I enjoyed this book but not as much as I would have liked.

It was a good read and a decent story but the characters didn't connect with me. I felt they were all basic and undeveloped. Their stories were interesting enough but nothing special.

The writing style is good although a tad too descriptive which in my opinion takes away from the readers imagination.

The main plot twist was unfortunately predictable and I felt the ending was an anticlimax.

I think this book would have been better as a TV show if I'm honest. As it references the BBC a lot, it might just become one.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bonnier Zaffre for the ARC.
This is a really, really, well-written story and it is because of this I can say I enjoyed reading it. Of course, the subject matter cannot in itself be described as enjoyable, but it has been skilfully woven through this excellent contemporary thriller with a level of sensitivity which avoids any necessity for graphic detail - for which I am grateful.

Jessamine Gooch is 52yrs-old, has a teenaged daughter Sarah whom she adopted at 2yrs-old. She is a BBC presenter of a late-night discussion and call-in programme examining solved violent crimes, to determine the potential of the perpetrator to be a dangerous person and thus avoid the crime in the first place. She also volunteers locally on the help lines for victims of domestic abuse. Sarah's recent moodiness Jessamine puts down to teenage angst, but secretly Sarah has been drawn into an on-line relationship.
The story is split between two timelines - present day with Jessamine and Jitesh - a likeable, stuttering, intern at the BBC who works with the sound engineer, but who knows how to hack into people's email and social media accounts.

Rowena narrates her life from 2002/2003 when she is 13yrs-old. Brought up in a children's home we read her story of being groomed by Sunny - whom she loves and calls her boyfriend. Gradually further exploited and sexually abused at sordid parties Sunny takes her to under the guise of helping him escape some fictitious debt. She really wants it to stop but then Sunny introduces her to a wealthy and well-connected man, Leo, in Oxfordshire. She continues to be abused only now it takes place in beautiful apartments with wealthy and sometimes famous men, taken there by Leo. One night, being driven home by a 'celebrity', he stops at a building for something; worried that his car may be towed Rowena runs inside to find him, only there she witnesses something she wished she hadn't.

Jessmine is approached one evening on the steps to Broadcasting House by Marnie Clark. Her friend Cassie Scolari, mother to Mateo, has been missing for several weeks and asks Jessamine to help as she feared Cassie's abusive husband has something to do with it. Despite initially refusing, Jessamine gets drawn into the detail of Cassie's disappearance when Marnie delivers paperwork to her the next day. Through circumstances (no spoiler), Jessie and Jitish join forces as she produces her own pod-cast detailing Cassie's case and asking the public for any help.

Just what is the connection between Rowena, Cassie and Jessie? Why are there so many problems with the cabling in Jessie's studio at the BBC which Jitish is trying to trace? Who is Sarah secretly talking with?
You just have to read it to find out the answers - and a whole lot more besides. A really clever plot with twists to amaze you. I loved the characters. This was a very emotional and at times heart breaking read and of course very, very real. You cannot help but think of the Bradford (and elsewhere) grooming gangs and the Jimmy Saville enquiry whilst reading this, as well as being aware of many domestic violence cases. Yes, it was uncomfortable reading at times, but so well-written.

Our main character in this book - Jessamine- is fantastic. She is tenacious and deeply focused on trying to find out what has happened to Cassie, and why. I’m not sure this is a thriller in the truest sense of the word but it’s definitely a mystery, and a fascinating one at that. Dealing with some really hard but highly relevant themes, this book is most definitely worth a read.

The Dangerous Kind by Deborah O'Connor is a thriller set in London. Jessamine, the main character is a reporter and a radio presenter who is approached by a woman asking her to look into the disappearance of her friend whom no-one believes has disappeared. .The narrative is strong, and the story is thoroughly engaging. I love a good thriller and this is one of the best this year. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

This book kept me engaged in the storyline and characters from beginning to end. The connection between Jessamine and the BBC was such a different slant and so fascinating, as were her links to abused women and her relationship with her adopted daughter. This, entangled with a disturbing thread of abuse, really held my attention. The other characters in this well told tale are also intriguing and three dimensional and the story has twists and turns and a solid ending.

The subject matter is such that there is an under current of unease throughout the book, although, the author is extremely skilled at ensuring that, what could have been unsavoury /too much information, is balanced and never excessive.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading much more from this talented writer.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bonnier Zaffre and the author for the opportunity to preview this excellent read in exchange for this honest review.

Despite the harrowing subject matter this was a great book - kept me gripped from start to finish. I don't want to give anything away but it brings fiction and real life together- hard to think about what went on back then and probably still goes on today. A well written story linking events from years ago to the present day.

This story tackles some very difficult topics and while uncomfortable to read in places it is very well written and approaches the subjects of child exploitation and grooming in a sensitive and non-explicit manner. Told from four different character perspectives and two different timelines, it was occasionally a little confusing to keep up with who and where, but I think that made the ending when everything came together all the better.

This book is pitched for fans of ‘Anatomy of a Scandal’ which is originally what enticed me to read this book. I’m not sure I would peg ‘The Dangerous Kind’ in the same pitch as ‘Anatomy of a Scandal’ which for me was a legal thriller as there is no courtroom action in this read. The concept of ‘dangerous people’ however, in and of itself was enough to make me interested.

We follow the story primarily from Jessamine’s point of view with flash back chapters to 2003 and Rowena’s account of what happened during that time. Jessamine is a radio presenter for the BBC and when one day she is randomly approached outside by a woman who’s friend mysteriously disappeared Jessamine’s interest is spiked and she starts looking into the unsolved case.

Reading Rowena’s chapters was hard, from Rowena’s tender age she doesn’t appreciate that what is happening to her is wrong on so many levels. It’s absolutely sickening that young and vulnerable people are taken advantage of in this way. It doesn’t become apparent until some way through the book how Rowena and Jessamine’s stories actually fit together but rest assured, everything comes to light towards the end of the book.

I absolutely love books that flick between the past and present and as a reader you have no idea how these two timelines fit together. I think this set up for writing when written well works on so many levels and the author worked these two storylines brilliantly. I really enjoyed how the author drew me into these characters and made me invested in what happens to them. There was no question of a doubt that I would read this book to conclusion to find out the answers to the many questions I had whilst reading.

What a brilliant concept, a complete and utter page turner of a book I could not put down.
Completely caught up in it the story the whole way through, this is a captivating dark read with a brilliant ending. I'll be looking for other books from this author.

This was a fast paced, gripping thriller from the start. I really enjoyed my time while reading it and got curious and curiouser. I like thrillers that go between past and present, it really adds to the pace and excitement.
I found Cassie's disappearance and the radio show aspect interesting and original.
Some parts were harder to read, wish it was cleaner.
But, all in all, it was a good thriller. I would read from this author again.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The Dangerous Kind” held my attention from the outset and kept me reading long into the night. It was intriguing to imagine how the various (seemingly unrelated) threads might end up weaving together. The themes were current and reminiscent of real news stories. Prior to reading the novel, I had never heard the term PDP. It's something I intend to research further as I imagine it's a bit of a minefield. I loved Deborah's writing style and tone so I'll be purchasing a copy of her other book and looking forward to whatever she comes up with next.

Brilliant. This is a real eye opener. I was gripped from the start. Some of the storyline is harrowing and hard to read. There is a lot happening in this story and I will probably reread it to make sure I did not miss anything. I really liked the idea of the radio show and how Cassie's disappearance was investigated. I liked the fact that some of the story was in the past and some of it was present day.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This was a decent contemporary crime thriller and I was asking a lot of questions while reading it. I tried to guess some of the reveals/twists while reading!
I'm not sure the blurb or title are an accurate representation of the story as I expected this book to be about serial killers after reading just the summary! But, it's about a BBC radio journalist investigating a missing woman, and the dark world she discovers. It's an intriguing story with a worthy climax.
There are a lot of names in this book and many POVs, which was slightly over-whelming at the start. There was also a lot of separate stories and events as the book opens: sex ring, online boyfriend, murder at night, missing woman. I got to grips with it all eventually and enjoyed seeing the mother/daughter relationship from both perspectives. It's also gratifying that the tangle of stories are woven together as the book progresses, and so following the story became easier and more engrossing.
The only thing I would say about characters is that Jitesh's chapters and his subplot were almost completely pointless. His character does have a purpose in the overall story (as the tech guy) but the side story about the party and him trying to get the girl was a very strange addition to the book and could probably be cut without affecting anything at all.
I got the feeling that the author has an interest in linguistics and accents, as there are several mentions of the ways different characters speak throughout the book. I found this a really interesting little aspect of the story as it's not something that crops up in every work of fiction.
This is one of those books that is very much "of it's time", and I mean in the sense of post-#metoo. There are themes of abuse within relationships, and victim blaming and fear of coming forward. Later on, there's a lot about the power of celebrity in sex scandals. Part of the story centres on a child sex ring, and in the hands of another author it could have become graphic and gratuitous. However, while the subject matter is obviously disturbing, O'Connor writes it effectively so the reader understand the horror but doesn't have to wade through terrible details.
Overall, a dark and well written crime thriller.

This book was absolutely not what I was expecting, and I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. It follows Jessamine, who is approached by a woman to ask for help in finding her missing friend. There are several different narratives that are quite disparate in the beginning. The change between characters is a bit jarring and I can’t decide if its the writing or the structure (or a bit of both).

I thought the premise of the radio show had so much promise and it was barely used. In my head I had imagined dangerous people ringing in, making threats, a light stalking etc.

Nothing happens for about three quarters of the novel and I found myself drifting off through chunks of it. I honestly think I could have read the first half then read the end and still know everything that happened. When the story does start to heat up I cared so little for the characters that I persevered out of sheer stubbornness.

The novel tries to deal with serious issues such as adoption, domestic violence, child exploitation and abuse. It surreptitiously uses what I assume to be the Jimmy Saville scandal as part of the plot and becomes the central thread that links all the characters together.

I don’t enjoy being negative about someone’s work, but I just didn’t enjoy it and I think that’s my fault because I had an idea in my head of what it would be like and it didn’t live up to that expectation at all. I felt that the author had an idea of how the story should fit together and squeezed the plot into it.

This novel will still appeal to fans to gritty crime. It’s not quite a procedural or a detective story but it still has enough twists and turns to keep some interested.

This thriller kept me engaged throughout the book. A story of lies, deceit and corruption
I loved this book

I initially thought I wasn’t going to like reading this book due to the content of abuse against minors, which I was unaware of when initially choosing the book, however I was completely wrong. I couldn’t put the book down; I liked all the main characters and felt extremely invested in the story of each one. Due to this it was quite an emotional read, I wanted everything to turn our ok for each character. I really loved reading the Dangerous Kind and I can’t wait for the authors next book.

Jessamine Gooch makes a living delving into the history of murderers for her radio show asking the question- could you have known what this person would do. One day she is approached by a woman concerned about the disappearance of her friend Cassie. The story that follows alternates between present and past and reveals a tangled web leading to the truth.

The subject matter of this book made it, at times, an uncomfortable read. The book was well written albeit a little predictable in places. I will definitely look out for other books by this author.

This book started off with a bang but then slowed to the point where I got somewhat bored. It had a great plot, but I felt it fell a bit short of the thriller genre. The writing itself was clean so I will read more from this author in the future.

I initially struggled with this book, felt too many characters had been thrown in, also taking into account, the book also goes back to the past as well, and then it all clicked and I couldn't put it down.

The book deals with the very relevant and sensitive subject of grooming, which it does brilliantly, if a little scarily but also there is a another thread running, where it looks like the lead character's daughter is also being groomed, but is everything as it seems......

Jessamine Gooch is a journalist who works for a radio station presenting a section called "Potentially Dangerous People", she has a chequered history with the producer, who she was having an affair with, and is also a single parent to a 14 year old daughter. She also volunteers on a domestic abuse hotline.

The story really begins when a fan approaches her while she is on a mid-air break, Marnie Clark is worried about her friend Cassie Scolari, who she thinks has an abusive husband.

There are many threads through the books, some are wrapped a little too neatly.

I did enjoy the book, was disturbing, and thought provoking.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for allowing me to read the book in return for an honest review

Recommended

Rather that the traditional police procedural or PI trying to track down a missing person, it is the journalist Jessamine Gooch who is approached for help in trying to find what happened to a young mother. She is a great character, going through the menopause, she is driven and refuses to become invisible just because she is getting older. When she gets the heads up that her long running radio show may be due a shake up she decides to take the case on as a way to liven up her shows content. As her circumstances change and she becomes more engrossed in the mystery, it is clear that her personal life has parallels with the case. Running alongside this mystery is the deeply distressing life of Rowena and her friends nearly twenty years earlier. This story has echos of Jimmy Saville's horrendous abuse and the way that she is treated brought to mind the way that the Rotherham girls were treated. It is very upsetting (although never gratuitous) and this might dissuade some readers.
The story is brought to a neat conclusion and it will be interesting to see if this is the start of a series featuring Jessamine and Jintesh (I'd like to know more about him)

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.