Heat Trap: A Short Story

by Ellery Lloyd, Esther Wane (Narrator)

A vacation in the French countryside turns sinister in a twisty short story of manipulation and revenge among friends by the New York Times bestselling author of The Club .

Yet again, Lizzie has taken on the task of organising the annual summer getaway in France for her longtime friend group. After all, she’s got the The others are married, with families and high-powered jobs, while Lizzie is a perpetually single personal assistant. This year, though, she’s excited to show off her charming new boyfriend, Mal. While the holiday group chat buzzes with questions for Lizzie, Mal stays quiet, but once they gather at the château, he’s all charisma—even as dangerous mishaps begin to mount. The guests begin to realise that one of their number has his or her own sinister reasons for joining this year’s trip.

Genres: Thriller, Short Stories, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Novella, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published July 14, 2026

About the author

Ellery Lloyd is the pseudonym for New York Times Bestselling husband-and-wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos.

Collette is a journalist and editor, the former content director of Elle (UK) and editorial director at Soho House. She has written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and the Sunday Times.

Paul is the author of two previous novels, Welcome to the Working Week and Every Day is Like Sunday. He is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Greenwich.

Reviews

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an easy, quick read with an interesting idea, but it didn't keep me full on as I hoped. It starts off quite slowly because there are a lot of characters to meet, and was in two minds about who I liked, and who I didn't. The French chateau setting was a great choice and gave the story a nice atmosphere, even though I wish there had been more time to develop the characters and build the suspense.

The second half was much stronger as the mystery finally picked up, and I enjoyed seeing how everything came together. The ending was satisfying, although it felt a little rushed because of how short the book was, but the ending pulled it through.

[vaishnavi ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠* · Rating 1 out of 5]

Exactly two chapters of this were interesting, and that is sad, for a short story. I'm starting to think adult thrillers just aren't for me. I'll just stick to my YA ones 🫂

[eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok guys…funny story real quick. I signed up for this ARC without reading the blurb. Now, that can be a dangerous thing to do, but was it worth it this time? Absolutely. It made the book all the more interesting and I was definitely caught off guard a few times because of it.

Imagine this….a bunch of friends getting together for a week of the summer. No biggie. It’ll be fun! That’s how it’s supposed to go anyway. Did it happen that way? Why no, no it didn’t. That would’ve made the story boring. Some kind of twist had to be thrown in there to keep it interesting.

𝑳𝒊𝙯𝒛𝗶𝒆:
My poor girl. She is just trying to get together with all her childhood friends and have a good time. Is it really that difficult?? Hehe….yes. It is difficult when you have a dumb ole guy trying to ruin everything 😒

𝑴𝒂𝒍:
Oh he made me angry. What a poopoo bum breath. He just had to go and try to ruin everything.
Yeah, well guess what mister, jokes on you cause you aren’t as good at hiding your true identity as you thought 😈


Shoutout to 𝘈𝘳𝘫𝘶𝘯. I loved him so much! He’s like that one big brother you get attached to while reading. I appreciated how protective he was when it came to the girls in the friend group. Also, how observant he was. He definitely is one of the main ones who figured things out and it probably saved a few people’s lives🙂‍↕️

I loved the different POV’s from the characters. It really helped me get to know how they worked and what they were thinking. Their characters had such individuality and uniqueness. I need to see more of that in books🙌🏻🙌🏻

𝑨𝒍𝒔𝒐, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒈 𝑩𝒐𝒃?!? 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒏?

Overall: This was surprisingly very interesting. When you read a novella, sometimes you expect it to be shallow with a silly plot. Not this one though! It kept me hooked till the end🙂‍↕️


𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆 —> 🌶️
𝑺𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 —> yes


☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ ♡ ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙥𝙮:) 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣!

[River · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT. WAS. THATTTTTTTTT
If felt like a shock after shock🧍🏻‍♀️

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
Heat Trap is a short novella sized read that was intriguing to listen to and once I'd gotten to grips with whos who I really enjoyed how the story unfolded.
Lizzy is a PA for a wealthy French woman and plans the annual girls trip away for her and her best friends every year. This year she's had to shuffle their vacation rental and has a new boyfriend to bring on the vacation. Throw in a sulky teenage girl, a puppy and an unhinged ex-partner of one of the friends and things start to heat up.
I really enjoyed this on audio - the setting was beautiful and the characters were fun especially at the end of the book when revenge gets served. I think my favourite character was Kiera (the teenager) who made me smile especially towards the conclusion at the end of the book.
This is the perfect listen for a short thriller read with a fun and satisfying ending.

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent enough story but it's nothing super special. It was a little slow and for the length of the book there are ALOT of characters which I think hindered the pacing.

I love stories built around deception and revenge, so it definitely satisfied that for me. I just wish it was fleshed into a full novel instead of a novella, I think the story would have been so much better if it had more time.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[STEPH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, Mal got what he deserved. Lol.

This was quite an entertaining read—full of deception, lies, revenge, and people getting exactly what they deserve. I really liked the relationship between Lizzie and her friends. They looked out for and protected each other from people who tried to fool and use them.

I couldn’t have hoped for a better ending than this one.

If you’re looking for a fast and intriguing read, this might be the one to pick up.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good and well developed short story. I think it could easily have been a full length novel I would’ve read and been interested in the entire thing.

All of the characters were really well developed, which was pretty great for a book that is under 100 pages. It made it easy to stay interested because I felt like I knew enough about them to really want to know what was going on.

The story itself with the mystery and the suspicious boyfriend was really good. I never trust the new person in the friend group. Gotta stay safe. 🤣

I also find it interesting to note that I listened to the audio of this and at the beginning it said the title was “Silent Partner”. I do have to say, after listening to the whole thing I think that is a much better title.

[Barbara Behring · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this, unfortunately, was just an average story. For a short novela there were tons of characters and it was hard at times to keep them straight.

[Celeste | bookrecs_by_celeste · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my jam and was super bored for a short thriller read / listen.

[Cecily - MillennialBookGal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Ellery Lloyd and NetGalley for the free audiobook of this short story.

Short and sweet but definitely could have been drawn out to make a full novel if the author wanted to. That being said, I'm glad they didn't.

I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. I just enjoy more character development so I had a hard time caring about many of them but the ending was pretty great.

Okay read.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a spicy little short story!! This was such a fun, quick read. Lots of interesting dynamics and characters and genius level twists. Excellent read.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lizzie takes her friends and new boyfriend to her bosses’ house and pretends it’s an AirBnB. What could go wrong? Surprisingly in just 80 pages, a lot can go wrong. Heat Trap is a fun little mystery. I recommend for a nice palette cleanser between books.

[Lu thrillskillsandchills · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn to Heat Trap because morally grey characters with a grifter angle are very much my thing, and Ellery Lloyd delivered exactly the kind of tension I was hoping for.

Being a short story, this was fast-paced enough to read in a single sitting and made for an entertaining palate cleanser between longer books. The premise hooked me straight away and I enjoyed seeing it unfold, even if I found myself wishing there had been a few more chapters to spend with these characters and let the story breathe a little more. I definitely would have happily stayed in this world longer.

3.5⭐️

[Ali O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heat Trap by Ellery Lloyd
Narrated by Esther Wane
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is an exciting and thrilling short story!! It’s fast paced and has a gripping storyline!

Lizzie is yet again stuck with planning a summer trip for her and her friends. This year a new member will be joining the friend group; Lizzie has a new boyfriend.
Secrets and mysteries are plentiful!
The story has great imagery!


Thank you to NetGalley for an audio arc of this fun short story!! The narrator did an excellent job!!

**It’s out now and I recommend the read! **

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deception was a key word of this short story. There were several different people, each with their own lives going on, who came together for this vacation. Once things started to spiral, it kept whirling faster and faster as the pieces fell into place. When it all came full circle…wow! This was an incredibly entertaining short story.

[Christine Savukinas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good short story! When some leave you feeling like you need more or want to hear more about the characters, this one is just right!
A group of friends vacation together every year, and this year one is bringing a new boyfriend. He seems perfect at first….
Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the digital ARC.

[Yasmine M · Rating 3 out of 5]

He got what he deserved. But I wish we got more of the after it all went down.
Not too bad of a short story.

[Page Passion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story a lot. We have another shady boyfriend story, but the events don't play out the way you are expecting. The authors did a great job dropping subtle clues up until the big reveal.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heat Trap is a fun little thriller short story from Ellery Lloyd. It begins at the end, with one of our main characters driving away from a flaming chateau, and then rewinds back a few days in time to explain how we got here.

The pacing is fast and I think the teaser opening does a good job hooking the reader in right away. There are several little mysteries thrown at you where things maybe don’t quite add up right away. A few of them are the sort that the reader will know or sort of suspect what’s going on up front, but even with that there were a couple good twists delivered at the end that I didn’t see coming.

I think the only thing is - the villain was maybe a little too sympathetic? I sort of felt bad for them. I didn’t really think they were unjustified in what they were doing sooo… and some of the others were definitely not doing what they were supposed to be doing either.

I think the only reason this is a 4 and not a 5 is that I actually wanted a little more from it? The ending felt a little rushed and abrupt. And I wasn’t sure I fully understood everything that happened.

Otherwise a fun time. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced copy for review.

[Rose 🥀 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Heat Trap by Ellery Lloyd in exchange for an honest review.

This is a short story thriller that follows a group of friends on their annual holiday… when something goes wrong. For a 96 page novella this packed so much in and I was entertained throughout.
I definitely enjoyed some POV’s more than others - Lizzie’s was my favourite and Yasmine’s started to bore me. I really liked Mal’s suspicious chapter early on in the book, but then felt myself waiting to get back to it and not caring much about the other friends.

I think this book was too short for the amount of story there was to tell. I didn’t have long enough to connect to any character, so the betrayal did not upset me. The reveal also didn’t have any time to be drawn out, so it was hardly a twist at all.

This was an average thriller, one I’d recommend to people looking for a quick read.

[Micaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick little mystery with just enough secrets, manipulation and revenge to keep me turning the pages 👀📚

Heat Trap was a fun, easy read and I genuinely did not see the plot twist coming! I love when a short story manages to surprise me, especially when I think I've already figured out where things are going 😅

The French countryside setting added such a nice holiday atmosphere, but there was definitely something sinister lurking underneath all those summer getaway vibes. ☀️👀

And honestly, I love a story where justice gets served... especially when the author manages to fit it all into such a short read 😂👏🏻

It wasn't a five-star read for me, but it was a quick, entertaining mystery that kept me guessing and gave me exactly what I needed from a short thriller.

[Ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were so many things about this book I loved. Novella’s are such a great ride! And figuring out the mystery side of the book was a blast. There were a lot of characters, and I had a hard time remembering, then trying to decide if I even needed to remember them. It was still a great book and I’m glad I got the chance to listen.

Thank you NetGalley for the listen! I’m always a sucker for a great novella.

[Allan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
There were definitely more characters than necessary but I think I might really like thrillers this short. Something about the tension not having to be dragged out over hundreds of pages and therefore being able to avoid a lot of unnecessary, increasingly unbelievable bullshit really worked for me here.

[Lisa Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I think it is hard to pull off a mystery in short story format, but Lloyd did a decent job of pulling it off. I do think there were too many characters to get to know in such a short amount of pages, and that does take away from the whole thriller aspect of it. It also takes too long to get to the action for such a short story. But overall....a decent listen.

[savannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was really boring. When I pick up thriller short stories, I expect them to be fast-paced and engaging, but this fell flat in both regards. All of the characters were one-dimensional and any one of them could have been removed from the story for the same general result. I just didn’t care about any of it and none of it was thrilling.

Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sharon Leff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat Predictable…

Because it is so short, characterization and plot remain underdeveloped. In some ways, the story moves along exactly as predicted…

[Hayley Raymond · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was just okay…. I feel like I would have been okay if I didn’t read this but I’m glad I read/listened to it for free.

[Courtney Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

short story - just meh

[Linda · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

A little mystery with a full explanation at to the why, but without the satisfaction of a conclusion. Or I should say, the conclusion is assumed but open ended.