Isolation Island by Louise Minchin #IsolationIsland @louiseminchin @headlinepg #BookReview

 

IT'S A PRIZE ANYONE WOULD KILL TO WIN...

Ten celebrities have arrived to take part in the most gruelling - and lucrative - reality survival show ever devised: two weeks completely alone on a remote Scottish island, in the depths of winter.

With a production team that seems incapable of keeping them safe, a gathering storm and the unrelenting gaze of hidden cameras, the contestants are stretched to the limit as they try and outshine their fellow competitors and hide their darkest secrets.

But when a contestant winds up dead, it soon becomes clear that the players are not just fighting for the prize, but for their lives.

Isolation Island by Louise Minchin is published in hardback by Headline on 12 September 2024. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

This is one of those books that would be absolutely perfect for reading on holiday. On a sunbed, with a glass of something cold at hand, with nothing more to think about than the plot of the story. Sadly for me, I read it whilst settled on my settee, with a cup of tea! It's a destination thriller, in a cold and isolated setting combined with a locked-room mystery, only the room is an entire island off the coast of Scotland. 

It's the latest reality show, brand new and aiming to be the best, and the most gruelling for the bunch of celebrities who are lucky enough to take part. As with most of these shows, the contestants are a mixed bunch, some are almost at the end of their career, some are trying to regain their credibility, there are TV stars, and sports stars, wanna-be pop singers and some influencers. There's also a surprise, huge name guest in the form of Hollywood superstar Nate Stirling. 

And there is Lauren. An investigative journalist who has poked her nose into things that have caused trouble. So much trouble that she's lost her job. Lauren's only reason for taking part is Nate Stirling; he's the guy that she's been investigating. She is determined to expose him for what she, and many women that she's spoken to, have known for years. Underneath that glam exterior, there's another cruel, heartless man who uses woman and then throws them aside when he's done. He has ruined so many lives and Lauren is certain that she can be the one to show the real Nate. 

After a gruelling start to the show, there are a couple of shocks in store and it's not long before their numbers are reduced. The producers are not going easy on these guys, it is certainly no walk in the park and any one of them that believed that these game shows were all a front for the camera is proved very wrong. 

Minchin creates a fairly slow and sure start to her book, introducing the characters to the readers, telling their back stories, giving us a little insight into why they are there. As the contestants get to know each other, small cliques begin to form and it really isn't long before an unofficial hierarchy is formed. It's a fabulous look at the way that humans come together, how they form opinions, how they are swayed by others. How fame can influence reasoning and judgement, and how it's often difficult to speak freely. 

The contestants really are alone when a fierce storm hits the island and all forms of communication are cut off. The cameras die, the recording equipment collapses and they have no way of knowing what's going to happen to them. As the wind and rain lashes the island, the drama really begins to happen and the first dead body is discovered. This causes shock, panic and paranoia to set in and Lauren finds herself on the outside of the group, cast out, talked about and trying her best to find out just what is happening. 

It's a claustrophobic read, it's unsettling and the final one hundred pages are tense, fast paced and more than a little bit crazy. As the action increases, so does the utter panic and meltdown of the characters.

The isolated island, the terrible storm and the huge imaginations of the characters make for an exhilarating finale, with an ending that is suitably and satisfyingly shocking.  Plenty of action, twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and turning the pages quickly. 

Louise Minchin is best known for her twenty-year stint on BBC Breakfast's red sofa, but
she has also been the main news anchor on the BBC News Channel and the BBC's One O'clock News and presented The One Show, Five Live Drive, Real Rescues and Missing Live.

Her television career has also seen her participate in a number of reality TV shows including ITV's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Channel 4's Time Crashers and the BBC's Celebrity MasterChef.

Louise has also written non-fiction titles, Dare to Tri and Fearless, and she was Chair of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023.

X @louiseminchin