Clever, Clever, Clever!!!! That one word sums up how I feel about this book and this author! Ms. Bolton was one of the first authors that I read when I ventured into the “thriller” genre and she snared me with “Little Black Lies”. Before joining NetGalley I had never, not once, picked up a thriller. Ms. Bolton quickly showed me how brilliantly a thriller writer can be. I was excited to read her newest “Dead Woman Walking”.

What could be more perfect than the surprise of a balloon ride on your birthday on a picture perfect day (unless you were afraid of heights) which Jessica’s sister Isabel was not. For a short time, as we meet the other passengers on the balloon along with the pilot it feels blissful indeed, but that is stopped short when Jess leans over the balloon and sees a crime being committed, and she recognizes the culprit. This was quickly followed by a shot that rang out throughout the beautiful day and began the horror that was to follow, with a balloon crash that killed most of the passengers.

There is more than one subplot in this book and I am not going to ruin any of them for you. Just when you think you may have the answer to it all, another plot pops up along with more characters to contend with.

The crimes committed by this horrendous family of sickies are almost too much to believe but, sadly, at least in some ways, crimes against immigrants are quite common. So many people will do whatever, including selling a part of themselves, to come to this country. There, I gave you a hint, that one tiny one is all you are getting.

The story is also about the sisters growing up, a terrible time in their young lives and how they chose their different lifestyles One became a nun, the other was raised by her aunt and uncle and then choose an interesting and very different career path from her sister, but wait, I can’t tell you that either!

This author is very gifted not only in writing but in the twisty ways the subplots are revealed and the depth of her characters. Sadly, in many thrillers that I read, that depth of characterization is what is often lacking. I’m sure that Ms. Bolton could make a shopping list exciting if she wanted to. Pick up this novel, you won’t be disappointed!

Many thanks for this ARC to the publisher and NetGalley.

Will also post to Amazon upon publication

Posted to Amazon on 9/12/17

Jessica Lane treats her sister, Isabel (known to most as Sister Mary Magdalena, as her sister has been serving in a convent for many years) to a hot air balloon ride for her 40th birthday. But things go awry when Jessica--from the balloon--sees a man murder a young woman. From the ground, he spots her face clearly. Then the balloon crashes, and there is only one survivor. The man knows she can identify him, and he won't stop until the threat to his safety is eliminated. So Jessica runs, unsure of who she can trust, or where she can go, all the while knowing that her beloved sister is dead.

Wow, what a book. I don't want to say more about the plot for risk of spoilers or ruining any of the awesome "whoa" moments you encounter while reading this one. The story flashes back and forth in time as Jessica tells us about the day of the accident and then various pieces of the past. It's a combination of suspenseful, confusing, and spellbinding that will grip you from the very beginning. You're immediately roped in as the balloon crashes and then left wondering about the sisters' past, which is only unveiled in small nuggets.

I found this book to be extremely tense. As in, my body was actually tight while reading. I was rigidly turning pages, wondering what was going to happen next and if Jessica was going to get to safety. Bolton made me suspicious of everything and everyone--I felt like our protagonist: I could trust no one.

One of the best parts of this novel is that in addition to our "Fugitive"-esque plot, we have a fascinating police case weaved in. This really keeps the book moving as the plot continues to thicken. Not only is Jessica being pursued, but we're learning more and more about the case she was researching in the years and months before the crash. In addition, the final layer is the snippets about the sisters and their tangled family past. Somehow, Bolton twists them all together nearly effortlessly. You have to be able to keep track of when everything occurs (the chapters are just marked as "XX amount of time before" the crash), but you get used to it.

I totally guessed one of the big shocking aspects of the novel early on, but I was still second guessing myself the whole time, and it didn't diminish my enjoyment of it whatsoever, plus there was still so much that completely surprised me. To the extent that I wish I had time to go back and read it again and figure out how I missed so many things! Seriously. This book made me go "wow!" multiple times. It captivated me the entire time I was reading it. There was one final twist too many for complete plausibility at the end to get 4.5 stars, but I still highly recommend this one. A wonderful, spellbinding thriller that cements for me how much I love Bolton's work.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; the U.S. version is available everywhere as of 09/05/2017.

I would like to thank Sharon Bolton, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for giving me this book for my honest review.
Review By Stephanie
A superb and thrilling novel.
Jessica surprises her sister Isabel to a hot air balloon ride. But in true thriller novel system that experience of a lifetime ends in tragedy. More than half of the balloon party end up dead and the other half are running for their life.
Disclaimer…..pay attention in the beginning, there are a lot of different angles and it was confusing at times but stick it out! Once you get all the back stories and set up everything will fall into place and then Sharon Bolton will throw you a major curve ball!
Dead Woman Walking is full of crazy moments, WOW moments and twists and turns! Sharon words will have you glued to your kindle until the very end!

In Sharon Bolton’s “Dead Woman Walking,” two sisters take very different paths. Forty-year old Isabel Jones has been a Carmelite nun in Wynding Priory since she was eighteen, and Jennifer Lane is a police officer. As a birthday present for Isabel, Jennifer treats her to a ride in a hot-air balloon. Sadly, the flight does not go as planned and, in the aftermath, a lone survivor goes on the run to escape a sadistic killer.

The heroine is likeable, spunky, resourceful, and strong-willed. She risks her life to bring a band of savages to justice and has terrifying encounters with a vicious psychopath. Some of the book's most interesting scenes take place in a convent, where the nuns are required to remain silent for a part of each day. When they are permitted to talk, their sharp, insightful, and amusing remarks add much needed humor and warmth to a novel that is generally grim and gory.

Unfortunately, Bolton's choppy use of flashbacks makes it difficult to keep track of the proceedings. By the time we reach the concluding chapters, we have a clearer idea of what happened to whom and why. However, it takes great patience on the part of the reader to wade through all of the twists and turns. The villains are, for the most part, one-dimensional--avaricious, morally blind, and gratuitously cruel. It is extremely unlikely that a female acting alone would have the wherewithal to thwart these relentless criminals. One of Bolton's central themes is that family ties are not always a source of comfort; in some cases, they can be stifling and destructive. "Dead Woman Walking" is original and fairly engrossing, but Bolton tries too hard to keep us off balance with her overly convoluted and far-fetched plot.

First Sentence: ‘This woman – Jessica Lane – should have died. …”

Jessica Lane surprises her sister, a Carmelite nun, with a hot air balloon ride for her birthday. While looking down, the balloon passengers see a man commit murder. Unfortunately, he also sees them, and a woman taking pictures with her cell phone, and causes the balloon to crash killing all but one. Alone and on the run, she is just trying to survive and find help.

When Bolton is on mark, she is such a pleasure to read, and she is truly there with this book. Still, it is a challenging book to review as one doesn’t want to give anything away.

What begins with lovely descriptions quickly turns into a horrific experience. Bolton is very good at conveying terror and the emotions of the events, but she is equally at offsetting the grim with some excellent humor.

Knowing the villain from the start adds to the sense of menace. That the danger builds continually throughout the entire book keeps one glued to the story. Yes, there are scenes that are difficult to read. However, the story is so fast-paced, one isn’t about to stop.

The protagonist is a fascinating character. She’s strong and resourceful. One of the best characters is Sister Belinda. Who doesn’t love a nun who addicted to police dramas?

Bolton’s plotting is what truly wins the day. Talk about a book full of twists and turns. With each chapter or so, one learns more, yet still isn’t quite certain where the story is going. What one finds is that it is well worth going along for the ride as the story takes one places that can’t be anticipated.

“Dead Woman Walking” is a remarkable book. It is non-stop action filled with suspense, twists and surprises to the very last page.

DEAD WOMAN WALKING (Susp-Jessica-Scotland-Contemp) – VG+
Bolton, Sharon – Standalone
Minotaur Books – Aug 2017

<p>Imagine taking a beautiful, carefree early morning hot-air balloon ride with your sister and eleven other strangers. You see a horrific, unthinkable crime and from that point on nothing will be the same. That is the premise for this fun, twisty, multilayer thriller.</p>
<p>I love how this story starts! I found it very refreshing  and quite unusual to use a hot air balloon as a place to witness a crime. I enjoyed how the story unfolded – there is a present day storyline and a storyline that takes you back twenty-eight years and works its way forward to the present day.</p>
<p>I really enjoyed watching the development and Jessica and Bella’s relationship in the storyline that is working its way to present day. They each took very different paths in life and I wish I could tell you more about that. I’m afraid that this review is going to be very vague – so much of what I’d like to say is crucial to the story and I don’t want to spoil it for you.</p>
<p>Sharon Bolton did a fantastic job keeping her cards hidden and readers in the dark. She slowly revealed her secrets and twists at just the right moments. I’m also always a fan of short chapters, they silently encourage you to read just one more. I believe this short chapter style lends itself well to the many storylines this book has going.</p>
<p>This is my first Sharon Bolton book and will undoubtedly not be my last!</p>
<p>*Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sharon Bolton for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion.</p>

See link to goodreads review

Jessica Lane is out celebrating her sister, Isabel’s birthday with a hot-air balloon ride. As the balloon floats near the Scottish border, the passengers see a man emerge from the woods and kill a woman. At the same time, the hot-air balloon becomes unmanageable to continue flying and crashes out of the sky into the very woods where the killer is lurking. Several passengers are killed, others are left critically injured, and just one, Jessica, has the ability to walk away from the accident.

Jessica has seen the killers face and he has seen hers. As the lone survivor, she must put herself into a potentially deadly cat and mouse game with the killer. Alone and scared, Jessica decides to run to the place she things is safest, only to discover that even the safest of places can turn dangerous.

Bolton’s style of writing in DEAD WOMAN WALKING keeps the reader on the edge of their seat with short, action-packed chapters. Chapters alternate between the status of Jessica, her past, the killer, and the police force. Jessica is a captivating character who you desperately want to survive this tragedy and learn more about her past along the way. I was blown away by Bolton’s ability to whole-heartedly engage me with the secondary characters in the book. I wanted to learn more about Jessica’s sister, the police detective assigned to the case, and even the terrifying killer.

DEAD WOMAN WALKING just barely misses the mark of receiving a 5 star rating. I struggled to engage with the story in the beginning and thought that the early chapters describing the situation leading up to the crash and the crash itself tended to be slow. The book picks up quite a bit in the middle and through the ending, which made it difficult for me to put it down. The ending of the novel was absolutely beautiful. The plot was neatly wrapped up and you had resolution with all of the characters you met throughout the book. I loved Bolton’s writing style and fully intend to put her books on my “must read” list.

Thank you to Minotaur Books, Sharon Bolton, and NetGalley for providing me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Tragedy, secrets, murder, sisters (biological), more sisters (nuns), intrigue, some of the most disturbing crimes I've ever read about, and... peacocks? This book is crazy. At times unbelievable, but so well written and intricate I had a hard time putting it down. I lost count of the twists and turns the story took. A few in particular blew my mind. I found this book to be very unpredictable... and I read a lot, so that is saying something. This book is packed with not only action, but revelations.

A sweet gift from one sister to another goes terribly wrong. Jessie just wanted to surprise her big sister with a hot air balloon ride for her birthday. At first it seems like the perfect surprise. Bella is thrilled. It will certainly be the experience of a lifetime... but no one was counting on it being the very last experience for nearly everyone on board.

The passengers witness a crime happening on the land below. A man has brutally attacked a young female. Jessie takes photos of him with her phone. She looks right at him... and he looks back. That's only the beginning of the trouble.

Jessie's sister Bella is a nun who now goes by Maria Magdalena. (Stay with me here.) They're only two of a large cast of fascinating characters, including criminals, other sisters, and the police. The balloon crashes not long after they witness that attack, and almost every life is lost. Without immediate help, Jessie bolts away... from the tragedy, from the loss of her sister, and from the man who is now in pursuit to any witnesses to his violence. She even seems to be avoiding the police, whether it's from some kind of PTSD or a darker reason she has to fear most anyone.

Dark, atmospheric, chilling, and haunting. I don't want to delve deep into the story because I want anyone who chooses to pick this up to have the same experience I had, and I was stunned. They are few, but there are even some lighter moments than made me laugh. I felt so connected to the characters. They all have a colorful history that unravels as you read. I'm not taking any hot air balloon rides anytime soon.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and St. Martin's Press, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Another excellent book by the author of Daisy in Chains, this one will keep you up late at night, reading until the very last page. Set in northern England, the story begins with a hot-air balloon ride filled with tourists, families, and two sisters, one a nun and the other a cop. When a crime is seen and disaster strikes the balloon, one sister is left behind to pick up all the pieces. Bolton does a fabulous job of keeping all the balls in the air, as she goes back and forth through time, developing not only the sisters' history, but some other extremely despicable crimes perpetrated by a Romany family involving Syrian refugees as well as the police. The rabbit holes are numerous and complex, as the mystery slowly unfolds, and the ending is a serious 'ah-ha' moment. Thrillers seem to be a dime a dozen these days, with numerous authors throwing thin stories into the publishing world, hoping something hits. I appreciate Sharon Bolton's ability to thoroughly develop her characters, and create a unique and complex plot line. If you need a great mystery for that beach vacation this winter or a gift for a person who loves English thrillers, you will not go wrong with this book - it's a winner.

Thank you to Minotaur books for providing me with a free review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Bolton creates an interesting, intricate plot in this novel. It left me on the edge of my seat and had me wondering the whole time what exactly was going to happen next. As the novel progressed, there was a connection saw between the flash backs and the current time. With the help of the flash backs that help keep the pace of the novel of being too fast; slowly pieces of the giant puzzle are put together. I really liked how Bolton took her time to expose all the different parts of the plot. She wasn’t in a hurry to make the plot move rapidly. The slow character and plot development helped create the sense of urgency in what needed done. I did not see a couple of the final twists coming. At. All.

During the flash back chapters, I did get confused on some parts because they seemed to be in one place, and then something entirely different was happening. The flash backs would happen between Jessica and her sister, and then the reader would be thrown into a completely different flash back during the flash back. With the slower plot development, I did find it a little hard to be engaged right away. After I started putting the pieces together, I throughly enjoyed the plot.

Overall, if you like a book that has an air of mystery and unexpectedness about it, I recommend this book. It’s a great thriller. Give it time if you don’t find yourself immersed right away; I promise, it’s worth it.

Bloody well done, I say!

Without the shocking surprises, this would have been a good book. With them, well, it's out of the ball park. My proof? I had one eye on the pages of my Kindle Fire while I watched our Ohio State Buckeyes roll over Indiana University in their season-opening game. After that - and I hasten to add I'm not trying to make a political statement here - the same thing happened the next evening during my never-miss "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC (well, okay, I admit Rachel was off that night, but I also like her fill-in, Joy-Ann Reid). That never happens unless I'm so engrossed in a book that I just don't want to put it down.

I can't, of course, reveal any of those surprises, but I can tell you a little about what's going on. Jessica Lane has taken her sister Bella, a Carmelite nun, for a hot-air balloon ride over Northumberland National Park near England's border with Scotland as a birthday surprise. While the pilot is flying low, they watch in horror as a young woman is murdered. Not long thereafter, the balloon crashes spectacularly, leaving just one survivor - the one who saw the killer's face. Unfortunately, he saw hers as well, and he's not about to let her get away.

Meanwhile, the local police have identified the survivor as Jessica, but neither they nor the killer are able to find her. She could be badly injured or so confused that she doesn't know what happened or where she is, but now the police and the killer share the same purpose: Finding her. But could it be that they also share the same end game?

Using a mix of flashbacks beginning 28 years earlier, the story begins to take shape as we learn bits and pieces of the sisters' childhood years. The flashbacks are minimal, each bringing the reader closer to the current time period and offering more clues with regard to the real reason behind the balloon crash (I've gone on record with my distaste for the over-used flashback technique, but tell you what: If it's ever been done really well, it's in this book, so you'll get no complaints from me this time out).

The race to find the missing woman is filled with tension that just kept building - and just when I was on my next-to-last fingernail, bam! The first twist hit the fan. OMG, did I really read that, I asked myself, flipping back a couple of pages to be sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. But wait, there's more!

For that, though, you'll just have to read the book for yourself. As for me, I'm, just gonna sit here for a day or two and let the whole thing sink in. Lest I forget, many thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. My conclusion? Wow!

This will be a short review because I don't want to expose any spoilers... Reading this spoiler-free is definitely the way you want to go!

It opens on hot-air balloon ride with a group of people mostly unconnected to each other including 2 sisters celebrating a birthday. Things begin to go horribly wrong, and the action pretty much doesn't stop for the rest of the book! So many twists and turns. These 2 sisters are the focus of the book. You will think you have things figured out, but really you probably don't...better keep reading. Entertaining read! Will definitely be looking out for more books by Sharon Bolton. To be truthful, though, I did guess correctly about some of the twists, but it wasn't a let down for me to be right:)

Many thanks to NetGalley & St. Martins Press for an advanced reading copy to read and honestly review!

I discovered Sharon Bolton earlier this year with the fabulous Lacey Flint series and have been eagerly devouring every book of hers I could get my hands on since then. Dead Woman Walking had become one of my most anticipated books of the year and I ended up really enjoying it.

The official synopsis is kept pretty vague and I am hesitant to really go further into it because I do think that it enhances the experience to go into it without a lot of information. I will say that the crime that is witnessed from the hot air balloon is just part of a much bigger mystery that is explored. The perspective shifts between the lone survivor, the murderer, the detective working the case, and flashback chapters. I’m a big fan of multiple timelines when done well and Bolton does it excellently here. Bolton also does an amazing job creating suspense, especially in the early chapters in the hot air balloon.

There are many little twists and surprises throughout the book. I’m the type of person that NEEDS to figure things out before they’re revealed and because of this I am not often surprised by the twists. There is one kind of major twist that I suspected very early and it took most of the book for it to be confirmed. I feel like anybody really paying attention would be able to figure it out because there are lots of clues, so I thought it took a little too long to reveal it. However, if you’re not the type of person that has to analyze every little thing then it might be a great surprise for you. There are a couple of other twists that I did figure out before they were revealed, but Bolton still managed to sneak in one surprise that literally made me go “What!?”.

Overall, even though I figured out most of the twists, I thought Dead Woman Walking was a really well-constructed mystery and I enjoyed pretty much every moment of it. I am impressed by Bolton’s writing in every book I read by her and this year she has become one of my favorite authors. I definitely recommend this one to mystery/suspense fans.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 4 Stars

3.5 stars

This was my first book by Bolton and I really enjoyed it and will be looking to read more books by her. This is a solid 3.5 star read, but I will admit that it took me a while to get into it. Probably the first 20-30% or so seemed to drag on and I kept thinking to myself "where is this going"?

But once it did get going, it really got going and the pacing was quite fast and kept you on the edge of your seat. I am typically not a fan of police procedural books, but there was enough focus on Jessica, that it didn't really feel like a police centric story line.

I will say that I had one of the major twists figured out early on, but there were more to come that I certainly didn't see coming. Due to the fact that it took me awhile to get into the story and become invested in it and that I had a major plot point figured out, I am giving this 3.5 stars. But it was a good read and I would recommend it.

I so wanted to love this book as I have always thoroughly enjoyed the author's previous books. The beginning was very intense and such a unique way to start out a book. But then things just got a little unbelievable and so predictable. The twists, were very obvious and fell flat at the end. I gave this 3 stars on goodreads.

Just before dawn, a man murders a young woman. At the same time, a hot-air balloon crashes out of the sky. There’s just one survivor of the crash and she’s seen the killer’s face, but he’s also seen hers. Can’t you hear the Law & Order “dun dun” sound effect?

Dead Woman Walking was filled with many questions. Would the author supply me with the answers to them all? I had no idea where the story was going but I was intrigued. I want to list for you all the questions I had while reading this book, but a lot of those questions would give away part of the story. So, let me simply say that all my questions were answered with great last second twists that make reading this book to the very end worth every minute of anguish I suffered over the need for answers.

Sharon Bolton is a brand new author to me and Dead Woman Walking has encouraged me to add yet more books to my TBR. You should too!

Sharon Bolton does a fantastic job with the Suspense/Thriller genre and this stand alone is no exception. When reaching the end of this one, your immediate thought is "how did I miss that"? Great creative writing that leads us to places we weren't expecting. A quick read because once started it's very difficult to put down! Well done!

Dead Woman Walking by Sharon Bolton is about a woman who witnesses several murders and can identify the murderer; however, the murderer can also identify her. A thrilling cat and mouse game.

Wow! What a riveting thriller from start to finish, uniquely written to keep you enthralled! This story was so suspenseful, I couldn't put it down. Sharon Bolton is now on my must-read list. I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review. https://moesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Reviewed: August 16, 2017. Novel Publish Date: September 5, 2017.

Thank you Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Sharon Bolton for the eARC.
As the pilot and his 12 passengers glide over the beautiful countryside near the Scottish border in a hot air balloon, they are horrified to look down on a man in the midst of killing a woman. Jessica, a policewoman and her sister Isabel, a nun, are celebrating Isabel's 40th birthday. The pleasant surprise turns into a nightmare as the man sees the balloon and starts shooting. Jessica had quickly taken pictures on her phone, but unfortunately the man has seen her face. As the balloon crashes in some of the most frightening scenes I've ever read (no hot air balloon rides for me, thank you very much), there is only one survivor, Jessica, and the man knows it and so starts the hunt. He is part of a gypsy family, the Faas, a secretive family with a camp of caravans surrounding a big yellow house. The family wants nothing traced back to them and clean the crime scene as best they can before the police get there.
We go back and forth in time, learning more about the sisters' shared past and Isabel's life in the priory. Meeting the nuns supplies some lighthearted relief in this dark mystery as well as a focal point at the brilliant ending of this book.
Sharon Bolton is a terrific author who never disappoints, I highly recommend this book. But since I am here, I would like to mention one of my favorite characters as well: Lacey Flint (hint, hint)!