Wordplay Musings…
Amanda, a crossword afficionado becomes threatened when she is convinced that her daily morning crosswords clues are predicting her death. Amanda has her problems and a past which engulfs her, nonetheless she is certain that something nefarious is afoot - but, is there? Is she really under threat? A slow burn suspense with much word play, crossword conundrums and asides and with a distinct menacing edge.

This is my first Diana Wilkinson book and I am immensely grateful to the publisher for my complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I did not know what to expect with this book but I hoped for a fast paced thriller but alas it's a slow paced thriller that can be misleading because of the narrator. The book follows Amanda a recovering alcoholic who enjoys crosswords every morning . However her daily crosswords seem to hint to her death which scares every crossword lover. The book is perfect for crossword lovers as it often got confusing for me.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

One of her many ways of coping with her day is to complete the crossword in the paper, but when the clues seem to start becoming personal and threatening, she tries to work out who she can trust.

Finding it hard to trust makes it difficult for her to develop new relationships and she finds it harder to leave her home.

Are the crossword clues targeted for Amanda? Who can she trust?

This thriller had me a little muddled at first with the crossword clues, as even though Amanda explained how she got the answers I was still baffled. I did start to get a bit more of an idea towards the end on how to work out the clues, so that did feel good.

I did find it a clever way for the perpetrator to get inside her head and make her doubt who she can trust and is a storyline I haven’t come across before.

The story is told by a few different characters, so you do get to hear the plot from a couple of views, which helps unravel but also sometimes adds to the intrigue on who is carrying out the threats.

Overall, a clever and different thriller where a woman believes to being targeted through clues on her daily crossword.

I found the beginning of this book a little hard to get into, but once I got into it I found the storyline easier to follow. It had twists and I didn't see the ending coming.

What a cracker of a book! I stayed up nearly all night reading this one. The unique plot and the characterisation are absolutely spot on and the writing is superb, the words just flowing making it it a gripping read. I would give it 10 stars if I could.

I was attracted to this book from it's rather intriguing blurb, plus the fact that I also love puzzles.

What I wasn't expecting was that is was written by a true cryptic crossword puzzle fan, and even explains how to solve all manner of clues (most of which went a bit over my head, until the clue was explained).

It is completely fascinating, and having a crossword puzzle creator as one of the main characters jobs was rather interesting.

Amanda is completely convinced that the local puzzles are targeting her, and once you see the evidence it's hard not to believe that too.

Beyond the puzzle there is a theme of addiction, and recovering from addiction, and it is a lot deeper than I would have expected - not a bad thing, just pleasantly surprising.

And wow I didn't see the finale coming at all, my mind is just a bit blown, and I found myself addicted to having to continue to the end of the book, just to see how things might turn out.

This was the first book I've read by this author and I suspect I will be on the look out to see what she writes next.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

My goodness! What a fantastic, spine-chilling, mind-blowing, gripping, creepy and gritty psychological thriller. Why is it rare to find such a fantabulous psychological thriller (as this one) these days? One Down by Diana Wilkinson is a gem.

I was hooked on to the story and couldn't put it down until the end. The way this story is written makes a reader wonder what's happening - keeps one guessing till the end. Full of twists and turns. Just when you think Amanda finally solves the final clue, a twist! A shocking twist! An unexpected turn of events.

The story alternates between past and present. I had a bit of an issue here following the timeline but it didn't stop me from liking the story. We also have two PoV characters - Amanda and Nathan. Amanda steals the spotlight though. She's also the dominant character in the story.

Amanda was borderline creepy. Her alcohol addiction was one thing - unleashed her wild side, got her into trouble multiple times and whatnot. Stalking her neighbour was something else - how did Teddy not realize he was being watched?? Nathan was no saint either. Sometimes I feel they were a 'made for each other' pair - with their creepiness, controlling nature, and toxic behavior.

I loved the storytelling. The creepy factor was a win-win situation for me - this is what made the story riveting. I loved the character portrayals and the ending. A shocking turn of events at the end caught me off guard. I didn't see it coming!

Overall, One Down by Diana Wilkinson is a must-read psychological thriller. Readers beware: read this book at night at your own risk...

4.5/5

Threats hidden in crossword puzzle clues sounded interesting, but I wasn't prepared for so many paragraphs explaining the intricacies of puzzles. The pace was slow and the plot jumped back and forth between characters and timelines. By the end, things take an unexpected turn and get very unpleasant very fast and the whole thing left me feeling icky for having read it.

When a theme of murder is woven through a crossword grid, Amanda knows she's the target. When Amanda's husband, Nathan, walked out on her ten months ago, she thought she would never hear from him again. But her crossword setter husband has other plans, and toys with her from a distance, using the grid, each clue a mocking taunt at her struggles. As Amanda becomes more and more shut off from her od life, trapped inside her flat with only old memories of that fateful day Nathan left, she becomes increasingly paranoid.

Amanda is an alcoholic trying hard to reach sobriety. Nathan is a crossword setter. The premise had me intrigued. The pace is steady throughout. I did not like any of the characters in this book. In a way, I could see why Nathan was setting these puzzles, but that does not make it right. There is quite a lot of the book taken up about crosswords, but it didn't spoil it for me. This is a well written and twisted read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Boldwoodbooks and the author #DianaWilkinson for my ARC of #OneDown in exchange for an honest review.

A slow start with wordy descriptions, but this book quickly picked up and had me gripped! I was kept guessing right until the end and enjoyed the crossword clues.

Whoa. That was unexpectedly good!

Someone is trying to kill Manda. Who is it? Is it her estranged husband?

Now that is thrilling. From the get-go, the plot will make you really flip through the pages. I loved it.

Cheers to Boldwod Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

3.5 Stars

When this reviewer read the description of One Down, I was hooked. I had to find out how a murder is plotted with clues from a newspaper crossword puzzle. The premise is unique and clever, appealing to both fiction and crossword enthusiasts.

The story structure is similar to a cozy mystery, not a fast-paced thriller, and offers several suspects. The protagonist, Amanda, is a recovering alcoholic whose missteps are at the center of the story. Amanda is not the most likable heroine, and the pacing is sometimes too slow, but this reviewer cheered for Amanda's sobriety and willingness to regain control of her life. Everyone deserves a happy ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an ARC to read and review. This review will appear on Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

The blurb caught my attention. While red herrings abound, I struggled a bit with this one. The premise was quite different than anything I've read, but this, sadly, didn't live up to my expectations. I was unable to connect with the writing style or the characters, particularly Amanda. The crossword clues were clever, but it became a bit much at the story unfolded.

A compelling read that had me hooked from the start. Twists and unpredictability all through the stroy which kept me guessing until the end. I really enjoyed it

Amanda is an alcoholic trying to get clean. Unfortunately they are some tragic revelations a long the way. Her husband who she is separated from, is a crossword setter. And when the clues seem to relate to Amand. She starts to think why.

A great read. It took a while to get into I would have liked to see the chapters alternate better, rather than having a few named Amanda and the crossed over.

But overall a great read.

I loved 4 Riverside Close so I was looking forward to a new book by Diana Wilkinson and this didn't disappoint. Clues upon clues upon clues kept me glued to the story. What a very clever book. Challenging without a doubt, not a read for the faint-hearted!

Great book! Really enjoyed the crossword clue aspect of the storyline.
An engaging story that left my guessing till the end.

Amanda is separated from her husband who is a cryptic crossword setter. She has a drinking problem and keeps falling off the wagon. It was through her drinking that she caused a child to be killed.
She solves the newspaper crossword every day and notices a theme emerging, and she feels that her husband, Nathan, is threatening her, using the crossword to send her hidden messages.
She starts an affair with her dishy neighbour, who also gets hooked on solving crosswords, and is not aware of everything in Amanda's past.

To be honest, I was rather looking forward to this read, being a puzzle solver. But I really found that it dragged on, and in the beginning of the book wondered if the faniciful descriptive text would continue through the book, which it did not, fortunately.
I found the book heavy going, and while I normally read a book in a couple of days, this one took several days to complete.
The plot of the book was quite good, I just was not a fan of the writing, and felt that the book could have been cut by quite a few percent.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Amanda is an alcoholic who is trying to reach sobriety but she is a very unreliable narrator who often forgets what happened once she starts drinking. Nathan is a pompous, controlling jerk from start to finish. He is a cruciverbalist, which means that he creates crossword puzzles for a living, and he never lets anyone forget it. Amanda believes she's in danger because she keeps finding crossword clues about herself, her life with Nathan, and potentially a murder. The big reveal of the threat and what is happening were pretty obvious.

I was very excited about this book because I love crossword puzzles. This is actually about British crossword puzzles, which are different from ours across the pond, and now I finally understand how they work! Unfortunately, that was probably the best thing about this book. Despite a pretty dramatic opening and some potentially threatening crossword clues, there wasn't much that was hugely thrilling about this book.

If you aren't particularly into wordplay, this probably isn't the book for you. I enjoy it and even then felt like it took up too much of the book and distracted from the plot a lot of the time. What could have been a fast-placed plot was bogged down in these puzzles and ended up dragging on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Diana Wilkinson for letting me read “One Down” in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book from this author and I thought it was great was different to all the other books I have read. I would definitely say read it if you like a thriller and want to read something a bit different to the standard thriller.