Member Reviews
Millie and Guy are friends and fall into being amateur detectives after working in a care home. The subject matter of the book is serious but it has a light hearted edge to it. The pair are true modern day characters and the residents they look after are also depicted well. Alongside this is a back story of mainly Millie's past. This comes into the plot but in somewhat a contrived way. All in all an Ok book but not one I will remember.
What a great series. I guess you’d call them a cozy mystery since the Millie and Guy are amateur sleuths. It took me a little while to like Millie and Guy, but they grew on me. Now Guy’s dog was another matter. The mystery in book one seemed a little off at first. While visiting at a nursing home, residents tell Millie of a girl either falling or being pushed off of a roof. It’s Millies past and all the rumors surrounding her life that forces her to investigate. I had a little bit of hard time understanding why Millie investigated, but good thing she did as there was a mystery to solve.
In books two and three, Millie continues to investigate with her partner Guy. Each book has a stand along mystery and advance Millie’s personal life. As I read each book, the series got better and better. The pace evened out and the stories more intriguing. While Millie grows as a person and an investigator in each book, they can be read as standalones. They all have short chapters and are easy to read.
I switched back and forth between the book and audio of book one and enjoyed both equally. Helen Keeley narrates the book and really draws you into the story and makes Millie come to life.
Cosy mystery lovers will want to find out more about Millie and like this series.
Millie doesn't have a good reputation when it comes to the residents of her not-so-small town. Hence, when she begins to investigate a rumored incident, she is met with a very hustle and eerie obstacle. With not many people to turn to, she begins to dig further into the past, just to get herself in bigger and more dangerous trouble than she ever expected.
The One Who Fell is a good suspense novel. I've enjoyed Millie's character more than expected, her openness, simplicity, and honesty won me from the very first pages of the book. The incident that sparked her attention seemed so insignificant at first, but due to Millie's curiosity saved the life of young girls. The plot was slow, although it kept my attention, and the ending was very satisfying.
Thank you, NetGalley for a free and advanced copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you NetGalley for the audio copy in exchange for a honest review. Millie Westlake volunteers at the local nursing home. One of the residents tells Millie she was looking out of her bedroom window last night and saw a young girl pushed off the roof. Millie drops by the house and meets the homeowner. He is shocked by the suggestion of someone falling from his roof. Then he appears to be following Millie. A great page turner that had me gripped from page one.
Whitecliff Bay is a small town where everyone knows your name. Especially Millie Westlake who is believed to have killed her parents, making her feel much like an outcast. Because of this, Millie understands completely how it feels to not be believed. So when Ingrid (one of the residents at the nursing home Millie volunteers at) says she sees a girl jump off the roof of a large house nearby, Millie is the only one to believe her. Millie starts to investigate the claim and soon uncovers more questions than answers. Millie needs help and the only person that will listen is Guy, the reporter who made the public think she did indeed kill her parents, by pointedly stating that she did not. Despite wanting to stay angry with him, she slowly starts to trust him and opens up about what she is doing. Together they unravel the mystery of ‘The One Who Fell’
This one started out a little slow and was at first hard to get into but once I did, I enjoyed it. I like Millie's determination to find out if what Ingrid saw was real. Part of me wonders why one would so willingly forgive a man who caused her so much pain but also sort of glad she did as that character development was nice. I have quite a lot of unanswered questions about her parents as well as her ex and his fiance. Perhaps those are being saved for later books, so no spoilers. Overall I enjoyed Kerry Wilikinson as a fiction/mystery writer and look forward to their future books.
I’ve seen a few readers classify this as a psychological thriller, and while I see why they might think so, this is just not that. (read Alice Feeney for a wonderful mind-f**kery of a thriller, pure gold) This however is a light mystery that keeps you captivated and leaves you wondering what’s next for Millie. One thing I will say, I’m still not clear on whether or not she killed her parents …
<!> An enormous Thank You to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and Kerry Wilkinson for allowing me the opportunity to read this title in exchange for my honest review. <!>
I enjoyed listening to this mystery story, where the main character is amateur sleuth Millie Westlake. She is working at a nursing home when Ingrid, one of the residents there, tells her a story about a young girl who was pushed from a roof, so Millie sets out to find out what happened to this girl. Will she be able to solve the case?
The audiobook narrator was great for this book, and I really liked her voice.
This is book 1 of a series of 4 books, so be sure to check them all out! Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the author, narrator, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
It is always interesting to see how narrators read books at different speeds or pacing's. This book felt really short, but still complete at just under 8 hours. I tend to listen at 1.25 speed these days so it went a bit faster than that for me. I enjoyed the Narrator she really did a great job with conveying the emotions, the seriousness, humor, fear, etc in the story. Plus, she was one of the narrators in Weyward so that was fun to tie together.
Moving on to the story. I enjoyed this one, it had its fair share of suspense and near death encounters, but it really did feel like a cozy mystery. You have this divorce who's life just fell apart, who is trying to find herself again after her life fell apart. She meets up with her dead dad's exbestie and they jaunt about trying to figure out what Ingrid, they elderly woman in the retirement home, really saw that fateful night. Plus, the mystery of the panther.
It's interesting, this book has many things going on, of which I'm sure will play out in the future. We have the death of Millie's parents (that she was blamed for), the affair, the husband secret, Millie as a parent, Millie getting to know her dad's friend. All of these things are separate yet not. The story we have of Millie is intricately woven through all of these things, and all help her in her journey of discovering the truth about the actual mystery. Well, not really all, I mean the affair didn't really, or some other things, but they do come up on her quest.
The climax was heart pounding! I really thought the main action sequence was written really well, and seemed like something that could happen in the real world, instead of on the page. The ending was also heartbreaking, just knowing everything that happened. My brain ties these things to real world events, and I know bad stuff like this happens, and that saddens me.
Anyhow, this is a fun, quick read that will satisfy your cozy mystery loving hearts.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The One Who Fell' by Kerry Wilkinson.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Kerry Wilkinson, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 17th April 2023.
This is the sixth book I have read by this author. It is also the first book in the 'Whitecliff Bay' series. I have previously read 'The Child Across The Street', 'The Party At Number 12' and 'The Child In The Photo', 'Truly, Madly Amy' and 'The Boyfriend' which I would also recommend reading.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'An utterly compelling, character-driven mystery by bestselling author Kerry Wilkinson, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Mary Burton and LJ Ross.' I am a huge fan of both Faith Martin and Mary Burton so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Kerry and if this is as good as 'The Child Across The Street', 'Truly, Madly, Amy', 'The Boyfriend', 'The Child In The Photo' and 'The Party At Number 12' it is sure to be an excellent read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 41 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Whitecliff, England, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited England on several occasions so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise anywhere that Kerry has based the book on.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist is Millie Westlake. The benefits of third person perspective with are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
Well, well, well Wow!!! What an absolute cracker of a book!!! This book sucked me straight in from beginning to the explosive ending. It was very well written with excellent descriptions which put me straight into the storyline. The blog and the cover suited the book perfectly.
An absolutely explosive start to a promising new series!!!
This is yet another absolutely fantastic page turner by the extremely talented Kerry. Between Kerry's evocative writing skills and Helen's fantastic narrative talented they really bring the story to life. I loved the seaside atmosphere of Whitecliff Bay where you can hear the waves crashing and feel the wind in your hair while turning the pages. Kerry describes life in a small community perfectly with everyone knowing who is who and who did what or who they think did what, living in a small village myself I see this all the time. Millie starts volunteering at her local care home where one of the elderly residents named Ingrid tells her she had seen someone falling off a roof. The way Ingrid tells Millie this story makes her believe it is true rather than senility so she sets out to do some investigating herself which puts her in danger. Millie tragically lost both of her parents and the rumours in the town put the blame at her feet but as well as suffering with the rumours and loss of her parents she has also recently divorced and hasn't got many friends. She ends up unexpectedly meeting the man that she believes is to blame for thr rumours that she had something to do with her parents death but events lead them to an unexpected truce. We never do find out what happened to Millie's parents so I'm looking forward to getting stuck into the next book to see if we find out more about her past. The storyline is addictive and filled with suspense, tension, mystery and everything you could ask for in a fantastic page turner!!
I loved all the twists and turns and throughout it kept me guessing what was going on and who was doing what. I would NEVER have guessed at the ending so a MASSIVE WELL DONE to Kerry . I have read many thrillers and it's getting harder and harder for me to be surprised so great job there. I loved the storyline and just loved everything about it. It was all done perfectly!! An absolutely addictive page turner that kept my heart in my throat on the edge of the seat and absolutely absorbed me. The fact there were so many different red herrings and so many possibilities that all would have worked perfectly I could not put this book down!!! I was so invested in the storyline that I was up until 2am!! I would LOVE to see this turned into a movie!!! I cannot wait to get stuck in to the next book in this series which is called 'The One Who Was Taken' and which I am off to read now so keep your eyes peeled for my review of it!!
WARNING ⚠ DO NOT START THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE CLEARED YOUR SCHEDULES AS THIS BOOK IS ADDICTIVE!!!!
This is one of the few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Helen Keeley who did a great job bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Jasmine did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Leah but also to listening to more books narrated by Jasmine!
It is always worrying when starting a new series as you have no idea who the characters are. It is very important for me to bond with not only the lead protagonists but also any characters that may make repeat appearances during the series too.
THE characters were fantastic, solid and completely believable. The main protagonist is Millie who I really liked from the start. My heart went out to her with everything she was going through. She helps out by volunteering at her local care home and also does some dog grooming. I enjoyed getting to know some of her back story and meeting her friends, ex husband, ex lover and godfather and I am looking forward to getting to meet her again and learn more about her in the rest of this promising series. She is an intriguing and complex character and I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know her.
There was a great eclectic mix of characters from good to bad which always helps to liven the storyline up. They all had such different and strong personalities and all suited the storyline perfectly.. There were such a mix of personalities and its hard really to say too much about any of them without giving too much away!!! Regardless of whether you liked, loved or disliked any of the characters they all work perfectly together to bring this story to life. I cannot wait to meet Helen and more characters in the next book in this series which is called 'The One Who Was Taken' and which I am off to read now so keep your eyes peeled for my review of it!!
CONGRATULATIONS KERRY ON YET ANOTHER ABSOLUTELY ADDICTIVE PAGE TURNER!!!! AN ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC START TO A PROMISING NEW SERIES!! THIS IS EXACTLY WHY YOU ARE ONE OF MY TOP 5 MALE AUTHORS!!! HERE'S TO YOUR NEXT SUCCESS 🥂
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first two chapters of Kerry's 'The One Who Was Taken' which looks just as addictive as this book and Kerry's previous books, is the next book in this addictive series and I am actually off to read next so keep your eyes peeled for my review!!
Overall a compelling, addictive and fantastic start to what promises to be an explosive series!!
Genres covered in this novel include Murder Thriller, Psychological Suspense, Literature And Fiction, Murder Suspense, Teen & Young Adult, Suspense Thriller, Crime Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Lawyers & Criminals Humour, Murder, Psychological Thriller, Crime Thriller, English Crime, Noir Fiction and Psychological Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Lisa Jewell, Shari Lapena, Faith Martin, Mary Burton, LJ Ross. 'The Girl on the Train', 'I Am Watching You', C. L Taylor and anyone looking for a book with a twist they will never suspect!!!
304 pages/ 7 hours 51 minutes.
This book is FREE to purchase on kindle via Amazon, free on kindle unlimited, £8.99 in paperback and £16 for the audiobook (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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The One Who Fell by Kerry Wilkinson and Narrated by Helen Keeley is the first book in the new A Whitecliff Bay Mystery series and it was an excellent start to a new series especially as it was packed with great twists and turns throughout that will have you hooked from the beginning till the end. I loved the main character Millie.
This was a audiobook once I started listening to it I could not put it down.........I highly recommend this book.
The narrator Helen Keeley was excellent throughout and she just drew you in.
Big Thank you netgalley, Kerry Wilkinson and Bookouture for my audiobook for exchange for an review,
The story is slow building but as one gets into it, it becomes a page turner. Mostly due to the great job of the narrator. First in series which explains the slow start. The description really explains the storyline, with a few twists and turns. A good murder mystery almost to me a cozi mystery, 3.5 stars rounding up. Looking forward to reading the next book.
Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #TheOneWhoFell #Bookouture Audio
I liked this one.
It took me a while to get into the story, as it felt like there were far too many plot threads at first that weren't connected at all. In fact, for two of the main storylines, they didn't connect until right at the end.
I liked the characters in this - they felt the right level of complex, they all had their histories and things that they avoided.
I think my main criticism is that the end reveals felt a bit too... convenient. In fact, one character referred to them as "little miracles" and I'm not sure how believable that many conveniences in a row can be.
But overall, I liked the story, and will be continuing this series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
My rating: 3 stars
Means: I liked it. Not a new favourite, not one I'm going to be raving about. Probably going to forget it within 12 months.
Everything seemed to come together in the end, but still left room for the sequel (which has an excerpt at the end).
I think I would have preferred to read this instead of the audio version. I has a hard time following along and staying focused on the details.
It was a good story with a nice mystery to solve and I’m glad I had the chance to listen.
This was a good book. It wasn’t a story that will stick in my mind as a great book, but it was good. One important thing to know is that it is book one of a series and it ends in a way that doesn’t entirely clear things up so you will need to read the next book to find things out. I’m not a huge fan of that style. I prefer for a book to end with all issues completely cleared up. If I love the characters then I will be hooked and I will read the next books in the series. I don’t like to be left hanging and obligated to read the next book.
The book is very well written and had enough mystery to keep me interested until the end. The main character, Millie, was well developed and we get the story mainly from her point of view. I thought she was a likable character and I found myself rooting for her because she was the underdog. She was gossiped about all over town after having an affair with a politician and there was speculation that she killed her parents. (we don’t know if she killed her parents because you have to read book 2 to find out). I did find her morals and ethics confusing. Her dearest friend from work was gay and she didn’t have a problem with this. However, she justifies her affair because (SPOILER****) she catches her husband with another man and has an issue with him being Bi-sexual. If she had issue with him cheating she should have left rather than having an affair herself. (Reminds me of the saying that two wrongs don’t make a right) And she felt the affair was justified because he was with another man, not necessarily because he cheated. Throughout the entire book she hints that there is a terrible deep dark secret about her husband that caused her to cheat. Something so terrible that she couldn’t even talk about it in court and chose to lose custody of her son rather than discuss it. I was expecting the big reveal to be something really awful about him (he kicks Dogs or kills children) only to find out that it was just his sexual preference. I’m heterosexual and I was offended by that situation so I can only imagine how someone would feel if they were gay or Bi and read this book. I’m surprised an editor didn’t have this removed, it didn’t add to the story and was completely unnecessary.
Happy publication day! 4 stars for this one
We meet Millie in the seaside (ish) town of Whitecliff, where she is a volunteer at an assisted living facility while struggling with her own personal demons. One of the residents tells her she saw a woman jump (<i>pushed? A few other ARC reviews noted this discrepancy as well - I'm glad to know I'm not the only one it jumped out for, and hope it has been revised in the final version!</i>) from the roof of a house visible through her window.
Millie is a bit of a fumbling junior detective, seeking answers of what happened to this mystery girl, while overall just seeking herself.
I've been reading a ton of thrillers/suspense recently, so my bar is pretty high - this one felt more akin to a slow burn that, at times, had some pretty gaping chasms in the plot line and an unsteady pace.
Overall, I enjoyed the characters and story, I just wish it was a bit more fully baked. Again - there's always the chance the final version, available as of today, has addressed these advanced copy concerns. I certainly would pick up another of Wilkinson's works, and look forward to seeing where #2 in the series leads - huge thanks to Kerry Wilkinson, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the ARC!
I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and look forward to reading the next books in this series. Millie is not your typical mystery novel protagonist/detective. She's pushed into this role by circumstances and does her best to find her way forward. The supporting characters like Guy and Jack are also multi-dimensional and interesting. I also have to say that the narrator is excellent and played a huge role in making this book more enjoyable.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.
The One Who Fell is a fun and engaging start to an amarture sleuth series. The mystery itself is not particularly memorable, but that characters are likeable and mysterious enough for me to be motivated to continue with the series just for their arcs. I appreciated the wry humor sprinkled throughout. It gave the book more dimensions and the characters more relatability.
Thank you Kerry Wilkinson, Bookoutoure Audio, and NetGalley for my advanced review copy. My opinions are my own.
Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 5
Character Development - 4
Narration - 5
Personal Bias - 4
Final Score - 4.2
I just got approved for three books by the same author in the same series. That always means there is a new one coming out, so I wanted to read them all together. I knew I was making a commitment. I almost regretted it at first. I had a lot of trouble really liking the tone of this book. I didn’t really like the characters in the beginning. I found that when I had time to stop listening and start reading, I enjoyed the characters much more.
Millie’s life is a mess. She did it to herself. She didn’t do it alone. Once again we have a woman taking all of the blame and letting the men off easy. They just go along and live their lives. And there is always a really overly vindictive new woman. These were my initial problems with the characters.
Once I got away from all of the unpleasant people in her life, we got to see Millie’s actual friends. She she hears about a woman falling, or being pushed, off a roof, she starts to make connections with others to find out what happened. She starts to get her life back. The mystery itself is mildly interesting. I was more interested in the network of people Millie was starting to put together. I was more interested in putting Millie’s life back on track than on the fairly obvious mystery.
The book ended on a cliff hangar of sorts. It would have been annoying if I didn’t have the next book. It still was, because of the nature of it. Still, I quickly read this book and dived into the next.
In a place where everyone knows your name, your secrets, and your mistakes, things can get a little a little tense. I found this book to be a solid and captivating start to a new mystery series. Millie Westlake knows all about rumors and people knowing your business. She is constantly talked about in town, not only for how her marriage ended but there are those in town who believe she killed her own parents!
While volunteering at a local nursing home, Millie is told about a young girl being pushed off a roof. Naturally this piques Millie's interest and Millie wants to learn more. Most believe that Ingrid, the woman who mentioned the girl being pushed is confused and not to be believed, but Millie knows all too well what not being believed feels like and decides she is going to get to the bottom of what was seen.
She soon teams up with Guy, a former journalist and now blogger, and as they investigate what Millie was told, it becomes clear that they are making someone nervous. Feeling as if she is being watched and being followed, adds to Millie's concern, and adds tension to the book. Who was the girl on the roof? What happened to her? Was Ingrid, right?
I enjoyed the twists and turns along the way. It is clear that someone knows something and is hiding something. This book starts slowly and gradually the pace builds as readers learn more about Millie, her past, her current life, and the mystery of the missing girl. I enjoyed the writing, tension, drama, and twists and how the plot unfolded.
I listened to the audiobook and thought it was fantastic. The narration was wonderful and engaging.
This is the beginning of a series and I look forward to more Millie (and Guy) in future books.
The book summary basically lays out the start of the story, where Millie starts snooping around a house that her friend, Ingrid, said she saw a girl get pushed off the roof. This is the primary storyline. There are secondary storylines around Millie and her past: a very public discovery of an affair that Millie had with a Parliamentary member as well as the deaths of Millie’s parents shortly thereafter. There are accusations that Millie killed her parents, even though the Coroner/ME ruled the deaths suicide. Subsequently, Millie lost her job, marriage, and custody of her son. There is also some secret around the demise of her marriage besides just the affair and from the get-go, I have a strong suspicion as to what this secret is. She also began a dog grooming and training business that also suffers tremendously with fake 1star ratings, from locals who don’t like her.
There is another storyline about Millie helping a neighbor, Guy, find a panther that has been seen roaming around the countryside. Guy is an unemployed journalist a local blogger that started rumors about Millie killing her parents with an article he wrote. One of the things I like about stories in England is the British vernacular, like the way they call being laid-off “redundant”. LMAO😂 Wow, that really drives home the sense of worthlessness and a lack of value. Anyway, suffice it to say, there’s a lot going on in this story.
It's well into the second half of the story, around the 75% mark, that the storylines begin to merge. However, it’s in the final 10% of the story that most of the storylines collide in a scary, yet quite daring, scene for Millie and others. It’s in the final chapter that the conclusion to the remaining storyline is revealed. My suspicions were correct, and it becomes clear why Millie has kept it to herself, even to her own detriment. I like Millie, even if she is a bit of a hot mess. She’s not the annoying, obnoxious kind of hot mess, but rather one of a sad and kind of dejected sort of mess.
There was also a chapter/lead-in for the next book, which I will definitely be reading. I also enjoyed the author’s notes and found the author amusing in a self-deprecating kind of way that he just assumed he would be getting a lot of 1star reviews. This was an audiobook and I enjoyed listening to the narrator, Helen Keeley, with her pleasant British accent. I also found her renditions of some of the male characters funny and entertaining. I like it when a story can make me laugh, but then again, hubby says I’m easily amused. I’m ok with that😊
I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
@NetGalley @ BookoutureAudio @TheOneWhoFell
This was a good book to keep you guessing and slightly on edge, with the added stress of lack of belief from people who should care.
I loved the twist too