I've had this on my Netgalley reading list for a while and finally got around to it this week. Perhaps stemming from the fact that other books kept jumping it in my queue it is not surprising that I'm a little underwhelmed after all by this one.

A complex, at times complicated, story with lots of characters at times to keep track of. I found it a little too far-fetched too at times and got a little dis-interested in what ultimately happened to Sara, the main character, by the end and perhaps this lack of rooting for the main character was a little of its' downfall. You're never quite sure if she's actually the 'good guy' and from her character and its' flaws/abilities you never really get to know her on a personal level - she has after all lost most of her memory to be fair.

I thought the ending was too rushed too after a lot of effort taken to get there and the countdown tension just wasn't really felt either.

Overall looking back at the above review it seems overly negative. It's not a bad book just one that was for me slightly disappointing. With a little more polish it could have been good I think.

As ever, I'm still very grateful for the ARC.

Unfortunately as much as I tried, this book just wasn't for me. Shame as the premise sounded great. But I just couldn't get going with it.

This has been compared to I Am Pilgrim and certainly, it does have many things in common. However, this book has big ambitions and crams in so many genres it's hard to pigeonhole it. Which is by no means a bad thing but if you're coming to the book expecting another I Am Pilgrim you might get a shock or a nice surprise depending on your tastes. What you do get is an enjoyable and fast-paced plot with the legs to support a series which judging from the rather abrupt ending is the plan. It is a little far fetched sometimes but not so much so that it becomes ridiculous. All in all a very enjoyable read.

My name is Sara Eden.

My name is Sara Eden.

My name is Sara Eden.

This is all Sara Eden knows about herself. She was found at the age of ten, abandoned in a vat of water - a homemade sensory-deprivation chamber. Someone had placed her there - trapped for days in the dark, with only a cassette player taped to her head repeating again and again - 'My Name is Sara Eden'. There were a handful clues: a battered cassette player, a cheap necklace, a few scraps of paper. And a Polaroid of a stranger with a handwritten note: 'Don't trust this man'.

Trust No One is the debut novel by author Anthony Mosawi. It is a bit complicated to keep up with given how the timeline jumps around so you spend a lot of time trying to work out what is going on and how everyone is connected. This is amplified by the fast-paced nature of the storyline. It is worth it in the end though so persevere: it's a very good read, but just ensure you mentally take note of the chronology.

There is lots of complexity in there as well - but this is also quite imaginative (if you like that sort of thing). Feels like this could be the first of many.

Not my usual read but it was quite enjoyable. The basic story was good, girl is found in a makeshift deprivation chamber, put there by her own mother. Who would do that to their own child? Well it turns out a character we never actually get to meet and therein lies one of my gripes with this book. Too many characters we don't really need and not enough of the ones who really matter. It's all a bit rushed and disjointed for me but that said I finished it and would probably read a sequel.

Trust No One by Anthony Mosawi

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Release date: 23 August 2018

Back cover blurb: My name is Sara Eden. My name is Sara Eden. My name is Sara Eden. This is all Sara Eden knows about herself. She was found at the age of ten, abandoned in a vat of water - a homemade sensory-deprivation chamber. Someone had placed her there - trapped for days in the dark, with only a cassette player taped to her head repeating again and again - 'My Name is Sara Eden'. There were a handful clues: a battered cassette player, a cheap necklace, a few scraps of paper. And a Polaroid of a stranger with a handwritten note: 'Don't trust this man'. I Am Pilgrim meets Nomad in TRUST NO ONE, a high-concept read that grips and entertains like a Hollywood thriller.








Trust No One is the first Anthony Mosawi novel I’ve read and I will admit to finding it a difficult novel to get in to.

Sara Eden knows only that she is Sara Eden, she has no idea who her Mother is.

Sara is found abandoned at the age of ten, in a vat of water; a homemade sensory deprivation chamber.

Sara has nothing with her; only a cassette player taped to her head repeating again and again - 'My Name is Sara Eden'.

There are a handful clues bedside the battered cassette player; a cheap necklace, a few scraps of paper. And a Polaroid of a stranger with a handwritten note: 'Don't trust this man'.

This novel is told from differing timeline perspectives, which can be a little confusing.

For me personally, this novel is a little too political, with a little too much emphasis on the 'spy' elements; GCHQ, the government etc, and I think that's maybe why I found it a bit hardgoing.

But I am sure that it will be the perfect novel for some readers.

Trust No One By Anthony Mosawi.

2 Stars.

A disappointing read.

I was excited when I started to read ‘Trust No One' as I thought the title was promising, however, unfortunately, I found it was a disappointing read.

The heroine is Sara who has no idea who her mother is. She is found in a sensory deprivation tank with very few possessions, including a photo of a man with the caption “Don’t trust this man.” Sara is desperate to find out the truth about her ancestry.

Sara discovers that many factions are chasing after her, including GCHQ and other government spies. Unfortunately, the plot and characters lack cohesion not only for me but also for several other reviewers.

Even though jumping into different time zones can add to the enjoyment of many novels, I felt that in ‘Trust No One' it only added to the overall confusion. I was determined to finish the book, but I'm sorry this wasn't the spy thriller for me, but I'm sure it will appeal to others.

Galadriel.

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy of this book for an honest review. I've tried three times to read this but I just can't get into it. I will keep trying and edit this review but currently it doesn't grab me.

Absolutely fantastic, this book held my attention the whole way through.
Fast paced and extremely exciting I didn’t want it to end.
I will certainly be seeking others titles written by this author.

This is a fast paced and action packed novel containing a lot of violence. It is heartbreaking at certain points, in particular when the lengths a mother has gone to protect her child are revealed. Sara is a very engaging character, with a phenomenal and seemingly uncontrollable physical strength. Her psychological strength is tested throughout the novel but it is difficult to say any more about this without spoilers. I am recommending this book despite realising that it wasn't 'my type' of book when I first started reading it (too much politics, MI5, violence on a grand scale, etc.) because when I wasn't reading it I was looking forward to reading more of it. So despite my initial reluctance to read it when I realised what it included, I can't fault this book, it's well written and the story is very engaging.

Very good book. I wasn’t sure where it was going so it kept my interest all the way through. I wanted Sara to find out who she was and once you started to understand what she could do I wanted her to find out even more. I was hoping she wouldn’t get caught and would find her mum. The ending left me wanting to read more, always a great way to finish a story

Absolutely fantastic! I'm a huge fan of her Dublin series and was really excited to see this stand-alone book available. It's well-paced and has excellent (and perhaps untrustworthy!) characters. Fab storytelling, highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this. Unfortunately this book was not one I could get to Into. I struggled to keep an interest and at 52% I decided it just wasn't for me

Sara Eden - what is so special about her? Read the book to find out! No slow burner this, it’s an explosion from the first page. An adrenaline packed, bruiser of a story. But, it was confusing with characters who I’d forgotten about or what their part in the plot was and quite a lot of the techno stuff went right over my head! A winner though for lovers of action packed, daring-do novels.

This book took me an age to read as I found it quite a hard slog and I left it several times to read other books. The synopsis really had my attention but for me if did not fulfil my expectations of being a psychological thriller. The moving between timelines in the first half had me confused and some of the storyline was very far fetched and had me baffled at times. This one was obviously not for me but I am sure there will be many people that enjoy this type of genre.

I really found this book difficult to get through and had to abandon half way through. Unfortunately just not for me. Interesting premise but too long and complicated to get into.

I really enjoyed this, but felt like quite a bit went over my head due to the shifting time periods and number of character viewpoints. Aside from this, it was a great story and the British intelligence service setting was really interesting. I'd like to read a sequel, if the issues mentioned were addressed.

Trust No One is a high-octane, fast-paced spy thriller. Billed alongside the likes of I Am Pilgrim, I was apprehensive as I didn’t get on with Pilgrim. But I really enjoyed this one. Short chapters and lots of things happening make this book an easy read. Some bits are a bit far-fetched, but I enjoyed it more than I was expecting to!

If one looks at the Amazon listing for this title, it get’s surprisingly ambiguous reviews. At last glance it had 15% 5 Star reviews, 35% 4 Star, 39% 3 Star, and 11% 2 Star. I point this out because I don’t understand it, having considered gripping and great fun.

Trust No One can best be described as a sci-fi conspiracy thriller. The book blurb describes it as I Am Pilgrim meets Orphan X. I’m yet too read Orphan X but it’s bit more in the sci-fi camp than I Am Pilgrim which was straight up espionage thriller. The protagonist of Trust No One is Sara Eden a woman who can remember nothing of her past. The book flips between timelines, Sara as a young girl where we see her in a dilapidated house in a sensory deprivation tank guarded by a drug addict, and as an adult where she tries to discover why her memories were wiped.

Throughout both timelines she’s chased by forces she doesn’t not understand, men who want to do her harm. As the narrative plays out we discover Sara has almost supernatural powers, speed, strength and combat abilities that make her a match for almost anyone, intuition that is almost psychic in it’s foresight.

A lot of people reviewing this title have argued that it’s chronology is confusing, the twin timelines are disjointed and that seemingly unconnected events take a while to fit in to the wider plot and the whole thing come together. Personally I didn’t find any of this a problem and felt it was incredibly well written. Some scenes, such as one with feral dogs (I’ll resist divulging spoilers) are jaw-dropping in their intensity and extremely cleverly put together.

Personally I found this a gripping read, a real rollercoaster of a ride. My only concern is that it is clearly meant as the start of a series and I’m not sure whether the concept can carry it. The ending of Trust No One in particular felt like a cop out and I fear as the series continues my ability to sustain disbelief will be stretched. That said, I enjoyed this so much I will certainly pick up any sequel with eagerness.

4 out of 5 stars

I was enticed to read this book as it was likened to I am Pilgrim but I have to disagree. The book is about Sara Eden -
this is all she can remember and the only thing she knows for certain is to Trust No One!

At first I was intrigued but it wasn't really for me, too much Government and computer waffle which bores me, however, it is fast paced and keeps you wanting to find out what and why but for me it was just too much of a fantasy.