Shiver by Allie Reynolds

There seems to have been an explosion in closed circle thriller mysteries of late, particularly those set in isolated and dangerous environs. Similar to the bestselling books One by One by Ruth Ware and The Guest List by Lucy Foley, Shiver, by debut Australian author Allie Reynolds, takes place in a frozen landscape. The novel follows a group of former professional snowboarders who are meeting up for the first time in a decade. They lost touch after one of their friends, Saskia, disappeared in a devastating tragedy. The former friends are meeting in their old haunt, a ski resort chalet in the French Alps. Things begin to go wrong very quickly however: their phones disappear, they are running out of food, there is no way off the mountain and someone is playing dangerous games…

Shiver alternates between the present day, as the group attempt to both escape and figure out who has trapped them and the past, narrating the events of that fateful snowboarding season when Saskia disappeared. Unfortunately, the continuous switching between the two timelines is jarring at times and while its intention is to build suspense, it ultimately results in frustration. Shiver is also heavy on the snowboarding detail and technical knowledge, unsurprising considering Reynolds is a former professional snowboarder. However, this may become slightly tedious for the lay reader. Despite this, Shiver is a well-plotted thriller and is a welcome addition to the closed circle mystery renaissance. The novel will more than satisfy fans of the genre.

Themes: Thriller, Mystery, Missing Persons, France, Alps, Snowboarding.

Rose Tabeni