Jaclyn Goldis | The Chateau

The Book: 

The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis
Published May 23, 2023 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Date read: March 26, 2024

The Characters: 

Darcy
Arabelle
Jade
Vix
Seraphine

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon

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The Plot (from Goodreads):

A dream girls trip to a luxurious French chateau devolves into a deadly nightmare of secrets and murder in this stylish, twisty thriller for fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, and Lisa Jewell.

Welcome to picturesque Provence, where the Lady of the Chateau, Séraphine Demargelasse, has opened its elegant doors to her granddaughter Darcy and three friends. Twenty years earlier, the four girlfriends studied abroad together in France and visited the old woman on the weekends, creating the group’s deep bond. But why this sudden invitation?

Amid winery tours, market visits, and fancy dinners overlooking olive groves and lavender fields, it becomes clear that each woman has a hidden reason for accepting the invitation. Then, after a wild evening’s celebration, Séraphine is found brutally murdered.

As the women search for answers to this shocking crime, fingers begin pointing and a sinister Instagram account pops up, exposing snapshots from the friends’ intimate moments at the chateau, while threatening to reveal more.

As they race to uncover who murdered Séraphine and is now stalking them, they learn the chateau houses many secrets…several worth killing for.

How did The Chateau end?

Click here for book spoilers for The Chateau
Book spoilers ahead–if you haven’t yet read The Chateau, I suggest you turn back now.

The Reveal:

Darcy was the one posting on the Instagram account, trying to get Jade to confess to sleeping with Darcy’s husband Oliver. Actually, it was Arabel sleeping with Oliver.

Raf wasn’t really a groundskeeper: he was a bodyguard who accidentally fell in love with the baroness he was supposed to be guarding. They had twins, but the baroness kept them as her own and raised them with her husband. Raf’s grandmother was friends with Serafine. He went to her for help paying for a lawyer to fight for custody of his kids.

Jade was Darcy’s cousin. Serafine’s mother in law had forced Jade’s ancestors out of her house and into the hands of the Germans, but Serafine was able to save their babies. Jade’s father was sent to a protection camp for kids, and Serafine kept the other baby as her own (Darcy’s father).

Arabel was the murderer. She was also related to Darcy: Serafine’s husband had raped Sylvie, which was how Arabel’s mother was conceived. Arabel had killed their grandfather, and Serafine saw. She killed Serafine for denying they were related I guess.

The Ending:

Darcy went to the hideout under the stairs for some peace and quiet, but that was where Arabel was hiding all the evidence. There were notes explaining, since Serafine suspected that Arabel was going to kill her. Darcy was able to get a message to Raf, who found and rescued her. Arabel went to jail, and Darcy and Oliver divorced.



I hope these The Chateau spoilers were helpful.

The Review: 

While I wouldn’t call The Chateau a thriller, I certainly enjoyed the drama between these friends. There are big secrets at play here, some simmering resentment, and high-stakes curiosity as these women try to figure out why Darcy’s grandmother has summoned them all to France. It’s an enjoyable listen sent in a creepily isolated chateau!

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