Kristy loves her family, her son and father are everything. Working in the prison system she sees some sorrowful souls and some who the justice system hasn’t been kind to.

Finally meeting the man of her dreams, she feels her life is complete or is it?

Kristy has choices to make, continue with the lie or find a way to get rid whilst keeping her family safe.

Can her knowledge of the prisoners she’s spent so many years around be her answer?

Fast paced and full of suspense, this book takes you on a breathless journey of deception and redemption.

I don’t want to damn this book with faint praise, but it was ok. I wasn’t ever tempted to not finish it, but the pace did have me turning ahead a bit to check which direction the ending was going to go - while I was happy to read it, if it looked like it was going to go south at any point it was just not worth it for me…

More of a family drama than a psychological thriller (it was too slow to be thrilling).

Omg wow this book is amazing it's full of twists and turns it will keep you up all night I really enjoyed this book

An intense story filled with some dark themes but I absolutely loved it. Beautifully written and kept me riveted throughout. Highly recommend

I thought this book was quite clever in that it kept the mystery of what would happen to the main protagonist until close to the end - one never knew whether she would end up with the Walls enclosing her, or not. I find that these kinds of books often do not keep the suspense going, so that was good. I wouldn't say that it was a book that gave me a good feeling, as it was all too often sad and sometimes even a bit sordid - which I know was an addition to the story but I didn't really enjoy that part. Perhaps this last year has been too depressing in itself and I prefer my reading material at the moment to be a bit lighter? However, it was well written and ticked the suspense box.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fight back novel mostly because I invested in the central character and had not just sympathy but empathy for/with her.
Kristy, who will forever be Kirsty in my head!, works on death row in PR - a tough gig by anyone’s standards and perhaps what sets her up to some extent to face daily life as single mom to Ryan and primary carer for her Dad (Pops). Ryan is an awkward kid, confident in being different but in need of a little assistance to deal with the inevitable bullying he endures at school unbeknown to his Mom he seeks out martial arts lessons to help him and as a result ends up breaking the nose of his worst tormentor. Not to be seen as a weak single parent, Kristy marches down to the DoJo to tell the instructor that Ryan will not be coming back and so meets Lance.
Lance is a charmer and wheedles/orchestrates his way into Kristy’s life - eventually marrying her. Things don’t work out in the way Kristy had dreamed as Lance begins to show his true colours and their relationship is one of control, abuse and violence. Kristy soon finds herself on her own death row behind the ‘walls’. But she fights back.....can anyone really get away with murder?
This book has pace and suspense in good measure and is a really good if quick, because you won’t want to put it down, read.

The Walls is another book which has been on my Netgalley list for far too long, but WOW, it was most definitely worth the wait! What a compelling story! I read and enjoyed Baby Doll some time ago, so I was keen to add The Walls to my TBR list. I have not been disappointed. I’m just sorry it’s taken me this long for it to reach the top of my list.
Kristy is a single mother, having had her son in her teens, and has built a career as a press agent, working with convicted criminals on death row. Her son hates her job, but she does what she has to do to keep a roof over his head, as well as that of her poorly father. It does sound like a lovely home also and one she is right to be proud of. She is quite an inspirational character and instantly likeable.
When she meets Lance, through her son, she soon starts to develop feelings for him, but she’s nervous about letting her guard down. He seems like a dream come true though and she decides she deserves some romance in her life. Her son is thrilled for them and life seems good. That is until they are husband and wife and a different Lance begins to dominate their relationship.
I cannot even begin to imagine living in an abusive relationship, but the way Kristy keeps it hidden from everyone she knows, and loves is quite typical of what I understand of abused women. These men are just the lowest of the low. It’s heart-breaking to think how many women, and men, suffer at the hands of those who supposedly love them. I can totally understand how and why some reach absolute breaking point and snap.
Kristy reaches that breaking point when Lance uses her love for her son and father against her. I can’t say I blame her!
This has been an absolutely, captivating and heart-wrenching read. I could almost feel Kristy’s desperation and determination. Lance’s biggest mistake was threatening her family and Kristy plans to make sure he is unable to ever carry out those threats. She knows the system also, so feels she has an advantage, but will she get away with it? Does she even want to? Will she ever be able to move on without constantly looking over her shoulder?
Very clever writing! LOVED it!
Hollie Overton is an excellent writer. I have just purchased The Runaway and very much look forward to reading it.
Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy of The Walls via Netgalley.

For some reason I have had this sat on my kindle ready to read for some time and never seemed to fancy it - I don't know why as I loved Baby Doll, and now I loved The Walls.

I highly unusual setting - based around not only a prison but death row! A novel that provides not only a great story, with lots of suspense and twists, but is also informative and provides an insight into more than one situation that most of us have no idea about.

The Walls by Hollie Overton is an intense story which covers a lot of dark subjects including death row and executions.

Plot: Single mother, Kristy, works in PR for the Texas prison system, with her main role handling the press surrounding those on death row. Her job is one that’s emotionally and sometimes physically difficult, but it’s one she perseveres with. She meets Lance Dobson, her son’s martial arts teacher, and begins a relationship with him, believing she’s finally met The One. It’s only after their wedding that he starts to reveal another, much darker side, leaving Kristy with only one choice – but how far will she go to protect her family?

My thoughts: This in depth look into the creeping experience of domestic violence and abuse, even in a household where the victim is one who has, throughout her whole life, been tough and able to stand up for herself was chilling and unnerving. It explores the theme of “what goes on behind closed doors” very well, and offers up a very good story with a plot of “there’s only one way out”. For someone with not a lot of first hand knowledge about domestic violence, I believe it demonstrates the trap very well – showing how well the abuser can come across to everyone outside the relationship while giving the victim no choice. I’ve only marked this down slightly as there were times for me when the story dragged unnecessarily, although I suppose it was building a sense of comfort and familiarity before throwing you in the deep end. It’s one I would definitely recommend.

I found this book to be trying to do too much - it tried to be so many things but failed to do any of them particuarly well. A shame as I love this author.

The Walls is the second book I have read by Hollie Overton, having read Baby Doll last year and I have to say although at the beginning I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it I ended up thinking it was better than the previous thriller. This does have sensitive issues of abuse and rape in it.
Kristy Tucker is a single mum bringing up her son whilst looking after her ailing father and holding down a tough job in a reporting office for prisoners on death row, so she has to watch them die and even though they are convicted murderers it doesn’t make the job any easier.
Kristy meets Lance through her son as he is his martial arts teacher and life gets easier as Lance takes care of her and her family, they get married and everything changes.
This is a story of a woman’s plight to be stronger than the battering her husband gives her almost daily and her struggles to maintain a normal life before and after.
I enjoyed this thriller and it made me read something I would not normally read regarding victims on death row.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House, Cornerstone, Arrow for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I couldn't finish this. It just wasn't for me. The storyline wasn't grabbing me and I couldn't gel with the main character.

This book gripped me from the start and kept me hooked all along. Although it wasn't a classic and there were a few holes in the plot, I still enjoyed it.

Lily has been held captive for eight years and now she seizes an opportunity to escape with her daughter Sky. Lily was kidnapped by Rick, a local teacher who for the last eight years has abused Lily both sexually and mentally while keeping her locked up. On escaping she manages to get back home where she finds her family has carried on without her, her father is now dead and her first love is about to become the father of her twin sister Abby's baby. This all happens in the opening few pages and the rest of the book deals with the aftermath of these events.The alternates between the main characters as they give their accounts giving an insight into their part in the story.

Yes the novel could have been better written and yes like I said the plot could have been more water tight but it is still a good read and every book doesn't have to be an absolute classic to be entertaining.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review

Kristy Tucker, a single mom who works a depressing job assisting prisoners on death row, is swept off her feet by Lance, her son's martial arts instructor. They quickly marry, but her dream of a better life becomes a nightmare when he turns out to be an abuser with a history of broken relationships and women. The way his persistent courtship belies a controlling personality is deftly drawn. The parallel between the prisoners stuck behind 'The Walls' of death row and the experience of women trapped in violence relationships equally so.

I did enjoy this book, but it was quite a slow burner, and didn't quite live up to the standard of Baby Doll.

This is a brilliant modern thriller. It's the story of Kirsty who marries real estate agent and judo teacher, Lance, after a whirlwind romance. She has a 15 year old son and looks after her ailing father. Kirsty works with the Press Office for the Texas Prison Service often speaking to death row prisoners. As soon as she and Lance are married, the abuse begins. She has bruises, broken ribs, cigarette burns and no-one knows. Her father and son think Lance is fantastic. She would have left him but he has threatened to kill her son and father, if she leaves. So Kirsty decides to kill Lance! Read on!

Absolute winner for 2017! A brilliant story about a woman, Kristy who has to fight tooth and nail to save her family whilst keeping her wits about her and her sanity. The storyline was fast paced, well written and very emotional. A definite recommendation for 2017!

This is a very different story to Hollie Overton's first book. It is just as good though. So many different topics are touched upon in this book. Kristy Tucker works on death row which causes friction with her family but what can she learn from these inmates who are awaiting their execution? Not only does this book touch upon the morality of capital punishment but also domestic violence, police competency and family relationships.

When I started this book I didn't know where the storyline was going and was fascinated to work out how it was going to end. A highly recommended read.

A Fab Book . It’s a stunning book about a woman who is far to picky when she has to protect her family