With a family life so bad that everyone assumes you ran off when in fact you've been abducted and held against your will, the author has a lot of room to build this into an excellent thriller. Mackenzie's history leaves her family with lots of questions when she disappears. They will eventually notify the police but we'll see some dark actions before then as Mackenzie's abductor now has her in a place where no one would think to look.

Owen Mullen has taken a very disturbed family and mixed in some even more disturbing actions that turn IN HARM'S WAY into a great read that will keep you up late and holding your breath as DS Geddes works his way through all of the false stops and starts thrown in the way.

A reletivly slow start to this book, being introduced to characters and such. This is more of a psychological thriller rather than crime fiction.
This is the first book in the Mackenzie Darroch series, the second book being Deadly Harm.
This isn't a long book, i read this within a day, it's less that 300 pages but it still packs a punch. i'm going to dive in to the second book and see how it pans out. Interested to get started with it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Twice I have tried to read this and failed.....it really did not capture my attention on either attempt but I did try.

I did not read the book in its entirety. I skipped ahead to sections just to see how it ended.
Like some of the books written by men featuring women as lead protagonists, I was not too fond of certain graphic imagery.
I chose to request multiple books without actually reading the first, but was unable to read them properly.
The story is thrilling in its own way, just not the kind that I am comfortable with reading. It will certainly appeal to those who read thrillers like these. My review should be taken with the fact that I am a little sensitive in terms of language and descriptions used which will not matter to most other readers.

Even if it's not what i was expecting and it's more psychological than crime fiction I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
It's a slow burning story and it took more than 60% of the story before any investigation started.
That said I liked the character development and the descriptions of the relationship amongst the characters.
The mystery part was fast paced and the last part very exciting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

In Harm's Way is the first book in a psychological thriller series by Owen Mullen. Originally released in 2018, this reformat and re-release from 23rd March 2021 is 254 pages and available in audio and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book (and the sequel) are currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

Although referenced as Scottish noir, this is a psychological thriller and gave me more of a Gone Girl vibe than anything else. More than the first half of the book is character driven and consists of watching an extended family of unpleasantly dysfunctional people scream and throw things at one another. It took three or four attempts for me to get far enough into the book to read the parts with the actual abduction and crime solving. Once they got underway, the pace did pick up substantially.

The author writes capably. The technical aspects of the plotting and characterizations are well done and the whole flows well stylistically. Readers who are fans of brutal psychological thrillers will likely find much to enjoy here. The book does contain a fair bit of torture, domestic violence, psychological and physical abuse, substance abuse (alcohol), and rough language. The climax and denouement were foreshadowed fairly heavily, but well written nevertheless.

Three and a half stars. Recommended for adult readers due to content and language.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This one was better than I expected. I wasn't sure. The ending had a twist I definitely wasn't expecting.

The description made this sound like a detective thriller but it took to almost 76% before any detection really appeared. The first three quarters essentially described three sibling and their dysfunctional families and the aggravation between any or all of them. Youngest sister, Mackenzie has always been spoilt and went off the rails as a teenager if not before. Drugs, alcohol, you name it. Now an alcoholic with an older husband who adores her but is controlling. The other two siblings are somewhat older than Mackenzie - sister Adele, husband Blair and teenage children, slightly younger brother Gavin, wife Monika and baby Alice. Adele brought up the siblings largely and resents Mackenzie, Gavin supports Mackenzie but Monika seems to hate her, Monika also suffering badly from post natal depression. Blair having an affair and so on and so on. A rather nasty set of relatives overall. Mackenzie disappears taking no clothes, phone, purse or anything but they mostly believe she's run off with a lover. Then alternating chapters of her in a dark cellar being abused and the family continuing to squabble. Finally the detectives are brought in but it's Gavin who pursues the evidence, clues and so on. This makes him like a cosy detective gone to the dark side - amateur sleuth getting the way of the incompetent police but winning the day of course. The last 25% predictable even if the end was satisfying in a way. As a result, mixed opinion - well written though, very black at times and so glad that I am an only child! Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I read this novel in a single day. It was a very exciting, very easy read. I would definitely recommend.

Thanks to net galley for allowing me to read it as a pre release.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Love Police procedural books and have found a new hero in PI Vincent Delaney. This was a fast paced and terrific thriller. Would recommend to other thriller seekers.

This story was thrilling from introduction to conclusion. I like the different themes and the cast of characters wasn't overwhelming - it made the story even easier to understand and get through. The realistic scenarios had me thinking about if it happened in real life which is nerve wracking to say the least. This was my first Owen Mullen's books and I'm a fan!

A family drama that takes a darker turn forcing three squabbling siblings and their partners to deal with events that take them all on an emotional and dangerous journey that builds and explodes. With a backdrop of gritty and wild Scottish locations this was a good read with enough twists and interesting narrative to satisfy and leave me wanting to read more by this author.

I picked this book up because I thought it was a DCI mystery and turn out it’s just about a dysfunctional family. Mackenzie is kidnapped but due to her alcoholism everyone believes she has run off with another man. Interesting cover but the blurb caught my eye and new author so why not give it a try.

What did I like? So I spent fifty percent of the book wondering when the police was going to be involved. Mackenzie’s family weren’t very accommodating to the police as it became odd she didn’t take anything with her. A clear sign of something wrong. This was an interesting read with a ending I didn’t see coming. Four stars!

Would I recommend or buy? I have no idea what led me to believe this was DCI but the police do investigate. Still it had a great ending and I’d definitely read more by this author. I’d recommend for people looking for a thriller with a twist.

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review.

This was my first book read by Owen Mullen's and overall I thought it was a well written book that kept me turning the pages. A wife whom is a drunk, a controlling husband, a stalk tossed into the mix and no one believes there is one. When Mackenzie disappears one day, no one bothers to search for her because they believe she is just a attention seeker. What follows is a thriller, that has some amazing characters that I could see having their own book in the future. I would certainly recommend this book to others.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, and this is my fair and honest review.

Fives years after Mackenzie Darrochs kidnapping, she recently witnesses a car accident, which sets off a chain of events. She take the survivor of the accident to the women’s refuge she’s runs. At the same time another woman needs shelter, and Mackenzie is in difficult position. This ladies partner is not the sort to messed with...
Another gripping read from Owen Mullens.

Excitement and drama

Mackenzie has a drink problem, is prone to exaggerate and enjoys drama. So when she disappears no-one is too worried. Should they be?

This psychological thriller has an exciting opening and the book continues at a fast pace. Themes include family relations, and assumptions of what goes on behind other people's closed doors. There are not too many characters in this book, so the action is easy to follow.

Set in Glasgow, the main characters are not ones I warmed to, however I found the idea for the plot clever and somewhat disturbing. The opening pages made me worry that this book was going to be too dark for me, but it wasn't - indeed it was a great read.
I loved it when DS Geddes from Mullen's other books made a return to investigate Mackenzie's disappearance. Not too much about the plot in this review, as I'm not one for giving storylines away.

4*s from me as I found this an enjoyable fast read, and it got me thinking how realistic the scenarios were - which was pretty scary to think about!

I'm a great fan of Owen Mullen's books (read them all!), and this is an enjoyable deviation from his normal detective thrillers.