Book Review of ‘Auld Acquaintance’ by Sofia Slater

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And never brought to mind?

Millie Partridge desperately needs a party. So, when her (handsome and charming) ex-colleague Nick invites her to a Hebridean Island for New Year’s Eve, she books her ticket North.

But things go wrong the moment the ferry drops her off. The stately home is more down at heel than Downton Abbey. Nick hasn’t arrived yet. And the other revellers? Politely, they aren’t exactly who she would have pictured Nick would be friends with.

Worse still, an old acquaintance from Millie’s past has been invited, too. Penny Maybury. Millie and Nick’s old colleague. Somebody Millie would rather have forgotten about. Somebody, in fact, that Millie has been trying very hard to forget.

Waking up on New Year’s Eve, Penny is missing. A tragic accident? Or something more sinister? With a storm washing in from the Atlantic, nobody will be able reach the group before they find out.

One thing is for sure – they’re going to see in the new year with a bang.

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My review

The plot of this island murder mystery very much reminded me of ‘And Then There Were None’ – had the author been the first one to write something like this, it would have been very impressive, but there just seem to be so many closed room/island novels out there at the moment, and there was unfortunately little new in this tale to make it stand out.

The premise of a mysterious New Year’s Eve party was a little thin and convoluted, and I didn’t really warm to many of the characters, particulary their cold responses to some of the deaths.

Overall, this was a decent read, but nothing particularly original. If you like Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware, and are looking for something formulaic (we all have weeks when that’s the type of book we want), this may well be what you’re looking for. Best read over the Christmas break with a crackling fire, a crocheted blanket, and a wee dram of something festive.

‘Auld Acquaintance’ by Sofia Slater will be published on 3rd November 2022. Thank you to NetGalley UK, Sofia Slater and Swift Press for this ARC in return for my honest review.