Bad Tourists by Caro Carver on June 3, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense, Fiction / Women
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
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Best friends Darcy, Camilla and Kate have just landed in the Maldives for a luxury holiday. They can’t wait for ten days of scorching sun, crystal-clear waters and white-sand beaches. But against this idyllic backdrop, long-buried secrets come to light one by one, and the darker side of female friendship floats to the surface. After all, when you’ve known each other forever, you’re bound to hold a grudge or two – and the best of friends can make the worst of enemies…
I liked the concept of this novel, with three friends linked by a massacre in a run down hotel over twenty years ago going on a trip to the Maldives to celebrate the divorce of one of them. However, I didn’t enjoy the execution, firstly because I never got a good feel for the characters or their relationships to one another. They met as a result of the trauma, with two of them losing a brother or boyfriend and one being the only survivor of the massacre. I got the feeling they were supposed to be tight knit friends, to all go on a trip together, but there wasn’t much evidence for this. I don’t think they knew each other all that intimately at all, so it raises the question of why would they agree to go.
I rated this novel three stars. It wasn’t clear what the motive was for what happened in the past, 22 years ago, or in the present. The way people behaved seemed unrealistic and even ridiculous at times. Overall, I think the concept and themes could have been better developed to heighten the plausibility and generate a suspenseful atmosphere.