A well written book however the fact that it kept bouncing between the past and the present was jarring at times and took away from the plot unfolding. I just couldn't get into this novel

I've had this book for years, I still haven't, unfortunately, got to it, so this is a placeholder review to reduce my shelf for my own sanity, but will replace this if I ever get to the book

Rory Norton tried to leave his past behind, but the discovery of a body under his floorboards changes everything. Does he have a connection to the dead woman or is it just bad luck on his part?

Anna Chamberlain is an investigative reporter who has a connection to Rory. When she goes missing, Rory tries to find her.

As Stench slides back and forth between the present and the past, it loses the cohesiveness that it needs to be a great thriller. The book also lacks polish, with the addition of poor word choices and stilted sentence structures at times. The ending of the novel reads more like a Scooby Doo episode than a well planned out psychological thriller, so I was less than impressed for that reason. The beginning of the novel makes promises that are not delivered by the conclusion. Stench is not a book that I would recommend to other readers, for the reasons listed above.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Stench by NetGalley and the publisher, Bloodhound Books. The choice to review this book was my own.

Unfortunately I didn’t love this one as much as I was hoping to. I liked the idea behind it and the storyline, but it fell flat for me. I can see why some people love this one, but it just wasn’t for me.

Needed a good horror to read and this definitely didn't fail! Absolutely loved it from start to end. Highly recommended

Not going to lie, I had a hard time with this book at first. Put it down for awhile as I couldn't get into it. I picked it up months later and kinda got into it.

Interesting plot. Interesting characters. Give it a try. Thanks Netgalley for this arc.

I originally marked as not giving feedback, but having tried several more times to get through the title, I am going to go ahead and mark it as a DNF. I had trouble getting into the story and it just wasn’t for me. Since it is a DNF, I will not be posting a public review on goodreads, Amazon, or my blog.

A great book with a lot of fun twists and turns, intriguing characters and a terrific never-saw-that-one-coming plot!

This has simply the best title, I just had to read it. Intriguingly, different smells are woven into this story as though the author is teasing us. Straight away we learn what the stench is and why it's coming from underneath the floorboards of poor Rory Norton's house.

We then hear what has happened in the past alongside the present goings on. Turns out the body belongs to investigative journalist and reporter, Anna, who was looking into a notorious Fewtrell family and how they were running their business. Anna also knew Rory, it's through him she was taking motorbike lessons.

Top that with the fact that Anna is seriously suffering with mental health issues. She is grieving the loss of her husband and still finds herself talking to him as a way of coping. The sad thing is how no one seems to see the signs until it's too late, highlighting the failings of care in the mental health system. A matter close to the author's heart.

A dark, and in places slightly humorous, read. The characterisation is simply amazing, and the way the author spins lots of intriguing story threads from several different directions, and they all came together perfectly at the end, is impressive! Who'd have thought, huh?

Why did she die? Who did it? And what is that bloomin' awful smell? Not the 'Luscious Lilies', stale armpit sweat or plate of warm scones, that's for sure!

This is the third book I've binged by Alison (can you even binge read books?),
Imagine if you want to get rid of some pests and find another type of pest infestation... namely a body. This set the tone of the book from the beginning and the name was fully apt in all ways!
Recommended.

This book was thrilling, suspensful and kept me hanging on. I ended up reading late into the night to try and finish it! My full review will be up on my website soon and I will edit this to follow.

This book was exactly what I hope it would be. I enjoyed it. The stench I was hoping was something far more and it was. What a thrilling book for me. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. There were some great twists in there and the characters Rory and Anna were relatable to me. *This book was given to me for free at my request from Netgalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

What a top-notch novel of murder and deception. Guaranteed to keep you interested and hooked on the plot. Highly recommended!

break him.

The question is not how the missing woman died but why, and who is responsible?

Sometimes the truth stinks.

Starting literally with a bad smell, alone with suspected rats, a dead body, and Rory's odd behaviour, Stench has a great opening which launches you straight into a story that 'reeks' of mystery.

The story unravels through Rory and Anna, as we discover the truth behind their lives, and deaths. It's a gripping tale that you will want to rip through, but I suggest taking your time, as the character of Anna needs some careful thought and understanding, due to the problems she faces with her mental health.  It is in this character that once more Morgan's previous life within the NHS really comes to the fore, creating a truly troubled soul.

I recommend this one as a great book club read, as I'm certain that Anna's behaviour and that of those around her will make for an interesting discussion.

This is the second book that I have read by this author and after reading this one I have downloaded the other two books she has released that I haven't yet read - I love her writing style! I was intrigued by the blurb for this one and that cover is definitely one that sticks out for me!

From reading the book you can really tell that the author knows her stuff and it bringing to the story real life experience and that or me gives the book an added edge. This is an excellent psychological thriller and it took me just a few hours to read, it is definitely one that grips you!

I haven't hesitated to give the book 5 stars and it is highly recommended by me!

The cover and title of this book alone intrigued me. I love discovering new-to-me authors. There’s something so satisfying about reading a book without all the hype and high expectations. That being said, the author set the bar pretty high for me with Stench.

I was hooked from the very beginning. I found the story completely engaging and original. I actually read this with eyes wide open and jaw dropped. It’s so hard to do this book justice because it was so well written that it’s almost impossible without giving something away.

This might have been my first from A. B. Morgan but I’m telling you, it will NOT be the last! If you have not checked this author out yet, now is the perfect time to run out and grab a copy. You won’t regret it!

Massive thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this incredible story that I was more than thrilled to provide an honest review for.

I have to admit, I kinda balked at the title on this one - it was just so "in your face", but it turned out to be wonderfully fitting.

Told in two timelines and two voices, we are introduced first to Rory Norton, in a bit of a shocker as the council pest control dig up a body from under his floorboards. Rory is an odd bird in this genre of late - in a sea of unlikeable and troublesome leads, he's actually pretty likeable, even with his secrets and even when his own motives are called into suspicion. And then there's Anna, who suffered a breakdown after the death of her husband and who is clearly in the throes of a relapse, talking to her dead husband and stalking some very bad people under the guise of investigative journalism.

We are drawn through Anna's mindset as she is drawn deeper and deeper into her mental breakdown, and through Rory's attempts to get her help, highlighting the problems with mental health care that are, sadly, universal. As Anna falls through the cracks, she becomes a victim of both her own psychosis and of the system itself. All the while, we are introduced to other characters, including a colourful cast of locals (with one kiwi, who gets rather antsy about being mistaken for Australian. Ha!), the evil Fewtrell family, Anna's mother-in-law, her cousin Gemma, and eventually even her parents. There is someone in there everyone can relate to, and for a change, there are no other reasonable suspects, other than the obvious.

Despite a little bit of a slowdown after the initial shocker, the pace definitely picks up and it's obvious that Ms Morgan is wonderful at what she does. "Stench" is one of the most refreshing psychological thrillers I've read in a while, and I have to say, the twist at the end was, for once, one I did not see coming! That in itself makes this one definitely worth picking up.

Crossposted at https://bookishbiker.com/2018/05/review-stench/

The synopsis of this one sounded rather original and i'm always on the lookout for an original plot, this certainly fit the mold in that respect. I also was attracted by the unique cover and the title is unusually short and sharp and works really well. So, did the book live up to my expectations? I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at just how great the story was - hence my award of 5 stars!

AB Morgan has penned a rather awesome novel here. It is different in some quite drastic ways to a lot of other books in the crime genre as it has no police or detectives milling around and it focuses on everyday normal people just doing what they feel they should, doing their civic duty and following their moral compass. As nearly every title has investigators involved in some way, I found the lack of them extremely refreshing.

I haven't read any of Morgan's previous novels, I had never actually heard of her before this, shamefully! I am glad I have been introduced to her writing through STENCH and have since ownloaded all her other books onto my kindle. I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I actually did but I find it fantastic when a book totally shocks you with its quality when you didn't really have any inkling as to the authors talents.

Her characters are believable - with the flaws that every human being has, there are many twists and turns, ups and downs, and a timely inclusion of mental health issues. This leads to a far deeper and more thought provoking and melancholy read than I had imagined. The characters are developed over the course of the story and you feel invested in the outcome/ending. Her writing sucks you in and doesn't let you leave until the book is over!

Overall, this is well worth your time. It reads very differently from other thrillers and the mental illness aspect is just one of the reasons. Morgan has 30 years of experience in the NHS as a mental health nurse specialising in psychosis which has definitely helped make this part of the book reality based. Books written by people with a vast knowledge in certain subjects means that they are usually full of situations that the author has expertise in lending a credibility that would not be there with others.

I would like to thank AB Morgan, Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel by A B Morgan. The plot was engaging with plenty of twists. Thankyou to Netgalley, the publisher and A B Morgan for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel.

A crime story which made me uncomfortable. The main character has serious psychological problems. I found this very confrontational. I almost stopped reading, but I am not a quitter. I continued and enjoyed the way the story was tied together. Stench was an appropriate name. Rory was getting a strange smell from under the floor boards. The many layers of this book made it an excellent read! But Rory could not smell due to a workplace injury. He is arrested for the murder of Anna. He was the last person to see her. But nothing is quite what it appears.

The blurb talks about a man finding a dead woman under the floorboards of his house and the book does start out that way for the first chapter or two.

Then it focuses on this character "Anna" who hears her dead husband, things happen she doesn't remember, she thinks she works as an investigative reporter for a TV station and on and on and on. The girl is real cray, cray.

One would think that I would want to get to the bottom of what her problem is. However, the dead husband is such a jerk and talks to her in such an abusive way that I was cringing way too much. The mother-in-law is incessantly on Anna's case and getting everyone in town involved so that they, too, are hounding the poor woman.

I got 29% through thinking it would get better for me. Sorry to say, it did not.

Thanks to Bloodhound Books and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.