My Rating ~ Three stars

RELEASE DATE: 20 September 2020

Publisher: Troubador Publishing

Format: E-ARC

Source: NetGalley

Blurb

Ever wondered what it would be like if hunted animals were able to fight back? The Lodge unveils the mystery of a hunting lodge in the remote hills of the Scottish Highlands during the Christmas holidays. After the report of an accidental death at the lodge, Andrew, a young constable from the nearest town, drives up through a growing blizzard. Snowbound, Andrew and the guests take cover at the lodge as the terrifying ordeal unfolds. These animals have souls. Souls that won’t rest until they’ve had revenge… But will the hunters become the hunted?

Review

Thankyou to Troubador Publishing for providing me with a copy of The Lodge, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

When police officer Andrew is called to the local lodge, during a severe snowstorm, because a patron has died, he expects a fairly straightforward case. After all, the man simply choked on a quail bone. But strange things seem to be happening. Did the zebra rug really lift up by itself to trip someone? Is the giant christmas tree really still growing inside? Did those taxidermied animals really move? As the snow traps them inside and more guests come to sticky ends, Andrew needs to get to the bottom of what’s really going on.

Told with flashbacks to each of the character’s pasts, interspersed throughout the story, The Lodge slowly pieces together the real mystery at hand. This is a definite horror book with an intriguing mystery, and if it wasn’t for the last 20% I’d probably be giving it a higher rating, for it’s uniqueness at least. But the end of this book just……got out of control and ridiculous. I had suspended my belief during the story, to immerse myself into this world where the hunted animals might be trying to take revenge, but that ending required a leap too far. One part of the mystery was plausible and interesting, the other part, just too weird and senseless.

If you’re a horror fan and don’t mind far fetched endings, this one is super fun up until that point!