Wow, From the very start this intense thriller plunges you into a whirlwind of suspense and intrigue that doesn't let up until the final twist..

Seven strangers wake up in a locked mansion with no idea how they got there. They share one connection: they all had a connection to a terrible crime committed four years ago. Suddenly, a voice announces they've been poisoned and have less than 12 hours to live. The only way to get the antidote is for one of them to admit to being the killer. The catch? They all say they’re innocent.

The story does a great job of building suspense. As the characters' backgrounds are revealed, you get sucked into the mystery of who the killer might be. The mansion's setting makes everything more intense, keeping you hooked as time runs out.

There are lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing. With the pressure on, the characters start to show their true colours. You'll be constantly changing your mind about who you think did it. The author does a fantastic job of exploring themes of guilt and survival, making it hard to figure out who’s really innocent.

Overall, this book is a real page-turner. It keeps you on edge and makes you question everything. Perfect for anyone who loves a good, suspenseful mystery.

Really great read. Very clever storyline set in real time and four year’s previous. It is about a crime that was committed four years ago and the suspects are gathered together and only have the day to live. The interactions between everyone, both four years ago and the present throw up so many loose ends, the reader has little or no chance of working out the protagonists and their motivations. Brilliant result in the end. Well worth a read.

I was looking forward to reading this book but unfortunately it did not quite live up to expectations Good plot twists but me nit liking the characters of any one did not help my enjoyment.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A small group of people wake up locked up in a mansion; they are all connected to a multi-murder and they are told by a voice coming from a speaker that they've all been poisoned: if the one responsible for the massacre confesses they'll get the antidote and the killer will be granted a quick and painless death.

I am fairly new to the genre and this is the first book by Simon Kerning that I read. It is quite fast paced and at every chapter you feel the need to turn the page.
The story is expertly told through two timelines – one that follows the group in the present and one that follows the investigation – and multi PoV.
I must say that although I was always completely engaged by the present TL, it wasn't the same for the past one: it took longer to find its pace and sometimes it seemed to repeat information already given to the reader. Regardless, everything that is told to you perfectly serves either to provide tips or to throw the reader completely out of tracks.

The characters are all quite unlikable, this is something clearly intended and it helps to keep the reader on their toes. A couple of them fell a little flat for me and maybe I would have like them to have a bigger part in the present timeline to get some more characterisation – this might be due to me not being fully accustomed with the genre though.

This is a story that keeps you theorising until the very end which is great. I must admit I couldn't predict the showdown and the later details.
Although the last revelation didn't convince me 100% I must say it was quite a twist and overall I really enjoyed the book.

This was a really good read. Kept you guessing right till the end of who was the killers . Really good keeps you gripped well worth a read .

Attention grabbing from the blurb and from start to finish. great plot, tense, gruesome and utterly awful people. A great whodunit!

Trapped in a house with other people, all suspects of murders that happened years ago, all slowly being killed by poison you have been injected unless someone confess.

One or two people is responsible, and they must confess today otherwise they will all day. But who is it? Everyone has a motive and the person who kidnapped them won’t say much.

What a ride! Such an intense read all the way through. Great book!

You definitely have to read fast as you can’t wait to see what happens next to the seven people who have been poisoned and only have 24 hours to live they need to find out who carried out the killings 4 years previously.

It goes back in time so you get the gist of what happened all those years ago definitely recommend if you like fast thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Books for an ARC

A group of people are drugged and held together in a mansion, all that connects them is a murder that happened four years ago, they are told they are poisoned and will die unless the person who did the murder admits it and kills themselves then the rest gets the antidote.
A good storyline with a good ending but none of characters where likeable for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review

I've read several of Simon Kernick's books and he's one of those authors you can rely on for a good read. This one is a whodunnit that keeps you guessing. However, the story breaks a rule that I was taught at school but I can't say what that rule is without spoiling the plot. Overall, it's an entertaining read but I was disappointed with the ending. It won't put me off reading more from Mr Kernick.

I must admit I found all the characters in this book extremely unlikeable. I didn’t have any sympathy with any of them.
However, I do like Simon Kernick and the storyline was good, so I think it is worth 4 stars.

A dreadful crime was committed 4 years in the past, people were murdered, but the killer(s) were never found.
Now, seven people who are connected in various ways to that crime have been drugged, and taken to a remote mansion, every door and window locked. When they all awaken, they are told by a faceless voice that they have all been injected with a deadly poison which will kill them in twelve hours, but if one of them admits to the murders four years ago, there is an antidote available to save them. The problem is....every one of them claims to be innocent!
I had not read any books by this author before, but I shall now look for them. I really enjoyed the fast pace of the story and the twists and turns of the plot. I must have suspected each character in turn, and the ending still surprised me. Highly recommended.

Simon Kernick's books are all so different but all have fantastic plots and characters leaving you totally engrossed in what's going on!

This is the first book that’s had me searching for the right words to post a review.
And honestly, I can’t think of anything original.
This is a great book. Really well written if at times very slightly over-explained.
The story keeps moving, keeps you interested and throws little nuggets of intrigue throughout.
It’s got a couple of really nice twists so you don’t end up guessing the plot exactly even when you think you’ve got it.
First time I’ve read this author but I have to say I’m absolutely impressed and will definitely read more.
I really don’t often give 5 stars but this one deserves it.

I can’t say anymore except I highly recommend giving it a go.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I was looking forward to reading this book, so I was really disappointed that I didn't like it. The characters were not likable, and I didn't care about them. The writing was a bit clunky , ,and it was not a good read for me, sorry to say.

I really enjoyed this book. 7 people wake up in a deserted house .None of them can remember how they got there and they can't leave as the doors are all locked. The only thing that links them is that they all have some connection to the victims of the so called Black Lake massacre when 4 people were brutally murdered. A man had been found guilty at the time but has recently been freed on appeal. Then a voice comes through a speaker, telling them that they have all been injected with a poison and unless someone admits to the killings they will all die. The story is alternated between this scenario and what happened at the Black Lake. This is a real roller coaster of a story that will keep you guessing to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Another thrilling read from Simon kernick. The intrigue starts immediately and ramps up throughout as you try to solve 2 mysteries - the original murders and the current situation that our characters find themselves in.

Great read. Bit different from your usual ‘ all locked in a house and being murdered one by one’ stories.
This concerns a multiple murder some years before and several people involved in the tragedy at the time finding themselves locked in a house together and told they have all been given slow release poison, If the original killer admits their crime the others will be given the antidote. If not, they will all die a painful death. Cue the shenanigans!
Recommended.

Picture the scene; seven people wake up in a remote mansion, with no idea how they got there. A disembodied voice tells them they have been gathered there because of their connection to the murder of three people, four years previously. One or more of them is guilty, and the voice wants them to confess in order avoid consequences.
What follows is a fast paced, white knuckle ride of a thriller. The story unfolds along two timelines, now and four years previously.
None of the characters are particularly likeable, though some are more odious than others. Some of them have a secret from their past they would like to keep hidden, and each of them has a possible motive for the murders.
The story is crafted so well that when the final reveal came it stopped me in my tracks. I was so sure I had it right! Hats off to you Mr. Kernick, I didn't see that one coming.
Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

All I can say is wow. What a devilishly delicious wickedly good whodunnit.

Colton wakes up in a house with others who have links to an unsolved murder. They are given a deadline for the killer to confess. If someone doesn’t confess they will all die.

This is so well written. Every line of it is perfection.

Thank you Net Galley for this 5 star read