Ooh this is a deliciously clever thriller.

The setting post covid and the characters made it so relatable, it starts of sounding a bit ridiculous but is much more serious than first thought,

Loved Knife Edge and this is an excellent follow up.

This story is set post Covid when everyone is just getting used to not wearing masks and to not avoiding people.
It begins slowly. A tick in someone's ear that can be heard by people near them. We first find it in a London school but soon it is in small pockets in America and then it is another epidemic.
Scary and all too real because we lived through Covid thus is another excellent thriller ftom Simon Mayo.

The world is just emerging from Covid so a new pandemic is all the country needs. It starts out innocently enough- a ticking noise that others can hear followed by headaches, deafness...

Teacher Kit Chaplin is tiptoeing through the minefield of bringing up a teenage daughter after the death of his wife. He is involved with bacteriologist Lilly Slater although he is moving slowly- not sure how Rose is going to react. He becomes aware of this new infection when pupils at his school are suffering from it, including Rose's best friend. What is this thing? It seems to be linked to meningitis, but can antibiotics do the trick or is this something else? And where did it come from?

The story jumps about quite a bit, starting in the middle, going back then carrying on from where you started. I didn't find it too confusion. I liked the way sections started with a very short sentence about the character. It is an interesting style point & one I liked. Simon Mayo's first book was a really good read, but I think this one is even better. It was a real page turner that I couldn't put down. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book- I can't wait to see what he'll come up with next.

Completely believable! Superbly written and seriously addictive. Another sure success for Simon Mayo

I read this in virtually 24 hours. The pace is unrelenting. Once you start, it's impossible to put down.

The book begins with the discovery that people are experiencing unusual ticking sounds in their ears. After Covid, naturally, there are concerns about what this is and whether it's going to be an issue. And of course, it is; otherwise, it would be a pretty dull book. The ticking starts to gain momentum, and more and more people begin to experience it and fall ill.

Although the story considers the bigger picture and we see glimpses of the impact of this new disease on the world, it focuses on three main characters. Kit is a teacher, widow and father to Rose, who becomes a key part of the story after starting a school protest. And Lilly, Kit's girlfriend, who also happens to be someone in the know about biology and viruses.

Having gone through one pandemic, the world begins to readjust to the fact that a new one is occurring. There's a return to mask-wearing, social distancing etc., as well as general panic and fear that drives some of the action in the book, as well as a growing sense of unease.

The story unravels via links to Lilly's past, and tension continues to build. With many thrillers, there is a ticking clock element. You know the sort of thing: the bomb will blow in 2 minutes, and we, the reader, are watching the clock count down. This feels like the case with this book, although it's also a physical ticking in the heads of those suffering from this new outbreak. We, as the reader, can literally hear it alongside the characters experiencing it. The ticking and the consequences of it ramp up as we head towards the finale.

If you enjoy a fast-paced thrill ride, this is for you. Although perhaps be mindful that it does involve disease and references Covid.

I'd definitely read more by Mr Mayo.

It starts quietly enough. A tick tick ticking you can hear in your ear. Tinnitus, you think. It will pass. But it doesn't. It gets worse - and then you pass it on.
Before you know it, it spreads. Elsewhere across the globe, it emerges, small outbreaks at first, contained groups of people, young and old, and suddenly it's a plague - and ten days later it's killing people. The hospitals are overflowing and there is no cure. There is a paranoid panic which sets friend against friend, neighbour against neighbour. Where does the world go from here?
In the north London school where it is first discovered, head of English, Kit Chaplin is struggling to understand what he is witnessing. Even eminent bacteriologist and his partner Lilly Slater can't help him. But as the virus rips through the school and into the outside world, the world starts to take notice. Kit is more concerned about his students - and his young daughter, Rose - but little by little he gets sucked into where this mystery illness might have come from. And how it's going to threaten his world.

This is a thrilling read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

I was sent a copy of Tick Tock by Simon Mayo to read and review by NetGalley. Wow! What a page turner! I truly could not put this book down. I didn’t believe that the author could write another novel as heart stopping and intense as Knife Edge (the only other title of his that I have read - so far) but he certainly has! I don’t know how much more I can say – it’s really well written and researched, with totally believable characters and like all good thrillers keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I just wish I could give it more that the maximum 5 stars!

I have read one of Mr Mayo's previous outings, Knife Edge, before and although I thought the middle was a bit of a miss for me, the start and end were great so it didn't put me off reading more of his work and I'm pleased it didn't, as I enjoyed this one.

Having survived the Covid pandemic and things are returning to 'normal', another illness strikes that could prove just as deadly. Kit, his daughter Rose and partner Lilly find themselves right in the centre as the new pandemic emerges and starts to spread.

There is a very strong sense of tension from the start which grows as Kit and Rose try to evade what you feel is inevitable infection whilst Lilly uncovers a possible family connection and secret Government research and dubious testing practices.

The characters are strong and are believable, the plot is current (maybe a little too current!) and the pacing is good. There is quite a bit of scientific speak which I felt was a bit too much and, I think, wasn't particularly necessary or added to the story that much.

Overall, a decent thriller which kept me engaged and my thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for enabling me to read Tick Tock and share my views.

Fast paced, exciting and a little bit scary.
I always liked Simon Mayo as a DJ, but he is fast becoming one of my favourite authors!
People are having problems with ears, that turns out to be infectious. A race to try to find out what it is and find a cure.
Great story and true to life characters.

I really loved this. Stayed up till 2am to finish it. Following Covid where the spread of anything and the reasons for it became possible, this was no longer a remote impossibility. A world where people are ticking from inside out; you don't know what it is, why it's happened, and how to treat it. Lilly is a scientist working on viruses and bacterial infections. She is in a relationship with Kit, Head of English at her daughter's school. When Kit's daughter Rose's best friend becomes the first person to experience symptoms, they end up at the heart of this worldwide phenomenon. When they start ticking themselves things get more complicated. Lilly ends up in Salisbury where her father has recently died by suicide. She finds links to Porton Down and things take on an even more sinister feel. Fast moving, impossible to predict and so much reality it is downright terrifying! #netgalley #ticktock

Certainly enjoyable and definitely worth a read!

While I thought that this book started out a bit slowly, it certainly held my interest, even through the slower parts.

The characters weren't particularly memorable, but since this is set just after the coronavirus pandemic, when everything is still fresh in our minds, the impact of the story itself was pretty huge. It certainly brought back the feelings of fear and panic that a large number of people were feeling a few years ago. The author's writing and way with words certainly hit home and I could feel myself as a bystander in the book, rather than just the reader.

I was immediately caught up in the storyline about a new contagious virus that initially presented itself by a loud audible ticking in the ear.

This book has been written since covid and even referred to it in the story but certain parallels could still be drawn and the initial terror and horror of covid is well replicated with this new pandemic. It doesn't take long for panic, violence in the streets and overun hospitals to ensue.

The story is told by Kit, an English teacher at a London school where the virus first emerges. The other main characters are Rose, Kit's teenage daughter and Lilly who is Kit's girlfriend and a bacteriologist.
The characters are well written and likeable. I immediately became invested in them and was turning the pages as the virus spreads to see how it would affect their lives. But who will be infected? What will follow after the loud ticking that starts the virus and how will this pandemic end?
Although fairly character driven I found this a gripping read that I couldnt put down. There was quite a lot of scientific explanations towards the end but this makes the virus seem more plausible. Overall a great thriller and I will be looking out for future books by this author.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Knife Edge I was excited to read Tick Tock. Simon Mayo is not a one-trick pony!
Following the Covid pandemic a new tinnitus problem starts to spread - but tinnitus isn't catching is it? And this tinnitus isn't just heard by the sufferer - people around the sufferer can hear a ticking noise ... and it is spreading.
Kit is Head of English teacher and his daughter, Rose, hates that he teaches at her school. Her best friend starts to suffer from this ticking. Rose is physically thrown from a bus, a pariah. Lilly is Kit's partner and a bacteriologist. The three of them are trying to find out what is causing all this..
The three main characters are all well drawn and interact well, supporting each other. The plot moves fast and this is another page turner.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Simon Mayo/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Tick, Tock by Simon Mayo is a very clever and fascinating story about a manufactured virus which is unleashed and it’s effects on the world wide population. Sounds familiar? It is still a worthwhile read , with an excellent storyline to keep the reader investigated until the end.

Blimey what a great book. So relevant to today and so chilling. Great story and great flow through the whole book. I hope that Simon Mayo writes much much more. I thought it was Lacey and had such a good story I’m going to see what else he has written. Brilliant!

Dramatic and Exciting Thriller

Kit, Head of English at a London school, hears an odd clicking in his classroom. Rose, Kit’s daughter, laughs when she hears the clicking, because its coming from people’s ears, not their phones. Soon people start becoming scared, and with good reason.

This medical thriller is atmospheric and hard to put down. What starts as a good thriller, set just after the Covid pandamic, turns into tension packed pages filled with an exciting mix of fact and fiction. The fear is palpable, the main 3 characters are likeable ordinary people, and the ending is so good that I wouldn’t be surprised if I start quoting it as fact in a few years – I was that drawn in. 5*s from me!

Little about the plot here, as I don’t want to give anything away. I did find the timelines at the beginning a little confusing, but when I worked them out it worked really well. There are no chapters, but there are frequent breaks in the narrative, which are perfect for readers needing a quick pause.

I had no idea Simon Mayo the broadcaster, was also a writer, I am now his latest fan, and recommend Tick Tock wholeheartedly to anyone who wants to immerse themselves in a fast moving and dramatic thriller.

I took a punt on Knife Edge and was very pleasantly surprised being as I only know the author from his DJ side of things. So I was quite excited to get my grubby mitts on this book. And, even though my expectations were high, it blew them out of the water. It really did deliver everything I wanted and needed for a book of this genre. Cracking plot, wonderful characters that you really do care about, good pacing all the way through and an ending which both explained enough and satisfied.
So.. we follow school teacher Kit as he starts to notice that people a ticking. Yes, an actual ticking noise emanating from certain of his pupils' ears. He tells his daughter Rose, who goes on a google-hunt and finds more instances of the same thing happening all over the country and abroad. He also talks to his partner, bacteriologist Lilly who is just as dumbfounded. Roses's best friend Harriet succumbs and it all becomes a bit too close to home...
Wow, as well as being a cracking thriller, it's also a bit coming of age for Rose as well as being a quite emotional character driven book. I know that global pandemic stuff is a bit "too soon" for some but if you are of that ilk, I really do recommend you earmark this for the future rather than missing out altogether.
One of the things I really loved about this book was the author's use of real life events, woven expertly into his fiction. Citing many events that correlate wit what is happening with the ticking. Spoilers prevent me from naming them here as it would hint too much to the overall content and reason for said ticking. But trust me, it was so well researched.
I am guessing that this is a stand alone book but I really do think that certain characters have a lot more to give and would really love them to star, or pop up, in more books in the future. Me I'm just hanging for his next book, whatever it contains...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Tick Tock evokes the events, fear and helplessness of the last pandemic whilst creating a world where something as devastating but different occurs. You are drawn to Kit, Rose and Lilly as the apocalyptic events unfold from their viewpoints. The twenty-first century equivalent of the disaster stories of the 1970s is addictive reading. With enough scientific details to create authenticity, this story is thought-provoking. I like the tension and the characterisation,

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I like Simon Mayo in his guises other than author, and I REALLY enjoyed his last thriller "Knife Edge". I have no doubts that he can write a good thriller; his pacing is excellent (similar to Lee Child in his driving of the plot), the structure is engaging and his characters generally feel believable and communicate in a believable manner.
He also has tackled the subject of this novel with a very educated layman’s eye – there is obviously a lot of research and understanding involved in the writing, and the science seems spot-on, and within the constraints and requirements of a modern thriller, quite plausible.

Mayo has managed to make what is actually quite a straightforward story of the spreading and reporting of a ‘new’ pandemic read rather like a thriller and that is no mean feat but somehow it is not quite enough. Maybe it is because we are just coming out of a genuine pandemic that I am not sure I am quite ready for a novel speaking about the next one, and more than once I did feel that cliché had been brought in to drive a point home. But more significantly, "Tick Tock" feels more like a strand of a story, a sub-plot, rather than the main storyline, with the basis of the pandemic only being revealed in the denouement, rather than being a discovery used to propel the narrative. I did enjoy "Tick Tock" (after a fashion) and I certainly wasn’t watching the clock when reading it but I am unfortunately not quite convinced by its completeness or cohesion as a novel – it is certainly not bad but on this occasion it just didn’t quite click for me in the way I had hoped it would.

Students start emitting a ticking noise from their ear. It starts to spread and suddenly there could be a new pandemic especially when the sufferers go deaf and begin to die. What is going on and did someone mess up. Kit's daughter Rose is the first to raise awareness starting strikes but how safe is she and can they figure out the truth in time.

Well this was quite the ride. Its actually a pretty slow burn but its well worth the read because it all comes together very well. Following Covid this does of course hit home quite hard so might not be easy reading for many. I enjoyed it however. The plot is well written and heavy on details which can be a little tough going but its needed for the story. The characters are good especially Kit and Rose. a dark thriller with a twist or two along the way.