‘Pull focus’ really embraces the movie business as its background as well as its tone because the entire story is full of taught tension and political intrigue.
The story centres around Jane who is the high profile interim director of the Toronto film festival; not only has she the usual pressures from all sides during the festival set up, her boss has just been removed for sexual harassment allegations and now her partner has gone missing. For me this was a complex thriller which would be well suited for screen adaptation due to its wide cast and layered narrative plots.
I loved the character of Jane who was strong and determined throughout, something you don’t typically get in the thriller lately so that was a huge plus for me. I think that the multiple plot lines were very well handled although definitely needs a little extra reader concentration from time to time. Walsh has a great style for this genre and I was really gripped by the ominous tone throughout this thriller; I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Jane has just been appointed temporary CEO of an Arts Org that is involved with Toronto film festival. Her boss, previous CEO has been accused of sexual harassment. This is a ultra competitive world where people not only stab you in the back they’ll whack you on the head at the same time. In the midst of this her partner disappears.
Am a big fan of movies but this world shows how ruthless it is and the author Helen Walsh includes a lot of knowledge about the business which adds depth to the book.
Enjoyable, fast paced and gritty thriller.
4 Stars ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

I liked how different this book was from other mysteries, and that it was a film festival. The characters were well done and I enjoyed trying to solve it.

The premise of the book intrigued me but unfortunately I felt there were too many characters and story lines to follow without any being explored deeply. There are hints about Jane's past, her trouble with the festival board chair trying to drive her out, sexual harassment and the trouble with her missing partner and his business dealings - all story lines overlapping. I wish it was more focused.

Jane has a mess on her hands- she's been appointed the director of a Toronto Film Festival after the abrupt departure of the last leaders thanks to myriad Me-Too allegations. Thrown into the maelstrom, she's coping with all sorts of issues when her partner disappears, leaving behind a host of problems. How does she cope with both? I think there's too much going on here but Jane's a interesting character and I liked the details about the festival. The mystery felt unnecessary. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Quite good. This is an interesting story. I enjoyed the tension and suspense created by the author throughout much of the book. Many reader will probably like the MC. I enjoyed watching her do her thing and problem solve. I think a lot of thriller fans will like this.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!