This was a nail biting thriller with plenty of exciting twists.

It was a little bit long but other than that a very enjoyable novel

I have read Mukherjee's crime series featuring Wyndham and Banerjee set in Calcutta in the aftermath of the Great War. The only similarity between these books and this one is the projectile force of page turning.

This has a modern setting and veers between London, Canada and the breadth of the US using multi-voice narratives to spin a very complex web between law enforcers, deep fakers, terrorists, military veterans and regular folk. Trying to work out which of these descriptors best suit each protagonist is a constantly moving feast. Every time the reader discovers how the plot is unfolding, another curved ball is thrown into the mix. This forces a rethink on the goodie/baddie register which compels the narrative at pace.

Once I had settled into the characters, if I wasn't in full immersion reading, I was trying to figure out what was going on. Far more thriller than crime, I was enthralled.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the opportunity to read and review

Free courtesy of NetGalley.

This is my first book from Abir Mukherjee but it was an amazing book to read, full of twists and turns and you didn't want to put it down.

The book starts with a young couple walking into a shopping Mall and they blow it up, but only the girl dies as the boy just disappears. Is it a terror attack and why is it happening.

FBI Agent Shreya Mistry tries to get a grip on the investigation straight away but she doesn't always follow the rules, which gets her into trouble with her superiors. She is thrown off the investigation but refuses to give up.

Across the world in London Sajid Khan is arrested at his place of work for terrorism, they believe that his daughter is involved in the terror attack in LA, and she is missing and they believe she is planning another attack. He is released but an American woman arrives on his doorstep saying her son Greg is with his daughter and needs his help to find them before the authorities.

This book is fast paced, and keeps you guessing why and what.

The only downside was the abrupt ending, I think it could have been finished off better as it leaves you with lots of unanswered questions. Despite this I would still highly recommend this book to everyone who needs a bit of drama in their lives.

A high-octane, high-adrenaline thriller where global politics light a fuse under family life. Chillingly plausible.

I just reviewed Hunted by Abir Mukherjee. #Hunted #NetGalley

This book was the scariest thing I think I’ve ever read! This isn’t a ghost story or about the paranormal……. This is about real, modern-day terrorism and radicalisation of young adults who kill innocents upon the orders of the cult leader.

This tale of terrorism shows not only the side of the cult terrorists and their followers but also the deaths of innocent people, the destruction of the terrorists family and religion because of their actions. It proves why people are scared of Muslims because of these murderers who kill in the name of Islam. Muslims are not all terrorists. They are not all jihadi’s out to kill. They are just normal families who have a vulnerable young adult who is groomed by radicalisation into committing these atrocities and who also end up a victim of them…… as I said earlier, this is the scariest book I’ve ever read!

4-5 stars

Yasmin Malik is in LA with Jack, but she’s full of doubts. Does he feel the same as her, are her actions the right thing to do? Whatever her thoughts a bomb goes off in a shopping mall and FBI agent Sheyra Mistry is part of the investigative team and she soon learns that British born Yasmin has been in the United States for nine weeks, so where is she been before her explosive actions? The timing too is crucial, as it’s eight days to a critical US election with two very diverse, if not divisive, candidates. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, Sajid Khan gets a shocking and brutal understanding that his daughter Aliyah is not in Japan as he thought, but is, in fact in the USA. A surprising visitor arrives on his doorstep, another desperate parent. Can they save their children? The law can’t help them, can they do it themselves?

I’ve not read an Abir Mukherjee novel before, but I’m impressed with this standalone, political thriller as he hooks me in right from the terrifying start. The well thought out plot feels current,topical and is downright scary, and although at times it has an action movie feel to it, it also feels credible. It’s frighteningly honest as it pulls no punches with regard to radicalisation, prejudice and racism which are utilised to great effect in the storytelling. It’s a chilling portrait of pawns who get a caught up in someone else’s plans and they’re not necessarily privy to the rules. it gets deeply strange and weird in a what on earth is going on kind of a way and you take deep gulps as your suspicions fly, hither and thither. It’s clear there are games within games, puzzles, enigmas, and then ultimately horrible realisations dawn. It’s very well paced, the changing perspectives keeps you on your toes and also maintains the plot momentum. The tension and suspense keeps ramping up as the story locations switch this way and that. It’s heartbreaking as parental desperation comes across loud and clear, it’s part high octane, breathtaking Mach One terrifying thriller. The plot navigates twist after twist, there’s one final, good one just before the ending, though my suspicions cast in that direction. The ending is definitely a wow one, though perhaps a tad rushed but it’s still a cracker though.

Overall, this is a well written thriller with a complicated rollercoaster, exciting storyline that flows. So, strap yourself in and enjoy the twisty ride.

With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Random House UK, Vintage for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I could not put this book down, completely new author to me but will certainly look out for more. I found shreyas character very likeable and was routing for her throughout. Very cleverly written the only thing I didn't like was the ending, felt very abrupt, left me feeling like is that it? Other than the ending absolutely compelling reading.
Thank you

A devastating hook welcomes you to this pacey thriller. You will travel from London to Canada and then America in the search for terrorists or your children (depending on your point of view). Which terror group is it planting the bombs and indoctrinating young people? What are their true aims? Along the journey we find that things are not quite as we imagine and a sinister plot is afoot to destabilise the United States of America, not that it needs much help.
I enjoyed this novel although some of the twists were quite predictable. The action made up for that shortfall.

I really enjoyed this very different book from the hugely talented Mukherjee (am already a huge fan of his historical detective series). I wouldn’t have known it was by the same writer if I’d been given it blind, so to speak. And to be honest I probably wouldn’t have read it as contemporary political thrillers are less my cup of tea: but I’m glad I did as it’s really well done. It plays on expectations of who you/ the public / the media assume the “bad guys” to be, and is highly readable.

This modern political thriller certainly had me on the edge of my seat. It is a proper page turner. I was keen to pick it up and find out what happened next, and there were a few surprises along the way.
Set in London and the US, it showed a good knowledge of both, with respect of the geography and cultures of both places.
The only reason I am not giving it five stars, is because the police (FBI) main character, Shreya, was really likeable and I wanted to know a lot more about her and the complexity and worrying she felt about failing her family. I put it down to this being written by a male author. Especially as the character of Sajid (a man) was really well portrayed.
Despite this, I would definitely recommend this book and can see it being made into a film or series. I'd certainly watch it if it was.

A gripping thriller that truly is one that you can’t put down. A fast-paced story that takes you along with it in a race against time where it seems impossible to work out who can be trusted, who cannot and what indeed you are racing towards. Twists throughout to frustrate both the characters and the reader as you too become totally absorbed into the plot.

Loved this! A pure action thriller that was a real page turner. Really enjoyed the main characters and the fast pace of the writing drew me in to the story. Not my usual fare but I really got invested in this and couldn't put it down!

This novel attracted me because of the political element but in the end, I found it trite and simplistic. There were far too many unnecessary characters, getting away with far too much and the lower their ability and experience, the more they managed to outwit those with the most power and knowledge. I get that there is a ‘rooting for the underdog element’ to a thriller but this just got silly. Also the endless chases became numbing. It would probably make a decent movie though.

Interesting story with.some interesting characters. Kept my attention right until the end but ultimately I was a little disappointed.

There was an imbalance in what we were told about the main players. We get to know plenty about Greg, but not so much about his mum (who seems to be a bit too organised and professional to be "just a mom", whereas we never really get to understand Aliyah but we know all about her father.

That said, Hunted is pacy and relevant, and there's nothing in the writing that would disappoint most people, so I'd recommend.

I enjoyed this book but found it a bit slow going at times. I couldn’t warm to any of the characters except Sajid who I felt so much empathy with. The plot was complex and there was lots of tension and thrilling scenes. Parts of it seemed improbable and I was disappointed with the ending, but overall it was a good read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

This book is a real fast paced thriller. The parents of 2 radicalised children are racing against the clock (and the FBI) to try and get to their children before they do anything they can't come back from.

I found myself saying 'just one more chapter' as the story unraveled at such a fast rate you don't want to stop reading. I did find the character of Shreya frustrating, it seemed like she went about everything in the most difficult way. But then I guess the story would be shorter if she didn't.

I deducted 1 point because I felt the ending was much too brief, it needed one more chapter. It felt very abrupt.

This book concerns terrorism and radicalisation of young people. Greg and Aliyah have been drawn into a world of suicide bombers, except Greg didn't really think his bombs would be used to kill people or his friends. Their parents Carrie and Sajid travel to the States to find them - but Sajid has a price on his head as a suspected terrorist himself, by association with his wilful daughter. Shreya is the FBI agent determined to stop any more bombings.

Sadly I found it impossible to identify or sympathise with any of the characters. Shreya is just ineffective, inarticulate and frustratingly dense and Aliyah is self-willed, deluded and lacking any moral compass. None of them became three dimensional for me. The only one I really had sympathy with was Sajid - his family ripped apart as he tried to do the right thing.

I didn't particularly enjoy the read, the subject matter or the fact I felt I was standing outside the action - the characters did not come alive on the pages or allow me to understand them. Even the sections that should have been exciting, like evading the police, just felt lacklustre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Written mainly from the point of view of three protagonists, this is a breathtaking thriller that I couldn't put down. A bomb goes off in an LA shopping mall, seemingly planted by a young Muslim girl. In London, Sajid is brought in for questioning; his daughter was seen with the bomber coming into the States. But Sajid believes she is in Japan. When it's proved she isn't, he flies off to the US to try to prevent her from doing harm. Meanwhile an FBI agent is also looking for her and closing in fast.

This is a fantastic read. Fast moving with sympathetic characters, I loved it. It's not just a thriller but also explores important issues like racism. I'd never read any of Abir Mukherjee's books before this one but I'm certainly going to look out for them now. Highly recommended. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the first book I’ve read by author and it was quite a page turner!! Hunted follows two parents and Carrie, who following a suicide bombing in a shopping mall, embark on a desperate search across America for their children.
An explosive and highly recommended read for fans of intense and unpredictable thrillers.

I did wonder if a novel about chasing two kids across America was enough substance for a whole novel.
I stand firmly corrected.
Very fast paced and engaging throughout, I thoroughly enjoyed this cat and cat and mouse plot and felt like it was an excellent use of my time.
Many thanks.