It was good to get back to this series, great characters and an interesting storyline. I didn't find it as exciting as the first two books.

Big fan of this series mainly revolving around investigative journalist Ben Harper and his associates. I totally love this series and am invested thoroughly. This 3rd instalment in the series doesn’t disappoint with the main plot line involving Ben’s boss Madeline’s kidnapping. There are historic murder cases to solve, home break ins and secrets to be revealed along the way. I did particularly enjoy Ben and Sam’s relationship in this one. I already have the 4th instalment ready to go so thank you NetGalley and the publisher I can’t wait to read it!

Part of a series this was my first read with these characters.
Set in different time lines this is a story that has many multiple strings to follow.
You follow what connects multiple murders, kidnapping, and house break ins .
This story has many relatable characters and you will wish to follow their journey.
I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

Firstly a big thank you to netgalley for giving me this book to read.
I devoured this book and got really annoyed when anyone interrupted my reading!
This is the 3rd book in the series but I’ve not read the other two and I did not feel like I’d missed out on anything or was not left confused because id not read the others.
We were still introduced to the characters and it took you on a fast paced story of twists and turns and definitely kept me wanting to read more.

Ben’s boss Madeline gets kidnapped and he has to help her father find her and find who took her without getting police involved, so they find themselves having to delve into a historic murder case and find out who could possibly want to take Madeline hostage but being a high flying journalist the list of suspects could be very long!!

Whilst this is all going on you’ve also got a storyline of an intruder breaking into houses when women are by themselves and so you find yourself invested in many storylines.

This us the 3rd novel in series. The characters are just as well loved and written drip feeding a narrative. As always there are multiple stories different timelines which come together at the end. I did enjoy this and it is possible to read this as a standalone but you miss out on the brill series.
The main issue for me is the story was a slow burn too drawnout the pacing seemed off and this didn't have action throughout I was still invested in the story but it felt there was a lot of background and character stuff and the sction was very little and rhe finsl reveal seemed too quick.
I would recommended this as its a great mystery. I look forward to the next one.
Thank uou netgallery and publisher and author for this 4 star read

I was very lucky to read this as a series so it was great to read it all together.
This book was as good and enthralling as the others with the added bonus that it bought together some of the plots from the previous novels. It's such an enjoyable series that I am hoping a fourth novel is in the making

Thank you Little Brown Book Group and Netgalley.

This was the third in the Ben Harper series and was a brilliant read.
The story went back to the past and also featured the present and was very cleverly written.

I loved this series, and would highly recommend it - I would say you need to read the first two books before this one.

More please.

This book is the third in a series featuring journalists, mainly Ben Harper and his boss. The boss is the one who is kidnapped from her car and it's up to the rest of the team to find out where she is. There are police involved of course - but that's a different story.

The story opens with a disrupted birthday dinner at a friend's restaurant. It's a rather drawn out start and a bit tedious, but it is the build up to the disappearance so the actual kidnapping is quite a contrast to the dinner party. There are a lot of characters with their own stories, some of whom feature in the previous two books while others have not, but this leads to a disjointed book. That's not to say that their stories are not interesting or well told, because they are, but it makes the plot bitty and a tad confusing.

Events are told from a variety of viewpoints and in the first and third person as well as past and present tense. This can be an effective strategy when there are many characters and situations: however here I found it more perplexing. Despite this, Gold writes with an engaging style and the characters are well formed and mostly likeable, and everything ties up by the end.

An exciting thriller and to fully appreciate this novel it should be read in solid chunks (or one sitting if possible) rather than half an hour every night before bed. A book about past trauma, loyalty, consequences and secrets. Quite a ride.

Ten Seconds is the third book in the Ben Harper series by Robert Gold.
In short, Journalist Ben Harper watches his boss Madeline get into the car that has come to collect her and then worryingly disappears. It will take Ben and Madeline’s father on a desperate mission to find her, pushing Ben’s complicated personal relationship with Dani, the local Detective Constable, to the max.
Oh the Ben Harper books are such a good read…it’s one of my favourite series. Robert Gold is an expert plotter who has created an enthralling character driven series in a town with plenty of drama! It’s a series which stands out from the crowd and I’m already looking forward to reading about the next countdown in Haddley.
Big thanks to Robert Gold, Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

I read this book following on directly after the first two books, so it was great to be able to read a whole series at once.

There was a lot of plot to get to grips with but it definitely helped having the other books fresh in my memory in terms of the original characters backstories etc, as there are quite a lot of well defined characters.

The story itself was dramatic, full of mystery and cliff hangers, along with plenty of twists and turns. The author manages to tie all the threads together so cleverly. It's an excellent book, and I will look forward to another installment.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

My first read by this author and therefore my first book of the series. This is book #3 of the series however and for me I probably needed to read the previous two books to really understand the storyline. I have to admit that I struggled with this book. It didn't grip me at all and I didn't really understand what was going on. It was a really slow start and I think that just made me lose interest straight away. Judging by the other reviews for this book, I do seem to be in the minority, so I'm really sorry to the author and publishers. Perhaps I need to read the other two books of the series and then come back to it.

"Ten Seconds" by Robert Gold was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The book started off slowly, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged. However, as I got closer to the halfway point, things started to pick up and I couldn't put my Kindle down.
One thing that bothered me was that one of the plotlines felt a bit lost and didn't really add anything to the story. It was a shame because it seemed like it could have been an interesting thread to explore. On the other hand, the main plot was intriguing once things got moving, and I loved the suspenseful atmosphere that Gold created.
I also appreciated the way that the characters in the book were developed. I've grown attached to them throughout the series, and it was great to see them progress and grow. The setting was also richly described, which helped to bring the story to life.
Overall, I would recommend "Ten Seconds" to fans of the series or those who enjoy suspenseful mysteries. While it's not perfect, the book has its moments, and I'm glad I stuck with it. Just be aware of some of the problematic language and themes that may be present.

If you like cosy mysteries, small-town crime, and investigative journalisim, you need to be reading these books. Ten Seconds is a little slower than the previous two books, but Ben Harper is still a great lead. I loved that this book had a more personal touch given Ben's relationship to Madeline, as it set the stakes early. Racing towards answers, diving into the past, and partnering with Sam made this book such a great read. Can't wait to read more by Robert Gold - I'll literally be a ride or die for this series until we count down to the end.

Ben Harper watches his boss get into a car never imagining that she would be declared as missing the next morning. To find her, he has to return to the case that made her journalism career and there’s more than just her life on the line…

At first, I really struggled with this book as it started off quite slow and I felt bored but by the halfway point, it picked up and then I couldn’t put my kindle down.

One of the main plot lines felt a bit lost and took a back seat, which was a shame as it seemed a bit pointless to include as it didn’t really add anything to the plot. Despite this, the plot was interesting once things began to pick up. The ending had me in my feels and I even had a little cry. Unfortunately some parts of the ending did feel a bit rushed and more like an afterthought.

The atmosphere that was set in terms of suspense of whether Madeline would be found and the intruder breaking into women’s houses was fabulous. I really like the characters in this series and seeing them progress. I also really liked how the book was brought to life through the rich descriptions of the setting.

There was some derogatory language used about a person with substance use disorder in Madeline’s newspaper article, which instead should have used person first language, for example “a person with substance use disorder who was a prostitute”. The term “drug addicted” used within the book should be reworded, not just because it’s not person first language and reduces the person’s identity to their substance use disorder, but it also contributes to the stigma and negative bias used when discussing addiction. There are also some instances of ableism in one of the character’s pasts, which people should be aware of.

⚠️ CWs: cursing, alcohol and drug use, blood, physical assault, kidnapping, gun use, murder, bullying, sexual assault, derogatory language, ableism; mentions fatphobia, person with substance use disorder, student/teacher relationship, car accident, miscarriage, vomit, cobercive control, homophobia, rape ⚠️

Ten Seconds by Robert Gold is the third book in the Ben Harper series and it was a riveting read.. it was an extremely clever and well thought out story which went back to the past but also featured other criminal activities that happened in the present.
There was the mystery stalker terrifying women, the kidnapping of Madeline, Ben Harper’s boss and the ex husband who caused a nuisance.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more in the series.
Highly recommended

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This is the third in the series of the Ben Harper books, although I haven't read the second one yet!

This was a fast paced thriller. Enough going on to keep you entertained throughout, but not so much that it felt overwhelming.

I really enjoy this author's style of writing and look forward to the next in the series.

A solid 4.5 stars from me

The third adventure in the Ben Harper, investigative reporter series. Ben is in a race against time to rescue his boss, Madeline from a crazed killer out for revenge. A captivating read.

Another thrilling read from Robert Gold.

It was lovely to catch up with regular characters while following the race to save Madeline.

I’ve become attached to the series regulars, particularly Sam.

Ten Seconds tackles some serious issues without going overboard.

Harlan Coben, the master of contemporary thrillers and mysteries, promises on this book’s dust jacket that “Ten Seconds will keep you up all night”, so I was willing to put this challenge to the test – and of course the master of the craft was not wrong! This novel is in fact the third instalment of a series featuring fictional journalist Ben Harper, but because plot and characters are so compelling, it can be read as a stand-alone book too. The novel’s construction is interesting as it not only introduces Ben as the purportedly reliable point of view (less so as the plot rolls on) but also the criminal’s point of view as an initially unreliable source (a voice that becomes more convincing as we learn about the motives behind their crimes). Initially, Ben appears to pursue the reasons behind the mysterious appearance of his friend and mentor, fellow journalist Madeline. He is supported in his efforts by Madeline’s father. But throw the character of Madeline’s mother into the mix, as well as the police investigation conducted by Ben’s lover, and things will undeniably get more complex …
I raced through the novel to see how the plot ended and can happily recommend this thriller, although I cannot help thinking it would have worked just as well with fewer characters. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read the advance copy that enabled this honest and independent review.

I loved this book, the twists and turns along the way kept you guessing as to who did what and why and would they find Madelaine in time.

The writer drags you in and I couldn't put the book down.

Will be reading more by him.