As a teenage schoolgirl Lou Wandsworth was flattered by the attention of Mike Hughes her Judo coach. She was not a popular girl, and without many friends she felt alone and isolated. Her home life was really awful and her father was a real bully. Lou’s self esteem was nonexistent; she was chubby and felt unattractive. She craved attention and Mike groomed her until she believed he was the love of her life, despite the massive age gap. The compliments he paid her and his kindness to her soon led to a love affair and eventually they eloped to France to build a life together. However Mike changed once he had her to himself. He kept her a prisoner in the bedroom, sometimes gagged and tied up. He controlled her and she grew frightened of him. He was a real weirdo and enjoyed playing sick games. She planned her escape before he took matters too far.
After Mike was arrested and imprisoned for his crime, Lou returned home and worked hard to make a life for herself, but she couldn’t maintain a relationship. After her father died he left the family home to Lou, who was in her thirties by then. She returned to the area she knew so well, intending to clear out the house and sell it. Out one day she walked into a garden centre and there she witnessed Mike with another teenage girl. He was kissing her, well out of sight. She was determined to protect the young girl. Mike was a predator of the worst kind; he would never stop, she knew that, so Lou decided to report him to the local, police. She was determined to confront him and tell him how he had ruined her life, taken her innocence and her chances of a loving relationship. Even more than that she wanted to protect the young girl he was abusing. If only it were that easy.
‘The Fear’ is exciting and far reaching. It deals with the issues of paedophilia, dominance, jealousy and revenge. The story plan is stunningly executed, making this exciting novel fast-paced and terrifyingly realistic. I think this is the very best of Cally’s novels so far. It’s dark, gritty, wickedly evil and utterly shocking. I literally didn’t know what to expect next. The twists and turns kept coming again and again. I never once predicted what the outcome would possibly be. It’s a real ‘edge of your seat’ blockbuster. The characters were skilfully crafted, but with agendas of their own; some very unpredictable, others less so. I found the scenes of torture absolutely nailbitingly odious, but I still felt compelled to read on. The climax of the novel is a real corker.
I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Avon for my copy of this novel, sent to me in return for an honest review. Watch out for the lesser of the two story threads involving Mike’s ex-wife. It’s an absolute classic and greatly adds to the gravitas of the story. I recommend this as an excellent read within this genre. It’s very nearly an all-round 5* review from me, but just not quite.

Lou Wandsorth gives up her life in London and returns to Malvern following the death of her father. She sets herself up with a job and determines to sell her father’s house. She is surrounded by thoughts of her past, the bullying, and her feelings of isolation, her memories of her controlling father and her memories of her karate teacher - Mike Hughes. She thought he was her saviour and did not recognise that he was grooming her, a 14 year old.

Mike has served his time in prison and now works as a driver/delivery person and works at a local nursery. Lou seeks him out here and witnesses his interaction with a young girl, Chloe and she believes he is up to his old ways. Lou has to help, her life had been ruined. If she just speaks to Chloe…. If she just speaks to the police…

I was grabbed by the idea of a teacher and pupil ‘running away together’ and the dynamics of how that would work. What I got was so much more than that. This is a psychological thriller of the first order. Lou’s manner of dealing with Mike just goes from bad to worse. As I was reading it, all I could think was ‘how can she get away with this, what can she do?’ I didn’t come up with any answers.

I was thoroughly engaged with this book. Can’t fault it. Plot development – tick; characterisation – tick; excitement – tick; brilliant read – tick, tick, tick.

Do I recommend this, I certainly do.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I would like to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Fear’ by CL Taylor in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Lou Wandsworth is fourteen and meets Mike Hughes when she takes up martial arts classes. Lou believes he’s the love of her life and runs away to France with him, but Mike is a paedophile and grooms thirteen-year-old girls! Lou is now thirty-two and when her father dies she returns to the family home in Worcester where she starts looking for Mike Hughes so she can tell him how he ruined her life, but Lou sees him kissing thirteen-year-old Chloe Meadows. Can she stop things from going further before Chloe’s life is ruined too?
‘The Fear’ is a well-thought-out extremely tense novel with an intricately woven plot that had me on tenterhooks. The chapters moved smoothly between Lou’s life now and in the past. I was completely absorbed from page one, through each twist and turn to the shocking and thrilling conclusion. It was impossible to put the book down until the last page had been reached. This has to be CL Taylor’s best novel yet and I can’t wait for the next one.

What a fantastic read. Cally you have really pulled this one out of the bag. ! A Really original outlook on a really difficult subject.

This is a very up-to-date original storyline , I havent read or heard of a book like it.
It kept me rooted to my seat till I’d finished. I WAS the characters, it felt like I was living the storyline from every different character , it was fabulously exhausting!
Technology played a big part where a paper trail would show a text trail ( so they think) doesn’t
Great to see this read keeping up with techno too.

Is Chloe in danger from Mike?

Thank you for this normally taboo subject read, covered extremely sensitively it’s a difficult topic that happens probably more than we would like to imagine but thankfully not to these lengths!

Absolutely fabulous read I NEED more from Cally Taylor she is one of my most favourite authors and never fails to impress

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
I had mixed feelings about this book. On a positive note, it is well written with very detailed and credible characters. I also liked the way it is narrated through the eyes of a few main characters and set over different time periods.
On the negative side, I found the pace a bit laborious in places and parts of the story were a bit far fetched.
I am pleased I read it but the subject matter was difficult and made me a bit uncomfortable at times.
Overall a 4 star read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. It was a very interesting read. I didn’t know what to expect. It was absolutely brilliant the story itself was great, the characters even better. It is heartbreaking to know that in real life this is happening, and it is every parents nightmare. It worked out well in the end, mike got what he deserved. It was hard to put down, but it ended very quick. I think it needed a bit more at the end. But overall it was a great book. 5stars definitely.

Another brilliant book by C.L. Taylor, I eagerly await each new release and The Fear did not disappoint. This author just keeps getting better and this is my favourite book to date.
Engrossing from the begining, every spare minute I had I was picking it back up.
Well written characters and the story was so realistically addictive it just leaves you wanting more. C.L.Taylor is clearly a born story teller and I look forward to reading her next book. Highly recommended.

Thank you

C. L. Taylor is one of my favourite authors and I was delighted to receive an ARC of her latest book. The Fear is a very cleverly crafted book which gives an interesting but very disturbing insight into grooming. The book follows two girls who get entrapped and groomed by Mike, at different times and the frightening consequences of this. The Fear is a great thriller that will keep you reading long into the night.

I received this book from Netgalley never having read any of this author's work previously.

The story deals with child grooming and abuse in the present time and the harrowing details Lou's ordeal in running away to France with the paedophile Mike along with the long term damage the relationship has had on her over the years.

All the characters are well rounded, developed and believable and the plot draws the reader in from the beginning. There is no way of guessing the twists and turns that the story takes and the reader is often left wondering if the despicable Mike will ever have his comeuppance.

Three brave woman, each of whom has suffered at his hands make sure that he does although how this pans out will have you on the edge of your seat.

C.L. Taylor is certainly a name I will be looking out for in future.

Lou has rebuilt her life after being groomed and kidnapped by her karate teacher Mike Hughes but finds herself having to return to her childhood home when her dad dies and she has been left the family home. She intends to sell up and be back in her new life asap but her plans lay in tatters when she realises that Mike is grooming another teenager. She feels somewhat responsible as she hadn't testified against him and so she tries to stop him. Not her best move, and the predicament she finds herself in is of her own making but things just seem to be getting worse and worse. Will it ever end and will she ever be able to go back to her new home and boyfriend or will she be damaged forever. I couldn't put the book down and needed to know how it ended and end it did such a surprising way.
Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of the book.

The Fear covers very dark territory, but as with all of C.L. Taylor's books, it is handled realistically and sensitively through her excellent writing and brilliantly drawn characters. I flew through this book, desperate to know how it was all going to pan out as the tension was firmly ratcheted up - right up to an ending that was so perfect, it made me grin. Fantastically plotted and perfectly paced, this dark thriller gets a standing ovation from me.

When Lou Wandsworth was 14, she was involved in a case that made headlines. Her karate instructor, Mike Hughes, groomed her and abducted her, taking her to France. Now in her twenties, Lou is moving back to her hometown and she's still livid about the impact Mike has had on her life. Determined to give him a piece of her mind, instead Lou discovers that Mike may be grooming another young girl, 13 year old Chloe Meadows. Lou will not let this happen again.

I really like Cally's books, they're always full of action and they're addictive to read. This was no different - the pacing is great, the characters are well rounded (I found myself oddly rooting for Wendy, who was deliciously nuts) - and the story, while a bit far-fetched towards the end, was engaging. I enjoyed this a lot and I'll have to bump the rest of this author's back catalogue further up my TBR pile.

Fear, shame and confusion go hand in hand in this story. Lou is still haunted by her past and the way it follows her like a lingering bad smell.

Unfortunately this tale of grooming and abuse carries the misnomer of love, because that is what paedophiles convince their victims it is. What is even more tragic is how many people confronted by these scenarios or read about them think that it is about a convoluted love story. It isn’t, it’s about a child being preyed upon by a sexual deviant.

It isn’t a vivacious Lolita seducing an unsuspecting older man, and then crying rape after the event. This is how the majority of society sees situations like this. It is easier to put the blame on a naughty little girl than to accept we have men and women in our midst who want to have sexual relations with children.

Lou has to live with the doubts of others, the recriminations and the guilt of not knowing whether she was to blame, and yet at the same time fearing the person she knows was to blame.

After the death of her father she returns home to sort his belongings and his house, and finds herself drawn to the man who took her childhood away from her. She walks a fine line between complete terror and the need for Mike to admit his guilt. Nothing too outlandish or unachievable until she stumbles upon proof that he is in the middle of stealing another childhood.

The Fear is a crime hidden within a crime with a stark layer of reality throughout. As a reader you feel empathy for the child Lou used to be and the adult still suffering from the fallout of being groomed by a predator. Although Lou feels guilty for getting revenge and trying to save someone, I applaud her temerity and her courage.

I think Taylor has written a well-timed story in the midst of the #MeToo movement and chorus of voices speaking out about abuse against girls and women in our society. Shedding a light on the hypocrisy victims encounter and the fear that sits in the back of their neck for the rest of their lives. It’s a captivating read with some hard home-truths. At the same time it is an equally compelling psychological thriller, so kudos to Taylor for bringing the two together.

One distinctive attribute this author’s storylines is nail-biting tension and The Fear follows suit, having more than its fair share of heart-stopping moments.

The life-shattering consequence of child grooming is narrated from the diverse perspectives from the characters at the centre of the unfolding drama. Gradually learning of the depraved and manipulative behaviour of the offender was terrifying, a feeling that escalated when his previous target realises her tormentor has directed his warped attentions at someone new.

Encouraging anyone to listen to her concerns without revealing her own damaged childhood means Lou must engage in a dangerous game where there are no winners, only survivors. Her experience is a frustrating, frightening, and an emotionally draining one, but hopes her impulsive choices will prevent another young girl from suffering the same fate.

The plot tackles its subject well and has a few impressive surprises up its sleeve. While The Lie and The Escape remain my favourite titles by this author, The Fear is a highly compelling read presenting both moral and psychological challenges for its characters throughout.

I devoured this book with everything I had. I was obsessed from the first chapter and looking back I wish I had done a FIF as I think my thoughts would have been so far from the reality of the plot. It is a powerful thriller with twists and unexpected suspense around every corner, and I gave it a well deserved 5 stars!

This was another book told in duel perspectives (I have been enjoying a lot of these recently) which used chapters to flick between a couple of characters. We hear a lot from the protagonist Lou but we also hear from another older woman and younger girl. It was very interesting to read it in this way, as I really liked how we found out how these 2 other characters were connected.

There were so many twists and turns, I never knew which direction the book was going to head in next. Each one was better than the last, the suspense was thrilling and I simply could not stop reading.

I have always found that Taylor is remarkable at creating characters. They always have huge personalities and each one of them is different in their own right. I loved Lou and soon found myself really engrossed in a couple of others too. For obvious reasons there was never any doubt that I would hate Mike, but I cant even begin to explain how well Taylor created such a monster. People in such positions are never as straight forward as they seem, and Taylor didn't just create some horrible, nasty and revolting character, she managed to capture that essence of someone who has hidden secrets and has built a personality to ensure these all stay well and truly hidden. A nice, likable guy on the outside, but so very different in reality, and for this alone I applaud her.

I thought the ending was perfect. It was unexpected and didn't end prematurely or abruptly. We got to read every single detail and I couldn't be more impressed.

An excellent book which kept me gripped from beginning to end! Lou was groomed by her teacher and years later when he is released from prison and she sees him with another young girl...Lou snaps with Terrible consequences! A classic c.l Taylor book with a fab plot!!

So, you know when you read the taglines..."gripping", "mesmerising"...and you think to yourself, 'hmmm' - yes, well take these superlatives and plaster them all over ''The Fear'' because it's all this and more. I can't remember the last time that I had such a knot of anxiety in my stomach whilst reading a book, and not just for a part, no, I'm talking the whole of the book.

If I were to describe what happens (which I'm not because I'm not spoiling this for anyone!) you'd probably look at me with a modicum of disbelief, but honestly everything that happens is so naturally evolved that it makes perfect sense. The story is told through the 3 voices of teenage Chloe, Lou and Wendy; all of whom are linked to the vile Mike, and these different narratives only serve to heighten the tension and keep that book very firmly in your grasp at all times. The initial subject matter of child grooming is, unfortunately, all too real and disturbing and it was heart-breaking to read the insecurities and vulnerabilities that led Lou and Chloe to come under the power of Mike. The trauma which Lou suffered being evident through her actions and failure to maintain healthy romantic relationships in adulthood. And so, whilst this is a thrilling read, it also manages to be thought-provoking and chilling in an altogether more fundamental way.

And so to the action, which is there in abundance. That knot of anxiety that I spoke of at the start, was not in any way abated by me willing Chloe to get out from under Mike's spell, or from yelling at Lou to be careful. The story begins by Lou running away from current beau Ben, reasoned by flashbacks from her past. These flashbacks are disturbing enough as they are, but only when we get to read the full history behind her trip with Mike when she was just 14 do we realise quite how traumatic and devastating it was, even putting aside the whole abhorrence of the grooming (if one ever could). This then becomes a story of protection and revenge, and of course, I couldn't do anything but root for all the females; not just Chloe, Lou and Wendy, but also the belittled mothers of Lou and Chloe. Mike is a predator, so we see the gentle, nice and supportive side to him, but he is essentially...scum...I'm trying so hard to think of a better description for him, but in truth he doesn't deserve it. I felt no sympathy, empathy or anything vaguely approaching liking him; and to be fair wished him nothing but pain and misery from the beginning. The tension that is so cleverly built-up on different levels just never really lets up until the end, and so by the time the end does unfortunately draw near, that knot is just a swirling mess of, well fear; that the outcome will live up to your expectations or desires.

I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed this; even if perhaps, my nails did not! If you're after a thrilling page-turner look no further - a brilliant read.

I loved this - from start to finish! Sometimes I am lucky enough to read a book that almost consumes me, where I cannot put it down, and where I don’t want to finish it as it has gripped me so much and this is one of them. 3 main characters - wendy, the wronged wife, lou, the woman who is trying to piece her life back rogether after being groomed by the utterly hideous mike, and Chloe, the insecure latest victim! The book is told from all 3 perspectives, and although my sympathy was greatly with lou, I had enough empathy to go round! Well written, extremely disturbing, but with plenty of karma moments, I cannot remommend this enough! Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for the advance copy.

With most books, I switch off when I get half way through it, but this one kept me engaged and interested right to the very end.
Having read all of the other books by this author, this is definitely the best one yet and I would strongly recommend it.

As a teenager, Lou was groomed by a teacher and he persuaded her to go with him to France.
Now, returning to the area she grew up in, she believes that he is targeting another girl. The police won’t listen to her and she decides to take matters into her own hands. She looks back over what happened to her as she now sees the childish infatuation for what it was – a child being groomed by a paedophile.
It’s a twisty and convincing thriller. Weaving the past story of Lou with that of the current target of his affections and interacting with the mysterious but determined Wendy, who seems to be stalking Lou as she stalks her former abductor.
This is a twisty entertaining thriller, well written, leaving this reader a little breathless in places and hoping Lou didn’t do anything stupid. Wendy was also a revelation and injected humour into a dire situation.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a review copy of the book.