This is the authors debut novel. It is set in Cornwall. It is written so well and is filled with twists and turns. The tension builds throughout. A great thriller

Great read from this new author. A tense and suspenseful read following the thrill seeking MC and family drama and a great setting in Cornwall. I found it hard to put it down as it kept me on the edge of my seat and really enjoyed it.

This is Jane Jesmond's debut novel, and boy, does she let you hang by a thread... all puns intended! Book was well written, and I will read more by her in future.

On the Edge by Jane Jesmond is the first book in the promising Jen Shaw series and what a great start this was. I ended up reading it all in one sitting I loved it especially as Jane is a new author as well. I am looking forward to her next book and more from her. What an excellent start of a promising author. I loved it.

Big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review

ARC provided by NetGalley which I am very tardy in reviewing (sorry!) BUT I went and bought the audio book too.



I started reading this last year and through no fault of the book, I had to put it down. Partly this was due to having less reading time, partly to having assigned reading which had to take priority and partly because all through Covid, all my brain would really accept was Urban Fantasy and non fiction.

So that's why I'm shamefully late getting to this book. But even then, with all those mental barriers preventing me getting into it, I was struck by the prose and style, and certainly the sense of place.



Anyway, I was finally ready for a thriller again a few days ago and I launched myself in. I basically consumed the audio book in two listenings because I couldn't put it down. Normally audio books - even great ones with excellent narrators (and Emma Powell is brilliant) take me a lot longer than physically reading, but I just had to know what happened.



This is a different sort of thriller, featuring a damaged but resilient MC who is complete in herself. Jen is something of an unreliable or at least inadequate narrator in her own life to start with, because she cannot entirely trust herself or her version of events. A natural thrill seeker who has difficulty setting boundaries both for herself and with her friends and family, Jen is recovering - both from a terrible accident, from getting herself trapped in certain patterns of mind and from what she did to quiet those insidious little voices. An SOS from her estranged brother sends her back to her family home in Cornwall. There the threads of family drama, mystery, suspense, local history and a threat against her life, ensure Jen is in the thick of it through dangerous climbs to car chases.

(Can I just say that I really enjoyed that section but having driven in Cornwall a fair bit, the thought of that kind of driving was genuinely hair raising!)



So many thrillers I've read leave me feeling cheated on the inner story or emotional journey front. I need more than just action to keep me going. There was no such disappointment here. Jesmond delivers plenty of 'heroine's journey' style inner story, and then keeps delivering - gorgeous and familiar setting, details about the landscape and history (and what the locals think of it), character development with very believable and interesting characters and finally a very satisfying conclusion.



I also enjoyed the climbing references. It's been a long time (a very long time) since I used to cliff climb but I remember that very specific high which you don't get from anything else. If you are a climber, I imagine you'll recognise it too - it's not much of a leap to identify with Jen when she believes she's lost that.



This was excellent. Easily one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Highly recommend.

I liked the character Jen, and the Cornish scenery. The writing was intense like the story line and the location.

To start with I did find it difficult to read and had to restart a few times but I am really glad that I did and I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

On the edge by Jane Jesmond.
A Jen Shaw Mystery Book 1.
Jen Shaw has climbed all her life: daring ascents of sheer rock faces, crumbling buildings, cranes - the riskier the better. Both her work and personal life revolved around climbing, and the adrenaline high it gave her. Until she went too far and hurt the people she cares about. So she's given it all up now. Honestly, she has. And she's checked herself into a rehab centre to prove it. Yet, when Jen awakens to find herself drugged and dangling off the local lighthouse during a wild storm less than twenty-four hours after a 'family emergency' takes her home to Cornwall, she needs all her skill to battle her way to safety.
A good read with some good characters.
I liked the story. I'mlookingforwardtothenextbook. 4*.

I'm not much into rock climbing or dangerous activities so reading about that doesn't appeal to me but this is still an interesting read as you try to figure out what happened to Jen and how she can overcome her past to sort out her future. The writing is pacey and it is thrilling at times. Not unputdownable for me but its an interesting read.ad I would say its worth a go.

Jen Shaw was hooked on climbing, the more dangerous the better until one dare-devil stunt resulted in serious injury for someone she cared for. From climbing she got her highs on drugs until she eventually went to rehab. When her brother begs her to come to the family home in Cornwall for a family emergency she signs herself out, drives down to Cornwall & books into accommodation close to home. How then does she find herself dangling off the side of a lighthouse? Jen seems to have a talent for getting into scrapes but usually she knows roughly how she got into them! Jen's search for answers takes the reader on an atmospheric ride with red herrings & clues a plenty.

This was an enjoyable read. The author captures Cornwall very well & keeps the reader guessing. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Pacy and suspenseful, I enjoyed this one, especially all the stuff related to climbing. It’s rare to have a woman protagonist who’s into a very physical sport, and I liked that. Didn’t enjoy the dragging out of some of the back story. Nevertheless, a satisfying read.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

Great book, got me hooked from the get go. Loved the ending and how everything unfolded. Quite a few formatting errors on Kindle but very easily fixed.

Jen debut novel is full of thrills and suspense am exciting crime novel. Set in cronwall drug smuggling human trafficking there was not a dull moments in this story. You can tell the attention and research effort put in by the author for this book. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down.

This is a crime debut novel that blew me away from the first chapter! On The Edge was a book that I am sure I can't do justice to with this review. I automatically connected with the main character, 'Jen' and from there I was hooked.
Jen Shaw is a high adrenaline junkie, she adores climbing and taking risks, usually the riskier the better. That is until a tragedy makes her put the brakes on her risk-taking and climbing. She promises her brother she will stop climbing. This has her veering right off the rails and dabbling into drugs. She has put herself into rehab in the hope that she will be able to press the reset button. Until the day she receives a message from her brother, she packs up and makes her way home back to Cornwall.
She checks into a hotel and gets in her room only to wake up dangling from a lighthouse in the dark and stormy weather. She has no idea how she got there and can only assume she was drugged. She manages to escape, just and she questions whether someone else has done this and why...or has she relapsed?
As I said I loved this book. The dramatic landscape and the drama, twists and turns of the story had me tense most of the way through. I have read great books lately but something about Jen and this story just had me glued to the book.
I always love Cornwall and Jane Jesmond brings it to life superbly. The dramatic coastline and the cute villages all sprung clearly to mind as I read. The fact that the author has used everything about this County to full effect is the Cherry on the top, so to speak. Even the tunnels of an abandoned mine are used, as is, of course, the lighthouse.
As I have said I connected with Jen. I  found her to be a strong character who is loyal with a streak of recklessness in her personality. I was cheering her on all the way. As the story develops we do get to learn more about her which explains exactly why and how she became the woman she is.
A debut that I found an addictive and enthralling story. I would love to read more books with Jen Shaw and catch up with her life after 'On The Edge'. Thanks to Verve books and Netgalley.

A very complex novel about Jen, a skilled climber who after an accident ended up in addiction recovery.

This book suffered from very slow pace, whilst the ending was blink and you’ll miss it. Which is a real shame as the writer is clearly hugely talented, the descriptions of the sea and the atmosphere blew me away, but unfortunately the ending didn’t tie things up well enough for me.

I can't believe that this one is a debut. It is so well written, with such a complicated and twisted plot and original characters that I fell in love with it from the very first page!

Coastal cliffs, desolate lighthouse, and the past that is not forgotten and forgiven - all of these created a great story to discover.

I like the plot, I like the atmosphere (the first chapter gives me a thrill!), I like people BUT I hate the ending. Why? Cause I have some visions, perfect ideas but the author decided to complicate (too much) the final and did a super complicated case with so many puzzles that I felt overwhelmed. C'mon, I just wanted to know who did all of these not why, why not, and what are the reasons for that. It was too much.

This was a debut novel and honestly I couldn't put it down. It was a page turner for sure.

Jen is a adrenaline junkie and climbing is her drug. The more dangerous the better. But then the accident happened and she turned to recreational drugs to achieve the high of climbing.

It's set in Cornwall, and Jesmond does an excellent job of putting you right there. The description of the sea and the cliffs are awesome.

I honestly feel the first three quarters of the book are a little long winded, but the last quarter literally flies by. That part is fast paced. Cornwall is a smugglers haven. This book is a mix of family drama and smuggling. I feel the author could have written two books here because both were quite complicated. They were also compelling each in their own right.

As you are aware you tend to remember the end more than the beginning. The end is definitely a page turner but you have to go through the forest to get there. I enjoyed the read but there is room for improvement. I gave it 4 stars because I enjoyed the end.

On The Edge tells the story of Jen Shaw, an avid climber until a devastating accident, and now a recovering drug addict. She returns home to Cornwall following a plea for help from family, only to find herself drugged and hanging from a lighthouse. The story follows her journey as she tries to piece her memory together and work out whether she had climbed the lighthouse herself, or whether there was something more sinister at play.

The first few chapters really gripped me and I quickly became invested in the characters and the story. Unfortunately, I felt that this dwindled off in the middle a bit, and I found myself much less interested. Jen wasn't an overly likeable character so I didn't particularly find myself rooting for her. However, the final third of the book completely redeemed itself and I raced through it. The various strands of story started to join together, gaps were filled in and there were so many twists and turns, I just couldn't get through it quick enough.

The book is set in Cornwall, an area of the UK that is close to my heart, and the scene setting was wonderful; I love reading about that part of the world. The story ended up being so much deeper than I had initially thought and I found myself really enjoying this extra layer.

Overall, a really enjoyable read with a little dip in the middle, but a very strong finish!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a debut novel, I am both shocked and disappointed at this fact. I am shocked because this is a high quality novel which has been a thrilling and exciting read. I am disappointed as I cannot add more to the TBR by Jesmond.

This is suspenseful and filled with a mix of characters. Some more interesting than others. This is definitely tense and twisty and will keep you guessing from the very beginning.

I have been completely unable to predict where this was going and on occasions felt my heart pounding where I have been so immersed in the plot.

I absolutely cannot wait to see what Jesmond has in store for us next, I have no doubt it will be equally as fantastic as this one.

Great crime and mystery book set in the amazing town of Cornwall.
This book definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and didn't want to put it down!

On the edge is a complex story of danger and betrayal. Jenifry has been in rehab trying to come to terms with her demons when she gets a call from her brother asking her to return home to Cornwall.

While there Jen’s life is out at risk and she can’t remember anything about how it happened.

The first two thirds of the book is a bit long winded and appears somewhat overly complicated as various suspects appear out of the woodwork. The last third is gripping and much faster paced.

I wasn’t quite sure that the mix of family drama and smuggling was quite right. I think either could have been a brilliant read in themselves but together it made for a complicated read.

A good read but room for improvement.