As an avid psychological thriller reader, I am always delighted to find fresh voices and looked forward to reading this new novel set in Maine, New England. The protagonist of this novel, young college student Nick Hall, suffers a brutal rape by an acquaintance he had encountered in a bar. Recounted in flashbacks, we find out how Nick fares in the local justice system as he tries to take his attacker to court whilst also processing memories and experiences of childhood abuse meted out by his alcoholic father. Whilst authentically written (the author has herself worked as an attorney) and highlighting a compelling twenty-first century issues, I am afraid the plot of this novel proved too brutal for me – I prefer the suspense to develop through allusions and carefully crafted prose, rather than layers upon layers of brutality and evil spelt out on the page. I will therefore most probably not read any further Wahrer novels but would nevertheless thank the publishers and NetGalley for the free ARC provided in return for this honest and unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this book although I don't really like books written in two time zones where the reader is constantly switching between events several years apart . However, it is engaging and a good page turner and tells the story of a family torn apart after the assault of a young man who has a one night stand following a chance encounter in a bar on a night out. Society always seems to want to apportion blame in such a case and particularly so if it a homosexual relationship. .The reader is lead along to a probable ending when the perpetrator Ray, goes missing but a twist to the tale provides an unexpected ending.

An intelligent, intriguing thriller that deals with a brutal rape of a young man and the ripple effects through his family and friends and the investigating officer. Excellent plot and characters and twists to the end.

I was interested to read this book, it deals with a subject close to my heart and one that needs to be brought more into the open - too many men struggle with situations like the one Nick finds himself in, support is very hard to find and even harder to ask for in the first place.

It's a difficult read, and one that I struggled with - not in terms of writing but in the subject matter. Wahrer really doesn't pull her punches. I guess that's probably the idea, though!

II know this is a short review, but the book is brilliantly done if hard to cope with. Five stars for the quality of the writing. I'm sorry that I'm not able to provide a fuller review.

WOW! This was a hard hitting, intensely emotional thrill ride of a book and I couldn't put it down once I started. As others have said, the subject matter was difficult to get through often, but that's how life (sadly) is all too often: difficult and ugly. The take on a rape storyline here was, for me, unique and highly interesting. I will be thinking about this one for months. Five stars, thanks for a great read!

What a brilliant novel. Nick goes out and meets a man in a bar. Couple of drinks later they leave together. A decision to be regretted. Nick accuses Ray of rape, which he denies.
How do you cope with this trauma? How to those who love you cope?
So well written and you really care about all involved. Full of trauma, tension, lies, truth, risk, dander and a little hope. Kept me gripped throughout, enjoy.

Chilling, atmospheric, visceral, emotional and absolutely grips from the start! It'll make you take a sharp in-take of breath!

Set between 2019 and 2015; Detective John Rice is on the case and Nick is the victim of a sexual assault. Tony Hall is his brother, who along with his wife, Julia want to protect him. Tony and Julia have their relationship issues and what's happened to Nick furthers that stress.

This in a way tells an important story with a deep subject matter - it shows a young man being sexually assaulted and both brothers being damaged, not just by this, but the book also hints at the sort of man their father is. It shows their raw emotion and reaction, which is so heartrendering. This is all handled with realism and sensitivity, especially when it comes to Nick meeting Lisa who questions him. It's a very moving book with the way the characters interact with each other and how they are affected by the secrets that spiral through the book.

The level of high intensity is consistent throughout the book. As much as it is an emotionally affecting read, it is powerful and so much so, it's quite hard to put down. It magically draws the attention in, even though the subject matters within it are hard ones. 

There are twists and turns as a result of so much damage being caused to people, that are deeper and darker than expected and that grip ferociously to the very end as the effects are huge and cause behaviours to spiral out of control.

Bookmark and Stages

This is a really good debut novel by Caitlin Wahrer.
Damage is a hared read at times due to the subject matter. Nick is the victim of a violent sexual assault whilst at college. It’s good to see authors acknowledging that men are victims of rape to. This book also shows what effect this offence has on the family and friends as well as the victim.
I’m usually not a fan of a book being a slow burner but I’m glad that this one was because it needed to be due to the subject matter.

Thank you to NetGalley the publisher and the author for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review

I enjoyed this debut novel by Caitlin Wahrer. The themes of the book are original and tackled a difficult subject as well as highlighted the downsides of social media; very relevant. I found that I was intrigued straight away but at times I found the pace quite slow, but the story was good enough to keep me reading on. I liked the different points of view and going back to past sections added to the suspense .I didn't guess the ending, although there were some questions left unanswered.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the writer for my advanced copy.

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

This was a slow read at first but as it picked up I became engrossed. I enjoyed the parallel storyline from past and present, and the premise of the book was original.

I really enjoyed this, it had me gripped from the beginning. I’ve been so busy at work it took me so long to read which disrupted my enjoyment of the book as I just wanted to read on and find out what was going on. I found Tony a little annoying at times but I feel like this was intentional from the author. I was gobsmacked to hear it was a debut novel as the writing was so mature and I would definitely like to read more from Caitlin in the future. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Penguin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good debut novel by Caitlin Wahrer. The book is set in the U.S.A and the main characters are a family living in Maine, Tony & his wife Julia Hall, their two children, Tony’s brother Nick and Detective John Rice. Nick , a young student, hooks up with an older man in a bar and willingly goes to a hotel room with him, where he is brutally beaten up and sexually assaulted. It’s a less commonly talked about topic and may not suit everyone.

I was drawn in straight away and although I do agree with some other reviewers that at times the story seemed a bit long and drawn out, I was keen to stay with it. It addressed some very valid points about the downside of social media and asked some searching questions about how far a person would go to protect their family? It was told from the view point of the different characters, which I liked but did also jump back in time for different parts, a style of writing I’m not so keen on.

The end was a surprise and I would have liked the ending to be definitive and with a bit more detail but all in all, I enjoyed it and kept finding excuses to sit down and read a bit more!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. When 20 year old Nick is the victim of a violent sexual assault, he and his family are devastated. His older brother, Tony, has always looked out for him, and swears he will kill the attacker. Tony's wife, Julia is concerned that Tony will do what he's threatening, and she is determined to keep her family intact, come what may. I really liked the characters in the story, including the police officer, Rice, and the plot was pacy. This really is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat til the very last paragraph!! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

Twisty nuanced mystery regarding sexual assault and social media. I was able to keep reading despite my preconceived biases on this topics, and I felt myself bouncing back and forth taking on all the characters' perspectives. I look forward to reading more from this author

I'm sorry that I can't rave about this book which in my opinion was just an okay read, It was slow and I didn't particularly gel with any of the charecters. I felt sorry for Nick and what he was going through although it was a change from having young women as victims it never seemed to take off. I have no idea what goes on in the US legal system but it certainly didn't seem to be on the side of the victim, allowing speculation to be aired in the press was something I found irritating. All in all not for me.

I found the book quite slow going at first but it gradually picked up as the book went on. It's quite a shocking read about an awful subject that doesn't get talked about too much. The characters were believable and it shows how families pull together when faced with an awful situation. The story was a bit too drawn out for my liking hence the 3 stars.

What a story! A very hard hitting subject that everyone is aware of, but isn't massively talked about.

The characters are very easy to buy into, the story is amazing yet horrific at points. And the support you will show for your family shows no bounds!

A bit slow at the beginning but this book really built the tension up to a very exciting and unexpected ending.
Challenging topic of male rape and small town America’s reaction to it. The family of the victim Nick, a college student, are the central characters alongside the main detective John Rice. The relationships, fears, desperation, revenge and love are the main drivers of the storyline.
I loved the writing, the relationships and the handling of such a sensitive topic.
Would highly recommend this book.
4 stars ⭐️ Would have been 5 except for the slow start.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

On a snowy day in Maine, a woman drives up to a house. She is clearly dreading what's to come. Inside is ex detective John Rice. He is dying and wants to talk to her before he goes, We are then taken back into the past to find out how they know each other. The woman, Julia, is the sister-in-law of Nick, a young man who was brutally raped by a man he met in a bar. Rice was in charge of the investigation. We are then taken through the aftermath of the rape looking at it from the POVs of Julia, her husband Tony, Nick and Rice.

I thought this book was very well written. The characters are all very well portrayed and we see clearly how they develop through the story. The dilemmas associated with rape cases are covered with sensitivity as are the effects it has on a victim and their family. I couldn't put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.