I really enjoyed this thriller. Fast paced, intriguing and thought provoking​, there’s actually a hell of a lot about it that is entirely plausible, even if some of it tends towards a speculative future. With characters who I connected with really quickly, there is a lot to be celebrated in this latest thriller from Simon Mayo and, far from being a turn off - a post pandemic novel about an entirely new kind of pandemic - I found I read through it in double quick time.



One of the key things that drew me into the story were the characters, namely Kit, his daughter Rose and his partner, vaccinologist Lilly. I found that I became invested in them really quickly. Kit as the single father struggling to connect to an increasingly distant daughter whilst navigating a new relationship was someone I had full sympathy for. His determination to get to the bottom of what is going on with the students who are starting to present with new, unexplained symptoms, is echoed by his daughter’s insistence that something needs to be done, and Rose’s fierce independence and rallying makes her immediately likeable, especially given the opening to the novel.



The book does have echoes of the covid pandemic, especially in the early days where people are dismissive of the symptoms and reluctant to declare any kind of emergency, even when the spread of the disease escalates. Having lived through the pandemic, it’s almost possible to predict the course of vents, how the reactions to the endemic situation will escalate and, the way in which the prejudices of those who are ‘clean’ burst forth when faced with an infected person are very reminiscent of the cross border antagonism that existed as the course of the pandemic was plotted across the country and fears escalated about the disease with no known cure. There were times I felt my emotions heightened, not just because of what might happen to the protagonists, but what was happening to those around them. The memory of that indiscriminate loss is still very fresh and enough to trigger those underlying emotions.



There are many puzzling threads in this book, secrets to be uncovered and surprising links between past and present which hold the key to containing this new pandemic. The science in the book is well explained and not overwhelming, but also not glossed over to make it feel like a secondary concern to the main action. The pacing slowly increases as the threat to our main characters grows, and the escalation in pace matches the growth in anger and instability of the population. 

The ultimate cause of this pandemic? Very plausible if a little problematic. I won’t say too much about it, but given diplomatic tensions of the past few years and escalating tensions across the globe, it’s not impossible that this kind of catastrophic event could result, especially now. In fact some might argue its a very brave time to be release in this kind of book, with some of the plot drawn from such recent history that it still feels extremely fresh and raw.



A really intriguing premise and good plotting, backed by great characters that I felt a real kind of protectiveness towards made this a great summer read. Definitely recommended.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

another contagion slowly emerges, at first it starts as a clicking sound from your ears but as the sounds increase in speed and noise so other symptoms emerge and so begins again the panic that has only just settled down from covid

hospitals are overrun again and violence becomes the norm.....

i should have enjoyed this book it had all the elements that i normally like but i found this one a struggle...and nearly gave up on it.. but i persevered and got to the end....

Simon Mayo knows about good music and writing a good novel. Rose is sitting by her friend when she hears her friend click. What is happening? This starts our adventure as a new illness starts affecting more and more people.

A well paced novel in the wake of Covid. Lots of worry for great characters. Advise you read to see if Rose becomes infected and what if anything can be done.

Having lived through the Covid 19 pandemic, do we really need a novel that deals with another pandemic?! Well, as it happens, yes. This is an exciting, engrossing and convincing thriller that details the progress of a virus that begins, incredibly, with ears ticking and rapidly spreads, with the race for a cure all-important. There is perhaps too much scientific detail but the research is impressive, and the result is a very enjoyable read.

I’d like to thank Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Tick Tock’ by Simon Mayo in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

As Kit Chaplin is teaching his Year 12 class at Marylebone College School he hears a click coming from a student and it isn’t until his daughter Rose’s best friend Harriet gets similar clicks that he realises there’s something wrong. The clicking spreads until it’s affecting a vast number of people worldwide with civil unrest and riots throughout. Kit’s partner, eminent vaccinologist Dr Lilly Slater, becomes involved and they attempt to discover the origins of this deadly disease and who or what is causing it..

Simon Mayo has yet again written a brilliantly exciting contemporary thriller that’s had me in its grip from page one and hasn’t let go until I’ve reached the end. I thought ‘Knife Edge’ was excellent but ‘Tick Tock’ far surpasses it for explosive, dramatic and breath-taking action. The story involves a global catastrophe and threat to human life that draws parallels with the Covid pandemic, but what brings the plot closer to home is its connection to the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal as I was in Salisbury the day before the poisoning took place. The further I read the more involved I became with the plot and characters until it was impossible for me to stop reading. This is an exceptionally well-written and mind-blowing novel that’s worthy of far more than five stars.

Starts off great then it just kind of loses its way. The plot was a bit ridiculous and a Dissapointing ending. Not much more to say really

An interesting idea and gripping opening chapter, but maybe I was less ready than I thought to read a pandemic book and I struggled in places. I also found the time line and changes quite confusing.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

Intriguing story of a pandemic type disease starting in a school then quickly spreading with scenes of panic as the race to discover a cure along with the investigation into where it all began. The main character a teacher is a seemingly engaging character with a daughter who has a militant mindset who quickly becomes the focus of media attention. Connections to mistakes at Porton Down appear as the tale hurtles along. A good diverting read.

4.5 stars rounded up

It starts quickly enough. A tick tock 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 droups 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 paranoid panic which setds friend against friend, neighbour against neighbour. Where does the world go from here?

Simon Mayo is a radio DJ who has turned his hand to writing novels. This is the second bok that i've readby the author. Set in post-Covis, it features a new epidemic. The story is told from mu;tip;e persepctives. Panic sets in all over the world as this new epidemic takes hold. The pace is fast at the beginning, then it takes a bit of a dip in the middle, (I took half a star off for this), then the pace picks up again. There's twists along the way. The plotline is cleverly crafted. This is a decent thriller with strong, well developed characters. But no one is safe. Another fantastic read by the author.

I would like to thank #Netgalley #RandonHouseUk #TransworldPublishers and the author #SimonMayo for my ARC of #TickTock in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed the authors first book.. it was quick paced, full of thrills and I liked the main character. The story wasn’t unique and parts were predictable but I still enjoyed it.

Rating: 3.2/5

I love listening to Simon Mayo on the radio, but as with most celebrities who have made their name in another field, I am wary of reading books by them. I was not particularly impressed by Simon Mayo's previous foray into the world of adult thriller fiction with "Knife Edge", but "Tick Tock" marks a notable improvement on that previous effort.

Once again, Simon Mayo takes his inspiration for the story from a recent real life event. "Knife Edge" was influenced by the Charlie Hebdo attack and "Tick Tock" is very much inspired by the global coronavirus pandemic, which is also actually referred to several times in this novel. Having experienced the challenges of Covid-19, human society now finds itself under threat from a new condition that starts with an audible clicking in the ear ... but that is only the beginning.

Thrillers based on the spread of life-threatening diseases are nothing new. There were plenty of examples prior to Covid and that recent pandemic has spawned several more. On the whole, Simon Mayo has made a decent job with his contribution to this theme. As he did in his previous novel, the author creates a strong opening that grabs the attention of the reader and piques the interest for what may be yet to come - which in this case is a nicely paced story that has been well-researched and has enough basis in fact to allow the reader to buy into the scenario and start to imagine "what if?"

That said, it certainly isn't without its shortcomings either. Simon Mayo makes use of flashbacks, which can be an impactful literary mechanism, but I felt they were handled a little clumsily and not to best effect. Also - although this is undoubtedly a more mature thriller than his previous work - there are still occasions when it reads more like the YA fiction that Simon Mayo was writing prior to making the move into adult thrillers.

Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable and thought-provoking read that shows Simon Mayo's development as a writer to be moving in the right direction. I would happily describe it as being good ... but not quite worthy of being called great.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is the first book of Simon Mayo's I've read and I was gripped the whole way through. It was interesting to read a book set in a post-COVID landscape that focuses on another epidemic. I found myself routing for the main characters right from the start and the way the story was told from the different perspectives made it really easy to follow and engaging.

I'll definitely be checking more of Simon Mayo's book.

The perfect unputdownable read for a lazy Sunday, this kept me on the edge of my seat. The pacing was perfect and I really enjoyed the shifts in narrative. I’ve really enjoyed reading pandemic based plots, especially since living through one, and this fascinated me. It felt quite plausible, and it really is a terrifying thought.

Quite a chilling read given what we have gone through in the last couple of years, but well written and you have to keep going to find out what happens. The characters were believable and I did feel invested in them and had no real idea where the story would end. Tense and enjoyable although it did become just a bit too technical in some places for me.

The concept of this book is both interesting and quite different .The characters are very well written ,the story is fast paced and very exciting.Very well researched and well written ,a post Covid story about another threat to the world .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

I loved Tick Tock, it was an intelligent, well written book which gripped me from beginning to end. I was completely immersed in the story of Kit, Rose and Lilly, I cared about what happened to them and I honestly couldn’t put the book down. I didn’t want the story to finish and I am going to be waiting for Simon Mayo’s next book to come out…I can’t wait!

A London school has an outbreak of a novel disease, starting with an audible clicking from the ears and progressing to deafness more severe illness and death. Kit, a teacher at the school and his daughter struggle to understand what is going on, but she starts a social media campaign which quickly starts to bring in more information.. Lilly, Kit's partner was estranged from her father who used to work at Porton Down - could there be a link? Its a complex and ingenious plot clearly inspired by the Covid pandemic and by the power of social media.. A cracking read.

Tick Tock is a well written stand-alone thriller about an attack from a deadly virus which, whilst the subject matter will understandably not appeal to all, I found to be a very good read from an author who many will know from the radio but is now making a name as a writer.

Good characters and excellent pacing all add to the overall story

Recommended

Tick Tock is a book about a post pandemic pandemic. All over the world people are hearing a ticking noise in their ear, it’s so loud other people can hear it too. It gets more frequent and more invasive, and it soon becomes apparent that it’s contagious - and deadly.
The central characters are Kit, a school teacher and his daughter, and his partner Lilly, an eminent vaccinologist. Tick Tock is fast paced and takes some interesting turns into unexpected territory once it is clear than the contagion is man made. However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as Knife Edge. I think the character development is a little weak. I struggled to really care about the characters even as they were in peril.
Thank you to #netgalley and #randomhouse for allowing me to review this ARC

A pandemic is sweeping across the globe. It starts as clicking from the ear that can be heard by others. It is contagious and can lead to deafness and even death. The race is one to find the cause and a potential cure. Gripping and engrossing, especially given what we've all recently gone through with the Covid pandemic. But this not a thinly-disguised Covid story, it may have been inspired by recent events but the story goes its own way. As a side note, how I wish Covid's main symptom was an easily observable/heard symptom such as clicking so you would know you had the disease, and/or could avoid going near anyone who clicks.