From the comfort of my sofa

I put off reading this book because I wasn't sure whether my expectations of a Stephen King novel would fit with a pure thriller -ie no horror, supernatural, time travel or post-apocalyptic event.  However, I wish I had read it earlier, I loved it.  It is Stephen King's style that I love and this, for me, had everything I wanted.  I've downloaded the second in the series and pre-ordered the third!

For once I’m a bit stuck for words, in fact I’m a bit stuck over how to rate this at all.

I’m not going to say too much as it would be so easy to give too much away. I felt a huge sense of satisfaction when I realised what I realised, and that I turned out to be right and, interestingly, that all of that actually made me feel better about the book and like it rather more than I would have! So for that reason alone I am going with four stars.

I was on the point of putting the book aside as I just didn’t think it was great – not convinced on the characters’ voices and the writing style was jarring, however just as I got to that point my epiphany hit and it made for a more interesting read. So, all I want to say is read it before you read any reviews and keep an open mind while you are doing it.

Apologies if this is the most confusing and pointless review you’ve ever read (I'll never be a writer!)but see the book through and you'll know what I mean.

With a twitter hashtag of #STAYSINGLE, this was never going to be a book selling the best points of marriage but gosh…! I read this in one sitting having left the housework undone, the family unfed and the dog unwalked. It is actually quite an easy read, simple and straightforward but that’s where the simplicity ends – it hurtles you along, building the suspense and forcing you to keep turning the pages – it’s a car-crash book in that you just can’t bear to look away.
I suspect this is going to be massive in 2016, and deservedly so!

Wow, what a book. Relentless, gripping and chilling it has just about everything that you need and want from a thriller. I don’t need to rehash the plot but Tuesday, the lone young female vigilante is not someone you want to meet on a dark night! However, the darkness if offset by some real humour and wit as well as by some heart-wrenching emotions. This is an outstanding debut novel and I am really looking forward to reading more from the author as well as more about Tuesday.

I loved this book - intense, complex and a quite bit twisty. I read The Reaper (to which this is the sequel) a long time ago and really enjoyed it; I then picked up the third book in the series without realising and recognised Damen Brook so had to go back to find this one and I am so glad I did! Absolutely brilliant, even better than The Reaper, although I think you'd probably have to have read that in order to get the most out of this one.

Damen Brook is becoming one of my favourite characters.

I really enjoyed this book. Dark, chilling and well-written. Since reading it I have gone on to read the others in the series - The Disciple, Deity, The Unquiet Grave and Under A Killing Moon and loved them all. In fact they get better and better as they go along.

Damon Brook is an interesting character, flawed enough to make him really interesting.

I cannot recommend this series of books highly enough and The Reaper is a brilliant opening book.

It’s the book with THAT opening line, the one that I just HAD to read to see what the fuss was about.   Well, what an opening line it is but actually what a book it is, a truly modern tale that just could not have existed even ten years ago.  As a parent of late teens/early twenties boys, the summer holiday in the sun with friends has been a source of many sleepless nights for me over the last 5 or 6 years.  I have to say that if I was a parent starting to face these years I’d be very nervous about reading this!

All that said, this is an emotional roller-coaster that takes you on a family’s nightmare journey in a thoroughly modern world. It is scary, sad, emotional and authentic.   I can’t say I enjoyed it, it made me too nervous, but I can say that with or without the “killer” tag line, it’s definitely worth the read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

So where does truth end and fiction start?

This was a fascinating book in so many ways. The author is an ex-police officer who was involved in investigating the 7/7 bombings, the story rings true and with each revelation comes that "gosh, yes that could be real" moment, it was also fast-moving and enthralling just as a story.

I enjoyed every minute of it, am left with some intriguing questions, not least who is Jake really based on and how close to reality is he? and wonder what is next for him.  I'll definitely be looking out for more from David Videcette.

Gosh, scary stuff to live through. It's hard to comment on someone else's real-life experiences.  Glad it wasn't me!

I downloaded this book on recommendation by a friend who reads much lighter books than my normal fare. It is the second in a series, and I have not read the first, so really the book is up against it with me.

Actually, it is a really nice, light, romantic tale with a bit of mystery and a happy ending. What’s not to like? It was a really nice break between some heavy books, not taxing, not overly fluffy, and with just about enough mystery to keep turning the pages.

I was recommended this book by a friend who lives in the area where the book is set and, to be honest I hadn’t heard of either it or the author.

However, I have to say I really enjoyed it. It is a thrilling page-turner that I didn’t really want to put down for the two days it took to read it. I found the plot to be quite complex with a lot of shallow, unlikeable characters but it remained pacy and kept me turning the pages.  The main character, Goodhew, was a little irritating in that he seems a bit spoilt and has an inability to stick to the rules, but it is refreshing to read a detective without an alcohol or other major problem in his life.

I will be very interested now to read the remainder of the series, everyone says they get better and, if this is the case, then they must be a real treat!

I read this based on recommendations from members of THE Book Club and as a break from my usual fare of murders, psychos and other dodgy characters.

This book was a bit of a breath of fresh air. I don’t have daughters but I am both a mother and a daughter and recognised many of the situations!  It started off quite amusing and light and then became much darker, which was a surprise but probably helped keep my interest. I would have given 4 stars until the last chapter!

It is a while since I read anything by Diane Chamberlain and this book has made me want to go ahead and read more. It is a complex family story of deception and secrets and a really satisfying and enjoyable read.

Wow, what a book!

I was gripped by this from the very beginning and it didn’t let up until the last page, and even then I was left reeling.

The plot is both familiar and terrifying, it is after all every parent’s worst nightmare and there are many books that focus on a missing child. BUT, what made this different is the portrayal of the key players – vile, selfish, appallingly behaved and truly despicable and quite realistic to boot! The mix of these characters with the siblings of the missing child trying to piece together the events of their childhood just gives a fascinating look at a dysfunctional group of people.

The pace is just superb, page turning and gripping, sad and upsetting and all the while building to the ending that even though you see it coming just leaves you with a hand across the mouth moment of horror.

Just incredible, it will take some book to knock this one from my top books of the year (and it is still only January)

Aah Ove, there is nothing to say except I love Ove and I loved every word of this book. Funny, sad and endearing, I laughed and I cried and I didn’t want it to end.

There are few books that I have loved as much as this and there is nothing else I need to say about it.