Mike met Verity when they were at university together and were together for 8 years. They had to part ways when Mike moved to New York for a job and Verity got a fantastic job in her field. Mike ahs recently moved back to London and bought a fantastic sounding house that he is currently getting ready for Verity. Mike then receives a wedding invitation for Verity’s wedding which he believes is just a bigger game of Crave; a game Verity and Mike used to play.
That’s all I want to say about this plot and this was an absolutely brilliant psychological thriller. This book was all told from Mike’s point of view which I really enjoyed. I’ve seen a few comments saying that it would have been good to hear from Verity’s point of view, but I actually liked that we only got to hear from Mike’s point of view. Only hearing about his side definitely made the story more compelling I think that having Verity’s side of the story would ruined the mystery of what was actually going on.
This was one of the best dysfunctional relationship thrillers I’ve read in a while and the backstory was fantastic and did well to back up the twistiness of the main plot. The twists themselves had me gasping out loud; there’s one particular one that was just fabulous, and I had to pause for a few minutes to get over the twist shock! It was so well done and paced into the plot in a great place. I had a hard time figuring out what was part of the crave and what was actually ‘real’ or not which was good as it kept you wondering and guessing the whole way through. I also enjoyed how this carried through to the court case part of the story as I didn’t know how the court case was going to go. I really liked Mike’s stream of consciousness all through the court case as we got to see his reasoning behind his testaments and it added to the theory of this all being a crave.
I would definitely recommend picking this up! It’s a fantastic dysfunctional relationship ‘thriller’ with great twists and a satisfactory ending.

This book is dark, sinister and dangerously addictive! I haven’t read such an exciting thriller in a while and I would definitely recommend to those who enjoy a twisty unnerving storyline.

This was a very interesting and at times disturbing story. The main character is in love with a woman, almost obsessively so, and the story takes you through their relationship and the things that happen before during and after the relationship. You are never sure if what he is thinking is real or imaginary and right until the end, you are left wondering what the reality of the whole story is. I enjoyed it but was a bit sad as I felt the ending kind of left me hanging.

This was a fascinating book that had me gripped and guessing right to the end. I genuinely had to keep on reading to see what would happen next. Loved it and would highly recommend this book

Thank you to Century ands Netgalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. Avery clever, different novel, told in the first person by the male protagonist, Mike. It is the tale of his obsetional love for his girlfriend of many years that he first met when they were in their second year at Bristol University. From very different backgrounds they are both high flyers in their London based fields. He is a very high earner in the financial sector.. But sex is almost an addiction for them. They have developed a game where they go to a pub or night club, entering separately. She sits on her own until she attracts the attentions of a male and when she is ready to be rescued she touches a gold eagle that she wears on a chain around her neck. At which point Mike charges in and dispatches the unwanted male in what ever way is necessary.. This they both find sexual and seem to have no thought for the third party that they have involved.. When their relationship does eventually break down after many years, Mike refuses to accept it and thinks it is a new, more advanced form of the game, even when she marries another even more wealthy and older businessman. He even attends the wedding when invited and continues in his delusion.. He buys a huge London property which he furnishes for her, believing she will be living there with him. Everything else follows on from this.

About half way through I would have abandoned the book if I hadn’t requested it. I was getting very tired of this man’s constant delusional fantasy. Then the tale took a nasty turn and everything changed. We were presented with another possible side to the story., which sounded really plausible. Reading the author’s notes at the end I’m not sure that we were intended to believe this new line. But for me it rang true. Mike I felt all along was somewhere on the autistic spectrum possibly Asperger’s Syndrome, but certainly very high functioning. The author puts his behaviour down to his appalling early childhood that obviously damaged him, but I’m not so sure. If you wonder what I’m talking about, read the book. You won’t regret it. It’s one3 of the most memorable that I’ve read for some time. Certainly plenty for a book club to discuss. It’s so obviously a book where the author has a story to tell, rather than one concocted for commercial gain. If only I could have given it more than five stars.

I mostly enjoyed this book. I thought it was well written, with a good plot and structure. I thought the middle section was overly long and it became a bit boring, but once we got past that the pace picked up. I know the writer explains why it was all taken from one point of view, but I did find it a bit limiting and because of that the character of Verity was rather sketchy. Apart from these few points it was a good read and difficult to put down as the end neared.

Chilling and thought provoking. Although it was disturbing, I enjoyed this book. It tells the story of Mike & Verity and their disfunctional relationship. How far can we trust the justice system? Do men and women have an equal chance of being treated fairly before the law, or are women still at the mercy of a patriarchal judiciary? And when a person firmly believes their own story, does it make it the truth?

Mike and Verity, or V as he calls her, are in love, or so he thinks. He’s not even shocked to discover she’s engaged to someone she met during his sojourn in America. It’s all part of the weird game they play and she’ll soon be back again, ready for the next episode. Intense or what! Neither of this pair have particularly likeable qualities it has to be said. Creepy Mike sees hidden messages or signs in everything to do with Verity and she is all he can focus on to the detriment of anything else. It was a great start as we get into Mike’s mindset, but there’s a bit too much repetition, especially in court when it’s all played out again. If only the epilogue was from Verity’s point of view, then there would have been some sort of ending, instead of just Mike, Mike, Mike. Loved the style of writing, the idea of this plus the reason why.

After reading the blurb and seeing reviews I was so excited to read Our Kind of Cruelty. Unfortunately, this was just an average read for me. I found the first two thirds of the book to be tedious and repetitive however the final third set in the courtroom made it slightly more interesting (still very repetitive though). The majority of the book is Mike's thoughts and there was no real story of what was going on outside his head which personally didn't do it for me. As a psychological thriller, it lacked in twists. That being said, I'm sure many people will enjoy this book if they aren't looking for anything with too many 'ohmygod' moments.

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

It's so refreshing to read a story like this from the man's point of view. Most are told from the woman's perspective and i loved that this changed that. I love dark twisted stories and this is definitely going to be one of my favorites.

I've heard a lot about this book, so I was really excited to get an ARC from Netgalley.

At the end, the author talks about how she wanted to write a feminist text that highlights the inequality of treatment between men and women in the court system, as well as explore things from the male perspective. In that sense, she's failed in her purpose, because, given the evidence, the outcome is unsurprising, regardless of gender.

The reason why she failed is because she's just too good at creating nuanced, complex characters! Seeing events unfold through the eyes of Mike, who we discover right from the start has killed someone. Who that someone is and why is gradually explained, as he delves into his relationship with Verity, the love of his life, and a woman with whom he enjoyed a number of twisted sex games.

With the possible exception of the victim, everyone is flawed in this book, and while there's no doubt that Mike is twisted, there are other factors at play that elevate this far above your average thriller.

An exceptional read that will keep you gripped right to the very end.

Mike, our protagonist here gives us quite a scare. Mike is (quite obsessively) in love with Verity. When Verity decides to move on from Mike and finds herself a new boyfriend, Mike is still living in his dream bubble. He thinks Verity is only making him jealous and all of this is a game of Crave which they used to play to turn each other on.

Mike is way better than your average stalker, he over analyzes everything and his behavior gets repetitive throughout the book, especially the first half. Mike's behavior is like any other psychological patient who is obsessed with Verity.

The plot takes an unusual, and better turn during the courtroom scenes, and is better written as compared to Mike's way of living and thinking. This part is definitely entertaining.

Overall, the book was an average read for me, mostly because it failed to feed my curiosity that was initially due to the intriguing blurb.

This book comes highly recommended by Lisa Jewell and Gillian Flynn (2 of my favourite authors) so I was delighted to receive a copy of this book to review, From the outset you know that MIke and Verity (V) are a couple from different backgrounds but they seem to bond during their game known as "Crave", The story centres on this couple and their break up and fall out from this, V's subsequent relationship and marriage and Mike's inability to accept the reality.. He starts to stalk V in the belief that she still wants him back and is taking the game to another level. This is obviously all is in his own head as he struggles to come to terms with the end of the relationship - the book centres a lot of Mike's state of mind psychologically (it obviously relates to his childhood). I really enjoyed this book. A great read!. 4 stars!

Our Kind of Cruelty is a gripping read, drawing me further and further into Mike's (often completely crazy/ridiculous/warped) world. I found this quite a tricky review to write because I feel like it says so much whilst being quite hard to 'pin down'...

I loved that this is a psychological thriller based around the male offender, whereas - as Araminta explains in her author's note - this genre is often centered around the female victims. This novel recounts events entirely from the male stalker perspective - and its done so well! At some (limited) points you feel a little sorry for him, at other times you CANNOT BELIEVE he can think that way. And at other points you just feel outrage at the way the justice system works for men vs. women. Yes, this is going to be a novel that will make you a bit angry (unless you're a much calmer person than me) - either way I don't think it can fail to provoke some strong feelings, and I love novels that do this.

At some points I wondered if anyone would have this level of tunnel vision... but then I'd think about stories in the news and in day to day life and realise that some people really are like that... scary.

Our Kind of Cruelty manages to make such a statement about the way stalkers and 'the stalked' are treated, and delves into that horrible, seemingly increasing, male persona where they feel entitled to a woman and can't understand the word no. It really makes you think, as well as being a really interesting and well-written novel - give this a go, it's something a little different and it kept me turning those pages.

Seeing the recommendations for this book made me really look forward to reading it, but my expectations didn't come to fruition and I'm sorry to say I found the book slightly tedious and the story linear. Mike (M), the starting narrator, isn't a particularly pleasant character, he's overcome adversity to become successful in his chosen work field yet in many ways is a loner and is so obsessed by his former girlfriend Verity (V) that even when she informs him she's marrying someone else he still believes it's all a game and she'll return to him. I found Verity unbelievable and again, not a particularly pleasant character. I'm sure plenty of people will enjoy this book, but sadly, I'm not one of them.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House for supplying me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What an amazingly sinister story Araminta Hall has produced. It was truly dark and deliciously drawn out. The narrative alone was enough to give me goosebumps. The best thing about the story was that the reader has to constantly stop and question whether Mike's interpretation of events is actually a delusion or is V playing out her role in the game, The Crave?

A really unexpected ending but leaving us with a lot of unanswered questions. I would love to know what happens next...

Our Kind of Cruelty was an unusual and arresting read telling the story of Mike and Verity or V as Mike calls her. The strangest thing about the story is that neither Mike nor V are particularly nice or engaging characters and neither of their narratives are in any way reliable. That however done nothing at all to spoil my enjoyment of this story of obsession, lust and betrayal.
Mike and V were a couple since meeting at university many years ago and Mike knows that no one will ever come between them. Except V has recently ended the relationship - hasn't she? As far as Mike is concerned the couple remain very much on course to spend their lives together and the "breakup" is merely another level of a game they play together called The Crave. But is everything as Mike sees it?
As a character Mike is delusional and obsessive but many of his traits are readily explained by a traumatic childhood of abuse and abandonment by his alcoholic mother. His devotion to Verity is clear however and this is very much Mike's "love story" despite the fantastically addictive psychological undercurrent.
As the story builds to its climax the courtroom scenes are gripping as both Mike and Verity have their day in court. I will say no more for fear of spoiling for others except to say that you should read this absolute cracker of a book. Many thanks to the author, publishers and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Update: Amazon Review posted below - 14/05/2018

A cleverly written psychological thriller that had my attention captured throughout. Having had a bad start to life with a mother who neglects him due to alcoholism, Mike is eventually fostered by a loving family and with their help he works hard to make sure he is going to be a success in life. Then he meets Verity and their lives become intertwined and complicated with a tangle of love, need, lust and devotion. Within their relationship they play a sexually charged game called the Crave where strangers are enticed briefly into their lives as a way of creating arousal and this game appears to be instrumental in the tragedy that eventually ensues. The story left me questioning whether Mike meant to do what he did or was he coerced by V? Was he sane or had he been damaged by his ear!y years? Was V entirely innocent or was she brilliant!y manipulative?
i became part of the jury having to make my decision based on the evidence presented to me and that is the sign of a good book with a clever writer who draws you in deeply to the story. Excellent!

This thriller is often called a love story. Well, if love is spelled T W I S T E D it is! You’ll want to be single after reading it. No characters to care about. Mike, the main narrator would make NormanBates look normal. Psychotherapists would have a field day with this lot!

There’s a LOT to take in in this novel - it’s a love story with twists that lead to the courtroom for goodness sake. It’s not so much a psychological thriller than a psychotic psychological thriller with added psycho.

Damaged men and women, how society looks at them both, how even a sexually active woman is still seen as an anomaly of sorts.

It’s not a book that’s going to make you feel good - a shower might be in order to wash off that uurgh feeling - and than have you running to lie down on a couch to recover. It's a gripping read though!

Our Kind of Cruelty was an interesting read that unveiled the frightful side of fixation. You wouldn't honestly think anyone could be so deeply absorbed by another person, so enthralled, but Mike was certainly under the spell of Verity here. But was it all by design or something else entirely different?

I read this with a real expectation of some form of twist or misconception exposed that didn't really develop. That's alright but kept me from giving more stars. Though I was surprised by Mike's utter fixation on V, I didn't get the feeling it was with dark intent just a focus so extreme as to make most people uncomfortable. Not V...or am I wrong? You'll have to read it to find out.