I’d like to thank Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Confession Room’ written by Lia Middleton in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The Confession Room is a forum on the dark web where people can visit and give their confessions without fear of consequences. Emilia Haines is a private investigator who left the police force when her sister Sophie was murdered and while she’s browsing online a new confession is posted giving the names of two victims. Emilia can’t help herself but become involved despite being warned off by the police and soon finds herself caught up in a web of danger, lies and omissions.

Although ‘The Confession Room’ is classed as mystery & thriller and true crime I do hope this book isn’t based on a true story in any shape or form as I’ve found it quite chilling with an underlying atmosphere of suspense and horror. The concept of the story is excellent with characters that are well-described, and although it slows down in the middle there are enough twists and turns to keep me involved as Emilia continues with her amateur sleuthing. But just as I think the story is going to end with Emilia settling down to a quiet life, I reach the last chapter and final massive twist and realise that I’m totally wrong.

A gripping read about Emilia, whose world shuts down after the murder of her sister…..then suddenly she becomes entangled in the emergence of the Confession room, where murders are happening….couldn’t put it down….

WELCOME TO THE CONFESSION ROOM: An online forum for anonymous atonement.

Emilia Haines is an ex police officer turned private detective, one day she stumbles across an online forum, The Confession Room, where people are sharing their deepest darkest secrets with anyone that cares to listen, someone has just confessed to murder, the first of many incidents posted where two victims are named each time, but why are these people being targeted and should people be admitting their misdemeanours if there are consequences involved. Can Emilia help track down those responsible or is she just putting herself at risk with her obsession?

The Confession Room is an intriguing read, with a plot that, at times, suspended belief but isn't that what fiction is all about, to broaden the readers mind and stretch the imagination? I was drawn into this story from the outset, with the whole online confession aspect leaving me wondering where this tale was heading and what part Emilia would play with the perpetrators and, whilst the ending was unexpected, I did feel it was just a little bit too out there, even for the broadest of minds. This is the third book I've read by this author and, whilst I thought it was a great read, I did enjoy her others more.

I'd like to thank Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for inviting me to read this, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Another tense thriller from Lia Middleton- she sure knows how to write them.

Emilia was a complex character with demons of her own after the loss of her sister and the ‘what ifs’ that surrounded her murder.

Her police background actually hindered her in some respects when she went through what she did as she knew procedure but couldn’t - or wouldn’t- stick to it to protect her family.

Well thought out with a fantastic twist at the end; this was one that I devoured in 24 hours

Sorry but I couldn't get on with this.
The murders were very weird and overly complex, and the motive of the perpetrators no way strong enough to come up with such a convoluted method of killing complete strangers, after being completely normal people.
The problem with the serial killer novels coming out now is everyone is competing to come up with the most strange and unusual MO, which means a lot of realism, authenticty and characterisation is left behind.
I cared little for the people involved and I didn't believe in the lacklustre love story running alongside.
And the twist at the end rather limp, because again - why? I just didn't believe such a strong leap from supposedly normal human to outrageous murderer.

The Confession Room was marketed as a ‘psychological thriller with a dose of horror’ and I really should have taken note of ‘horror’ element as this book had too much of it for my liking.

In the plot the Confession Room is an online forum where people can confess anything they have done in an anonymous space. It’s mostly things like affairs and petty crime until one day someone confesses to murder giving two names and a location. This is followed by a disturbing video and soon after two bodies are found. This pattern repeats and the narrative gets more and more chilling.

Meanwhile, Emilia Haines is doing surveillance work as a private detective trying to spot unfaithful spouses for her clients. Emilia used to be a police officer but following the murder of her sister, Sophia, has left the force and split up with her boyfriend, Ciaran, who is still a police officer. Emilia has been watching posts in the online Confession Room as she spends a lot of time trying to work out who murdered her sister.

Emilia gets more and more involved with the online confessions until things get even more horrific for her. Apart from the unpleasant horror side, I found it a little repetitive and did some speed reading as I really just wanted to finish the book and know how it ended. It was not a great book choice for me.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What I liked:
• The reader getting each perspective - the victims, the detective and the murderer.
• The suspense and intensity.
• The twists.

The Confession Room has rendered me speechless. This was such an intense and suspenseful read that had me perched on the edge of my seat. Just when you think you know everything, it takes another turn.
I find that some thrillers can fall a little flat at the end, but this book left my jaw on the floor!

I loved how the reader was able to get perspectives from not just Emelia as the main character, but also the other victims and the murderer themselves. All the characters were phenomenal in their own right and each had me feeling something different towards them.

As a thriller, it contributed to me feeling all that I should while reading one - thrilled, anxious, tense and shocked.

This is a book that will stay with me for a long time and I urge everyone to pick up a copy of this upon release! This is easily one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lia Middleton and Penguin for allowing me to be an arc reader in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping read that gets you from the first page, kill or be killed….what would you do ? A thought provoking story that isn’t that unbelievable given the horrors that happen in the world today.

This is a creepy, terrifyingly eerie book that will keep you up at night and that won't be to read!!!
It follows a former police officer (Emilia), whose sister is murdered and she blames herself. She lives with this guilt every day. It blew her world apart. She discovers a forum online, where you can share your confession about things that have happened to you, and how you feel about it.. Usually bad, very bad. This forum takes on a life of it's own, and people who have commented on there are turning up dead, with the video evidence being shared on this forum too.
Emilia's life becomes horrific, and the way this is written really plays with your mind and stays on your mind!! No gore needed!!!.
I love books like this, so I was loving every second!!! The twist at the end will blow your mind!!!!
I received this free arc book for an honest review.
#aNetgalley, #michaeljbooks, #liamiddletonauthor.

The Confession Room
Lia Middleton

3.5 stars rounded to 4!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks a mil to Netgalley.co.uk and the Author Lia Middleton for an advanced reading copy of this book prior to its publication date, in exchange for my honest review.

I have never read a book by this author before but I Ioved the sound of the blurb so was delighted to be approved a copy and couldnt wait to get started.

The Confession Room is an online forum where people are invited to post to fellow members and confess their sins or anything they feel guilt about. Alot of the posts are mainly minor wrongdoings, some admit to things like theft or adultery. Until one day someone posts on the forum confessing to murder....

Thats where the plot kicks off and the story begins. It started off so fast paced and was one of those books that are hard to put down as its so intense and grippy.

I dont want to give any spoilers or give too much away about the plotline and the conclusion but I thouroughly enjoyed this one and flew through it.

It was so different to many in this genre, a lot of thrillers have a similar plot and/or storyline so this was a very refreshing new take on a murder
who'dunnit. It took us into the deepest depths of the internet and had a dark eerie feel at times which is great if you're looking for a dark creepy read or thrillers are your genre of choice. This is the book for you.

I did feel it started off so well but that it did slow a bit at the half way point. Its pace slowed slightly but it was still full of twists throughout and they kept on coming right until the end.

I did guess one of the twists that came near the end though 😉

Overall, this was a great read and one I will defo be recommending.

Added this author to my list already and I look forward to reading some more of hers now.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wish that I had enjoyed this book more. It sounded great, but I struggled to connect with it, sorry to say.

A dark and compelling thriller which is not for the faint hearted. For its subscribers, the confession room is a space on the internet where they can offload their darkest thoughts and confessions anonymously. It soon becomes apparent, however, that this is not a harmless chat room but a real space where people are matched and forced to face the consequences of their revelations. An original idea and a good plot but unconvincing protagonist.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

I found The Confession Room to be unputdownable. It’s a book of murder, suspense and intrigue. A tense, pacy thriller with some great twists to keep you enthralled. Thank you to NetGalley, Michael Joseph Penguin Random House and the author for the chance to review.

This was a read that slowly crept up om me and at first I wasn’t so sure I was going to enjoy it but very soon I found myself not wanting to put the book down and I was hooked !
It’s a difficult story to describe as there is little or no action it’s really all about feelings, thoughts, the claustrophobic terror of the confession room and the main character of Emilia who is trying to get to the bottom of the murders whilst feeling threatened herself. It’s a book I read quite quickly and was thoroughly entertained, I like the conclusion a lot also. The writing was good and the book well crafted and overall I would recommend it to mystery thriller lovers as a 4 star read and I look forward to more from Lia Middleton in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A good well written and for the most engaging story,it’s impossible to not be fascinated where the subject is an online forum dedicated to people admitting their wrongdoings anonymously,it did keep me reading,I just wish at times the story moved a bit quicker as sometimes wanted it to move on,all in all though a good and intriguing reqd

I requested this book after a recommendation on Instagram and I am glad I did. I don’t read a lot of thriller / serious crime, but the premise of this one had me intrigued.

An online forum where people anonymously confess to wrong doing. So far, so good. Until someone decides that confessing without consequences isn’t an option. The story is mainly told from the perspective of former police officer Emilia. She frequents the forum after the trauma of her sister’s murder and finds herself drawn in to the investigation by her former colleagues.

There’s lots to like about this book. It’s tense, terrifying and fast paced. It would be great for book clubs as it opens so many debates. What is justice? Who gets to decide how people should be punished? When are you a victim? Plus the can of worms that is posting online anonymously and the way it influences behaviour.

It loses a star as there were a couple of niggles and while I enjoyed the ending (it wasn’t one of my theories) I am not sure it was entirely resolved for me. It didn’t need to be neat, but I think I needed a bit more (or maybe it’s a want, I couldn’t stop reading).

The writing is great and I’ve whizzed through it in a day. I had to know! So it’s a big thumbs up from me. I’ve never read this author before, but definitely will again. A book I recommend and I can’t wait to talk about it with someone in real life! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this arc!

The concept of this was really cool and it was pulled off in a decent way. Unfortunately, i wasn’t able to gel with the story or characters and I felt it was a struggle for me to get through the book and I kept putting it down and picking it up. It took me a long time to finish jt

This is such a good and gripping read, I loved it! Lia Middleton is one of my new R authors as I just loved The Confession Room.

We meet main character, ex-copper Emilia. Traumatised by her sisters murder she is now a private detective, catching philandering partners. She has cut ties with her own partner amid what happened.

Emilia is part of an online group called The Confession Room and one evening she sees someone's awful confession that they are about to commit murder, the confession also has two names. When the confession soon turns into reality, Emilia is haunted by this and feels like she needs to find out who is behind these awful confessions. When more confessions come through she gets back in touch wither her ex-partner Ciaran and he basically tells her to stop investigating these murders. But she cant just stop, she has major guilt from her sisters death and she needs to help. There are quite a few twists and turns in this novel, and the ending was great yet unexpected.

I really enjoyed reading about Emilia, and found her relatable and likeable. For me, this novel reminded me somewhat of the movie Saw and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Lia Middleton really knows how to write a brilliant and clever novel and I loved it. Thanks to Netgalley, Lia Middleton and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I read the synopsis for ‘The Confession Room’ by Lia Middleton I was instantly intrigued and wanted to read more. Lia Middleton is a new author to me and was not really sure what to expect but couldn’t resist learning more. If I am completely honest although the synopsis is intriguing the novel itself was a little disappointing. This is a suspenseful thriller that explores the dark corners of the internet and the terrifying potential of anonymous confessions but I just felt it just didn’t quite reach the heights it promised.

The novel follows Emilia Hayes, a former police officer, who stumbles upon an anonymous internet forum where someone is confessing to planned murders. With a strong desire to prevent these crimes and save the potential victims, Emilia embarks on a frantic mission to outwit the elusive killer.

The premise of the book is undeniably intriguing, drawing readers into a world of chilling confessions and desperate attempts to intervene. Lia Middleton effectively creates an atmosphere of suspense and mystery, keeping readers on their toes as they follow Emilia’s journey to unmask the murderer.

Excellent concept of an anonymous internet forum for murder confessions is both captivating and disturbing but I thought the pacing of the novel was a bit uneven at times. While some parts are gripping and filled with tension, there are moments when the narrative seems to lose momentum, leading to occasional lulls in the story’s progression.

Additionally, the cat-and-mouse game between Emilia and the killer is well-executed but may leave some readers wishing for more complexity and unpredictability. The killer’s actions and motives, while unsettling, lack a certain depth that could have added another layer of intrigue to the plot.

This is a decent read but I just felt it missed a chance of been exceptional.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Michael Joseph Books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A realistic, terrifying concept in the present technological age - an online forum for admitting your sins.
Former police officer Emilia Haines stumbles across the darkest confession yet, that of murder.
At first she thinks it’s a hoax, but when a body is found she can’t ignore it.
Who is confessing to murder before they even happen.
A well written taut crime thriller, showing you the darkest reaches of the cyber web.
Fast paced each chapter left you wanting to know more
Thanks @liamiddletonauthor, @michaeljbooks & Netgalley for the eARC