Description
Nestled under a vast forest, clinging to the Cornish coast, Sandy Shores welcomes holidaymakers looking to bask in the idyllic setting.
The park runs like clockwork, Joe Stuart ensuring his guests have a memorable holiday, using the extensive facilities at Sandy Shores.
He also accommodates other guests away from the main park-influential men, who younger women entertain as the sun dips below the horizon.
But will the arrangement stay off the radar?
Find out when you visit The Retreat.
About the author
Phil Price was born in Sutton Coldfield in 1974. He lived in various places in the UK until his family settled in Rednal, a suburb on the outskirts of Birmingham in 1979. Growing up with an older brother and sister, he always flirted with reading, his home always littered with books. Then in 1997, Phil embarked on a travel expedition that took him from Greece to Thailand, via East and Southern Africa. Sitting in dusty bus stations in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi with Wilbur Smith and James Herbert accompanying him, his imagination was sparked into life. Since those far-off days, he has never been without a book to read.
Phil started toying with the idea of writing a book in 2009. After writing a few short stories, he caught a whiff of an idea in his head. It started to evolve in 2010 until he had enough to begin his writing journey. Marriage and two children came along, with the story being moved to the back burner for periods of time. However, during those periods of writing inactivity, the story continued to manifest until it just needed one thing. To be written down.
The story was littered with places that had influenced Phil’s life. From the Lickey Hills in Birmingham to the Amatola Mountains in South Africa, with other many other locations, in-between and far beyond.
The book was finished sometime in 2014, left on his computer until a chance conversation with an author friend made Phil take the bold step to publish his story, Unknown.
From there, Phil’s love for the first book spurred him on, creating The Forsaken Series. A vampire/paranormal/horror saga, set in our world, and others too. His love of horror and all things supernatural, inspired by authors such as King, Herbert and others helped create the epic series.
After writing a science fiction novel, titled Zoo, Phil released his first psychological thriller, Ashes of Innocence, a story that he’d kept bubbling away for many years. This was quickly followed up by his seventh book, His Dark Shadow with a Cornish thriller series in the making, along with a standalone horror, The Awakening.
Aside from his writing, Phil lives on the edge of a small town in Worcestershire, UK. A wife and two sons keep Phil happily occupied as he steers his way through life, playing the husband, dad and world creator in equal measure.
My thoughts
This book packs in an abundance of drama. Centring around a family with huge problems and criminal secrets, there’s never a dull moment. I found myself quite often waiting for the multitude of conflicts to come to a head and boy was I in for a ride to get there.
I found myself closely empathising with Cara and Steve, two of the primary characters who drive the story. The Cornish costal setting was divine, contrasting that harsh rock and cliff danger with the joy of holiday-making. This book is seedy, perilous and dramatic in all the right places.
If you love organised crime thrills, family drama and a mystery from the past, ‘The Retreat’ is all that. Sit back, enjoy, and pretend you’re at the seaside, but just be glad you’re not visiting The Retreat!
Thanks for reading!
Why not check out one of my other reviews? Maybe you’ll find your perfect read.
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