make up for it. I would also consider this more of a mystery book than a thriller, as it slowly unraveled over the course of the story vs. running along at breakneck speed.

Check this one out if you like mysteries, art, remote settings, and multiple timelines!

**Thank you to Mariner Books for the eARC of this incredible title!**

This was my first book by Paula Hawkins since The Girl on the Train which I absolutely loved! The Blue Hour definitely did not disappoint. Though it was a bit of a slow burn there was just enough action and suspense to keep me hooked throughout! It was an atmospheric suspenseful mystery with a perfect setting that will keep you on your toes. I love this authors writing style and can’t wait to read through her backlist and see what’s next!

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins is a perfect novel for those who love an atmospheric and character-driven literary mystery. A slow burn that builds to an explosive but maybe unsatisfying ending to some readers.

After a disturbing accusation is made regarding a piece of art produced by Vanessa, a deceased artist with her own scandalized background, art curator, Julian is tasked with making contact with Grace, who was Vanessa's friend and care giver. Grace now lives in Vanessa's island home and may hold the answers to everyone's questions.

The novel is an exploration of what lengths a person will go to to protect the ones they love. And what happens when that love crosses over into obsession.

Dark and deceptive. Unlikable characters. Remote setting.

A note for those who, like me, loved, The Girl on the Train. The Blue Hour isn't similar in the pacing or suspense. The Blue Hour aligns more with A Slow Fire Burning or Into the Water. I think I get let down thinking I'm picking up a fast-paced suspense filled novel and maybe have finally learned that's not quite Paula Hawkins' normal style.

This book was OK. It was not a favorite of mine from her. I loved Girl on the Train and went in with the expectation it was going to be written similarily. The plot was good and kept me engaged, but the characters fell flat for me. Just wanted a little bit more.

“The Blue Hour,” by Paula Hawkins, Mariner Books, 320 pages, Oct. 29, 2024.

James Becker works at Fairburn House in Scotland. He gets a call one morning from Will Goodwin, director of the Tate Modern museum in London. Fairburn loaned three art pieces to the Tate. A forensic anthropologist realized that one of the pieces contains a human bone.

Vanessa Chapman was the artist. Sebastian Lennox is the heir to the Fairburn Foundation which was set up by his late father, Douglas. Grace Haswell, Vanessa Chapman’s executor, lives on Eris Island, an isolated Scottish island accessible to the mainland only twelve hours a day. Vanessa’s husband, Julian, disappeared after visiting her 20 years earlier. Julian had financial difficulties and was frequently unfaithful to Vanessa.

Becker decides to drive to Eris Island to talk to Grace. She is a retired physician. He knows it will be difficult to gain her trust because Douglas sued her multiple times in the past over Vanessa’s diaries. Chapters of Vanessa’s diaries are interspersed with present day chapters.

It is difficult to like the characters. The plot is tense and dark as secrets are woven together. The reveal and the ending are shocking. Suspense novel fans will love it.

I rate it four out of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

From the author of “The Girl on the Train” comes “The Blue Hour,” an atmospheric, psychological thriller. From the first page, I was hooked and could not put it down. Although it was a bit of a slow burn, I absolutely devoured this addictive and compelling suspense novel. Hawkins is such a talented writer, and I will read anything she writes. The descriptions of Eris Island made me feel like I was there. The remote island was the perfect setting for this suspenseful thriller, so eerie and dark. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was a slow-burn thriller that was atmospheric and a bit highbrow due to the art emphasis. The setting played an active role in this book, and I found that highly successful. The characters, while not lovable, were interesting and moved the story along. I felt that most of them were pretty surface level, but it didn’t bother me. I enjoyed the dialogue around art, autonomy, male violence, and love.

The end of the book felt like it came to a screeching halt. I didn’t mind the ending itself, but I did feel like a lot of loose ends were not finished. I had more questions than answers about some of the other subplots.

There were a lot of good things in this book like the tension and tone, but I do wish more things were wrapped up. Fans of locked-in thrillers, spooky settings that play an integral part of the story, and art commentary will enjoy this one.

Paula Hawkins became a household name nearly 10 years ago when her novel The Girl on the Train became a smash hit. While her subsequent efforts haven’t enjoyed quite the same level of success, she’s still remained a reliably popular writer of moody mysteries. Her latest, The Blue Hour, is a slow-burning and cerebral examination of art, legacy, and obsession that, while not perfect, should keep her fans happy and possibly earn her some new ones.

After her death from cancer, artist Vanessa Chapman left her small home on an isolated island to her friend Grace and bequeathed all of her work to the Fairburn House foundation, where it is now exhibited and researched. James Becker is Fairburn’s resident expert on Chapman, quite literally as he also lives with his wife Helena in the estate’s Gamekeeper’s Lodge. One morning he receives a call from the Tate Modern art museum which has some of their collection on loan. It has been discovered that in the found object sculpture Division II, what was thought to be a rib bone from a deer may actually be human in origin.

Becker informs his boss and the heir to the property, Sebastian Lennox, about the news and is surprised to find him pleased about it, thinking it might juice their attendance numbers. His wife and Sebastian, themselves former lovers, suggest that he travel out to Eris Island to visit Grace, see if she can impart any information about the bone, and perhaps remind her that she still owes Fairburn a variety of Chapman’s pieces and documents. While initially cooperative, Grace had since grown hostile towards Fairburn, likely due to Vanessa’s tricky past with Sebastian’s father, and is very likely withholding material from them. Becker agrees to go, having long been curious to meet Grace and see the island in person, thinking that he can take a kinder touch with her and stabilize her relationship with his employer.

When he arrives, Grace is unsurprisingly standoffish, but she does see something in him that softens her stance and so she agrees to talk, filling Becker in on details about Vanessa’s life, including her contentious, on-again / off-again relationship with her husband Julian, who went missing two decades prior and who certainly sounds like a strong candidate to be the originator of the mysterious human bone in her sculpture. James also takes a liking to Grace, finding her to be sad and lonely rather than hostile as he was led to believe, though as he learns more about her and her life, he does begin to wonder if her version of events can be entirely trusted.

The set up of The Blue Hour is genius, and immediately hooks the reader. Eris Island where Chapman set up residence isn’t technically an island, as there is actually a slender strip of land that connects it to the mainland, but due to the tides it is untraversable for 12 hours every day, effectively trapping its inhabitants for 6 hours at a time.

The majority of the time we follow Becker, who seems to have some secrets of his own, as he tries to piece together everything he can about his favorite artist’s life and figure out the provenance of the mysterious bone. But we also get excerpts from Vanessa’s diaries and flashbacks to Grace’s past as Hawkins expertly puts the puzzle pieces together, leading us to the dark truth of just what took place on Eris Island over the years.

Hawkins’ writing is elegant and she intelligently discusses ideas about what artists put into their creations, what we all leave behind, gender bias, and the possible dangers of infatuation. The ending does offer up answers to all of the novel’s mysteries, but still feels a bit abrupt and vague, to the point that I was wondering if another chapter might have been missing. However, that isn’t enough to ruin what is otherwise a highly engaging and satisfying story. Once The Blue Hour gets its hooks in you it’s hard to put down, so make sure to clear some time on your calendar!

I could tell right away that this would be a slow burn and it was. The writing was enjoyable to read and I was eager to learn more about the characters. In the end, I’m reminded that artists are kind of the worst. This wasn’t my favorite book from the author, but I will continue to read her future works.

Paula Hawkins is back with possibly her best book so far - The Blue Hour.

"Vanessa was a famous artist whose husband disappeared 20 years ago. He was last seen at Eris, Vanessa's island haven where she could paint without distraction. Eris is now home to Grace, Vanessa's former care giver and the executor of her estate. Vaness's will leaves all of her art to a gallery she once had a tumultuous relationship with. When a shocking discovery is made, many wonder what other secrets are hidden on the island."

Dual timelines here - it seems to be the format that Hawkins is comfortable with. I like the way she uses the tides as a character - all the way to the end. It almost creates a seemingly locked-door mystery at times. Grace is a complicated character. There are clues to her true nature - and it's a chilling one. This book is more psychological drama than thriller.
The writing is excellent. Hawkins reels you into this story a little at a time under you're hooked. And the ending will get you.

Great new story from Paula Hawkins.

An artist who lived a reclusive life as the lone inhabitant on an island accessible only during low tide dies and leaves her works to be exhibited by her former lover’s foundation rather than leaving them to a woman who had been a confidante for years. A bone believed to be human is discovered as part of one of her pieces. Could it belong to her ex husband who mysteriously disappeared years ago? To investigate that and the fact that there seem to be some of her works missing, a young employee of the foundation, enthralled with the artist, is dispatched to meet with the confidante. But, there is so much more to this story...

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for this e-arc.*

Come to this one for an intriguing, atmospheric, artsy mystery. Don't come to this one for a pacy, twisty story. There are some interesting characters involved in this one, and while I don't think it needed to be any longer than it was, there are a couple of characters that needed a little more development to understand them.

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins was an atmospheric slow burn mystery.
What a story!… filled with suspense, intrigue and an exciting story with lots of crazy twists and turns. I thought the suspense was well woven throughout the book and kept me turning pages. I thought the character development was excellent.
And the writing was very well done.

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

This started off well and was going well until it wasn’t/didn’t. I enjoyed the way the author lured readers in with snippets and tidbits that leaves you craving for more and turning the pages.

I love the idea of the isolated island and the secrets it held. The descriptions of the art world and the erratic nature of artists was on point too.

The suspense and mystery were good. I could only
make one correct guess about everything going on. The mixed media aspect was also a good thing. It provided enlightenment and insight.

Those were the good parts. I didn’t understand why the author chose the direction of the ending. For such a fine book, it certainly deserved better.
I have more questions than answers, not about the ending but other loose ends that the author has dangling.

If you don’t mind an open ended story then you might enjoy this.

The Blue Hour

I haven’t read a book by Paula Hawkins since her debut! I was excited to try this one. I have to say I wouldn’t say this was a thriller. It was a very very slow burn mystery with an atmospheric setting on an island.

I feel like all we see now is islands! Is it just me?! I’m a little over the island plot.

The writing I enjoyed but there wasn’t much pizazz for me and just somewhat suspenseful.

Overall, decent slow burn of a mystery.

3 stars

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins is an atmospheric thriller which draws readers in with an eerie setting, a story told from multiple points of view and in multiple time periods, and plenty of secrets just waiting to be uncovered.

Synopsis of the book blurb: "Eris is an isolated Scottish island which is only accessible at low tide. The island has one house on it, and one inhabitant. Once the home of Vanessa, a famous artist (whose philandering husband disappeared while visiting her 20 years ago), it now belongs to Grace, her longtime companion. An over-eager curator of the foundation which was the recipient of Vanessa's works comes to the island seeking answers after a gruesome discovery is made at a London art gallery. With the curator's arrival the long-hidden secrets of Eris threaten to emerge."

While I found the book a bit confusing at first, the read is definitely worth continuing. Hawkins knows how to build suspense and combined with her atmospheric descriptions the tension becomes palpable. Though none of the characters are very likeable, that didn't detract from my enjoyment of this thriller. I rate it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

My thanks to Mariner Books for allowing me to read a DRC of the book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.