Debut novel by Allie Reynolds out from Headline on January 21st
Allie Reynolds was a former professional snowboarder, her love for the pistes and the sport is perfect for the old adage of write what you know.
She tells the tale of Milla, who reunites with old friends in the Alps and from there we have a dual-narrative occuring as we go back to an incident that involved the disappearance of the mysterious Saskia. Ten years have passed since this event, and her brother Curtis has asked them all to return - some reluctantly and some have altered drastically since then.
Reynolds writes with a confidence and also does well to convey the changing of people's psyche and how influential people can become on your lives no matter how briefly there time in your life.
Milla is a hardworking individual eager to excel at snowboarding, but she does not have the natural talent of Saskia and her European rivals - she cannot make certain tricks and this frustrates her. Saskia is the Queen Bee of the group, loved by men but hated by women and this duality of the two main females is honed well by the debut author.
When I encountered this novel on my NetGalley TBR pile, I had just finished The Chalet by Catherine Cooper, and unfortunately that Christie style murder-mystery was more successful of dealing with character aspirations and arc effectively; while Shiver sadly faded by the end of the book.
However, it should still be recommended for those in need of a good murder-mystery set on the luxurious Alps and the glamorous lifestyle that comes with it. For a debut it also smacks of rich potential for this young author.
Shiver is out from Headline on 21st January on all formats.
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