210 minutes ago I started to read The Walls. I was pretty much hooked from the first few pages, and have not stopped reading it until I have just now come to the end of the book.

Completely unputdownable it has taken me on a journey that at times were plain scary and others I was choked up with emotion.

It tells the story of something that no-one should have to go through and just what happens when you reach the end of your tether. What grabbed me even more than the shocking story between Kristy and Lance, was the letters that appeared between some chapters.

They tell the story of one man on death row in Texas who was convinced of his innocence. I may be living on a different planet as until I read The Walls I was not fully aware that the death sentence was still in place in Texas, and reading a story of a press agent who sets up inmate interviews for those on death row, and that visits them in prison and witnesses their executions is completely different to anything else I have ever read.

All of that along would have made one incredibly interesting story, but add in her new relationship with a martial arts instructor, that has fooled everyone into thinking what sort of man he really is, and you get a truly excellent book.

I loved Baby Doll last year, and this year The Walls by Hollie Overton stepped up her writing a step further, and I am beyond eager to see what her next release will be. Any book that has dragged me away from the work that I am obsessed with and won't let me go until I finish it, at the moment truly is fabulous, and I am delighted to have read it. Of course I suspect I'm about to have some really bad dreams so may not be as pleased in the morning!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Cornerstone for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This is a book that keeps you gripped!
I liked the characters and felt that I knew who each of them were, with a simple plot that is easy to follow. There were no major twists but somehow still kept you wanting to read it.
This is Hollie's 2nd book and I'm very happy to say they are both definite 5* books and I'm very excited to see what comes next!

What a page turner! I was totally wrapped up in this book from start to finish, in fact, I have spent the whole afternoon reading the last half because I just could not put it down. Well written and thoroughly recommended.

Thought provoking and excellently written, this book covers domestic violence, in a sensitive but yet brutal manner.

I enjoyed it and could hardly put my kindle down. Much kudos to Hollie.

The story tells one of a single Mum, Kirsty who works as a Public Information Officer for the Texas Dept. of Corrections. Kirsty struggles to bring up her Son and look after her poorly Dad, who also lives with them. A solution to the problem turns out to not have helped at all when they take a stranger, whom at a first glance seems very charming into their lives and home. From here Kirsty’s home life starts to change for the worst. The story unfolds with Kirsty’s plot to put things right, but can she?

The Walls. Hollie Overton

A great second novel from Hollie Overton.

This book grabs the reader from page one and doesn’t let go.

Kristy is a devoted, hardworking single mother who works as a public information officer for the Texas justice system. It’s not an easy job. As part of her duties she must interview and attend the executions of those prisoners on death row.

She does her best for her son and her ailing father and when Ryan gets into trouble at school she immediately confronts the man she feels is responsible. Lance Dobson has been teaching her son judo and is quick to apologise for any trouble caused. Their relationship develops.

At the same time Kristy has a sort of relationship with one of the prisoners on death row who claims to be innocent. she is kind to him and he cares for her as a friend.

These relationships are the threads that run through the novel.

We step forward in time and Kristy has spiralled down a rabbit hole. Her life has taken a turn for better and for worse - much worse. Her whole life has become a nightmare and she is enclosed by walls which although invisible are every bit as constraining as those of the prisoners she serves.

Overton creates a sense of menace and foreboding which few can manage in this gripping page turner which keeps us guessing right until the end. She gets right to the heart of what it is to be abused and an abuser. Her thought provoking dual narrative raises lots of questions. We wonder how we can know what lies beneath surface impressions of a person. Can we ever take things at face value? We also wonder about justice. What is justice and has it been served? Is killing ever the right thing?

I’m sure this book will resonate with many victims of both emotional and physical abuse.

I loved this book! From the very start I was completely involved with single mother Kristy and her family. Working in a prison, dealing with Death Row inmates her life isn't much fun until she meets Lance, her son's martial arts instructor. It looks like a happy ending is in sight but that is not to be! Lance turns out not to be what he seems and she is faced with a terrible dilemma. I was with her all the way and found her resolution of the situation riveting!

This book truly took me by surprise. There I was relaxing into it, getting to know the characters and feeling happy for Kristy when she met a man too good to be true (that should of been my first clue) when suddenly there's a substantial jump forward in time and everything's been turned on it's head and messed up.It was a great idea to experience the abuse Kristy suffered retrospectively it made all the more poignant coming as it did right on the back of her happiness. I also thought long and hard about the rights and wrongs of what she did and still could not honestly answer the question of what I would do in her situation. A great read.

having read the first novel by this author I was interesting to see how she progresses. I was not disapointed. This book had me gripped from start to finish. Well written with a good plot line.

Kristy Tucker is a single mum working as a prison press officer with responsibility for overseeing executions, liaising with death row prisoners, families and journalists. It is intense but pays the bills. She juggles this with bringing up her teenage son and caring for her sick father. There is no time for a love life or so she thought until she meets her son's Judo teacher, Lance Dobson. A blissful relationship begins and culminates in marriage to the delight of everyone. Before long, Kristy's nightmare starts when Lance begins his long regime of abuse, both mental and physical. This brilliantly told story explores the fine line between good and evil. Are those on Death Row all guilty? Even partially? Is everyone free innocent? Can the good become murderers themselves? Guilty or not guilty is the question here and one only the reader may be able to ultimately answer. Another, dark and thought provoking read from Hollie Overton.

Great read! The insight into death row was fascinating and the parallel story line of an abusive relationship made this a real page turner for me, would definitely recommend...

I loved Hollie Overton’s debut so was very excited to read this book. I didn’t read the blurb so I had no idea what it was about.

I found the story very slow to begin with. I think I was 40% in before it grabbed me. I enjoyed Kirsty’s interactions with Clifton. Although I felt like his story wasn’t quite finished – Kirsty had been watching his ex-wife for a time when she questioned his guilt. Did this continue?

Of course Lance was a reprehensible character. From the beginning I felt he had the creep factor. He was too full on and attempting to the knight in shining armour.

Although I enjoyed the book, I felt there was something missing. We all knew what would happen with Kirsty and Lance so I personally needed a twist in the story.

A short while back I raved about Baby Doll Hollie Overton’s debut novel and my gosh! This second book was amazing! I’ve just spent a good majority of the day glued to my phone reading and reading trying to work out what was going to happen.

The basic premise of this book is about a single mum who works in a prison dealing with death row inmates. Her son gets into a spot of bother at school and it turns out he’s been taking secret lessons with a judo master. The judo master plays a big part in family life and everything was going so well…till it wasn’t.

She knows what to do. How not to do it but, can she?

It’s such an easy read. The characters you can so easily get on board with – it’s just so effortless. She has a lot of detail and it feels like nothing is left out.

A brilliant little book and Hollie Overton is fast becoming one to watch. A solid 8.5 out of 10.

Wow! This book was amazing it had me hooked from the very first page to the last with a brilliant ending. It took a whole different twist on domestic violence and was so interesting to read about the death row aspect of the book. I did not know how the story was going to pan out and it had me totally hooked. I loved this authors first book also giving it 5 stars and this one certainly didn't disappoint. Would highly recommend this book.

Listeners to BBC Radio 4 "The Archers" will instantly recognise Rob's American cousin Lance. Coercive, controlling behaviour at its most extreme, brilliantly executed by Hollie Overton in "The Walls". Kristy (for some reason I mentally switch it to Kirsty), a lady with a very unusual job, soon realises that Lance's following is so strong, her complaints about his behaviour would go unheeded. She makes the ultimate decision and how it impacts on her life, post Lance, is sensitively explored. Following the execution of Clifton it would have been great if somehow Janice got her comeuppance. Altogether a compelling and gripping novel but if there are any other Kristy's out there, I'd be inclined to invest in tiny, sound activated, covert cameras to get the necessary evidence required first.

An interesting and engrossing novel. A take on death row that I hadn't even thought about. The main story was fast paced and moving, a difficult subject.

Having read and loved Baby Doll, by the same author, I was a bit concerned that this one wouldn't live up to the same expectations. Well how wrong was I, this book is absolutely brilliant .

Kristy Tucker is a single mom who lives with her 16 year old son and her chronically ill father . She works as a press agent for the Texas prison services , working on death row interviewing inmates and reporting on their last hours before execution. It's a job she needs to support her family . A very tough job for her. She needs some fun in her life and through her son she meets Lance. It's love at first sight for them both and they get married a short while after meeting . So all is great with her personal life or is it ? Is Lance all he appears to be ?

A brilliant gripping read, with some excellent characters. This is a book that I highly recommend. A massive 5 stars from me .

My jaw is tender because it slammed into the ground so many times while I was reading The Walls.

I expected good things from this book after I read the ARC of her novel, Baby Doll last year. The Walls is even better.

The book deals with a well-worn subject of fiction – domestic violence. There has likely been hundreds if not thousands of novels written about this. So what makes The Walls different?

Kristy decides she’s had enough of Lance’s temper and brutality and decides to fight back – with spectacular consequences.

I loved the fact the characters are complex. Lance is the villain but he’s not a stereotypical big guy which makes him all the more unsettling. I think women who are victims of domestic violence are often presumed to be weak and vulnerable – Kristy is anything but. The Walls shows even the strongest woman can become a victim.

I read a couple of chapters and blazed through the rest in one sitting because I couldn’t stop reading.

The Walls is complex, disturbing and just fantastic – READ IT!

The blurb:

Single mom Kristy Tucker works as a press agent for the Texas Department of Corrections handling everything on death row from inmate interviews, to chronicling the last moments during an execution. Her job exposes Kristy to the worst of humanity and it's one that's beginning to take its toll.

So when Kristy meets Lance Dobson, her son's martial arts instructor, she believes she's finally found her happy ending. She’s wrong.

Kristy soon discovers that Lance is a monster. Forced to endure his verbal and physical abuse, Kristy is serving her own life sentence . . . unless she's willing to take matters into her own hands. Perfectly poised to exploit the criminal justice system she knows so well, Kristy sets out to get rid of Lance - permanently.

Speaking from personal experience, it's the unpredictability of when (in my case) the verbal abuse happens. Never knowing whether it's going to be a good day (no abuse) or a bad one.

I loved this book and even though it's hard reading I would recommend it highly

Single mum, Kristy Tucker, works as a Public Information Office in the Texas prison system. One of her jobs is witnessing executions of prisons on Death Row. Her teenage son, Ryan, hates her doing this job and make his feelings clear. Her father, a retired Prison Officer, lives with them.

All is going fine until Ryan attacks a fellow pupil and his mother learns that he's been having secret martial arts lessons with a local trainer, Lance Dobson. Kristy goes to meet Lance to give him a piece of her mind but soon they forge a friendship, then a romance and then it all gets very creepy.

I struggled to keep going in this book as didn't like the domestic violence and I needed to suspend belief at so many points. I cannot believe Kristy didn’t tell her friends, her family, the police or anyone else about the things Lance did to her.

Kristy gets to know a man on Death Row called Clifton who claims he was innocent of the arson attack which killed his two young children. He communicates a lot with Kristy via letter and also in person every few weeks. I thought this side of the story was going to amount to a lot more than it did. It just fizzled out and was quite disappointing. I was fully expecting a twist or two in this story which was going to tie in with the Kristy and Lance story. I got to the end wanting to rewrite the last third of this book to be more interesting.