I had previously read “True Crime Story” by Knox and really enjoyed it and I was intrigued by the premise of this one so I was very pleased when I was approved for the eArc.

The story is told in first person narrative from Lynch’s point of view, which always helps me feel fully immersed in the story. However, bearing in mind Lynch is a con-man, this also adds a layer of slight complication in that everything we know about what is happening is told to us by an unreliable narrator. Lynch is also clearly trying to escape a situation that occurred in Paris and there are hints as to what this might be throughout most of the book. I did like Lynch but his almost obsession with Heydon felt a bit odd to me. He went from not knowing anything about him to getting completely sucked into the conspiracy around his disappearance pretty easily for someone who go has previously spent their time conning people.

Generally, I enjoy Knox’s writing. He weaves his stories well with twists and turns along the way. There is a lot going on here and at times it felt like there was maybe too much going on. Some of the plot points didn’t really seem to add much but rather took away from the story a little.

I enjoyed the topical elements of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Queen’s death being used to root the story in reality.

I must say I did read quite a lot of this whilst I was sick so I’d be keen to read it again when I’m firing on all cylinders as my brain definitely wasn’t functioning at max capacity for some of it.

Overall, it was an enjoyable, if unbelievable at times, story.

Joseph Knox has been high on my favourite author list for quite a while now and Imposter Syndrome only serves to cement his place.

As a low-life con artist, Lynch - if that is who he is - doesn't deserve our sympathy. His problems are pretty much of his own making and he's certainly no angel. Yet, Knox can make him interesting enough for us to care what happens to him when he gets mixed up with a seriously dysfunctional family hovering on the edge of the underworld.

Original without being outlandish, twisty with credible revelations and misunderstandings, I loved Imposter Syndrome. Naturally, as a Knox fan, I'd been relishing the moment I got my hands on this book. However, expectations are often met with disappointment - but happily not here, I'm pleased to report. The writing is as tight as ever, the dialogue flowing and easy to follow, the plot urgent and dark.

All I need to know now is whether we'll see more of Lynch. He's a bad lad, but I'm getting to kinda like him...

Joseph Knox’s "Imposter Syndrome" is a gripping and intense psychological thriller that masterfully explores themes of deception, identity, and the often-blurred line between truth and fiction. The plot is complex and well-constructed, with numerous twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. Knox skillfully weaves together various subplots, creating a tapestry of suspense that unfolds beautifully as the story progresses. Beyond the surface-level thriller, "Imposter Syndrome" delves into profound themes of self-doubt, the search for identity, and the fear of being exposed as a fraud. These elements resonate deeply, adding psychological depth to the novel. It is a standout thriller that combines a compelling protagonist, a richly atmospheric setting, and a plot filled with enough twists and turns to keep any reader engaged. Despite a few pacing issues, the novel’s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.

There is no doubt that this author is a skilled and gifted one. His previous books are dynamic and taut, very readable indeed.
This is as good as those, with a plot that jumps around like a mosquito feeding, you are required to pay attention though to the very manufactured and tight plot throughout.
Perhaps deliberately, none of the central characters are endearing or likeable, you are more holding onto the frame of the plot as it races on.
Very accomplished writing and I am grateful to the publisher for allowing me to read this.

Lynch bumps into Bobbie who mistakes him as her missing brother, Heydon. Drawn to Bobbie’s story and their luxury home, he finds himself in conversation with Bobbie’s mother who proposes that he takes on Heydon’s identity to try and work out what happened. Soon dark forces are at work.

I was drawn to this book and the storyline as it looked interesting and original. As soon as I started reading I knew I was in for a good read and was drawn into the story. This was very well written and I enjoyed the character of Lynch. Although I enjoyed the beginning of this book and the general plot, my interest started to wane as the story progressed. The storyline takes a lot of concentration as it is complex and I found myself lost occasionally. There are also quite a few characters to try and get your head around, however I still think this is definitely worth a read and is a clever, twisty thriller. 3.5 stars rounded down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Imposter Syndrome is a clever take on the modern world told with plenty of humour. It also contains a riveting story, full of edge of your seat suspense.

Mr. Lynch is a con artist who has left Paris with very little beyond the clothes on his back, an Oyster card, and his passport. He is thrust into a world of dealings and murder after a chance meeting in an airport hotel where he is mistaken for a women's missing brother.

I picked-up this book after having an absolutely incredible time with True Crime Story when it released a few years back; it was the first time I had seen a story quite like it and what hoping for a repeat of that magic. Whilst Imposter Syndrome is a very different story to True Crime Story both in the plotline and in the format, it is a story which maintains Knox's intelligent way of keeping the reader on their toes from start to finish. Like all good books in this genre, I had theories about what had really been going-on as I made my way through the book but this book keeps its cards very close to its chest and I probably did guess the conclusion at some point but I was so cleverly directed by a multitude of red herrings that I literally had no idea where the story was going to go until the final page and even, to an extent, beyond that point!

I really enjoyed how layered this story was as well as somehow not realising that we had no real clue who Lynch was.

Lynch is a con artist who is roped into pretending to be a distraught woman’s (Bobbie) missing brother. As the tale unfurls, we learn that Heydon was a paranoid character who has been missing for 5 years. His back story tells us that Lynch has fled from Paris and the love of his life Clare. He arrives via Eurostar where things don’t quite go smoothly due to a chance encounter with Bobbie. In typical Knox fashion, nothing seems to make sense . Any sane person would walk away from the scenario but Lynch delves deeper and deeper learning all the family secrets. Expect lots of shady characters and convoluted plots as Lynch’s impersonation of Heydon spirals with deaths piling up around him. Intriguing and original.

Joseph Knoz's latest is a cracking thriller you do not want to miss, is it perfect? No, but even so, it is beautifully written, fast paced, and revolves around the enigmatic Lynch, who we do know is a con man, a man who has hastily left Paris, got on the train to London, dressed in his cheap suit, with no luggage, no money, and only his phone. On arrival, he makes his way to Heathrow, which is where he bumps into Bobbie, from a extremely wealthy family, on her way to Califonia for rehab. She is surprised at how much he appears to be the double of her brother, Heydon, a troubled man who disappeared 5 years ago. She gives him instructions on how to get into her parents exclusive London home, and is gone in the morning, after tattooing him, without his knowledge, during the night.

Lynch is a man currently without a definitive purpose, and he is intrigued as he makes his way to the Pierce home, where he encounters the famous and formidable former actress, Miranda. She wants to wants to utilise his close resemblance to Heydon, by hiring him to play him to find out what happened to him. On the surface, it is Lynch who we should be suspicious of, but as the story progresses, it is hard not to root for him as it soon becomes clear nobody is as they appear to be. Lynch begins to feel he is being followed everywhere, as the deeper he delves, the more complex, deadly, and darker matters become. There are murders, shadowy corporations, and more, not all in the family are keen for him to investigate. However, despite his life being in peril, Lynch will not give up.

This is a well plotted story that the talented Knox spins, the characterisation of Lynch is terrific, and it is only near the conclusion we discover what he ran away from in Paris. There are more twists and turns than you could possibly imagine, and whilst perhaps the tying up of the threads is a trifle flawed, overall I loved this. I can see this doing really well on publication and I can definitely recommend this to all fans of the crime, mystery and thriller genre! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
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2.5 stars
Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this one. I thought it might get better but I really struggled to get through it. I'm not sure what it was about the book but there was a lot of descriptive parts and overly detailed in many places which made my mind wander.
Good writing and an interesting premise but not for me, I'm afraid.

Joseph Knox is one of those authors whose books I've been meaning to read for a long time. I have only ever heard great things about them, so when Imposter Syndrome was offered on NetGalley I jumped at the opportunity to read it.

I realised early on that suspension of believe was going to be in order, but that was okay, I can do that for a really good story. Unfortunately, what I went on to read was convoluted, confusing and I'm still not really sure I understand what happened. I feel like the author was trying too hard to be too intelligent when a little streamlining and simplification was in order.

I did enjoy the complex characters, and the dark and gritty storyline in general, but overall this isn't really a book I can recommend. Having said that, from reading other reviews, Knox's other books are generally considered to be better than this one, so I will still go back and read some others.

Well if you want a psychological thriller that will make you think then this is it. I loved the grittiness of it, the characters was ok, the book as a whole fab!

A psychological thriller about psychological attacks.
This end up as a very convoluted tale of manipulations and jrevenge, though its not clear who by. It is finally resolved but right up until the end the author keeps the readers guessing not knowing the why and the who.
The action unfolds through descriptions by the lead character, an unsavoury person to say the least and an out and out chancer to say the least. He stumbles upon a mystery and is persuaded to get involved.. Chaos follows with some unexplained killings.
I think the readers will, like I was, be wondering just who is on whose side, not having enough clues to which way the story is going to develop, but develop it does, with all being explained at the end. This is well worth a read, so stick with it.

I've heard loads of hype about this author's books so thought I'd give this one a go. I liked the gritty undertones and intriguing characters but I found it confusing to keep up in part. I had to concentrate a bit too much which felt like hard work. It wouldn't stop me from reading more of this author's work. Thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

A fast paced thriller which I overall did enjoy. Very suspenseful to keep you guessing. Characterisation was very good too. I just wish there was more of Bobbie

This was a great fast paced read, a twisty turny story that will keep you on your toes.

We meet Lynch a con man who may have lost his nerve and Bobbie who thinks he looks like her brother who hasn’t been seen for five years.

Bobbie has a suggestion that Lynch is intrigued by!

This one is difficult to review. Mostly because I don’t think I had a clue what was going on.
The plot line became irrationally complicated, to the point where I was utterly confounded.
I’m more than willing to put reality aside for a book if it is clever and engaging.
However, this was just mind-boggling.
I’m sorry, I liked the premise of this book and really hoped for something that tickled my brain cells.
But I just felt a bit lost.

I have seen nothing but absolute praise for this book and was so excited to be part of the book tour. It's my first Joseph Knox book, but we can be certain that it won't be my last.

I'd got to the third chapter and knew already that it was going to be something special.

I've read loads of thrillers and it's probably my most read genre, but I always worry that it's going to get stale, because how can there possibly be so many story ides within the genre? But this was new again. I've not read anything like it.

There were a few moments, particularly at the beginning when they're introducing characters, discussing what has already happened etc. where I got a little confused as it was a lot of information in a short space of time. It's not for long, and I soon got to grips with it, but at first I did have to re-read a couple of areas to fully bring myself up to speed.

It is quite involved. Many people, and many crimes, which means it's a little heavy, which took some getting used to, I admit. Was there maybe too much? The jury is out on that one. I never felt overwhelmed by it, but I can understand some people doing so. I personally felt Joseph had stopped just the right side of too much.

It isn't a 100mph all-guns-blazing kind of thriller (which isn't a complaint). Yes there's thrills and spills - subterfuge, missing people, impersonation, murder, drug abuse etc. etc - but it gives it to you in a slower way. We get to know Lynch very well and we see the story pan out through him, and not many really fast things in fiction happen in real time. For me, it meant you could focus more on the subtle things, how Lynch acts etc. It creeps up on you, like someone's watching you but they're always just out of reach. I suppose what I mean is, there's a whole lot of talking and not a lot of doing (again, not a negative, at least for me).

It is written in the first person which I'm not used to reading, but it really works here. It helps us with this real-time feeling I mentioned above. By having it all as "I", then we are discovering things as Lynch does, we find things out, who we like and dislike, who we trust and distrust, as he does. If it was in the third person then I think it would have feel a bit distanced, and I think you need that connection in order to feel any sort of compassion with the protagonist.

I admit, I'm not sure of my opinions on the ending. I mean, it was satisfying in one way, but for me, I felt I had too many unanswered questions. Some people may enjoy that but...it's hard to explain. You get some authors who deliberately don't wrap things up and allow the reader to decide the ending. This isn't that. This does have a conclusion, but I wasn't able to fully grasp it in a way that I could explain to others how it ended...if that makes sense.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I read it in less than a day. It was thrilling, interesting, unique, engaging, curious; not what I was expecting but no less of a great read for that. It's definitely given me the taste for Joseph's other books.

Imposter Syndrome is a book that seems determined to thwart. From the outset it was apparent that we would get no easy answers, but so many questions were left unanswered and I found myself frustrated by some of the plot elements.
The main story focuses on a young man who bears an uncanny resemblance to one Heydon Pierce, a young man who went missing years ago and was presumed dead. Our main character has just arrived in the country from Paris and he bumps into Hayden’s sister Bobbie. Bobbie is amused by the resemblance and suggests he should pretend to be her brother.
For reasons that we never really get to understand our con man Lynch goes along with this idea. He gets into the Pierce family home, but when he is confronted by security he comes clean and then things get weird.
Hayden’s mother asks him to continue the charade a little longer, so they can get answers about what really happened to her son.
While Lynch stumbles through increasingly dangerous situations he learns more about the troubles faced by Hayden. He also uncovers rather unpalatable truths about Hayden’s family…and finds himself having to up his game in order to survive.
Unfortunately, by the time Lynch starts to get answers I felt every one of the privileged characters he encounters deserves what happens to them. The fact that we never got to the bottom of his situation was inherently frustrating - I had no reason to care for him or what happened to him.

Really enjoyed this one! Imposter syndrome weavs a brilliant plot with some clever characters. Fast paced and intriguing book. Highly recommended.