Wow! Twists and turns throughout. I am happy that I read this book.

As a lover of Criminal Minds, SVU, as well as short lived CSI: Cyber and Twisted, I had very high hopes for Grist Mill Road. Suffice it to say, they were not met. First, Yates gives readers characters that you don't really cheer on; obviously Hannah's injury is terrible and life-altering, but you don't find yourself wishing it didn't happen, but more so confused as to why it did and the parts all three of them played in the whole event. When Matthew reappears in their lives decades later, I will say Yates draws you back in as you wonder what his end game could be. What happens is definitely unexpected, but not in a good way. Check out a different book!

Christopher Yates writes a intelligent and multilayered dark literary thriller. It begins in 1982 with three teenagers go out on a hot summer day in the Swangum Mountains where a nightmare of a violent scenario develops that leaves the reader reeling in horror. Matthew and Patrick (Patch) are with Hannah, this incident is to bond the three together with deep ramifications that shape them and their future. One is left blind in one eye and another ends up in prison. They are in their forties in New York when their paths are to cross again. Patch is married to Hannah and has a cooking blog. Will their marriage be able to survive the revelations that come to surface? The narrative is delivered primarily from Patrick's perspective, and goes back and forth in time. The reader who thinks that it is blatantly obvious what occurred in that incident comes to slowly understand that all is not as it seems, in fact they are symbolically blind.

With his deft sleights of hand, Yates takes us on a journey with revelations of small town living and his marvellously complex characters. He initially paints a picture, only to peel it back, layer by layer to reveal a different picture underneath it. His prose is beautifully written, compelling and suspenseful. His depth of detail is staggering such as when presenting Patch's recipes and ingredients and the cement factory. The author's prime talent is his characterisation, it is his skill in this area, his psychological depth and insights that have you hooked into the story. Matthew's abusive childhood tore me apart, the suffering that marred his life. This novel is about sexual desire, longings, lies, secrets, resentments, violence and tragedy. The young lives laid to waste, what is done and what is not done. A wonderful and enthralling read. Many thanks to Macmillan Picador for an ARC.

A beautifully crafted story with the characters thoughtfully drawn and developed by a clever use of travelling back in time.
Don't be put off by the start which is very brutal but let yourself get past that and enjoy the surprising explanations of who, why and what which will have you changing your views with every chapter.

This novel exposes the secrets between three teens, Matthew, Patrick, and Hannah, which lead up to the seemingly incomprehensible crime that occurs in 1982. As the novel shifts points of view it reveals a more comprehensive tale of the events that bind them together and ultimately change the trajectory of their lives forever. Twenty six years later, they will find themselves inadvertently brought together once again, forced to face the consequences of their actions.

I want to start off by saying that this novel does have some rather disturbing and detailed descriptions of horrific crimes which may not appeal to all readers. The author’s ability to describe these events in the same manner in which he describes preparing and cooking a mouthwatering meal in itself is a bit disconcerting.
That being said, I felt that he did a beautiful job capturing both the tragic and beautifully intimate events within each of these characters lives. This novel is a coming of age tale about lust, longing, deceit, and tragedy in which events are not quite what they appear to be. I really enjoyed this novel and would definitely recommend it.

Now I was a HUGE fan of Black Chalk, the first novel from this author that I read moons ago now – it was a work of literary genius, a puzzle piece of sheer reading joy, so to say that I was both excited and somewhat apprehensive to read Grist Mill Road is perhaps an understatement.

Turns out Black Chalk was not a one off in the quality sense – Grist Mill Road is a twisted and intelligent tale of three friends and the actions that tie them together – once more the author plays with your perceptions throughout the narrative, showing you one thing that later looks like quite another, all the while digging into the psychology of our main protagonists in a way that is genuinely compelling. Starting off with an emotional punch to the senses within a disturbing scene setter we then start to find out the why’s and wherefore’s and how it came to be, the emphasis being very much on on character and motivation. It is slippery, every assumption you make has to be taken back a little with the next thing you find out and whatever you think at the beginning I can almost guarantee you’ll be thinking something else by the end.

I loved it – it forced me to think outside the box, to consider the difference between what we see and what is true – my sympathies wavered throughout, one of the biggest strengths of this novel is in the authenticity of the characters you are reading about. It is not about good and evil, but all the shades of grey in between those two things – honest human nature. Hannah, Matthew and Patrick all have those very human hidden depths that are in us all, it is not until you reach the end of Grist Mill Road that they are laid bare for your judgment – on who they are, on what they did, on all of it. Brilliant. Honestly it is just brilliant.

The writing is intense, almost voyeuristic and beautifully beautifully done – it has just reiterated for me that I prefer the more literary side of crime in a lot of ways, the ones that keep me up at night after finishing them pondering life and all it’s foibles and pondering people and all their secrets. Grist Mill Road is absolutely mesmerizing, descriptively passionate and unbelievably addictive, with an ending that resonates and digs deep into your soul. These are the ones we read for!

Highly Recommended.

This book is a very interesting story, a horrible act is committed,then the story takes turns through different parts of the three people involved lives. The writing is good, with great characters portrayed through how they made it through life following the incident when they were teenagers. We meet each of them in flashbacks, learning what each loved and what they dream of. Patrick,Patch, loves cooking, writing a blog with recipes and dreaming of his own restaurant.He is married to Hannah, a part of the past along with Matthew.
An intense read, each member of the trio hides part of that incident from others and each other, and we seem to be on a road to each getting what they deserve. Very sad at times, I was expecting justice, however and that was never reached. The ending made me sad for all characters, but left me feeling empty, like I am still hanging there awaiting 'The End''
I received a copy of this story from Netgalley,Picador Books and the author Christopher Yates, from which I am able to give you my thoughts.

In 1982 in a small upstate New York town, teenaged Matthew, Patrick and Hannah were spending a pleasant summer day together. The day ended in an horrific act of violence. In 2008 in New York City the lives of the three converge again. The story is told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of the three protagonists and slips back and forth between the two critical years. It's not really possible to describe anything that happens in this book without spoiling it.

The story is definitely not as straightforward as it initially appears. This book gave me whiplash, with my sympathies constantly shifting from character to character. One or more of these people has a faulty grasp of what happened in the past. One or more of these people may not even be completely sane. By the end of the book I still had lots of questions about facts and motives. There is a long, pointless segue into the evolution of a cement company, but other than that the book moves along at a brisk pace and was very suspenseful at the end. It's a good twisty book that messes with your head.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

The opening scene in Grist Mill Road is the stuff of which nightmares are formed. Three young teens in a brutal, savage act that goes beyond all measure of comprehension. One will lose an eye and live with those nightmares forever. One will live with the guilt of doing, saying nothing and one will go to jail for the crime. Their lives are indelibly linked by the crime and by the lies that they told to themselves and others that day.

Grist Mill Road is split into two timelines: the early 80's surrounding the summer of the crime and 2008, during which time the three are now in their late 40's and their lives converge once again. The tale is told primarily from Patrick's perspective but later the voices of Hannah and Matthew are added.

Yates has a marvelous gift for detail. I could visualize the town, the splendor of the mountains, the young boys' adventures in those mountains and the angst they felt while coming of age. I physically felt the anguish that Matthew felt when he was being beaten by his father and the love he ultimately found later. However, this also became a drawback. Every single aspect in the was given that same attention to detail. Patrick had a food blog; I now know how to prepare dozens of foods that I never will prepare. I know more about rock formations than I ever learned in geology. I'm grateful for the knowledge but the amount of minutiae bogged down an otherwise interesting suspense novel. Editing would greatly enhance this novel.

In the end, however, I felt deflated. There was no justice just a feeling of a tragic waste of life. Yates reached me as a writer; I'm still thinking about Matthew, but this isn't a book I would endorse and I doubt I will read this author's work in the future.

I was furnished an advanced copy for review by Netgalley and Picador Books/ Macmillan-Picador Publishing.

It’s the long, sultry summer of 1982 in a small town in upstate New York. School friends Matthew and Patrick are spending the day up in the Swangum mountains. Nothing about this is unusual – it’s where they’ve whiled away many summer days past.

‘I loved it in the Swangums, the summer of ‘81 one of the best of my life, me and Tricky spinning up the hill together and gazing down at shadows, the clouds in the sky painting dark lakes on the earth and our friendship growing little by little as we played our own games, turning life into a daily adventure.’

…But the events of this particular day in ’82 will irrevocably change their lives. Rather than indulging in the innocent games of two teenagers, their escapades that afternoon end in a brutal, horrific crime involving their female classmate, Hannah.

Fast forward to 2008; Patrick is adrift in New York, recently jobless, and feeling like a spare part next to his successful crime-journalist wife. The incident in the Swangums continues to haunt him, paralysed by the memory of what he did – or didn’t – do. Pushing aside the resurfacing trauma becomes all but impossible when a figure from his past returns – Matthew. What could he possibly want, after all these years?

As we hear the narrative from Patrick, Matthew and Hannah’s perspective, it slowly dawns on the reader that not is quite all it appears. With dexterity, the story puts forward a clear cut sequence of events – only to slowly dismantle it as the novel unfolds. The line of good and evil, hero and villain becomes ever more blurred as we hear not only what happened that hazy afternoon, but all the events that led up to that very moment.

‘The reality is there are more than two sides to most stories. Truth is seldom a lens, truth is a kaleidoscope, and I have my truth too.’

This is a masterful thriller; taut and suspenseful, with real, complex characters. It’s the kind of book you have to clear your diary for; an intense read with an intelligent narrative that is hard to put down. A promising talent, and I look forward to reading Yates’ acclaimed debut Black Chalk.

In 1982, three classmates were involved in a terrible crime. As adults, each of the participants have to live with the consequences. The author’s earlier novel, Black Chalk was a recommended read of mine. The writing in this latest novel was equally stellar. However, the Gone Girl-request psychological thriller elements are just not my cup of tea and did not come together for a satisfying ending for me.

The first couple of pages of this book got me hooked. It describes a disgustingly mean act perpetrated by two young boys against a helpless girl (not rape, but still disgusting). It wasn’t the disgusting part that hooked me; it was my curiosity to get to the bottom of “why in the hell would kids do this?!”
Patrick, Matthew, and Hannah are three young teens living in a quiet little community north of New York City. The timeline jumps forward to the three, each living and working in the city, and surprise, surprise, Patrick and Hannah are married and very much in love. What!??? Just keep reading; it gets better.
We learn to despise Matthew, the bossy, mean bully. We feel so sorry for Hannah, so innocent and sweet. We struggle with Patrick’s shame of knowing he witnessed the attack on Hannah but didn’t act as quickly as he should have. But keep reading; it gets even better.
As the story unfolds, maybe we start to feel a bit of compassion for Matthew; he grew up in such a horribly abusive home. And Patrick seems to be slowly losing his mind as he spends each day unemployed and useless. And Hannah is still so darned sweet and innocent. Or is she?
This read will keep you guessing until the very last page. It’s a believable story of a very bad situation and the aftermath and effects so many years later. Sorrowful, intriguing and suspenseful, an excellent book!
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to McMillan-Picador and NetGalley for making it available.)

Superb writing and storyline. I was on the edge of my seat and did not want to put this book down. The charcaters are so broken and relatable. By the middle of the story I was emotionally invested. Absolutely love this author and already purchased Black Chalk. I can’t wait for more from Christopher Yates..

Three young lives intertwined throughout the years,.. One fateful day in the past.... their present lives opening up the secrets of the past told from three different perspectives. This was an absolutely engrossing story, with several surprises building to an unexpected and climactic ending. A tragic story about the result of secrets kept and the way they can alter perceptions and even lives. I thoroughly recommend this book!

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, Christopher J. Yates, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

Grist Mill Road is a dark and twisty Rashomon-style narrative which is expertly plotted. The year is 1982, the setting an Edenic hamlet some 90 miles north of New York City. There, among the craggy rock cliffs and glacial ponds of timeworn mountains, three friends—Patrick, Matthew and Hannah— are bound together by a single, terrible, and seemingly senseless crime. Twenty six years later, in New York City, living lives their younger selves could never have predicted, the three meet again--with even more devastating results. Here is a triple helix of a story structure, a sharp-edged love triangle complete with an Atonement style revelation. Character-driven, gorgeously written and wrenching, it exposes the poisonous resentments, sexual longings, and reservoirs of violence that roil just below the orderly surface of small town life. Like Yates’ critically acclaimed Black Chalk, this too is an “engrossing literary guessing game” one that will keep readers in suspense until the final page.

This is an intense, captivating, fast-paced thriller that leaves you guessing until the very end. Be prepared for gruesome, disturbing, expertly detailed scenes with this one. GRIST MILL ROAD is a perfect read for literary fiction fans who want to explore genre fiction.

I received a free advanced copy of Grist Mill Road by Christopher J. Yates from NetGalley for my honest review.

An extremely intense and mesmerizing thriller that pulls you in on it's very first page. This book is a story of three teenagers who are all involved in a crime and how each of them viewed the crime, in their own mind, what they saw or what they think they saw and what really happened. The story is told from their past and their future and how this crime changed who they are now and what their actions from their past has impacted their now future. Each of these characters has to face what they did and and what they are hiding from that terrible crime they were all a part of. An amazingly written novel with such detail and precision. You will find yourself neck deep in emotion with this novel. Prepare yourself for a very intense read.

This book starts out with a really gruesome and disturbing first scene. So disturbing that I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading, not certain I wanted to know how this story came to be. But the writing, the writing is spectacular and it pulled me fast and deep into a story that devolves in the best of ways. The more I read the more I realized I had made many preconceived assumptions reading that first scene and I continually had to keep adjusting my mindset when realizing that nothing was what it seemed. It was like having a big, tight ball of yarn you think is just one long string, only to find that when you pull on the end it's actually made up of several shorter pieces of yarn that only looked solid from the outside. A really excellent read.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to preview Grist Mill Road. Wow - this is really different. I had no idea where this book was going from one minute to the next.
The story centers around an incident that happened in 1982 - a young girl was shot by a bb gun in the eye by her young male friend, while another watched and did nothing.
Go forward to 2008, and these three people, now adults approaching age 40, go back in time and relive the incident that changed all of their lives.
I could not put this book down - it's different and kept me guessing till the end. I don't know how to put this book in a catagory, except to say that it made me have all kinds of feelings and for that alone, this book is worth reading. RECOMMEND!

Sometimes you read a book and despite the fact that it has all your plot pet peeves rolled into one, you love the book anyway. It’s a story about the dangers of secrets and friendship and what can happen when you don’t know the whole story and it’s all set in the aftermath of a tragic event (and also the recession which made for an interesting side story). It’s horribly sad, a little thrillery and wonderfully written. ARC from NetGalley.

This book definitely started off strong and was living up to its page turning hype which I expected thanks to the author’s strong reputation from his previous book.

The author has an intelligent style that spins suspense and thrills in a way that raises it above the typical fare you’d expect from a book in the Mystery genre which happens to be one of my favorites.

Yates provides characters that are full of depth and psychologically twisty as he spins a tale of friendship’s dire consequences when it takes a journey to the dark side of human behavior run amok.

Follow the clues into twists that will have you guessing around every turn the story takes and be ready for fun surprises.