Mark seems to be perfect boyfriend material, charming, attentive, good looking and wealthy with his own business, But you would'nt want to take him home to your parents. Mark harbours a dark secret.
Mark has a dark side , one that the police know all about however time and time again Mark is able to walk away without a blemish on his character.
After walking from court yet again a free man who or what can stop him from committing the same crime again.
This book is wonderfully written with a great storyline and you will be gripped from cover to cover.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Boyfriend is everything I wish other books with its title in this genre may be, and while it seems on the surface like it may be a cookie cutter thriller, it definitely isn’t.

The characters are incredibly well written if a bit extreme in their roles, from career cop Ray Lewis to Mark Shady, the villain you’ll love to hate. When Shady once again acts despicably with his latest girlfriend she goes to court - only to see him walk free. What follows is vigilante justice and Shady fully embracing his dark side. What makes the book shine, however, is its representation of trauma and the tense build up to whether Shady will ever see justice and whether Ray Lewis will be able to bring it to him. I feel like this book could have been longer to really take advantage of the sequence of events that occur after Shady’s ‘awakening’ but I enjoyed the book even without the extra pages.

That was an amazing thriller. it grips me from the start and i couldn't put it down.

Thanks netgalley for this ARC

Oh wow! A book once started I didn't want to put down. DS Ray Lewis is disappointed. Mark Shady accused of rape has got off scott free, not for the first time. He has a reputation of wining and dining and impressing women and getting them under his control to do whatever he wants. Anna is the latest victim and is dreadfully upset. Lewis goes to see her and finds out more than was revealed in court. He later finds out that the daughter of his friend, also in the police, is currently dating Shady. Lewis would like to put Shady in his place but knows he can't. He's an old school dependable copper not in the best of health and not doing much about it despite his DI Laura doing her best to tell him. Will Shady ever be brought to justice?

OMG. I was hooked and gripped and every other adjective. This is superbly written and takes the reader right into the heart of the story. I really liked Ray, the sort of chap you want on your side and could picture him well- excellent descriptions (reminded me of Sgt Wolfe on “Call the Midwife” ). It's a gritty read, with lots of suspense and twists. One of the best from John. A stunning thrilling read.


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What a great boyfriend.
Not.
Time for someone to teach him a lesson.
What a worthless man.
Great book. First chapter infuriated me to no end. That man. Ugh. Five star read.

The Boyfriend by John Nicholl is part chilling psychological thriller and part cautionary tale, and it will pray upon all of your darkest fears.

Mark appears to have it all and has no trouble attracting the attentions of the opposite sex. In short, he is the perfect boyfriend. That is, until he isn't. Mark has a terrible secret, and it is up to DS Ray Lewis to put him away before another woman falls under his truly evil spell.

This was an unsettling read that really gives you pause as you consider just how safe you ever really are from a potentially dangerous person. I loved the flawed DS Lewis and would be happy to see him reappear in a future novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Mark Shady, a local businessman is not what he seems on the surface. He has escaped jail for several rapes, being found not guilty by the jury.
He has terrible fantasies which he intends to carry out as soon as possible.

A chilling, spine tingling book that won't easily be forgotten. Evil exists, and sadly, the only retribution might be the one you carry out yourself.

Emotional, dark and horrifying, you won't be able to put this book down until after you have read the final page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Boyfriend by John Nicholl due to be published April 4, 2025.
When Anna first meets Mark, she thinks he’s the perfect boyfriend. Wealthy and charming, he showers her with gifts, compliments, everything she has ever desired. But Mark has another side to him – one that is evil. Nowhere is safe for Anna because Mark will do anything to find her and hurt her and all his other girlfriends.
Oh, how I hated Mark, but what a great thriller this was! It had me hooked from the beginning, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened and if Mark got what he deserved. This was my first by this author – I will definitely look for more of his books!
#NetGalley #JohnNicholl #BoldwoodBooks #TheBoyfriend

When Anna first meets Mark, she thinks he’s the perfect boyfriend. Wealthy and charming, he showers her with gifts, compliments, everything she has ever desired. But Mark is less a prince than a man with a dangerous secret, and as their love life becomes ever darker, Anna flees him. There is nowhere safe from him, though. Not for Anna. Nor for the girlfriends who follow her. Because this is a boyfriend who would kill to make sure he can continue to kiss sleeping princesses…. Wow wow wow!! What a boyfriend?! Geez definitely a chilling thriller! A bit creepy but a fabulous read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! It had great suspense, gaslighting, gruesome murders, mystery, necrophilia, And some wild twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Really loved this book, a very interesting read. The storyline was well constructed with adequate descriptions to understand the mentality of the perpetrator, without going into the explicit details. I was hooked from the first few pages and devoured it in almost couple of sittings. I loved the characters, and there is certainly scope for future encounters.

This book was dark and disturbing! Ideally it should have trigger warnings at the start given some of the subject matter.

It was only an ok read

If you like Kiersten Modglin, Daniel Hurst and Frieda McFaddeb style books BUT a more serious and darker version then this is it. Expertly written but rather unsettling. Check your triggers before embarking on this book and if all is okay then I would recommend. Thanks for early access!

This book is not for the faint hearted. I have to give multiple Trigger Warnings for any reader.

A malicious and narcissistic man leaves a trail of ex girlfriends in his path, ready for revenge. A detective near retirement vows to have him go down for his crimes before his time at the force ends. It’s a battle of wits and keeping one step ahead of the other in a twisty dark thriller.

Unfortunately, this was a little too dark and realistic for me but it is definitely a well written thriller.

Thank you Boldwood Books, John Nicholl and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions here are my own.

Mystery thriller readers, listen up! I just finished an amazing book that is out soon! The Boyfriend by John Nicholl was great!

Another dark and twisty read from this author who never lets me down with his books of which I have read them all

The storyline was excellent with great characters and I was involved in the storyline from the beginning until the end. It was a brilliant ending and I hope we will read more from Lewis in future books

Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and the author for this great ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

The Boyfriend by John Nicholl is a dark and gripping psychological thriller that is both hard to put down and deeply unsettling. From the very first page, Nicholl pulls the reader into a chilling and emotionally intense narrative that explores the depths of manipulation, control, and violence.

The story follows a young woman who falls for what seems like the perfect man—only to find herself trapped in a nightmare. As the tension builds, the book delves into disturbing themes, including psychological abuse and sexual violence (trigger warning: rape), making it a difficult but powerful read. Nicholl masterfully portrays the terrifying reality of coercive control, making the story feel hauntingly real.

Despite the heavy subject matter, the fast-paced writing and compelling characters make The Boyfriend a thriller that keeps you turning the pages. However, readers should be aware of its intense and unsettling content. If you’re a fan of dark psychological thrillers and can handle the difficult themes, this book is a gripping, well-crafted read.

I was hooked the second I started reading this! I love domestic thrillers, especially ones about dodgy boyfriends but this one felt like it telling the story from a different angle. You are told how horrific this man is from the start so ots not the usual, is he/ isn't he which I quite enjoyed. It felt more like a quest for justice and revenge rather than "is my bf evil" whoch is what I was anticipating. Its well written and very easily to lose hrs of time lost in the story. Its got well written characters that have depth and personality. An all round solid thriller!

Just finished in two giant sittings!
Love this author.
A real dark psychological thriller, gripping storyline and brilliantly written characters good, bad and ugly.
Mark Shady OMG!!
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
Big five stars from me.

Anna loves her relationship with her boyfriend, Mark. He’s tall and handsome … but Mark has extremely dangerous secrets and Anna manages to flee from him when the truth comes out.

DS Ray Lewis wants Mark in prison, but somehow, Mark gets away with his behaviour, making him seem invincible.

DI Laura Kesey is Ray’s boss as well as his friend, they work well together. Kesey wants evidence to get Mark off the streets, fearing his behaviour is going to get steadily worse.

What a dark psychological thriller this story is. It wasn’t an easy book to read but I found myself being pulled back into the story.

I liked Ray’s character, he might have been nearing retirement, as well as being a cynical man, but he cared about people.

My heart went out to Anna and the other women in the story. Anna’s bravery and strength showed through the writing.

This is a chilling and tragic tale about secrets, grooming, and revenge.

Be prepared to sit up until the early hours reading this book as once you’re in its clutches, you’re going nowhere until you’ve finished it.

My thanks to the author and Boldwood Books for a copy in exchange for my honest review.