Retreat tells the story of Liz Dawson, a beautiful con artist who insinuates herself into a wealthy socialite’s life with deadly consequences. Isabelle Beresford is strikingly beautiful, obscenely wealthy, and the new owner of Casa Esmerelda, a fabulous villa on the Mexican coast. When she offers Liz a job handling an art installation in her otherwise vacant home, Liz can’t resist the allure of a beach retreat. She longs for a chance to rest and reset, and to finally shed her addiction to conning. But when Liz is mistaken for Isabelle herself, Liz can’t help but effortlessly slip into her identity. The transition is seamless, almost fated. But who is Isabelle Beresford really? And why does she seem to have abandoned this stunning life of hers?
I have long been a fan of Krysten Ritter, enjoying her in Vamps, Breaking Bad, Jessica Jones and more, so I was excited when she released her debut novel, a thriller called Bonfire. I last read it in 2017, so it’s been a minute, but I wrote that it was beautifully written, very intense, and fast-paced with interesting characters and story. Some parts were hard hitting and poignant and I hadn’t expected it to be so good and so addicting. I have long wanted Ritter to write another novel, so when she announced Retreat, I was excited all over again. Retreat, though, is simply… fine. It’s a decent read, but nothing to write home about.
I love stories about female con artists and Liz Dawson is a good character. She has a strong inner voice full of entertaining quips. It also reveals a lot about her. She’s considered clever, smooth, and confident, though I’m not sure all of these traits translated. Either way, she has personality and you cannot help but root for her even when she’s making frustrating decisions based on intense emotion. She’s only human after all, but where is the clever con artist I was promised? We don’t get to see much of Liz in her prime.
Ritter’s writing is simple, which isn’t a bad thing, but it ebbs and flows between between boring and intriguing. It keeps this up quite adamantly throughout. It does pull you into Liz’s world, though, into her new glamorous life. It did feel stressful living the deep con she was in, knowing all the ways it could and will go wrong from the very beginning as she wedges herself in deeper. But that’s what makes you want to read more. It keeps you hooked and you want to know: where is this going? That said, Liz doesn’t really go through much character development. She talks about wanting to stop running, to stop conning, to leave the Mexican coast, but she doesn’t do these things. She’s too drawn to the promise of a better life.
It’s been hard to put my finger on it, but I think the main problem with Retreat is that it doesn’t feel very exciting. It has its moments as the somewhat predictable twists and reveals come into focus, but there is something missing. The structure of the ending has its strengths and weaknesses, too, but talking about this would spoil the book so I’ll keep quiet on that one. Still, this is an average thriller and I did like reading it. I will keep reading Ritter’s novels for as long as she writes them.
★★★✩✩
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. Retreat by Krysten Ritter will be released on 25th March.
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