The Chalet
The French Alps, 1998. A luxurious ski trip takes a dark turn when two young men venture into a blizzard. Only one returns. The other vanishes without a trace, his fate a chilling mystery buried beneath the snow.
Twenty years later, an exclusive chalet in that same secluded resort hosts a new group of guests. Four people arrive, each unknowingly linked to the vanished man and the secrets of that terrible day. Every guest hides a past they wish to keep hidden. Some carry the weight of unspeakable deeds. And one has vengeance in their heart.
As a relentless snowstorm traps them inside, cutting off all escape, the claustrophobic atmosphere intensifies. Old lies unravel, threatening to expose the truth of what happened two decades ago. Someone knows. And trapped within the chalet’s walls, someone will finally pay.
- Ria (Andrea/Andy) - Hugo’s wife
- Hugo - Ria’s husband, Owner of Redbush Holidays
- Simon - Cass’ husband
- Cass - Simon’s wife
- Millie - Snow Snow chalet girl, Louisa and Adam’s daughter
- Matt - Snow Snow employee
- Olivia - Hugo’s personal assistant at Redbush Holidays
- Will - Adam’s brother, Louisa’s boyfriend
- Adam - Will’s brother
- Louisa - Will’s girlfriend
- Nell - Adam’s girlfriend
- Cameron - Co-owner of Skitastic Ski School, owner of Snow Snow
- Andy - Co-owner of Skitastic Ski School
- Part One
- 1998: Cameron loses his two clients Adam and Will.
- Andy helps Cameron look for the two skiers.
- Will and Andy wait too long to call for assistance because they are afraid that if they involve authorities, word will get around that they lost clients and it will hurt their business.
- 2020: Ria books a chalet through Cameron’s company Snow Snow for her and Hugo to stay at with Simon and Cass.
- Part Two
- 1998: Adam invites Will and Louisa to go on a ski holiday with him and his girlfriend Nell.
- Adam rapes Louisa.
- Louisa is scared Will won’t believe her so she doesn’t tell anyone.
- Will and Adam go skiing off piste with Cameron and Andy.
- Cameron and Andy lose sight of Will and Adam.
- Adam crashes and loses his skis.
- Rescue crews find Adam alive the next day.
- 2020: A body is found out in the snow.
- Part Three
- 2020: The body is that of Will, who was never found after he and Adam went missing.
- Adam travels to the resort to identify Will’s body.
- Before: Millie grows up with only a mother who has serious mental health issues.
- Millie learns that her father’s name is Will and that her mother, Louisa, blames Will’s brother for her life being a mess.
- When Millie is fifteen, her mother kills herself, and Millie vows to get revenge on Will’s brother and the two ski instructors she blames for Will’s death.
- 2020: Ria is Andy (her real name is Andrea), Cameron’s former business partner.
- 1998 : Adam tells Will that he and Louisa had sex, causing the two men to get into a fist fight.
- Adam pushes Will over a cliff.
- 2020: Adam gets very ill after Millie feeds him poison mushrooms.
- Millie tells Adam that she is Will’s daughter, that she poisoned him, and that he’s going to die.
- Adam tells Millie that Will was infertile due to having cancer as a child but Millie doesn’t believe him.
- Adam is Millie’s father.
- Epilogue: Adam dies.
- Snow Snow is losing a lot of business due to Adam’s death which pleases Millie.
- Millie is still trying to track down Andy, the third person she blames for Will’s death.
A ski resort setting sets an easy, atmospheric stage for a story driven by buried secrets and past actions catching up to the present. The vibe leans into that classic alpine resort getaway without relying on extreme blizzard tropes, letting the quiet unraveling of the central mystery take center stage. None of the characters are particularly likable, but that never got in the way of my enjoyment as the puzzle pieces began to fit together.
The structure juggles multiple perspectives across three distinct timelines, and the medium-length chapters keep the momentum moving nicely. The past timeline pulled me in the most - those characters felt grounded and real, whereas the present-day group felt much more bland and annoying by comparison, largely serving as a backdrop while the historical threads do the heavy lifting. Still, Cooper layers the central mystery well enough that each jump backward or forward adds another layer of intrigue.
As for the reveals, they landed as a mixed bag that still worked out in the end. One twist was easy to clock well before the final stretch, but anticipating it didn't hurt the suspense or drag down the pacing at all. Another reveal hit with a shocking punch that caught me off guard, making for a fast, entertaining escape. If you like alpine resort settings, multiple timelines, and messy, unlikable characters with dark secrets, then you will enjoy this book.
- Will - Dead - Fractured skull after being pushed off a precipice by Adam
- Adam - Dead - Poisoned with death cap mushrooms by Millie
- Millie - Alive - Searching for Andy
- Ria - Alive - Pregnant with her and Hugo’s child
- Postpartum depression
- Rape
- Self harm
- Suicide
- Blackmail
- Murder
ISBN: 9780008400224
Publication Date: November 12, 2020
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
