Read time: 2 minutes
🕵️ Genre: Mystery Thriller
🎧 Format: Audiobook
📢 Narrator: Tamaryn Payne
⏱ Length: 9 hours
📚 Read for: Book Club pick (Theme: Authors like Agatha Christie)
Book Blurb:
At Ned and Caroline’s Home Club, the elite escape to a luxurious island retreat, where decadence hides dark secrets. When a star-studded opening weekend spirals into chaos, the lives of guests, staff, and the club’s enigmatic owner unravel. From scandalous affairs to ruthless ambition, everyone has something to hide. As tensions rise and a murder rocks the exclusive enclave, buried truths surface, exposing the cost of privilege. This gripping thriller weaves a tangled web of deception, power, and betrayal, where no one escapes unscathed.
Let’s talk about the book:
The Club is an intense and absorbing tale that pulls readers into a glittering yet toxic world of the rich and famous, where every cocktail comes with a side of secrets. The story’s strength lies in its raw, gritty depiction of wealth, privilege, and the way corruption trickles down to those caught in its wake. The morally complex characters and their perverse habits offer a thrilling, if unsettling, glimpse into the underbelly of affluence.
Tamaryn Payne’s narration was a highlight, electric and engaging, giving each character a distinct energy that kept the sprawling cast vivid.
Where the book faltered for me was in its execution. The sheer number of perspectives made the narrative feel cluttered, and I often found myself confused about whose point of view I was following. Compounding this, the audiobook included references such as “continuing from page xx” at the start of some chapters. Without a physical book to flip back to, these cues were disorienting and left parts of the story difficult to fully follow.
While the dark twists and ambitious storytelling had me hooked at times, the uneven pacing and disjointed structure ultimately kept this from being a standout listen. A mixed experience overall.
Would I recommend the book?
This one sits firmly in the “decent, not dazzled” zone—a solid psychological thriller with a few too many narrative curveballs and format quirks for a seamless audiobook experience. If you love stories packed with secrets and don’t mind keeping track of a crowd, you might still enjoy the ride, but it’s not a top-shelf favorite for me.
Lost in the Crowd? Let’s Swap Audiobook Survival Tips!
What’s your take on multiple narrators and narrative callbacks in audiobooks? Have you ever had an audiobook moment where you wished you could just flip a page back? Let’s chat about audiobook listening quirks below!
Book Links:
Amazon CA
Goodreads
Visit Ellery Lloyd’s author page (Ellery Lloyd is the writing pseudonym for Paul Vlitos and Collette Lyons
Publishers – Harper Paperbacks / Harper Collions
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Have I ever wanted to go back just a page in an audiobook? Why, yes I have, only all the time! I am pretty sure I considered checking this one out when I first saw it popping up, but ended up choosing not to. Your review makes the book sound more appealing than the synopsis on the back cover does!
It is very interesting but I would recommend print version than audiobook because of the constant back and forth.
Recently read Louise Penny – Chief Inspector Gamache. May be you can guve it a try. It had a good Agatha vide
I have read a few Louise Penny. Somehow that felt a bit slow and couldn’t hold my attention for long. Sorry! Great recommendation though. Thank you ☺️