Truth be told, I really wanted to like this book, but I just honestly wanted to stop reading it. The 1st part was placed in 1941, which basically tells what made ashcroft into the horrific serial killer. I think there was so much potential but just executed poorly. There was a ton, and I mean a ton of information that it just got overwhelming. It also switched character points of view after 2 sentences, which made it very hard to follow. I think also the point of it being about a serial killer who only targets women with red hair, and that's it was just weird. The 2nd part is placed in 2019 following the granddaughter. It felt very rushed and not a ton of detail of the killer in the 2nd half. All in all, I feel like the bones were there to make a great thriller.

Thank you severn house publishing and Hilary Norman and Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

3.5 ⭐️
I had really high hopes for this book and overall it was a decent read. I just had a hard time with the serial killer killing women for their hair???? it was just such an odd thing. I enjoyed the overall premise of the book I just feel some of the minor details could have been executed better.

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
Unfortunately this book was not for me. It's set in 2 time lines, the War and 2019. The time set during the War started ok, but it soon became too drawn out and the same with the 22nd part. I found myself skipping ahead many times, then I gave up. Sorry!

This thriller set in two different times was sounding really good. I’m sad to say that I didn’t like it that much. There were too many characters and the first half was pretty predictable. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love books with dual timelines and for the first half of this book, the writing was suspenseful and addictive. However, the second half lost all the suspense and compelling elements. It felt like the author got bored with what she was writing and let it all just fall apart. It's disappointing as the book showed a lot of promise at first.

This was not a successful read for me. The first half was really good - suspenseful, a little creepy, and kept me interested. Once the story fast-forwarded to 2019, the story began to feel rushed and the plot just sort of thrown together. Not a favorite….

Two mysteries merge into one with mixed results in Prey, Hilary Norman’s gothic mystery.

In the first part of the book, the reader is introduced to Harriet Yorke. Harriet is an artist living in London during the Blitz in 1941. However, she soon finds herself in additional danger when she becomes the target of a serial killer.

This section starts strong; the background on what led to the serial killer’s origin adds depth to the character, and the plot is intriguing. The writer does a good job of building tension throughout this section, and when the reader is transported to 2019, it is clear the past will come up again.

Unfortunately, things fall apart in the second part. The second half feels like a less well-done version of the first half, and I felt like I was waiting to see how everything connected without being fully invested. The other part that lets it down is the second villain’s story is not explored like in the first part; while this is done to build suspense, it makes it less compelling.

Overall, this was a good gothic mystery and would be an enjoyable read for a rainy day. I only wish the author had spent time only focusing on the first half or written it with flashbacks, as the 2019 setting lets the rest of it down.

I do not feel that I was the target audience for this book. It was somewhat difficult to keep up with the dual timeline to really understand this book. The cover and title really spoke to me, however, the plot confused me.

A short Gothic novel that serves up the usual tropes. I liked the idea and can see it making a good movie. Thanks for the chance to review.

Prey is a gripping thriller that fans of Riley Sager should enjoy. I enjoyed the story in which London is plagued by a serial killer. This book was a good read.

For such a short book, this should have been a quick read for me. Unfortunately, I gave up after about 25%. It's difficult to pin-point what didn't work for me besides the fact that I just don't think this author's writing is for me.