A crime thriller that literally grips you immediately from the start. Written using short, snappy paragraphs that helps the pace of the story. The first time I have read anything from this author and I am happy to report I really enjoyed it.
The attack in the high class restaurant frequented by Hollywood's rich was unique and thrilling. All the characters were interesting from the stars, the media and right down to the FBI and the restaurant owner.
The story flowed so well I read it in one day.thanks to Netgalley for the book.

At an Hollywood elite upscale restaurant a masked gunman walks in taking everyone hostage. As bodies begin to pile up the gunman makes a game of who will live and who will die. Who is he and what does he want? Will anyone make it out of the restaurant alive?
The Killing Game by J.S.Carol is a fast paced heart-pounding tension filled tightly packed thriller. Lots of twists and turns in this twist ride. Highly recommended for all intense thriller lovers !

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review. Unfortunately I am unable to give you a proper review. I apologize for the inconvenience. I am just no longer interested to read this book. I appreciate the approval.

I have found a new author and I am very excited about it, James Carol you really know how to write a great yarn. If you are about to start this book then hang on as you are in for one hell of a ride. This story starts with a bang and continues to do so over the duration of the book in which the story is told in a four hour period. Adrenaline will be pumping as you put yourself in these characters shoes. A group of celebrities are dining out at a top restaurant, they are rich, good looking and to many have the world at their feet. Enter a crazed gunman who takes them all hostage. This is a terrifying and gripping story delivered with heart pounding moments that will keep going until the end. Loved it!

This book started out great and I thought it was going to be a real page turner. However half way through the story it seemed to drag a bit for me and I found myself just skimming through it .

A great thriller, well written and held my attention
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review

I have only discovered James Carol recently and really enjoyed his Jefferson Winter books, and this book which is a stand alone, was as equally enjoyable. The tension was really ramped up in this book and kept me second guessing throughout. Highly recommended.

As Jody Johnson (her friends called her JJ) made her way to the luncheon she’d booked in Alfie’s, her favourite restaurant in Hollywood, she thought about what was ahead. Her lunch companion was an arrogant, egotistical man, but it wasn’t him she was going to observe. And once she was seated on the upper level she could see Alex and Simone seated down below her; things were going to plan.

But in a matter of seconds, everything changed. The masked gunman was wearing a vest and carrying a submachine gun – was he a suicide bomber? Was he a terrorist? JJ was terrified, and the same look of terror was on the faces of everyone around her. And so the siege began…

As the bomber began his sadistic games, the world outside watched and waited. And right there in Alfie’s parking lot were the SWAT teams, FBI, local law enforcement agencies – and the media. The throng of helicopters with the eye in the sky and the cameras on the ground kept the public informed. But for those inside, their world had shrunk to the small room they were being held hostage in and the crazy psychopath who was in control of what happened to them all. It was just a roll of the dice…

The Killing Game by J.S. Carol is an edge of the seat psychological thriller with an incredible amount of twists and turns overshadowed by horror and gruesome nightmares the characters wished they could wake up from. Gripping and intense, The Killing Game is one I have no hesitation in recommending.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy to read and review.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to have read this book. This book was a great read, and made me nervous to go into a restaurant this weekend.... you never know who is sitting at the table next to you, or who walks in next...... Great read, and recommended!

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

The Killing Game is an edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting, heart-pumping thrill ride!

A masked, gunman walks into Alfie's, a quiet restaurant where only the top Hollywood elites dine. He has a bomb strapped to his chest and takes 25 people hostages. The next 3 hours is so intense, you don't want to put the book down.

It was a great plot with lots of interesting characters. Also had lots of twists and turns. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and J.S. Carol for an advanced copy of "The Killing Game" in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, Wow, Wow what a brilliant, tense thriller and why did I wait so long to read it? I had had this book on my shelf for a couple of months and for some reason I kept passing it by when looking for a new book to read. I can't say it was delayed gratification because if I'd known what a great experience this book was, I would have devoured it the moment I got it. The premise of the book is unusual as the story is never told from the authorities' side of the coin but from the hostages and the media. The characters are well drawn and the tension is palpable. I'm off to buy some more from this very talented author.

When a suicide bomber enters a top LA restaurant and holds some of Hollywood’s top names hostage J.J., a highly sort after PR expert, realises this is one situation she can’t control.

Carol shows us the low side of humanity with people betting on which hostage will be killed. There is also a large focus on the media using underhanded tactics to get a story and the heartless way they think of the scoop more than a person’s life.

Overall the writing is impeccable however the attempts at backstory kept pulling me away from the current action, disrupting the flow of the story.

This book has many, many rave reviews so I am definitely in the minority here but I need more than cold-blooded murder. I need connection, empathy for the victims, for the killer. The sad story came but it was too late, I just didn’t care enough.

This was one hell of an intense ride! The Killing Game is not just another fast-paced, action packed and intriguing thriller full of surprises. Sure, it has all those elements and more, but what is more important than that is the originality of the plot. After one too many crime thriller (don't get me wrong; I love the genre), The Killing Game is like taking a refreshing dive in the sea on a hot summer day. Because instead of your typical thriller plot, this story is centered around a very messy and dangerous hostage situation. To make things even more interesting, you learn more about the POV of both the bad guy, the victims and the press as the situation evolves. This multifaceted aspect of The Killing Game made the story just that much more intense to read, and then I'm not even talking about the explosion of plot twists and excellent writing! I wasn't sure about the Hollywood setting before I started reading this story, but I was easily convinced by the more than twisted start. I guess money really can't buy you everything... If you are looking for an excellent and refreshing thriller you won't be able to put down, this one is a great option.

The Killing Game by J.S. Carol is a 2016 Bookouture publication.


The book cover says it all: “A tense, gripping thriller you DON’T want to miss”


Alfie’s is an upscale restaurant in Los Angles catering to movie stars, agents and producers. But, when the clientele are taken hostage by masked gunman wearing explosives that will detonate if his heart gets too low, the media descend, determined to cash in on the situation.

JJ, a publicist, was at the restaurant to keep an eye on her client, but soon finds herself fighting for the lives of the hostages as she attempts to figure out what the gunman’s motives are and how to get them out in one piece.

Wow! Anytime a story is centered around a hostage situation, it’s always tense and suspenseful. What does the gunman want, who will make it out alive, and what will be the aftermath? It’s a formula that never fails to grab my attention.

However, when you add in the celebrity element, when the hostages are famous people, it makes the story even more interesting.

The thriller aspects of the book are top notch, with the gunman seemingly having way too much fun with the situation, proving himself to be one the most ruthless bad guys I’ve read about in a long time.

But, what stood out for me was the scathing portrait of the media who covered the situation in typical fashion. Talking heads, experts, and misinformation from start to finish!!

The author was spot on with this wickedly dark parody of twenty -hour news stations, and how the media works. This is subject, of course, is a timely one as the media had come under a great deal of scrutiny and criticism as of late.

I thought the idea of putting spoiled celebrities who think they can talk or buy their way of anything, mixed with the soulless unconscionable media, facing down a terroristic attack was pure genius.

The feverish pacing, the moral dilemmas, the psychological mind games and the personal demons that surface made this a riveting and fast paced, white knuckle thrill ride.

A tense, gripping thriller, you DON’T want to miss? Correct! If you like thrillers and top notch suspense, this book is for you!

4.5 stars

I didnt get to read this one. I didnt download it in time.

Great read and easy to follow story line. Look forward to reading more from this author.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I have to say I was very impressed and I now have my eye on quite a few more.

A gunman enters a restaurant and takes everyone hostage, what follows it pretty terrifying at times and had me gripped, and on the edge of my seat.

The style of writing was great, it flowed brilliantly and had me hooked from the start. I devoured the book in a day.

There is nothing about this book that disappointed me, highly recommended and a full 5 stars from me.