This has got to be one of the most chilling books I’ve ever read! Psychological thrillers that are fast-paced and keep you on the edge of your seat are fabulous – you want to keep turning those pages until that killer’s revealed. But here, you find out who the killer is really early on, and surprisingly it makes for an even more disturbing read.
I’ve never read one of John Nicholl’s books before, and this one is part of his DI Gravel series. However, it works perfectly well as a standalone novel. ‘Grav’ as he’s affectionately known is a warm-hearted but tough cop who’s liked by most of his colleagues – but not his boss (of course!). He readily dishes out sound advice, and he’s a fabulous port of call in a storm, which is exactly what Mia needs when it’s clear that she’s being stalked by a brutal killer.
Mia has the potential to be a rather annoying, weak character, but having said that, I could fully understand how easy it must be to be manipulated by someone who knows exactly what buttons to push when their victim is at their most vulnerable. Nicholl cleverly demonstrates this, using examples of alienation, fear and control.
I would have liked more characterisation of the killer himself. We learn early on that he’s evil personified, but we get no back story on him whatsoever, and for me that detracted from the plot quite a lot. I like to know why my protagonist is the way he is, and I want to know why a killer chooses to kill! There are no details here at all, apart from the usual hint at ‘all women let me down’. So although I enjoyed the book, missing out on what I considered to be a huge chunk of the story leads me to rate it at 3 stars. I do still recommend it though, as it’s definitely highly readable!
Author Bio:
John Nicholl is an ex-police officer, child protection social worker and lecturer. He’s written six darkly psychological suspense thrillers, each of which has been an Amazon Number 1 bestseller.
John’s books are set in the UK and have a strong Welsh flavour. He began writing after leaving his job heading up child protection services for Carmarthenshire.
John has publishing deals with Bloodhound Books, W.F. Howes Ltd, and Hungarian publisher – konyvmolykepzo. His latest novel, Anonymity, will be published by Bloodhound Books in November 2018.
John’s Social Media Links:
Author website: http://www.johnnicholl.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.nicholl.988
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13795294.John_Nicholl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicholl06 @nicholl06
Thank you to the wonderful Emma Welton and Bloodhound Books for inviting me onto the Blog Blitz. Today’s the first day … publication day! Follow along for the next couple of days and see what others are saying …
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