The Club

 By Ellery Lloyd

Harper     2022

320 pages     Thriller

When the world seems to be getting the best of me, I often turn to mysteries or thrillers, because they are engrossing, and because my cares seem insignificant in comparison to what is happening in the mystery.

Such is the case with The Club, written by a London-based husband and wife team, who write under the pseudonym, Ellery Lloyd. “The Club” is really more than just a club, it is a series of resorts owned and operated by Ned Groom with the assistance of his brother Adam. The clubs all have the name “Home” in their titles, and their newest club, Island Home, is opening this weekend. The rich and famous belong to the Home Club, so that wherever they are, they have a luxurious place to stay. Island Home is a spectacular place, off the coast of England, and its three-day launch party is going to be spectacular as far as the owners and the guests are concerned. 

But as we find out, The Club is not filled with nice people. The plot emerges through the point of view of several employees—Adam, Annie, Jess, and Nikki. Several of the guests are profiled as well, although as their names piled up, it was somewhat difficult to tell them all apart. I had to stop and think: Oh yeah, he’s the TV host, or she’s the actress with the little girl, etc. The point, however, is that everyone has something to hide, and a lot of people are going to die.

The structure of The Club is novel in itself, wavering as it does between what is actually going on and the POV of each of the main actors. The setting is exceptional, the characters are interesting, and the plot twists are breathtaking. It was exactly what I needed to take me away from my own particular setting and cast of characters.

The Bookreporter review says that The Club is: “Perfect for readers of twisty novels and star-studded casts, THE CLUB is a glitzy, glamorous thriller with a dark and deadly mystery at its heart. If you’re ready for an escape from domestic suspense, plan your next trip to Island Home.”

I was reminded of another mystery I read that was set on an island in the British Isles, The Guest List by Lucy Foley. And then, last night, I watched a couple episodes of Inventing Anna on Netflix, which is the story of a real-life scammer, Anna Sorokin, who posed as a rich German heiress and conned many of New York’s rich and famous. She would definitely have been a guest at one of the Home Clubs, or have been working in cahoots with Ned Groom.   

I am always curious about people who write books as a team, such as the team that writes as Ellery Lloyd. Ellery Lloyd is the pseudonym for the London-based husband-and-wife writing team of Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos. Collette is a journalist and editor, the former content director of Elle (UK), and editorial director at Soho House. She has written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and the Sunday Times. Paul is the author of two previous novels, Welcome to the Working Week and Every Day Is Like Sunday. He is the subject leader for English literature, film, and creative writing at the University of Surrey. They have one other novel written together, People Like Her. 

I also have to mention that The Club is Reese Witherspoon’s book club pick for March, 2022.