Member Reviews

I ripped through this book and really enjoyed it.

I like books that keep me asking questions and this is an excellent example.

It is well written and easy to read-would recommend.

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This is a story of stalking. It alternates between the voices of the woman who is being stalked Alice, and her stalker as a young boy going through a dreadful time. I liked that we were given some understanding as to why the stalker had turned out as he did. Too often there is no background given and it is just assumed that the perpetrator is evil. The stalker was once himself a very vulnerable child. The story is well paced with the escalation of the threats against Alice and the inability of those around her to protect her. Characters were well drawn especially Matthew, the private detective hired by Alice's rich boyfriend. I especially liked his compassion towards the lonely old man and thought this subplot was particularly well done. The relationship between Alice and her dying mother was poignant - for once a female protagonist who had a loving relationship with her mother. The only thing I wasn't completely convinced by was the big reveal. Otherwise though a satisfying read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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It's the beginning of fall and I like to stack my reads with mysteries and thrillers. After receiving an early copy of I Will Make You Pay, I dived right into this mystery and was trying to figure out the "whodunit" and WHY by the clues.

I Will Make You Pay is told in 3 POVs. Alice is a journalist that starts receiving threatening phone calls, letter, etc on Wednesdays. We wonder why her, why Wednesdays and who could it be? By the pacing of the book, we are slowly given little details into her past that would make us question her family, her past and her present.

The next POV is from Him, in the past. 'Him' lives with his gran and seems to have gone through a lot. He has no other family, lives with his gran in an apartment building and she has to work hard and even late on certain days in order for her to support him. But when she works late, this little boy is dealing with more than any young child should have to. Imagine living in a building being 8 years old and staying in your room while your guardian is gone until the wee hours of the morning. It seems scary just thinking it. For that, I had a soft spot for Him.

The third POV is Mathew. He is the PI on the investigation of Alice's stalker. We get to see his family, the woman that's the head of Alice's case and all the little clues he is picking up on by their research and the information that Alice is slowly giving them. He is a carer and protector. He feels he fails if he can't "fix" things. His heart definitely shows throughout the book. I want to hear more about him (and apparently he is from other books, I've been told).

The pacing at times seemed a little slow and it seemed as if we were given so much to make us confused who the stalker was. It's liking giving extra information that you don't necessarily need in order to throw you, which Teresa Driscoll did wonderfully. What she excelled at was making me feel sorry for the stalker (Him). I was continuously waiting for the bomb to explode with him. There was so much tension and vulnerability there that I couldn't wait to see how he was going to handle it all. I almost felt more for him than for Alice. But Alice's love for her mother and her family stood the test of time. She was willing to risk everything for them. And that showed in her scenes with them and one of the final conversations of the book.

There were heart pounding scenes and there was a great cast of characters that all played their parts for a complete story. I did feel some characters may not have been needed, but the interaction and dialogue between them all opened up so many possibilities for us, the reader.

Overall, this was a great suspense thriller that had me thinking throughout. I don't know when I've ever felt so much for the tormentor rather than the victim, but this book made me feel it.

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Oh my goodness! What a shocking end! I tried not to figure it out as I read the book. So the ending was such a surprise. Alice had such bad luck with men but was good as a journalist. She got into a niche reporting on a housing development. At the same time as we read about Alice we also read about a child raised by his grandmother. Keep reading, the stories do mesh. So many side stories added to the story. A good story!

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Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this suspenseful novel. I enjoyed this fast paced well developed thriller. I did not see the ending coming. I thought I had it figured out. I will definitely be reading more of Teresa Driscoll.

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What a great book! i couldn’t stop reading it - I had to find out who the stalker was! The characters were interesting and well-developed. It was written so that you wanted to keep reading. Highly recommend.

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Secret Smile by Nicci French 🖤
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This book was recommended by my lovely book buddy @butbooksarebetter2 and boy am I glad she did 😊. What a creepy and nightmarish story. I loved it.
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Miranda meets Brendan and has a very brief relationship before she ends it. But getting Brendan out of her life is not that easy. Within weeks Brendan is dating her sister and everyone think he’s the perfect guy. Only Miranda has her suspicions but no one will listen. Creepy, dark and full suspense. Highly recommended xx
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"I Will Make You Pay" by Teresa Driscoll is an entertaining thriller about Alice Henderson, a woman terrorized by a stalker who only seems to strike on Wednesdays. I give it 3/5 stars, subtracting a star from 4 because I figured out who the stalker was pretty far in advance of the ending. Even though I knew who the culprit was, there were still twists in the story line that I did not see coming, and these kept my interest and kept me reading. The methods the stalker used were creative and frightening! I also liked how the story jumped back and forth between characters, giving all points of view of everyone involved, including the stalker. The book is fast-paced and I read it in only a few hours. This is my first book by Teresa Driscoll, but it will not be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the publisher, and to the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this entertaining book.

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I had a little trouble getting into this book. The switching between the present, with reporter Alice being threatened by an unnamed person, and the past, where a mystery child is being abused, started a bit clunky and melodramatic. But, I eventually had enough time to sit down and read a long chunk at a time and that made the difference. I wouldn't say it was that tough to solve, but it was a good plot and I enjoyed it.

4 1/2 stars.

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2/5 ⭐️
Eh
It was okay
Nothing to terribly interesting in my opinion.
Maybe I’ve read to many thrillers in the past month, but nothing really exciting happens.

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Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Teresa Driscoll for the advanced copy of this book. There were many things I appreciated about the story and how it was delivered:

I enjoyed the back and forth from past to present and from character to character with each chapter. I had a good time trying to figure out who "him" was.

I enjoyed the teasers the author provided throughout the book - I was never sure if they were to foreshadow what was to come or if they were designed to throw me off track.

I gave the book 3 stars because I did feel the writing was repetitive in places - the same sentiment was repeated several times over the course fo a few paragraphs. I also felt the transition between chapters was a bit awkward and I had to read a page or two to acclimate. With respect to Alice, one thing I still don't understand is why she withheld so much information from the policy and from her private investigator. Maybe that was the reporter in her wanting a good story for herself? Possibly.

I probably wouldn't put this book at the top of my list of recommendations, but it was an enjoyable way to pass the time and I did get a bit of a surprise towards the end.

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Journalist Alice Henderson has a stalker. Threats and actions come only on Wednesdays. Is it someone from her past, an acquaintance, someone she has angered with her writings, or just random? Does Alice have something to hide? The case is investigated by PI Matthew Hill, and DI Melanie Sanders, recurring characters in other of Teresa Driscoll’s books.

The story is told from alternating viewpoints, moving between past and present, devices that have become quite popular with many of today's authors. The story is revealed layer by layer, with surprises and red herrings.

This is an engrossing psychological thriller; I didn’t want to put it down. Alice can be a bit of an annoying character, making some questionable decisions probably due to her continually reminding the reader that she is stubborn.

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Time was when extreme emotional distress to me meant not being able to have my morning coffee - you know, that stuff that magically turns you into something close to human - before heading out to get my annual blood test that requires fasting. But reading as many books as I have (75 so far this year), I've found something else: realizing it's 5 minutes before bedtime and I need 20 more to finish the book that's got me on the edge of my seat.

This is one such book. And yes, I lugged my Kindle up the stairs and sat in our computer room as usual - the last thing I check before hitting the sack is email - and finished it. Then - mostly because of a near-end twist - I couldn't get to sleep right away. Ah well - it was worth it.

As a mostly former journalist, it was easy for me to identify with the main character, Alice Henderson, also a journalist - with one happy exception: I've dealt with a few folks who gave me a royal chewing out over something I'd written (or failed to write), but never in my entire career did anyone threaten my life. Alice isn't so fortunate; and while first phone call mostly just shook her up, the next thing that happened left her so frightened that her boyfriend hired a private investigator.

It's pretty clear someone is out to get Alice, but who? Could it be someone who didn't like something she wrote? A person from her past, or even a co-worker? That's what P.I. and former cop Matthew Hill wants to find out, but because he's no longer on the force, he can't be an official part of the investigation. That's mitigated a bit by Hill's relationship with a very pregnant detective Melanie Sanders, his former partner who's now assigned to Alice's case. Needless to say, the whole thing becomes a race to find Alice's stalker - if that's what he or she is - before something more sinister happens.

Chapters switch to show snippets of three characters - Alice, Hill and an unidentified boy known only as "Him." Each chapter adds another dimension to the story until the very end, when everything comes together with that aforementioned twist. All told, a very well done and, dare I say, exciting book that I expect will do well. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

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When I started reading this book I thought the storyline had potential. However, the further I got the more difficult I found it to continue. The character development is very formulaic and the ending is cliche. I found that the story line moved unnecessarily slowly and at times felt like it was dragging.

Despite this, I still found myself switching back and forth between who I thought the stalker was, from Jack to Matthew to Tom to Claire and Paul. I enjoyed the way the author described the lives of both Alice and the stalker in parallel both in the present and the past to build the suspense. There were also some interesting plot twists and jumps however, again, very cliche.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This is my only Teresa Driscoll novel but I just didn't care for it. The writing was a little dull and boring. I'm sorry but this is only my opinion and it just wasn't for me. We have Alice, a young journalist who is being stalked but the strange thing is the stalker only hits on Wednesday every week. What significance does that particular day hold? Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for my honest review

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It seems like an ordinary Wednesday, until the phone rings. A mysterious caller with a chilling threat. Journalist Alice Henderson hangs up, ready to dismiss it as a hoax against the newspaper. But the next Wednesday, the stalker makes another move—and it becomes clear that this is all about Alice.
Someone wants her to suffer, but for what? Her articles have made her a popular local champion—could it be her past rather than her work that’s put her life in danger? Alice is determined not to give in to fear, but with the police investigation at a dead end, her boyfriend insists on hiring private investigator Matthew Hill.
With every Wednesday the warnings escalate, until it’s not only Alice but also her family in the stalker’s sights. As her tormentor closes in, can Alice uncover what she’s being punished for before the terrifying threats become an unthinkable reality?

I was really looking forward to this, the premise sounded so intriguing and I’ve enjoyed a couple of other books by Teresa Driscoll. I loved that there were a few characters I recognised from previous books (although they are all standalone stories).

I thought the book started out brilliantly, it was chilling, I felt a bit jumpy as Alice realised that she was being targeted and I was really intrigued about who it was, and why. There were a lot of twists, turns and red herrings throughout the book, maybe a few too many. My main issue with the book was that there weren’t that many characters, so I felt like the reveal of the stalker was a little predictable. I really like Matthew’s character, but I felt fairly indifferent towards Alice, so was maybe less invested in the outcome than I should have been. I read a lot of thrillers, and for me, this one was well-written and very readable, but not one of the best I’ve read.

* Gifted for review by NetGalley

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This was an addictive read that kept me guessing and reevaluating the whole way through the book.. The many twists, turns and thickening plots were like decoys to my brain. I couldn’t keep up; but had to at the same time.
Reading this book was a powerful reminder of the talented authors we have today. The author was able to captivate me, keep me engaged and totally manipulate my mind into thinking different scenarios. I loved it!
Alice; A’s she’s now known receives a call at her work that scares her. There’s a voice recorder. As a journalist; they don’t take calls like this lightly.
Every Wednesday for the next month; something happens that changes Alice’s thinking and puts dread and fear into her.
Then finally it happens. She falls captive to the person responsible.

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I found this a little hard going and a little unbelievable to be honest. The main character wasn't particularly likeable and this possibly coloured my view of the story. It was quite well written and certainly a different type of read. I think it will appeal to those people who do enjoy a mystery.

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Theresa Driscoll has reeled me in again! Alice is a reporter who realizes she has a stalker, and not just any stalker, but one who only hits on Wednesdays. A stalker who almost seems playful in his subtle moves - not really causing harm, but scaring the crap out of Alice. Until, of course, he does. But Alice has secrets of her own that could confuse Matthew, the private investigator her boyfriend Tom has hired, as well as DI Melanie Sanders, the officer investigating the case, Alice's fear when she finds herself in danger is palpable. The writing is tight and well thought out, and the ending was a complete surprise!

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Arc received from NetGalley. This is a great thriller. It kept me guessing til the end. Alice has a stalker that likes to schedule his attacks on Wednesday. When he first calls he threatens to slice her up with cheese wire. He spends the whole book terrorizing her while we try to
Determine who it is and why they are after her and also why on Wednesdays. Alice also ahas a secret that only her mom and sister know and even though her sister tells her to let the authorities know
Alice keeps it to her
Self. This is really well done and I
Even though I had figured it out but boy was I wrong.8’ recommending this one to
Everybody!

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