Member Reviews
Plenty of twists and turns within the plot. Enjoyable shifting of character narration to enable both parties viewpoints.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
I think I am reading so many suspense novels, that I'm beginning to figure them out and really beginning to noticed that a lot of the main characters are the same. Beth was one of the least likeable and at times, I wanted to smack her.
I felt for Rachel at times more as from a mom's perspective.
Its a good read!
I actually quite enjoyed this story, even though it was very predictable for me. Even the final twist, I saw it coming from miles away.
Regardless of that, I still liked reading this.
The story begins with Rachel, who walks in on what she thinks is her daughter Beth being assaulted. She pushes the man, he falls and hits his head and he dies.
I will not give away any spoilers but I do have to point out that I did not like Beth as a character at all. She came off very spoiled and self centered and did not think of other people.
All in all, I would recommend this book to friends!
Terrible things keep happening to this family. Don't You Dare opens with the central crime: the accidental killing of Beth's would-be rapist by her mother Rachel. Just why that happens, why Rachel overreacts to the situation and won't go to police and instead drives a cover-up of the death, links back to the past. Mother and and daughter hide the body and try to act innocent, while both harbour deep secrets that will be unearthed, and that will push them apart. One of them will have to fight for their life. Although I would have preferred the action to maintain forward-momentum instead of relying on flashbacks to scenes prior to the opening and the final "twist" was something I had anticipated so it didn't impact on me, this was an enjoyable 3.5 star read.
Both mother and daughter, Rachel and Beth, share a secret that, if found out, will cost them everything. Rachel finds Beth pinned down by a stranger and assumes the worst. She strikes him, and he ends up dead. They each have their own reasons for keeping this a secret between them, even disposing of the body. For one thing, Beth is getting married in about a month, and Rachel it’s not about to let what happened get in the way of that wedding.
As they go through wedding preparations, something that slowly disillusions Beth, their secret is in danger of being discovered. Things begin falling into place, but definitely not in a good way. But then, there is a twist. And, Wow! What a twist! I couldn’t flick my screen fast enough! This incredible psychological thriller has a conclusion that truly shocked and surprised me.
Many thanks for Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for this ARC for review.
Absolutely brilliant, an exciting page turner that kept me gripped throughout.
I have read all Alison's previous books and enjoyed them all but this is her best by far. Can definitely recommend you will not be disappointed.
The premise is any one of us could be a killer by accident rather than design, but then most of us would not try to cover our tracks by hiding the body, and cleaning up the crime scene, or would we? Most of us would be scared of going to the police.
The story starts by Rachel stumbling into the pub cellar, where she works, and discovers her daughter Beth is tied up and is being raped. Rachel did what any mother would do, given the circumstances, and uses the necessary force to save her daughter resulting in the rapist being killed from a head injury. However, it turns out Beth was having an illicit fling with the murder victim, and the rape was a fantasy role-play that she was willingly engaging in. Add to the mix, that Beth is engaged to someone else and is about to be married, a marriage that Rachel has hedged all her bets must go ahead, no matter what, to secure her daughter's future.
The plot thickens with more twists and turns within a web of lies and deceit, and relationships disintegrate. What more do you want from a psychological thriller. Excellent.
fast paced exciting thriller. Didn't want it to end! Great read. Thank you for the opportunity to let me read it
I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. I honestly don’t know what to say about this book. I don’t understand anything that happened or the motivation for any of those characters, It just felt like a mishmash of despicable people doing random dangerous things. Skip it.
A very different offering from this author. Literally none of the characters are likeable in any way, all are damaged, self absorbed, manipulative liars who will stop at nothing to get what they believe they are entitled to. This multifaceted deception is what makes for a compelling read.
When a mother walks in on her daughter thinking she is being raped, she reacts as any caring mother would. The consequences however are not what she planned and they suddenly have a body to get rid of and a secret to keep. Beth, an aspiring actress, is engaged to Peter- a “name” in the dance and acting world. Her mother Rachel is struggling to make ends meet since the death of her partner. The man Beth was with was not her fiance. Lies and secrets. As we all know tell one lie and another soon joins it. Oooh!! This is one of those books that draws you in without your really knowing why. I wanted to keep turning and turning as I just knew there was just something that I was missing and wanted to find it- whatever “it” was. I loved the characters- well researched ( The authors former occupation shines through) and written with a depth and an honesty that brings them to life from the page. A brilliant read, an excellent plot, a wonderful enjoyable book.
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
or follow me on Twitter @nickijmurphy1
(rest of links on publication day)
The premise sounded right up my alley and the cover attracted me to it, but for some reason, I just couldn't get into it. Thank you to netgalley for an advance copy.
I was doing what any mother would have done without a second’s thought.
This book was a pleasant NetGalley surprise. I just love the thrillers I’ve been picking up from there lately, and this one was even better than I anticipated! I also really like the fact that there was NO animal cruelty – something that’s rarer and rarer in thrillers this days but made me really happy.
The one thing I don’t really understand about this book is the title… I think they could’ve done a better job with it! It just feels like it belongs to a different book, not the one I read. My other problem was that this was quite predictable. I hope not all the author’s books are like that…
Now onto the good stuff!
This was a thrilling novel that I read in less than 24 hours, in 2 sittings. It was really gripping and held my attention from the beginning to end. I do think some things got resolved too quickly/ were too coincidental, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book. I give it a solid four stars and I’m definitely glad I read it. I enjoyed the writing style, loved the story and connected with the characters. I’m excited to read more from this author as this book was a very enjoyable read. A little bit generic perhaps, but really exciting nonetheless.
Oh, I also just noticed I’m the first one to review it! I feel quite important now (: I hope everyone else likes this as much as I did.
I would definitely pick up another book from this author, and might do so in the very near future. I see she has quite a few books out I’m interested in.
Would recommend to: fans of British domestic noir! If you like Lucie Whitehouse, you might enjoy this one as well.