Book Review: The Chateau

THE CHATEAU | Jaclyn Goldis
05.23.23 | Atria Books
Rating: 4/5 stars

Welcome to picturesque Provence, where the Lady of the Chateau, Séraphine Demargelasse, has opened its elegant doors to her granddaughter Darcy and three friends. Twenty years earlier, the four girlfriends studied abroad together in France and visited the old woman on the weekends, creating the group’s deep bond. But why this sudden invitation?

Amid winery tours, market visits, and fancy dinners overlooking olive groves and lavender fields, it becomes clear that each woman has a hidden reason for accepting the invitation. Then, after a wild evening’s celebration, Séraphine is found brutally murdered.

As the women search for answers to this shocking crime, fingers begin pointing and a sinister Instagram account pops up, exposing snapshots from the friends’ intimate moments at the chateau, while threatening to reveal more.

As they race to uncover who murdered Séraphine and is now stalking them, they learn the chateau houses many secrets…several worth killing for.

I think I’ve said this a million times, but I love a locked room mystery! If you tell me there are people in an isolated location and a murder has happened and everyone is a suspect…I’m in! 

The Chateau is a fun twist on the locked room mystery genre that features a reunion of four friends who are seemingly invited to come out to France out of the blue. But is it actually sudden or does someone know more than they’re willing to tell? That’s the fun! 

Goldis lets her story unfold through alternating narrators, which include each of the friends and some additional guest stars sprinkled in. These different viewpoints give the reader an intimate opportunity to get to know each friend, which for me really shaped this story into something very well-rounded. The reader can feel that the narrators are holding back the truth at points, but you’re never quite sure about what or why until Goldis wraps things up at the end. And speaking of the end…that final chapter has me wanting more pages! 

I loved the family secrets, the rich people’s problems, the drama…oh so much drama! The dynamic between the characters is incredibly vibrant and truly drives this book toward an ending that I didn’t see coming. I will absolutely be keeping an eye out for more from Goldis in the future!

A huge thank you to Atria Books for my gifted copy!