While the description drew me in, the book itself pushed me away. This is beyond a thriller in my opinion, this is what is called extreme horror due to it's gore and really detailed sexual situations such as non-stop masturbation. I'm not one to bash a book because it's not my type of read. That was my problem for going into it. So, my rating is for the writing and story which were both actually pretty good. Fans of the extreme horror genre will love this one. Three Stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

A gripping dark thriller well written. Very good characters, and Give is not the only character with no redeeming features. Highly recommended but very gory.
I received this book from Boldwood books and Netgalley for a review.

Think Matt Shaw. This is raw, unbridled gore. A gore-fest with more masturbating than I imagine could be truly possible. If you don't mind those things, this a great dark book, though I wouldn't necessarily call it a thriller. For me, it wasn't my kind of book . . .

Nurse. Protégé. Murderer.
Marcus Gove has been all these things. He’s reached the pinnacle of his art and now it’s time for him to take a protege. Lovely Lucy is perfect for the role, or she will be . . .
Artist. Teacher. Daughter.
Lucy Williams is just like everyone else. She’s had some success as an artist, not so much success in love, but she’s getting by. But soon she’s going to have to become something else if she wants to be a survivor.
Detective. Ex-husband. Underdog.
Ray Lewis’s career isn’t heading anywhere. But he’s a solid detective and he’s determined to find Lucy no matter what the upper brass throw at him.
Three people. Nineteen days. Who will live and who will die?
Wow another great book from John Nicholl absolutely brilliant couldn’t put it down totally recommend
Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books
I just reviewed The Cellar by John Nicholl. #TheCellar #NetGalley

The Cellar by John Nicholl is a horrifying contemporary psychological crime suspense.
This is not a read for the faint-hearted. There were scenes that I had to skip over as I found the detail too much for me. I do recognize that this was for realism and some readers may prefer the gruesome details.
The plotline was well thought out and executed. The action made my heart race. As the clock was ticking down, I was hoping for a positive outcome – what happened next, I never predicted!
All the characters were well drawn and realistic. The leading lady was a mixture of physically weak but mentally strong. She was courageous in her desire for all or nothing. The perpetrator was definitely a character with a black heart whose head had been influenced in a previous line of work.
The beautiful Welsh countryside contrasted sharply with some of the dark scenes inside.
This was not a cosy mystery but a very dark psychological suspense. It is not an escapist book as your heart will race as you follow the action. It was a well-crafted story but not one to be read alone.
I received a free copy from Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
A word of warning: there are scenes, language and disturbing moments that some readers will not like. If you like cosy mysteries, this is not the book for you.

This is a dark, psychological, suspense thriller written about a serial killer of the most abhorrent kind.

Following the journey of Lucy, the unlucky object of affection for Gove, the serial killer, is a journey into the darkest of minds. Expertly crafted and told on such a way you, like Lucy, are helpless to follow on the journey into a madman’s cellar.

As a trigger warning, this book is graphic. It contains elements of abuse perpetrated against women, highlighting both issues of toxic males and male violence on women. There is nothing spared in the descriptions of the murders, the abuse, and the sexual gratification of the killer.

All of that said, I did find it (albeit disturbing) a crazy tale I didn’t want to stop reading. The author is both an ex-police officer as well as a child protection social worker, so you can only imagine what he’s seen, and what went into writing this novel.

As long as you can handle the dark side of humanity, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a dark, psychological suspense.

John Nicholl’s books are a recent discovery for me and this latest offering is every bit as twisted as his previous books. This is a dark tale that starts with a disciplinary meeting in a psychiatric hospital. A member of staff who has seemingly become too close to an inmate. The meeting goes badly and The male nurse leaves, throwing back in the doctor’s face that he has won the lottery. When he moves to rural Wales he sets about committing sickening crimes, kidnapping young anonymous women and killing them. That is until he lays eyes on Lucy - a local art lecturer - and he knows he has to have her. A brilliant book - made me squirm in several places!

This book was sent to me electronically for review by Netgalley. I could not get into this book. Others might be able to read it and enjoy…mystery and horrific…

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley, and Boldwood books,and the author John Nicholl for an early copy of this book.

I've read a few books from this author which I thoughly enjoyed, This one starts with Michael Gove a killer.he disguised himself to catch his prey,and he keeps them in a cellar where he keeps other victims.would rate this book 3.5 rounded to four.As the detective wasnt in the forefront in this book, for me there was missing elements but missing the excitement and the chase.the storyline was good.his books are graphic which I enjoy other readers might not enjoy.looking forward to reading more books from this author.

This book will be reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon uk.

Thanx to netgalley and boldwood books for letting me review this book Its very dark and disturbing, not for the faint hearted but i couldnt tear myself away from the pages.
3 people......
Marcus gove is a nurse in a physciatric hospital, who becomes an inpatients number 2 and murderer, gove wins the lottery and buys a very large house in the middle of nowhere with extensive grounds. He abducts women and keeps them in his cellar chained to the walls and naked, when he tires of them he dismembers them and buries parts of the bodies in his garden, but why?
Lucy is an artist who ends her relationship with her boyfriend as they grow apart.. Gove becomes obsessed with lucy and offers to pay her a very large sum of money to paint his cellar, what are his motives? Will lucy survive?
Ray lewis is a DS and is assigned to the abduction of lucy, he is determined to show the powers that be he has still got what it takes to be in the force. Will he be able to find lucy? I highley recommend this book

A clever, thrilling, quite raw in parts and gritty crime/psychological read not for the faint- hearted (think Fred West/captive type).
Marcus Gove is quite clever, and thinks himself almost god-like in his abilities. He sets his sights on his victims and then takes his pleasure back at his remote country house well away from anyone or anything. He has his sights set on Lucy, whose part time occupation is painting and he has devised a way of asking her to paint his cellar studio. Lucy, having tolerated a lazy boyfriend and making a new start, sees the lucrative opportunity and despite her family thinking it's too good to be true she wants to go through with it. Laura the detective is on holiday taking a much needed break so when the case breaks someone else has to take over until she receives a less than friendly call. Who is Moloch and why is he doing this?

OMG! A book I didn't want to put down. I've said “raw” above and should explain that only a couple of sections describe this- most is left to the reader's imagination- what we have seen on TV from Fred West and the infamous Fritzi case in Austria came to mind. I liked Lucy and have always liked Laura who appears in some other of John's books, both determined tenacious women very much put to the test. Lucy’s speech had me in tears as I know the basis is very real and that John has professional experience of this. A huge shout out for domestic violence to touch the heart and a huge 5*. One stunning, captivating read.

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This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Boldwood Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Dark and disturbing yet you won’t want to put it down.

This has to be my 1st book that I've not even finished. I got about 33% of the way in before I just got tired of reading about some freak c**ing all over himself. The blurb says this is dark and gory and that is more or less all I found this to be. A serial killer who's always choking his chicken when he's not being horrifically violent and sadistic. At 1/3 way through the book, I hadn't managed to find any other plot than that. But maybe it does get better! Or maybe of you enjoy reading about a guy beating his meat n spurting all over himself after he's done horrific acts then this will be your cup of tea. It's a hard pass from me though

Wow! Talk about a crazy serial killer!! Geez! This book had high suspense, action, brutal murder, gore, blood, and good police work! Even though it was a bit brutal it was a great read! The storyline had me glued to my Kindle! I will definitely recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!