The Wreckage by Robin Morgan-Bentley is my first book by this author. A thrilling and suspenseful novel that kept me hooked from the first page to the last. With some realistic and complex characters, especially, Ben, who suffers from PTSD after surviving a train crash. The plot was full of twists and turns that made me question everything I thought I knew. The writing style was engaging and captivating, with vivid descriptions and sharp dialogue. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers and mysteries.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A great debut by an author that has the talent to continue writing. I couldn't wait to finish the book, and finished it in a day's time. Good solid read.

This book was really good. At first I was a bit hesitant about it but soon as I got further in the more invested I became. Really enjoyed it

A quick and twisty read. Wasn’t my favourite thriller ever, but I enjoyed it for what it was, which was a bit of an easy read between heavier subjects.

Why did I take so long to read this book - apologies.
A great story, well written and really had me hooked. I now want more by this author.

This book was brilliant in theory - I enjoy a compulsively gripping story and this was that but as it went on and the characters developed I found myself disliking each and every one. That's not a negative I suppose, not all stories are about likeable characters but it didn't make for an easy read either.

The story started powerfully and in fitting with the blurb but then as it went on I lost interest. The pace plateaued and it took a little patience before we got moving again but I don't regret it!

This is a book about control and obsession. It’s a compulsive and gripping read.
The start to this book is devastating and I feel it will cause a lot of people to DNF it.

Really enjoyed this book from the very start. I liked the split narrative and the fact that the same events were narrated and often seen very differently by both characters. Some clever twists, especially at the end. I'll definitely look out for more from the author!

Thanks to Netgally for the preview of this book.
To say I was disappointed in this book after the reviews I'd read is an understatement. I found it long and drawn out and unrealistic in parts.
It start when Adam, a husband and father, steps in front of a car, altering the life of the driver, his wife and son, forever. To be fair it starts off well and was easy to read, but i found myself speed reading it to get through it faster to see if it improved. It didn't.
There were no exciting twists like some reviews predicted and I was left feeling like I'd wasted my time reading it.
The ending was sorely disappointing too.
I wont be in a rush to read the secind novel, should there be one.

The Wreckage is a fine debut novel with themes you will recognise. The characters are relatable and I warned straight away to the main person and enjoyed the other characters. Really look forward to the next book! 4/5.

When I read the premise for this book, I was immediately intrigued. A tragic event in which the driver of the car involved and the grieving family of the man he hit are drawn together as they each try to piece together their shattered lives.

Sounds intriguing, right? Wrong.

What I got was five hours of depressing monologue from both narratives that I cannot get back. I can't believe I stayed up into the night in the hope it would get better. The reason I did stick at it was that it was a short read (thank God!) and the promise of a twist at the end that I was eager to discover. And even that was somewhat anti-climatic.

But to be fair, THE WRECKAGE is about more than just a car accident. It is a story of dangerous love and obsession and the lives of those that are thrown together by this tragic event. And then the twist that is thrown in towards the end reveals that nothing is as it seems. A clever concept...but sadly the two characters were so unlikable that more than once I felt like stuffing them both in a bin bag, tying it off and tossing it in the river!

We meet Ben Anderson, primary school teacher, on his way to work at 6.40am one morning on the motorway in a deluge of rain and mist that you could hardly see the road in front of you. His windscreen was fogging up quicker than he could wipe it with the sleeve of his jacket as the heater was busted. The rain was falling faster than his wipers could go when suddenly he saw a flash of white in front of him...and then it was gone. Pulling over to the shoulder, he got out to find the crumpled body of a man about his age. What the hell just happened? Did he hit this man? Has he killed him? But where on earth did he come from? Beside himself with worry, Ben is taken to the police station to give a statement of events.

Alice Selby awakes on the same morning around 7.15am. She feels the cold and empty space beside her where her husband Adam should be. Donning a satin dressing gown, Alice descends the stairs and upon seeing no sign of Adam in the kitchen of living room, realises Adam must be in his "study", a shed at the bottom of the garden. But when she opens the door, the sight that greets her is one of disarray with papers strewn everywhere and his mother's porcelain lamp laying broken on the floor. As she steps inside, Alice sees the brown envelope on the seat in Adam's neat calligraphy writing with the words "Tell Maxy I'm sorry" on the front.

Springing into action, Alice pulls Max out of bed and leaving him with their neighbour, takes herself off frantically to the police station. All the while thinking "Not again". Suffering clinical depression and anxiety for most of his life and having a mother who suffered Bipolar before taking her own life, Adam has attempted suicide several times before. But this time is different. This time, when Alice gets to the police station to report her concerns, she is informed that her husband had stepped in front of a car on the motorway and was on his way to the hospital. He's alive? But that hope is short-lived when five weeks later she gives permission to switch off his life support. Adam was brain dead. There was no coming back from it this time.

Ben and Alice's lives first intersect when Ben, feeling so traumatised by the event, visits Adam in the hospital. Alice was shocked at first but then finds a kind of comfort in the kind man who so obviously blamed himself for making her a widow. But Alice knew it wasn't his fault. Adam chose to step in front of his car and end his life. Ben was just the unfortunate person to have hit him.

Then it starts to get a little weird and go downhill.

Ben starts to show a concerning amount of interest in Alice and her 7 year old son Max. He begins to follow her on Facebook, Googling her address to view her house on street view and turning up at the same mindfulness class. Then out of misplaced guilt, he starts to spend a little too much time with them. At first, Alice took pity on him and invited him to a small dinner party with friends. Then an impromptu breakfast of pastries for Max. In a flurry of WhatsApp messages, the two of them share a weird relationship as they try to navigate their way through their grief and feelings of guilt.

Then after a mindfulness class one evening Ben invites Alice for dinner. She thinks "why not?" and Ben takes her to a favourite Italian restaurant for what he sees as their "first date". Then as the evening comes to a close, Alice invites him back for a nightcap and the two end up tearing each other's clothes off and...well, you get the picture. But almost as soon as it happens, Alice is filled with regret while Ben is walking on cloud nine, believing that this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. The narrative between the two of them at this point shows a complete difference in perspectives and expectations.

What has Alice got herself into? Who is Ben really? She hardly knows him and though she tries to let him down gently, Ben either doesn't take the hint or he has a more sinister agenda. He begins to stalk Alice, turning up where she least expects him leaving her wondering what the hell he is doing there.

Then something happens and all bets are off. What is Ben doing? What is he after? Was it misplaced guilt he's trying to assuage or has he actually been playing a longer, darker and far more twisted game all along?

Plunged right into the story from the first page, THE WRECKAGE is a twisted tale of obsessive love, loss and grief and certainly not what I was expecting. I did have a sense of deja-vu reading it with similarities of a kind to Gillian Jackson's "The Accident" which I have also recently read...although in the end, the two are completely different.

While it did start off promising, it soon tapered off to the point I was getting bored as the story didn't seem to progress and nothing was really happening...but most of all, the two main players were appalling unlikable people. Ben has this whole creepy stalkerish vibe going while Alice is just mean and foul-mouthed.

The twist, when it came, didn't really shock...more like had me raising my eyebrows and thinking "Seriously?" it was pretty unbelievable. But at the same time, it did reveal just how unstable Adam really was. Though he wasn't diagnosed as such, but given his mother had the condition, I had to wonder whether Adam suffered Bipolar as well with the addition of paranoid delusions.

With the exception of one chapter from Adam's POV, THE WRECKAGE is primarily told in alternating narratives by Ben and Alice, as the reader is given a glimpse into each of their perspectives with somewhat startling revelations...but no major shocks.

An average thriller, THE WRECKAGE showed promise to begin with but ended up as nothing wonderful. It was indeed disturbing, with a little twisted twist at the very end that left me thinking "What the...?"

**I feel I must include a trigger warning as the book does contain suicide, depression, anxiety, mental illness and domestic abuse.**

I would like to thank #RobinMorganBentley, #NetGalley and #OrionPublishingGroup for an ARC of #TheWreckage in exchange for an honest review.

Adam Selby kills himself by throwing himself in front of a car on a motorway. He leaves behind Alice and Max, a grieving widow and son but also the devastated driver of the car, Ben.
Ben feels incredibly guilty even though he knows Adam's act was deliberate. He seeks to make amends by helping Alice and Max to rebuild their lives. But it begins to be an obsession...
The Wreckage is cleverly written from Alice and Ben's viewpoints, allowing us to see events in different ways which affects our perception of the situation and the characters involved.
Alice is obviously emotional and confused but turns to alcohol and often acts selfishly. Meanwhile, Ben's behaviour becomes increasingly concerning and obsessive but he has Alice and Max's best interests at heart. Both characters are likeable but flawed, and the main damage was caused by Adam's decision to end his life in the way he did.
The developing relationship between Alice and Ben becomes uncomfortable as it becomes obvious that Ben's feelings are much stronger. The different versions of their sexual encounter is particularly awkward to read as they perceive it so differently from each other.
There is a final twist which I was not expecting at all and it did make me rethink the entire book. The pace of developments is fast and engagng, maintaining and encouraging the reader's attention and enjoyment.

Wow what an absolutely gripping read from start to finish. This was a wonderfully written book. I look forward to reading more from this author

The Wreckage by Robin Morgan-Bentley is a gripping page turner of a thriller that once started you do not want to put down. This is a character driven novel with a story that twists and turns, taking you on an exhilarating and suspense filled rollercoaster of a journey as this dark psychological thriller slowly unfolds.

Told from the dual perspectives of Alice and Ben, the story begins with Ben as he drives on the motorway to work, becoming involved in a fatal accident that turns his life upside down. Wracked with guilt, he seeks out the dead man’s widow and her seven year old son Max. Alice is struggling to come to terms with the fact that she isn’t grieving the death of her husband in the way everyone expects her to when Ben comes crashing into her life. I didn’t find either character particularly likable, but when you consider the emotional turmoil they’re both going through I don’t think it’s a surprise that their judgment of the situation they find themselves in is majorly askew.

The Wreckage is an impressive debut that had me gripped from beginning to end. This isn’t a fast paced thriller by any means, but more of a slow burn that is full of brilliant characterisation, with a rising tension that all adds to the feeling that the story is heading towards a dark and shocking conclusion.

Robin Morgan-Bentley has written a dark and clever psychological thriller that is full of the twists and turns that make this kind of book so readable. I loved it and can’t wait to see what this talented new author comes up with next!

Highly recommended.

Ben, a school teacher still living with his parents, shy, awkward, good with kids, but socially awkward. Grieves for pulling the car over Adam. Gets obsessed over Alice and grows a lust for her.

Alice is a bored housewife, who married into wealth after meeting husband Adam. After Adam's suicide, she's pretty much home all the day, crashing on the couch after drinking heavily. She doesn't not have friends, or family. Doesn't like Ben at first for his shy nature but begins to get attracted over his physique later. Also because he helps her with her kid Max. There's absolutely no sympathy over Alice, as she might be the most bitchiest character ever. Especially when she treats the acne faced waiter in the coffee shop with such rude attitude.

What follows next is dangerous obsession and the suspense where it might lead each other.

Alice comes out as a terrible mother with her careless drinking and lethargic nature, especially after Adam's death. Especially when her son needs her the most. The toxic relationship between Ben and Alice was like a ticking bomb ready to burst anytime and I can't believe women could be so negligible of their own child. The Wreckage is a fantastic suspense thriller with a bold and compelling plot. Watch out for issues like depression, obsession, alcoholism, substance abuse, suppressed feelings, loneliness, anxiety, social awkwardness and such amongst the characters.

Thanks to the publisher for my digital copy. All opinions are mine.

Whilst driving to work one morning, teacher Ben, finds himself at the centre of another person’s suicide when a man throws himself in front of his car on the motorway.

Racked with guilt, Ben tries to find out the fate of the jumper, leading him to the hospital bed of the victim, and his wife Alice...

The story that follows is an immersive, compulsive and at times intense thriller. Told from the 2 viewpoints from both Ben and Alice, Robin Morgan-Bentley writes a cracking tale that holds your interest and keeps you turning. I read the book in a couple of sittings.

The story moves along at a decent pace, and the suspense builds slowly but surely.

A book that’s about obsession, mental health, and how 2 flawed and believable characters deal with the aftermath of a tragedy.

Assured, confident writing, I was engrossed from the start and this is a book I highly recommended

5🔥🔥🔥🔥

Told primarily in the voices of Alice and Ben, The Wreckage starts out as a straightforward story about Ben, who accidentally kills Alice’s husband with his car. It’s such an easy thing to have done. over in the blink of an eye and Ben is, of course, traumatised. If you’ve ever had a car accident, you’ll know that any accident is in itself traumatic, never mind if, as a driver, you have been involved in an accident that has caused injury to someone.

This book made me relive those accidents I have had and made me ask myself what I would do if I were ever to be responsible for someone’s death. I can’t imagine what that might be like or whether I would cope. For sure, it would be something I could never get away from.

Ben is that driver. He’s a careful driver, as befits a schoolteacher. Always drives on the inside lane and never goes above 50. Yet he hits Adam who is at first in a vegetative coma and then dies. Ben feels so guilty. Visiting Adam in hospital, he feels a connection and a responsibility to Alice, the woman whose husband he has brought down and to her seven year old son, Max.

Ben is a bit of a fusspot, slightly old-fashioned in his ways, a tentative individual with no real close friends and little in the way of a social life, though he is liked as a teacher.

The accident impacts heavily on him and it’s not too long before we see that he is becoming a little fixated on Alice. She seems to welcome having Ben to talk to and I wondered if their shared grief might bring them together.

Alice is an interesting quandary. She clearly loved Adam, but her behaviour is just a little off. She doesn’t seem to be nurturing of Max, has an acerbic tongue and is drinking just a little too much right now.

Robin Morgan-Bentley’s writing puts just the right amount of edge into these characters. Enough so that we can see that something’s not quite right, but not quite enough for us to discern exactly what lies behind their behaviour.

What starts out as an understandable connection, develops into something a bit more sinister and the tension that existed from the moment they met starts to hit home more clearly, causing us to worry about where this is all heading. The ability to see events from both characters perspectives adds bite to an already uneasy situation.

Terrific plotting means that Bentley carefully lays out all his surprises in a way that I did not see coming and it’s no exaggeration to say that I watched in horror as this book went from disturbing scenario to full on psychological shock.

What’s also good about this book is the way the writer has put an emphasis on the mental health of the male characters and understanding their internal monologues really helps to underline the impact of their actions.

Verdict: An assured debut with complex characterisation and excellent plotting which allows the immersive narrative to drive a dual viewpoint story which we quickly come to see cannot end well. Well-crafted and precise prose adds a level of class and distinction to this above average intelligent and thought-provoking psychological thriller.

Ben is driving to work on the motorway when he sees a flash of white….he has hit a man.

Adam has deliberately jumped in front of Ben’s car.

While not Ben’s fault he is so guilt ridden he can barely function, but he decides to see Adam’s wife, Alice to say sorry.

Alice is a bit taken aback, but they become slightly uneasy friends and Ben becomes close to her son Max. But, then Ben takes Max to give Alice some time alone, as he’s concerned about her drinking and if Max is safe.

This is the tale of three damaged people, each with their own problems. It deals with mental illness, obsession and domestic abuse.

I didn’t find any of the characters likeable at all, Adam was controlling, Alice is rude, selfish and just nasty and Ben….well Ben, I’m really not sure about Ben ! But, due to Robin Morgan-Bentley’s incredible writing, you become so gripped by their story. It’s so compelling, you really become involved and just have to know how this is going to turn out for each of the characters. The final couple of lines made me feel a little uneasy I have to say……I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.

The Wreckage is such an excellent debut novel. It is full of everything one wants from a thriller; a completely original plot, suspense, unpredictable twists and turns and so much drama.
The story opens with Ben, being involved in a car accident. He is driving in the rain when he hits something, which he later realises is Adam. We are then introduced to the second narrator, Alice, Adam’s wife, she wakes up realising Adam is missing and on finding a note from him starts frantically searches for him.
So starts the very unusual and gripping tale of Ben, Alice and Adam, and their son Max. The book follows the interactions of Ben with Adam’s family introduced in these highly unusual circumstances.
Highly recommend this gripping and thrilling book.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.