Liane Moriarty: Nine Perfect Strangers, 9780718180300, open market paperback, Michael Joseph/Penguin Random House UK

(no German translation yet announced, previous titles available as paperbacks)

Liane Moriarty has a huge fan base and a previous title, “Big Little Lies” was turned into a successful HBO series and has been a NY Times bestseller.  “Nine Perfect Strangers” sounded like a fun holiday read, downloaded the e-book and started reading on holiday in Kenia. I have to confess I had my problems with the novel, after a promising start I got bored in the middle, the story started to drag, I put it aside and only when I gave it another go when I was home with about 60 % on my Kindle read, did the book feel like this could become quite interesting and it delivered in the end.  All in all, one has to persevere and stay with the story but in my judgement one of the weaker books I have read lately. Despite a pacing 
ending, a three star rating from me, the novel as a whole feels terribly constructed.

Nine perfect strangers, all of different age with varied backgrounds but with some serious personal issues in common, check into “Tranquillum House”, a spa which promises to totally transform their lives in 10 days.  Masha, a former business executive who went through a personal crisis and transformation herself after living an unhealthy life and suffering a near fatal heart attack, founded the clinic to make a difference in other peoples lives and runs it together with Yao, the very paramedic who was responsible for saving her life several years ago.  But no one is prepared for the more sinister agenda Masha seems to have in mind after the benign health checks, fasting and psychological counselling are completed. She wants to take the mission of the retreat to another level and contrary to previous treatments the smoothies she hands out to her non suspecting clients are not only laced with nutritional fiber. …..

Without question the individual stories of the nine strangers have to be narrated thoroughly and were good fun to read (I particularly liked the character of Frances)  but I felt the book seriously dragging in the middle and nearly chucked the book aside. Given the entertainment it did provide in the end after the more sinister part started, this would have been a shame.