
Member Reviews

Stop At Nothing is the first book that I read by Tammy Cohen and unfortunately I found it a disappointment.
Whilst the precis of the book promised a lot I did not find any of the main characters interesting or engaging and had worked out the who very early on. In addition the book seemed to drag and was overlong
So unfortunately this isn't one I would recommend

Tammy Cohen is an author I love, but not all of her books have been great. Tammy has written under other names, including Tamar Cohen and Rachel Rhys so it is quite possible you have read a book by the author without realising it.
I was excited to read Stop At Nothing, not only did the blurb sound good but I have read some crackingly good psychological thrillers from the author before.
As parents we want to protect our children, so I could totally empathise with Tess who struggled when her daughter was attacked on her way home late one night. A horrible situation and as Tess was already fragile thanks to her recent marriage breakdown and redundancy.
There was a lot to like about Stop At Nothing but I really disliked Tess, sure she had been through a tough time but she was full of self pity and self obsession that at times I wanted to shout at her. Not to mention how blinkered and obsessive she was.
I also thought that had it all figured out quite early on and wanted the book to hurry up and tell me whether I was right or not.
But, having said that, I enjoyed reading Stop At Nothing, it was well written, well researched and was an interesting story that was even more interesting after I read the acknowledgments at the end.
One more thing I will say about Tess is that she has very good taste in dog names, her dog is called Dotty which is the same as my dog. It was a bit strange reading about her Dotty, especially at certain points but you’ll get that when you read the book.
If you like psychological thrillers then Stop At Nothing by Tammy Cohen is a good book for you. I do think the author has written better books but don’t let that put you off.

Imagine your horror your 16 year old daughter is coming home from school when she is grabbed from behind and assaulted fortunately a passerby comes to her rescue and escorts her home to her mum
Obviously any mum would be grateful beyond belief, the girl and her rescuer are asked to go to the police station to try and identify the attacker but neither can even though the mum believes it is one of the men they have looked at
She takes it upon herself to try and prove it is him it has to be doesn't it.
By the use of social media she finds information about this guy even writes on his Facebook page
But then someone starts to send messages to her? If she can find stuff out about him then he can do the same????
A true twisted tale

This is a good psychological thriller that had me racing through the pages.
Tess is devastated when her daughter is attacked coming home one night and wants the attacker to be punished.
When he seems to get away with it, Tess starts looking out for him and tries to intimidate him.
She is warned against this by the Police but her new friend Frances encourages her.
Frances stopped the attack so Tess and Emma are grateful to her but Tess’ friends are suspicious of her.
There is a lot of tension in this book as Tess becomes obsessed with the man who she believes is the person responsible for what happened.
This book is full of twists and turns and I really enjoyed the way the story was told.
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Stop at Nothing is a dark psychological thriller by Tammy Cohen about a mother’s quest to get justice for her teenage daughter after she was attacked on her way home from a party. It is also a story about trust and obsession. I’ve loved Tammy Cohen’s previous books so I couldn’t wait to start reading her latest. It took a very different direction to what I originally thought it would, and this is what made the story feel very original, especially the twist which came towards the end.
I was hooked right from the intense opening when Tess’s daughter, Emma, is at the police station after the police have called her in to try and identify her attacker. I really connected with Tess and her quest to get justice for Emma. It did feel like she was at the end of a tether as she attempted to try and make people listen. It seemed that people were trying to push her back all the time. There were times when I wanted someone to step in and help Tess, and I feared what was going to happen to her as she continued to try and get justice. And there were times when I wanted her to stop, to prevent anything bad happening to her and her family.
Tammy Cohen’s writing is very easy to get into. She always creates hugely engaging characters. The emotion in Tammy’s characters comes through very strongly in this book, especially in Tess as she is still struggling to come to terms with what has happened to her daughter. She is a character who I really felt for. I wanted her to get justice for her daughter. But there is also something else that has happened. She has an estranged relationship with her eldest daughter, and it is clear that something has happened in their past that has caused a rift between them. I was really interested in this part of the plot, and I wanted to know what had happened between them to cause this strain in their relationship.
There is a lot of tension in this book as Tess continues to investigate what happened to her daughter, and as she becomes infatuated with a man who she believes is the person responsible for what happened. Now, this was a part of the story which I was never quite sure about, and Tammy Cohen kept me on my toes as I kept wondering if this person was the culprit. I couldn’t believe some of the lengths that Tess was going to here, to try and bring this person to justice.
This is a book that certainly, for me, kept its secrets under wraps until the final pages. There’s a very sinister tone that made me think that all was not quite as it seems. There are some very dark characters who will keep you hooked and intrigued. Stop at Nothing is another top psychological thriller by Tammy Cohen. I can’t wait to read what she writes next.

When the bell rings one evening, Tess does not know that this will change her life completely. Her 16-year-old daughter Emma was attacked on her way home from the bus stop, a man tried to abduct her but luckily, a woman came by and could save her. Tess is more than grateful for what Frances has done that night and so it is quite natural to let her into their life which has been a bit chaotic after Tess’ divorce. When Emma fails to identify the attacker with the police, Tess feels the need to do something and so does Frances who thinks she could recognize the man: James Laurence Stephens. Tess totally freaks out, such a man cannot be left running around freely and thus she starts to observe him, follow him online and gets totally worked up about him. Frances is always on her side, supporting her and Emma who does not cope too well with the situation. But then, Tess’ anger and spying fire back and now she is under threat – obviously by a man who is capable of more than just harassing girls.
Tammy Cohen’s psychological thriller got me hooked immediately. The author does not give you a chance to slowly get into the novel, she starts right in the middle of the police investigation and thus, does not leave you any time to get acquainted with the characters and situation – just like Tess was overwhelmed by the incident. Neither does suspense nor the pace slow down after this, the plot moves at a very high speed and this is how you just like Tess lose the focus and get lost in the events. Since I utterly adored the novel, I was curious to find out more about the writer and I was quite astonished that I have read and liked several of her novels published under the pseudonyms Tamar Cohen and Rachel Rhys. She surely is a gifted writer no matter what kind of genre she works on.
What I appreciated most apart from the suspense and high pace was Cohen’s protagonist Tess who is authentically depicted: a wife who has lost her husband as well as her career, who struggles with life and just wants to do the things right at a moment, when nothing seems to work out for her anymore. She is under a lot of pressure from all sides and this makes it easy for her to get immersed in this paranoia of following her daughter’s apparent attacker. From her limited point of view, it all makes totally sense. As a reader, you know that something is not quite right with her perspective, especially since there are parentheses coming obviously from some other character that are not easy to insert into the picture.
A brilliant and captivating read that I could hardly put down. Skilfully crafted with unexpected twists and turns and superbly playing on the psychological aspects of somebody being stressed out and thus prone to fall prey to evil and malevolent fellows.

So, this took me the beat part of the day and was a good worthwhile effort, it was enjoyable...
However, if you read many psychological/thrilly types of books I think, as me, you will see the main twist of the book early on....this didnt spoil it for me, unless you count me thinking ‘oh for goodness sake its OBVIOUS’ and ‘ they’re behind you’ at regular intervals! 😂
The story revolves around Tess, newly menopausal and single and redundant and her 2 daughters,Tess just about copes and then her younger daughter is attacked.....the story then focuses on who is guilty of the attack...its so much more involved than than but to say much more would give hints!!
There is a sterling cast including a benign yet perfect ex hubby’s new girlfriend, old friends-some not as nice as they should be and Tessa’s parents-Mum with dementia and Dad with Diabetes ( some of Tess’s feelings towards both are very moving and heartfelt as is the descriptions of their illnesses )
The part Facebook/ Insta/home CCTV and spyware play in the story are as always chilling when you realise just what is accessible to people via these platforms
Beware that Tess is partial to clamminess and very regular spurts of adrenaline!
Insomnia features in the book and the reality of how this affects Tess is eye opening and really well described
This is my 2nd most ‘pressed the kindle button to see what a word means’ book of the year, some great words that have never heard of before
A short but unnecessary dig at ‘man spreading’ irritated me ( its our biology not anything else!! )
Anyway am rambling so will finish by saying a very well written, easy to enjoy and just keep on reading kinda book that even after I guessed what was to come still hit all the right spots

Stop at Nothing was soooooo good. Devoured in one sitting it was full of twists and turns and while I'd had my suspicions about the plot twist, Cohen kept me guessing until the end about my suspicions. Inspired by a traumatic event that happened to the author's daughter in 2014, this tale seemingly leads us down one road, only to fork off along the way into a whole other side road. Seamlessly written without one wasted word, I was gripped from the start. As well as the main plot, there were beautiful observations about family life, growing older, starting over and the harsh reality of having to watch as those who cared for us, become the cared for. A perfect summer read with enough sophistication to make it a thrilling ride. You will not want to put this down once you open the first page!

A gripping read which deserves the genre thriller. A mother who will do anything to keep her children safe. Tessa is a slightly erratic character and the more you learn about her you can see how she starts to unravel. A divorce, hitting 50 and the menopause. I related to a lot of her life even down to the dog! A twisty, turny tale with a great ending.

Gripping and twisty with some unexpected parts. So parts were a little dragged out, but it really touched on what a mother will do for her children and how she will go to any lengths to protect them and how parents are always second guessing their decisions and wondering where they could do better. A little slow going to begin with, but then picked up, with an unexpected ending.

Stop At Nothing by Tammy Cohen had all the makings of a great story - but it wasn't as good as I had expected. I have read and loved previous books from this author so I had high hopes for this new one - I was disappointed. I found that the main character was over the top and annoying. The story at times dragged and I found it hard to stay engaged. But in saying all that the story was good - however, I did work it all out quite early and I was sad to be correct. I was hoping for a twist that I had missed.
Tess is a single mother and tries her best to be a good mother to her girls. Her youngest, Emma is attacked on her way home from a party one night. She is terrified and retreats into herself. And then one day Tess see's Emmas attacker in their street, close to their home. From this point on Tess is out of control and does everything she can to protect her daughter from this man. - no matter what the cost, even though it puts them in danger.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

I LOVED this book! No murders or gruesome details, no complicated police action or stake-outs, just a pure domestic, subtle, insidious, totally readable tale of how one person, Frances, supposedly a 'hero', can turn one family, and in particular one woman's life upside-down, by her desire to be involved and help.
This storyline plays with your mind, is poetic in its description of domesticity, of being a dog-owner, of a mother's love so powerful that Tessa really will Stop at Nothing to protect Em (and Rosie) even though she's lost her editing job, hit fifty, is menopausal and her husband cruelly left her for another woman.
It is a perfectly credible plot that makes you worry about what we post online, how private our 'private' lives really are and whether we can ever trust anyone with who they say they are! With an ageing parent who has dementia thrown into the mix too, there are many emotional layers added to this story that create a depth and empathy with many modern day challenges that readers will have experienced in some ways themselves.
A highly recommended read!

I really enjoyed reading this and had no idea how it was going to end. The main character,Tess, was very annoying; impulsive, illogical and heedless in her tunnel vision pursuit of her daughter's perceived attacker. However, all of of the characters were strong and there were no superfluous walk-ons, (except possibly Nick who I did not feel Tess deserved). I was disappointed in the end when the thread Tess had been chasing fizzled out, and did not think the drama of the book needed a suspected murder. However, I was drawn in by the good plotting and the writing style and found it very entertaining.

The lengths a mother would go to to protect her child.
Tess is fighting, in an often irrational and impulsive way, for justice for her daughter Emma, after her attacker remains at large following a failure in the police identification procedure they endure.
Tess is a pretty annoying character, jumping to conclusions from no evidence and turning to stalker-like behaviour when she thinks she has found the perpetrator, but actually put in the situation I think most parents would respond similarly to protect their children, albeit maybe slightly less intensely!
More disconcerting is the constant presence of Frances, the good Samaritan who saw the attack and stopped her car to frighten off the attacker and has inveigled herself into the lives of Tess, Emma and her estranged daughter and husband and his new partner. Frances set my teeth on edge within the first few pages of meeting her- she comes across as creepy and clingy in all the very worst ways.
Tess's rampage towards justice (or is it revenge?) is an enthralling read, discomforting at almost every turn but impossible to put down!

Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel for review.
I really enjoy a psychological thriller so was very keen to read this book.
Within a couple of years, the main character, Tessa, has lost her job, separated from her husband, become estranged from her eldest daughter and to top it off her youngest daughter is attacked coming home from a party. She also has ailing, elderly parents to support. Understandably, she finds this all difficult to deal with and as a result, takes the law into her own hands.
After her daughter's attack, the witness becomes close to Tessa and her daughter and is initially a good support for them. However, she becomes too close for comfort.
The story is mainly told from Tessa's point of view, but there is another mystery narrator who is eventually revealed.
Generally, I didn't like Tessa as a character, I found her irritating and a bit flighty, jumping to conclusions and being very impulsive then afterwards realising what she had done was maybe a bad idea. The other characters were well done and I didn't find them so annoying.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was easy to follow the story and engaging enough that you wanted to find out what was going on. I felt some parts were dragged out a bit so it could have been a bit more fast paced. A good holiday read.
I would happily read more by this author.

This was a new author for me and I wasn’t disappoint, to start with the storyline was steady and held my interest to keep reading and I’m glad I did. I was able to feel for Tess, a Mum wanting to protect her daughters but at the same time having her approach and methods questioned. I won’t give any spoilers but I did start to have inclinations about some of the characters and where it would lead but nothing is confirmed till the last few chapters. This was a great read in my opinion and certainly made me question and open my eyes to the manipulation human beings can have on each other. A good book that had twists and turns I wasn’t expecting and some I was, Tammy tells the story so that it keeps you reading and wanting to find out the truth.

I did enjoy this book but I felt so many parts of it dragged on and it didn’t keep my attention. Good book but not up to the usual standard I expect from this author

I enjoyed the idea of this book however I felt that the story was dragged out in places and took longer than necessary. I had guessed the ending early on in the book and felt that there were a few bits in the book that were just fillers and weren't really relevant to the story.
Not bad overall but wouldn't necessarily recommend to anyone.
Review posted on Goodreads

A mother's job is to keep her children safe.
Tess is a single parent to teenage daughters Rosie and Emma, she's done things in her past that she's not proud of and is trying to make amends, then 16 year old Emma is attacked on her way home from a party but the perpetrator walks free. When Tess thinks she has seen the person responsible, in the street close to where they live, she is determined to get justice for her daughter, but at what cost to her family and her own sanity?
This story is told from Tessa's perspective, although there are short sections in between chapters that could be another person, it doesn't become apparent who this person is until later in the book and these give a somewhat creepy element to it all. This is a tale of obsession and intrigue which kept me gripped throughout, it didn't blow me away hence only the four stars, but it was a book I couldn't put down and read in a matter of hours. The plot of this story is based on a real life event and will resonate with any parent, because we only ever want to be able to keep our children safe. I've loved all of this author's books that I've read so far and would definitely recommend this one.
I'd like to thank Random House UK Transworld Publishers & Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Thank you to Netgalley for the loan of this book by Tammy Cohen (Stop at Nothing)
The book kicks off well with the main characters daughter being attacked, and the fallout of such, and I identified with the mothers angst thereafter, but felt her actions were a little extreme, (although I suppose you cannot know how you’d react if the same were to happen to your daughter)
The women who came to the daughters rescue becomes fixated on the family, and that where the real story starts....
Overall it was easy to read but I found it predictable, having guessed early in the book who was the “villain”. Not sure I’d read another of her books, I like something a bit more twisty fuelled with adrenaline that I cannot out down. Sadly, this book didn’t have that, so although it wasn’t bad, it was too predictable to give it more than 3 stars.