Death on the Island by Eliza Reid
Read by Denica Fairman
Publication Date: April 2025
Summary from Goodreads:
Trapped on a remote island by a howling storm, nine people sit down to dinner.
One of them is about to die.
A group of international players has gathered in a tiny village off the coast of Iceland for a diplomatic dinner. There’s Kristján, the mayor reeling from a personal tragedy. Graeme, the ambassador with an agenda to push. Jane, his wife, along for the ride on another one of her husband’s many business trips. And several others, from Iceland and from abroad, each with their own reason for being there, their own loyalties and grievances. By the end of the night, one of them will be dead. And it will be up to the ambassador’s wife, Jane, to figure out how—and why.
What Jane soon comes to realize is that small communities can be the most dangerous of them all… and no one in their group is safe. With secrets around every corner and violent weather trapping the finite list of suspects together on the island, this locked-room mystery by internationally bestselling author Eliza Reid brings Agatha Christie and Nordic noir together in a brand-new twist.
Confession:
I mostly enjoyed this well done mystery thriller debut, although I did have a couple of issues as well. The twists at the end were done marvelously and while I had figured out who had committed the murders the motive was surprising.
First off the reader, Denica Fairman, does a pretty decent job with the book. This was a book that could have benefited from more than one reader as there were many points of view throughout. I had some trouble keeping the characters straight in my head, and some of that was due to them sounding rather similar to each other. But I liked her voice and would certainly choose her again for a book with only one point of view.
The mystery was well thought out and there were many clues that lead in many different directions. I did struggle with all of the different perspectives in the story, but they all added something to the overall picture so I suppose it was necessary. Jane’s was the main perspective though, and I found her to be a good amateur detective. She asked all of the right questions at the right times. She was the one who figured out at least part of the mystery. She was likable enough, although some of her decisions and actions were questionable. The other characters were also likable for the most part except for a couple of them. I really liked the young policeman who was assigned to the case and would have liked to see him more.
The writing was excellent especially when it came to describing the setting. I could easily picture the island village where the murders take place. The mystery was really well done and I did like the countdown to the murders at the top of the chapters. I did struggle with the many different perspectives, and way too many people had motives to want these people dead. The dialogue was also a bit stilted in some places as well.
Overall if you are looking for a story that has a very atmospheric setting, lots of suspects and a well thought out mystery with a great twist at the end, you should give this one a look. I look forward to seeing the next book by this author.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 
I love a good mystery with lots of atmosphere so this definitely sounds like one that I would enjoy. Thanks for the review.
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You’re welcome. Enjoy!
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I’ve just ordered this from the library although interestingly, it has a different title here and it’s called Death of a Diplomat 😃
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I think that is the original title. They changed it in the US, of course!
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