| Title | : | The Getaway |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0008538360 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780008538361 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 356 |
| Publication | : | First published July 7, 2022 |
The perfect holiday. The perfect murder. The perfect beach read.
Get away from your problems.
Multimillionaire Robert Rathwell and his entourage arrive at their private Greek island. White sand, turquoise water, the perfect place to relax. But this is no ordinary family, and this holiday will be their last.
Get away from your life.
The next morning, a scream shatters their peaceful world. Someone has been murdered, his body arranged to make it look like suicide. Everyone has a motive and, under the burning sun, secrets quickly simmer to the surface.
Get away with murder.
Soon the guests see a darker, more violent side to paradise. Because the Rathwells don’t just own the island; they own the people on it. And they can do whatever they like – maybe even commit murder…
The Getaway Reviews
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Multimillionaire Robert Rathwell and his entourage arrive at their private Greek Island. White sand, turquoise water, the perfect place to relax. But this is no ordinary family, and this holiday will be their last. The next morning, a scream shatters their perfect world. Someone has been murdered, his body arranged to make it look like suicide. Everyone has a motive, and under the burning sun, secrets quickly simmer to the surface. Soon the guests see a darker, more violent side to paradise. Because the Rathwells don't just own the island; they own the people on it. And they can do whatever they like - maybe even commit murder.
Each chapter is told from either Isabelle, Sofia or Amelia's perspectives, and I wasn't keen on any of them. This is an easy book to read but I did feel that it dragged out a little in places. The author has an interesting writing style. There is quite a few characters to try and remember. The pace is on the slow side which also made some parts of the story drag out. There's a few unexpected twists along the way. I did enjoy this murder mystery. With just a few minor tweaks, this could have been a four star read.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #RossArmstrong for my ARC of #TheGetAway in exchange for an honest review. -
I thought this story to be a big disappointment. I was excited by the ‘who dunnit?’ premise and thought the remote setting would cleverly build anticipation. However, this story felt erratic, with underdeveloped characters and too many coincidences.
I struggled to keep track of the three women narrating the story. Sometimes the voice switched mid-chapter and I became grateful for the character list at the beginning of the story. That being said, even when I was well into the book, I still had to keep reminding myself of the character positions. I think this is because they felt so one-dimensional and lacking development. Furthermore, I didn’t grow to particularly like any of the characters and found myself irritated by their attitudes. I was confused by the male lead, Robert, who seemed to go from being extremely frail and elderly, to acting like a patriarch that the family fears. Furthermore, I found his relationships with several women to be a bit toe-curling and I disliked how he spoke to the women around him.
Reading this book, I felt like some parts were rushed too much. For example, in the opening chapters, I thought I had missed some significant element of the plot because the story was simply rushing through to get the characters on the remote, holiday island. This set the tone for the rest of the book and I felt like I was constantly playing ‘catch up’ to the narrative as parts didn’t feel truly explained properly. Too many over-used cliches appeared in this book and this definitely lessened the intensity of the story. Frequent convenient plot devices were used to make this a ‘tidy’ narrative and it didn’t feel like it ever got going, even with the mystery element of the story.
Whilst this had the enticing cover and the idea of the wealthy behaving badly, this book did not meet expectations. The setting was never truly explored and I thought this was a missed opportunity. I persevered with the novel because I wanted to find out the answers but, honestly, did not really care by the end of it who was alive and who was dead. I love a good ‘who dunnit?’ mystery but I think Armstrong was off the mark here. It had such promise but it made me want to get away from the book itself.
With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. -
DNF
I’m not going to be giving this one a rating as I have unfortunately had to DNF at 60%. I do always try to finish books I’m sent for review but I really struggled with The Getaway and although I gave it my best shot it sadly wasn’t for me.
The main problem is that it’s set at a very slow pace, therefore the story dragged and there is a distinct lack of excitement and suspense grabbing the reader and pulling them into the story. This is definitely not an ‘edge of your seat’ thriller but more of a whodunnit/murder mystery. The story is narrated by three female characters; Isabelle, Sofia and Amelia. I found it extremely confusing and incredibly difficult to keep tabs on who you were reading about and constantly had to refer back to the chapter headings. The characters themselves are not very likeable and sadly there was nothing in this book that compelled me to keep reading on.
Thank you so much to HQ for sending me a copy to review and I just wished I’d loved the book more!
TWISTED IN PAGES BLOG
TWISTED IN PAGES ON INSTAGRAM -
“THE GETAWAY” by Ross Armstrong
One private island. Seven guests. One killer…
“The Getaway” is the perfect summer/beach read to while away free time and entertain yourself with rich people’s problems and a sudden death that could well be murder.
The story is narrated from the point of view of three main female characters…..Sofia - the wife of millionaire magnate, Robert Rathwell. Isabelle - Robert’s lifestyle assistant and Amelia - the ‘super tutor’ to JR, Sofia and Robert’s son. You do need to pay attention when getting used to following the character’s voices but the story is very easy to keep a track of and ticks along at a nice easy pace.
All of the characters are unlikeable and slightly flawed but this is what the author intended for their differing personalities. Each have their own agenda and I was intrigued as to what they were and how they connected to each other and the mystery as it unfolded. With revelations until the end, this is an ideal weekend/beach read, from an author I’d happily read again.
Ross Armstrong is an actor and writer based in North London with his wife actress Catherine Steadman. As a stage and screen actor he has performed in the West End, Broadway and in shows for HBO and Netflix. Ross’ debut title “The Watcher” was a top twenty bestseller and has been long listed for a Crime Writer’s Association award.
Thank you to Alliya and HQ Stories for inviting me on this tour and for my copy of the book in return for an honest review. -
As soon as I opened this book and saw a cast of characters list it meant it could go one of two ways. It was either going to be helpful or meant that the characters were so unforgettable you would need reminding.
It was unfortunately both. It did help as I mostly had no clue who was who or even who was providing the narration half the time. It switched all over the place between the three main narrators Isabelle, Amelia and Sophia, none of whom I liked very much and good or bad you have to like the characters.
I was hoping the plot would grab me as the characters weren’t and I liked the idea of people owning other people and maybe what they could make them do. Bad behaviour always catches my interest and I do like it when people get away with things. Yes this is bad I know but it’s fiction so that makes it ok. However this was sadly lacking in that department too.
I have a thing when I’m ironing of putting on a film that maybe I’ve seen a hundred times before or one that doesn’t require much from the old noggin and you can miss a bit and it won’t really matter. This for me was the book equivalent of an ironing movie. -
Discover the locations in the novel The Getaway
Picture the scene:
You arrive with an entourage at your private Greek island. White sands, clear blue water and the chance to forget everthing for a while.
However, the next morning a piercing scream shatters the calm. A body has been found. Someone has been murdered. The scene looks staged as someone has set it up to make it look like suicide.
What a starting point! From this moment on, you start to see the very, very dark side of paradise. There are some people on here with secrets and dark pasts. The owner of the island. the Rathewell family, have a lot more influence than you might first realise. Do they just own the island or everything and everyone on it?
Keep your eyes peeled and your attention up to scratch as it does get a little confusing when you get into it as every one has a voice and a chapter and it’s sometimes hard to keep up. I didn’t midn that too much but reading on a kindle posed a challenge. It does create a good amount of confusion though which suits the plot.
The setting was just perfect – an island retreat with a grand house and a grander sense of foreboding. Suspicion and backstabbing, murder and control are on the menu along with the cocktails. -
Thrilling
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That was it? Talk about a rushed ending.
It wasn't awful and I loved the final sentence. Left me with chills.
But seriously? That's where the author decided to go with this plot. Some of it was endlessly fascinating, but a LOT of it felt redundant, obvious, and dull.
Needless to say, it's not bad ... but really nothing to write home about. -
Really struggled to get into this book which doesn’t happen much however I preserved as hate to not finish a book, admittedly it did get better however do feel like I wasted my time reading it as the ending wasn’t as great as it could of been
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3.5*
Thriller set on a GREEK ISLAND
This is a peek into the lives of the ridiculously rich. A cohort of family and hangers-on sets off for the Rathwell’s private island – Korpios, not far from Lesvos – flying in on private jet, helicopter, arriving by luxury yacht.
The author has clearly got inspired and melded elements from elsewhere, with nods to gilded lives lived on screen and in real life: Succession aficionados will recognise elements, Korpios is clearly a knock-off of Scorpios, the private island owned by the über-wealthy shipping family; and Robert and Sophia’s young son is called JR (hello the Ewings of Dallas). Robert Rathwell is also surely inspired somewhere along the line by a certain disgraced billionaire, both are equally mercurial and nasty.
That sets the scene. The book opens well as we are introduced to Isabelle, who is Robert’s “Lifestyle Assistant” (who doesn’t need one of those, eh?). She panders to Robert’s – virtually – every need, ensuring the drinks arrive on time, his pills are suitably popped and that he wants for nothing. He is pretty ill, mentally at times quite disengaged, and physically unwell. There are two further helpers – Amelia and Ben (an actor, who is coming in to play the part of surrogate dad in an effort to give young JR a father figure of fun, youth, games and connection before he is packed off to boarding school); then there is a family bodyguard, Kostas, and a young reprobate family member, Bobby, who just appears. The scene is set.
There are only landlines on the island, ensuring absolute privacy and time off the world for the people getting into the groove of life on this glorious island. Not so glorious, however, after a murder occurs. Amelia and Ben begin to understand that any ills that occur on the island may well be pinned on them, they are the scapegoats of the family (that’s what rich people do, apparently); so they are on high alert early from very early on. A killing spree ensues and of course the who and why keep the novel bowling along.
The novel opens very competently and continues in fine form until the author has several deaths under his belt. As the inevitable storm approaches (a requirement for a ‘locked island mystery’ it seems), providing a thunderous backdrop that ushers in the denouement, the story degenerates into a bit of a tangle of storytelling – secrets are revealed and lives appear awash with back stories. The clarity in the opening chapters gets lost in a convoluted unravelling of what has happened over the brief time these people have been together. None of the characters are likeable, they are at times under-developed, so the thing the reader holds onto is how it will all end. Good writing overall. -
3 stars.
This one doesn't work well as an audiobook (not sure if there are different versions, I listened to the version produced for Audible), I might have enjoyed it more / scored higher if I had read it. I found the switching narrators difficult to follow, there were many occasions where I was confused who the narrator was in the particular part of the story that I was listening to, and that made the story as a whole hard to follow.
There aren't many characters, as the blurb suggests there are 7 people who end up on an isolated island, making for a kind of locked-room type mystery when characters start dropping dead. It though for this element I was quite happy to just go along with it. Each of the characters is flawed in their own way and there wasn't particularly one to root for, which I thought it worked well with the story as any of them could be the possible perpetrator. Also somehow the three female voices from which the story was told tended to be similar (characteristics-wise), which made it hard to distinguish who was the first person view for each of the chapters.
Confusion aside, the buildup to the ending was well-done, with the tension of weird things happening on the island and the sense that each of the characters had something to hide, meaning that I couldn't quite trust (or couldn't quite decide who to trust) fully what they were saying. I don't know how I feel about the ending though, on one hand .
Overall a fun listen, but could have been better if I didn't find myself so mixed up with the narrator switching! -
One private island. Seven guests. One killer…
The perfect holiday. The perfect murder. The perfect beach read…
Get away from your problems.
Multimillionaire Robert Rathwell and his entourage arrive at their private Greek island. White sand, turquoise water, the perfect place to relax. But this is no ordinary family, and this holiday will be their last.
Get away from your life.
The next morning, a scream shatters their peaceful world. Someone has been murdered, his body arranged to make it look like suicide. Everyone has a motive and, under the burning sun, secrets quickly simmer to the surface.
Get away with murder.
Soon the guests see a darker, more violent side to paradise. Because the Rathwells don’t just own the island; they own the people on it. And they can do whatever they like – maybe even commit murder…
This was an enjoyable summer read narrated by the three main female characters in the story. Although all of the characters in this book were unlikeable people, you really did love to hate them. With agendas aplenty and revelation after evaluation – this book is guaranteed to keep your interest and keep you guessing until the end. I did enjoy this book – BUT – it’s one that I likely won’t remember in a few days’ time. Just a nice easy read – if that’s what you’re after?
My thanks to the author and HQ for my advance copy to review via Netgalley. Out now!!
3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars -
I'm glad the author did a "cast list" at the beginning and I am glad I noted them all down as I did struggle initially with keeping everyone straight. It is centred around a family - father, mother, son, and their "staff". Set on their own Island - father Robert Rathwell being a multi-millionaire, we follow as mischief and mayhem and murder (made to look like suicide probably) ensues.
Starring a host of characters that I actually didn't really care about I was drawn into the action quite early on as, despite the not caring thing, I still actually wanted to know who had done what to whom and why! I guess kudos to the author for that anyway! Maybe that was the point of the exercise.
Anyway... I lost count and track of all the secrets and lies that were flying around. Of the affairs and other duplicitous behaviour. Of who was screwing who, literally, financially, as well as physically!
But... I couldn't put it down. I had to know. Like a car crash I couldn't look away. It became a compulsion. One which I am actually glad I got sucked into as the ending was actually quite thrilling, and satisfying. Especially as I was finally able to wave ta-ta to those odious characters!
All a bit OTT and bonkers though. But great fun nonetheless. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. -
⚠️ TW: animal cruelty, animal death, xenophobia, mental health, murder, suicide ⚠️ You can't beat a classic whodunit read and this is just that. This book follows multimillionaire Robert Rathwell and his family and staff as they embark on a holiday to their private island in Greece. With tranquil white beaches, turquoise water and beautiful sun it is the picture of paradise but this is no ordinary family holiday and little do they know it will be their last when their peaceful world is shattered. In an attempt to make a murder look like suicide everyone comes under scrutiny and everyone has a motive, some darker than others, and as they scramble to work out who the killer is more secrets simmer to the surface showing a more violent side to paradise. This book was an effortless read and had so many layers. I really enjoyed the multiple pov's from the various characters as it helped to drip feed information about pasts and motives so you could play along in what feels like a game of Cluedo as you continue reading. Overall, this is a really good read and I think it would be perfect for some light beachside reading this summer!
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One private island. Seven guests. One killer…
The perfect holiday. The perfect murder. The perfect beach read.
Get away from your problems.
Multimillionaire Robert Rathwell and his entourage arrive at their private Greek island. White sand, turquoise water, the perfect place to relax. But this is no ordinary family, and this holiday will be their last.
Get away from your life.
The next morning, a scream shatters their peaceful world. Someone has been murdered, his body arranged to make it look like suicide. Everyone has a motive and, under the burning sun, secrets quickly simmer to the surface.
Get away with murder.
Soon the guests see a darker, more violent side to paradise. Because the Rathwells don’t just own the island; they own the people on it. And they can do whatever they like – maybe even commit murder…
Unfortunately this one didn’t gel with me. I found it confusing who was telling the story - be it Isabelle, Amelia or Sofia and none of the characters left a lasting impression.
The story didn’t flow; I was expecting a whodunnit but found it to be disjointed and difficult to follow.
I was so looking forward to this and I was left a little disappointed. -
I'm so very easy to please when it comes to any kind of crime, mystery, suspense, thriller, or anything that falls into this kind of genre. REALLY easy to please.
That said, this book was hard to get through. I was often confused as to which character was actively narrating the chapter and had to keep flipping back to remember. I briefly considered making paper nameplates to keep it all organized. That GREATLY took away from my ability to flow through with enjoyment.
I'm not always the sharpest light bulb in the shed when it comes to sussing out the who-dunnits of these things, which is why I think I'm so easy to please, but my goodness, this book had me so discombobulated, I really should have kept a running graph of some sort to keep all the interwoven relationships and dramas straight.
Then there's the end. Without giving anything away, the end was so very rushed and weird. Or maybe I was just still so out of sorts with character fatigue and plot overload...
In any case, what had such promise ended up still being an okay read, but really should have been so, so much better. :( -
Kept me guessing throughout the story, I had no idea who to believe, and there are many twists I didn't see coming at all.
A very cleverly crafted psychological thriller,
However, as much as I enjoyed it, I think I would have loved it more had I been reading it in paperback, just for ease of flicking back to the chapter headings to check which voice I was reading. As the three main females all felt rather similar to me in terms of their voices and I struggled to switch between them all.
That being said I loved seeing the story unfold from multiple viewpoints, and I really wasn't sure if I actually liked any of the characters, apart from the tutor, as they all were rather unlikeable.
I did thoroughly enjoy the setting, the private Greek Island that is remote and with very little working communications, which added an exotically claustrophobic feel to the book, as especially as the 7 that went to the island started being killed.
It was the first book i've read from this clearly talented author and I will certainly keep an eye out for more of his work.
Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. -
Well considering there were few characters & taking into account they were all listed at that start, I found it quite hard keeping track of who was who, & it wasn't helped by the fact that I found it even harder to distinguish between which of the three women were narrating - even though their names were "helpfully" heading the relevant parts! I didn't like or care about any of the characters & I didn't find the relationships between them convincing, even little JR didn't come over very plausible. Everyone was hiding something & they constantly made questionable decisions with actions that just didn't come together well as far as I was concerned.
With the limited number of suspects & the isolated island setting it had the vague feel of "And Then There Were None" (aka "Ten Little Indians") & I found myself wondering/hoping that the tale would follow those lines & the entire cast of characters would die.....
Not the easy-to-read, entertaining beach read I was hoping for. -
This was my first book by this author and I will definitely be checking out his other books. This book is set on a luxury private island, features tons of family drama & secrets and some very shady characters.. I mean what more can you want from a thriller! The author really set the scene and admittedly made me wish I was on the island (just maybe without all the murder haha) The point of views from all the different characters really helped keep me engaged and desperate to find out what happened next. This book had some really good twists but not too many to make the story complicated to follow. I have to admit the twist at the end was a bit predictable, but the author did a good job of adding it into the story and wrapping the book up. I hate it when I finish a thriller and I still have so many questions unanswered, but luckily not the case with this one.
Overall an easy read with a good plot throughout. -
Wealthy Robert Rathwell owns a Greek island. He jets off to his home there with only his close family and staff. Over the next few days, people start being killed. Can the remaining guests escape the island alive?
I really struggled with this book. The way the chapters were written confused me, each one is from a different character's point of view and I found myself having to go back multiple times just to work out who was narrating as they all seemed to sound the same. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, they all had far too many negative traits, and as such I simply didn't care who did it or who made it out alive! I did persevere and made it to the end, and I'm glad I reached the conclusion, even if it was just to prove myself right with a theory I had from the start. -
In The Getaway, a group of people arrive at Robert Rathwell’s private Greek island. Some are family. Some are part of his entourage but it seems that this will be their last holiday on the island when someone is murdered and everyone is a suspect. I was unsure what to expect from this novel. There are a lot of characters and I found myself getting lost some times as to who was speaking. I also found the writing style unusual. Having said that though I was totally invested in the book. You are totally drawn in and consumed until you find out who the murderer is. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.
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Very slow burner, I felt the story was dragged out and a little unclear in some parts.
It had all the makings of a great murder mystery- super wealthy on their own private island, some interesting characters thrown into the mix and Robert the rich boss being this domineering, very powerful man.
I felt Robert wasn’t portrayed particularly well to the reader- if the characters themselves hadn’t mentioned his hold on them, I honestly didn’t feel he was described as well as he could have been. -
I listened to this on audiobook format.
More like 1.5 stars. I’m loathed to give low ratings to books as I know a lot of work goes into most but this one failed to engage me. The premise was interesting and reminded me of an Agatha Christie setting but I found it just did not deliver.
None of the characters were all that likeable or interesting, so I didn’t find myself invested in what happened to them. And I could have done without the bit about the cat, which kept being mentioned over and over. -
This book promised so much but failed to deliver. I almost stopped reading it several times but rarely give up on a book.
The story was told from the perspective of the three main female characters and I didn’t care about any of them. The writing was basic and the characters were one dimensional and I just wanted it to be over.
The ‘locked room’ or ‘characters marooned on an island’ whodunnit in this case is a theme that I enjoy, but such a great outline for a story didn’t quite get off the ground for me. -
I got this on a chirp audio deal and it sounded so good. I couldn’t even finish it. Too many characters and so boring at times. I got 50% through it and honestly don’t even care to find out who did it. I’m sorry this is a miss for me. I always finish books even when I think they suck but I just couldn’t with this one. I learned a lesson though. Come to Goodreads first before buying a special deal.
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-The characters have no soul and are really annoying. Its impossible to get attached to them.
-The story takes too long on unimportant scenes and often skips to some parts randomly.
-The plot twists are underwhelming and some just pop out of nowhere when the author didn't even explore the foundation of the plot twist before.
-The ending sucked so much, especially the last 2 chapters.
Conclusion : Complete waste of time -
The “who done it” kept you guessing throughout and lots of twists and turns. The constant changing of narrator and character halfway through chapters made it difficult to follow. Lots of story felt rushed and I had to think back if I’d missed anything. With some tweaks it would have been a better story. I did like the ending!
