Thanks the NetGalley and publishers for an ARC of Spiral.

This book is Final Destination meets Groundhog Day. It is a griping book with a dual timeline thrown in for background. It kept me on the edge of my seat and awake late trying to get to the end. Worth reading.

This is a fabulous thriller that involves Theo an aircraft pilot, his mother and people from his past and present. The book's title is very appropriate as Theo's life spirals out of control as does the aeroplane he is flying.

The synopsis was very intriguing and definitely captured my attention when I read it. The thought of being caught in a loop that replays is good for adding suspense and mystery to a story, and this author has done it very well. This does have an obvious sci-fi edge to it with this time loop that has been included, but it only plays a very small part in the overall story. In some way, this time loop gives the author an additional way to enlighten the reader to the bigger picture.

Theo has never known who his father was, but after discovering some papers he finds that his mother has known who he was. Decidedin he needs to know more about himself and his roots, Theo goes off to the US to find him. What he finds is nothing like he imagined and he enters a world that is dark, and dangerous and will leave him wondering if he will survive!

I really like the way the author used the time loop aspect of this story, each time there was a reset there was a change. In between these the life of Theo, his relationship with his father and other people he meets during his time in the US is told. Alongside this is his mother's story, how she has always feared for him and has been so very protective of him.

Wanting to find his own answers leads to a split from his mother, but that does not mean his mother is about to let him walk from her. After all, she has looked after him and cared for him for all his life and she is not going to stop now.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I found myself wondering just how and if a mother could save so many people and also how quickly Theo's life spiralled down. The story that emerges of their lives and also of Theo's journey takes such a dark turn, but it is not as if he has not been given warnings to stay away. What he imagined is so far from what he discovers and this makes for such an interesting transition from a successful young man to someone who is desperate and on the edge.

A brilliant story with a great slip, well laid out and kept me avidly reading. If you like crime thrillers with a twist then this is one you may like to have a look at. It is one I would happily recommend.

A unique concept which made it 'unputdownable'
The writing style was so engaging I felt like I was
'in' the book fa
Charlie boards a flight from London to LA to surprise her son, Theo who is the first captain on the flight.
All seems to be going smoothly until an hour before landing the plane is struck by turbulence.
It looks as though the plane will certainly crash leaving no survivors.
Suddenly, Charlie wakes up to find herself back an hour before, reliving the terrifying events again.
She quickly realises that she is being given the opportunity to change something and alter everyone's fate. But will she achieve it in time?
This book is perfectly written. I loved the characters and the combination of fast paced, twisty plot with family and relatable emotions.

Well this was different and now I don't want to get on a plane again!!!
My heart was in my mouth at some points.
This is my worst nightmare and it was so believable.
Well written, especially being able to carry off the time loop.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This should have been right up my street but something was just off for me and I ended up not liking it very much. The premise was exactly what I was looking for but unfortunately on this occasion the book didn’t live up to the promise.

This is the third book I have read by this author, I loved the first two but sadly this one fell a little short for me.
Think groundhog day on a plane - so be prepared for some repetition and having to suspend disbelief! But that wasn't the issue, it was just how absolutely awful and unlikeable the characters are, which made for a disappointing conclusion.
The writing is good and the tension is there - it just wasn't the one for me.

If you’ll pardon the pun, this book was a bit up and down for me. Parts of it felt unnecessary and drawn out, but others raced away and the tension was almost unbearable!
Theo is an airline pilot, caught up in gambling debt to an organised crime gang. His mother, Charlie, is on board the flight with Theo flying as the first officer, when the plane crashes. She awakes, but it is an hour earlier, the plane hasn’t yet crashed and she must figure out (repeatedly, as it turns out) what is causing the plane to crash and how she can stop it.
Told in different timelines and from different POV, this was a compelling and interesting read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for my honest review.

This book is so compulsive and addictive - I literally read the whole novel in one sitting as I just could not put it down!! It follows Charlie as she boards a plane to LA to visit her somewhat estranged son. It also follows her son Theo who is the pilot of this flight but he doesn't know his mum is on board. A few hours into the flight the plane goes into a catastrophic nosedive, which was terrifying to read, but then Charlie wakes up on the plane and it's an hour earlier. What follows is her in the present trying to figure out what on earth is going on, but also a year in the past as Theo uncovers a secret from his past and runs to LA where his life spirals out of control. I enjoyed Charlie and how she gradually works out what's going on. Theo's sections were engaging in a different way - he makes some awful decisions as he increasingly gets himself into a mess that he can't get out of. I had my suspicions about where this book was going but I was completely and utterly wrong (which I loved)!! This book was impossible to put down and I loved it!

Hugely entertaining sci-fi thriller that takes place on a plane where a mother is on board trying to make amends with her pilot son who doesn’t know she’s on board.

Something terrible happens and the plane crashes with all killed. But the mother, Charlie, wakes up back on board and thinks she just had a bad dream…until it happens again! She alone seems to be in a time loop of sorts. The first time she went back to an hour before the crash. The second time just fifty minutes before the crash. She soon realizes she only has a finite number of loops to try and figure out what’s going on before her and everyone on board are lost forever.

That’s sort of the gist of it but there’s a huge back story from her distant past and her son’s more recent past that involves the mob and all sorts of bad people.

This was a hugely entertaining and well thought out thriller. The sci-fi element was very cleverly done as well as explained, and was a great vehicle to give Charlie time to try and figure out what was going on, along with adding to the tension as the window of change got shorter and shorter.

I’ve nothing bad to say about this book. Believable flawed characters, fantastic storytelling along with a hugely impressive and well thought out plot. I can’t think of another book to even compare it to.

5 spiraly stars from me.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

harlie is onboard a flight from London to LA & her son, Theo, is the co-pilot. He doesn't know Charlie is onboard as they are currently estranged - something Charlie wants to put right. At midnight, something goes wrong & the plane drops from the sky, starts to break into pieces & everyone dies.

Suddenly Charlie wakes up & checks her watch & it's 11pm. She thinks it must have been a nightmare, but as the events it starts to happen again (& again) Charlie realises she is caught in some kind of time loop that only she is aware of, & she needs to figure out how to save everyone.

The synopsis to this looked amazing so was really happy to get an ARC. The vast majority of the book is great - tense situation, dual narrative from Charlie in the present & Theo a year ago - but then we get to the ending. It was all going so well & it was a solid 4 stars for me, but I've never been more hacked off with an ending! (see Goodreads review for spoiler explanation) If it had been a physical book I would have literally flung it out the window. It dropped the rating down to a 3 for me.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Michael Joseph/Penguin Random House, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Amazing! I really enjoyed reading this book. Such a unique concept, brilliantly executed with totally believable characters and motives. The story unfolds in the present and in the months proceeding the flight where a tortured soul is the co pilot and his mother, unbeknown to him, is a passenger. The plane flying to LA is over the Californian dessert at midnight when it encounters a problem. I’m not going to go into the plot but surface to say this book had me on the edge of my seat with my heart pounding.

The blurb for 'Spiral' piqued my interest, though I was uncertain if it would suit my taste. However, once I began reading, it quickly became apparent that I adored it. The narrative was brisk and filled with suspense, captivating me completely. I'm delighted I ventured to try something slightly out of the ordinary.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

I love a book about fractured relationships and also I love plane/ trapped space stories so this was just brilliant for me. I thought it was well written and such a good story that I would recommend it to everyone!

Charlie is on a flight from Heathrow to LA, while her son is one of the pilots. He doesn't know she is onboard and since they had a huge argument, they have barely spoken for a year. His girlfriend has got in touch to say she is worried about him, so Charlie is heading to LA, where he now lives, to try and sort things out. But when the plane goes into a nose-dive, crashes and kills everyone onboard, Charlie wakes up to find herself back on the plane an hour before the crash happens. Bad dream, or a glimpse of what is about to happen?

Told in a dual POV - Charlie in the present and her son Theo as a past insight into what he has been up to since the big fallout and move to LA, leading up to him getting onto the plane with his mum onboard.

Reminiscent of Final Destination and Groundhog Day, this was an exciting and action-packed read for the most part. My only niggle is the Theo sections weren't quite up there with the Charlie sections.

Recommended as a good, fast-paced read, maybe not for holiday if you are going by plane!

Wow. What a book. I absolutely loved this. I was hooked from the first chapter.
It’s fast paced, tense and atmospheric. I couldn’t put it down.
The story is told through two timelines and the POV’s of Charlie and Leo, adding more depth to the storyline. I loved the time loop element and unexpected twists. Keeps you guessing. The characterisation is brilliant. It’s written so descriptively you can feel all the emotions. Just brilliant, gripping and entertaining.
Overall, an engaging, thought provoking read. A real page turner. Definitely recommend.
I look forward to reading more from @authorcamward
With thanks to #NetGallery #MichaelJoseph #PenguinRandomHouse for an arc of #Spiral in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 1 August 2024.

I have never met a book with plane on the cover that I didn't enjoy and this one is probably the best I have read.

I was sold by the cover and the synopsis and hooked from the first chapter. This is an excellent read. Thrilling, tense, brilliantly paced and so entertaining. I loved the time loop element which really elevated this book from a standard thriller type read and it was so well executed. This book surprised me many times and kept me reading late into the night. Add it to your summer reading lists but maybe avoid reading before a flight.

A perfect summer high octave read.

An original idea with a plot that certainly keeps you engaged and guessing. Quite deep characters to keep you wondering where the plot is going.. The power of a. mother,’s love will overcome all obstacles, even time..
A very interesting read.

Spiral is a fabulous read .Told through two timelines and two characters Charlie and Leo .Fast paced and well written this is real edge of your seat reading !! Ground hog day all over again .Thought provoking that one persons decision can have such catastrophic consequences on so many.An excellent and surprising ending .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC

Hi if you'd like a quote please have, 'such a fun, zippy, sharp little read; I really enjoyed it'. Best, Jenny.

I LOVE Cameron Ward books, this is the third I've read and they're just tremendous thrillers.

Charlie is on a plane from Heathrow to LA, her son is the first officer but he doesn't know she's on board - they had a massive fight a year prior and, since his ex-gf has told her how far he's fallen, she's on her way to LA to try and mend their relationship. She's had a doze on the flight and wakes at 1101, at 1200 the plane dives and crashes, killing all on board....but then Charlie awakens....at 1101...was it a bad dream or is she being allowed the chance to save everyone on the plane?

Meanwhile, the other pov is from Charlie's son Theo 12 months previous, when he takes a transfer to LA. It details what he's hoping for and how his life is spiralling into devastation. As the book continues his timeline gets closer and closer to his mum's until they are both on the plane.

It's exciting, nail-biting by the final section when everything is current time. I'm taking one star off because Theo's sections are a bit of a slog at points, he really is somewhat dislikeable at times. The ending? *Chefs kiss*

Review also posted to Goodreads but unable to link account.