The Warning by Kathryn Croft promises to grab you and thrill you! I’ve heard from a few fellow readers that they read this novel in record time. Don’t you love a book that roots you in place until the last page? I am so eager to get started on this one!

Here’s what you need to know:

Three years ago, Zoe’s fourteen-year-old son Ethan was found drowned in a river by their home, along with his best friend Josh. With no witnesses, the police rule their deaths a tragic accident.

Heartbroken by the loss of her child, Zoe and her husband Jake, along with their older son Harley, move away to try and rebuild their lives. They are just beginning to get back to some kind of normality, when, out of the blue, Zoe receives an anonymous email.

The message tells Zoe the police are wrong about how her son died, and what kind of mother would she be if she let things lie?

Shaken by the message, Zoe’s world is turned upside down as she starts an obsessive hunt for the truth behind what really happened to her son and his friend. But why is Josh’s mother Roberta so determined not to believe her? And will the truth she uncovers bring her peace – or tear her life apart?



I always like to see what other people think about books, in reading the early reviews, I see descriptions like “fast-paced” “dark” “thrilling” and “WTF!”

Have you read this author’s other books? I especially liked Silent Lies!

5 stars! ~

Another great one from Kathryn Croft! I am a big fan of this author and she does not disappoint with her latest book, "The Warning". I was so excited to see this on NetGalley and even more excited to be approved for an advanced reading copy by Bookouture!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. A great psychological thriller that had me guessing until the very end. Three years after a horrible accident, the families of the two boys who died are dealing with the aftermath and their loss. Ethan and Josh drowned in the river, found early in the morning while they were supposed to be home sleeping. How did both boys drown and why were they at the river in the middle of the night in the first place ? Now Zoe, Ethan's mom is getting cryptic messages leading her to believe it wasn't an accident after all.

Family secrets, lies and twists made this a page turner that I didn't want to put down. 5 twisty stars from me! Keep them coming Kathryn Croft!

A huge thank you to Bookouture, Netgalley and the author for an advanced reading copy.

Loved this book. Could hardly put it down. Every time I thought I had guessed the outcome I was wrong. There are lots of twists and turns.

Three years after a terrible accident, the parents and sibling of the two boys who died are still grieving. Best friends Ethan and Josh went out in the depths of night and were found the next morning drowned in the river. How did it happen? Ethan was a strong swimmer even though Josh couldn’t swim. What were the two fourteen-year-old boys even doing out by the river when they were supposed to be having a sleepover at Ethan’s house? Nobody knows the whys and wherefores of that night but the coroner ruled it an accident after comprehensive and exhaustive investigations.
Ethan’s parents Zoe and Jake and his brother Harley are just coming out of a very dark time and place when Zoe starts getting anonymous messages suggesting that the two boys did not die accidentally. Now living in a new house miles away, Zoe is making an effort to create security and happiness for her family. But now she cannot let it lie, she has to find the truth. She is forced to return to Guildford to visit Josh’s parents and the boys friends, determined to get answers. She must know the truth but her investigations are stonewalled. There are so many questions to ask, some of which are not answered with the truth. Who is playing tricks on Zoe? Why is she receiving the odious messages and not Roberta, Josh’s mother? Somebody is guarding a terrible secret and is out for revenge. But revenge for what?
Katherine Croft has written another excellent psychological thrilled and merged it very successfully with a dark and twisty-turny ‘Who done it?’ There are so many red herrings, outright lies and subterfuge – all adding to the excitement. It’s also a great story with an unbelievably complex web of secrecy, lies and half truths. The ending chilled me to the very bone. The characterisation was well crafted and carefully developed. It’s a real page turner with lots of shocks, thrills and spills. There are many issues raised throughout the story and I have had to take time to think about how I could mention the most prevalent theme without letting loose a howler of a spoiler, so I’m stopping at: it’s a story about secrets, family, friendship, trust, betrayal and shame. I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Bookouture through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. I was totally absorbed throughout the entire story so it’s a 4.5* review from me.

I proudly hand over 5 twisty messed up stars to this book!!!
I loved this and all the WTF moments. I loved the way it felt as if I was reading a story within a story within one book and for the life of me, I couldn’t see how they were connected but it was so freakin cool to read! Very interesting plot(s) going on here!! Twisted, twisty, dark, sad, awesome!!!
Oh let’s just say....THAT ending!
Thank you to the Publisher, #Netgalley and the author for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review. 5 Stars from me!!!
Posted on goodreads and amazon

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the copy of this book!

I loved the plot of this book and it was definitely kept my attention. I couldn't put the book away while lounging poolside this weekend. The author definitely kept me reading chapter after chapter even though I would say "just one more and then I will do stuff around the house.

I now have a new author on my want to read list so a win win for me. A good story and a new author.

Oh what a great ride this book as....I went into this book as a Kathryn Croft fan, and this was her best book yet!
She writes a great story.....keeps you guessing right to the very end!
I absolutely loved this book.... can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

my 1st book from this author and I loved it is a page turner 2 boys drown from two different families both families have secrets and you will see how the story unfold the twist is explosive you think you worked it out read it in two days very gripping and emotional will be reading more from this author if you like twists look no further your read

Three years ago, Zoe's son was found dead by the river along with his best friend. She and her family did the best they could to move on. However, she starts to receive text messages about finding out the truth.

Well, this book certainly had potential. However, the execution was somewhat messy. There are a lot of different story lines from multiple POVs, and they all blow up at once. That didn't quite work for me. At times, I found myself asking who was that character and where did they come from? It's not a bad book, but it was not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookoture.

The Warning by Kathryn Croft is a psychological thriller that kept me in the edge of my seat. Zoe's teenage son and his friend were killed in an accident and three years later the families are still trying to come to teams with this tragedy. Zoe receives an anonymous email telling her that she should look into the incident as it may not have been an accident. Zoe then decides to investigate and find out what happened to the boys. This is a story of secrets and lies with many twists and turns. A very enjoyable read that I read in one day as I couldn't put it down.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

OMG Kathryn Croft has done it again!!! I devoured this book in 2 days!!! I absolutely loved it along with all the other books I’ve read of hers. From the beginning to end kept in suspense and shock. I really didn’t see any of it coming. This is definitely the kind of book I would recommend to all my friends. 5 Stars on this one. Keep up the good work Kathryn Croft.

Sooooo a days reading today and so I managed to start and finish this psychological thriller...I have loved all of the authors previous 6 books and this, number 7 ( obvs ) does not disappoint
There are many books classed as psychological thrillers now but with this author you know you are going to get a true psychological treat, as with every one of her books there is something new ‘brought to the table’ its great when you find an author that you know is going to thrill and inspire you
The story is fast paced, dark and at times sad, 2 boys drown, 2 families try to cope with the aftermath of this, there are lies, recriminations, accusations and mystery...what REALLY happened to these boys and why do some people want to find out and some dont? Add a dose of catfishing, kidnap and much tension along with mini stories thrown in for good measure and your halfway there!!!
Each chapter is told by the main character leads, all wonderful in their roles, believable and easy to ‘picture’...some weak, some strong, some nasty, some scary, some willing, some not but all tell their side past and present brilliantly
The kind of book if a friend says ‘how can you spend all day reading your can hand them the book and say ‘read this, thats why’
10/10 5 Stars

*****PLEASE NOTE MY REVIEW WILL GO LIVE ON MY BLOG THE WEEK OF PUBLICATION*****

The Warning is a book I dived into immediately, as soon as I read the tag-line and was approved by BookOuture, on Netgalley, I started reading. I like when books fall like that - where you request something and know you absolutely have to start it immediately and I finished this book in one evening, something that's a bit of a rarity since I started a new job a week ago - starting a new job is draining, folks. I actually have never read one of Kathryn Croft's books, but the synopsis just hooked me immediately and I actually really loved the book.


This is an absolutely cracking psychological thriller and what sets it apart from most psychological thrillers is that Zoe is actually a reliable narrator - hurrah! She isn't going mad or acting different, this is just a mother trying to get over the death of her son three years ago and who, rightly, questions everything she thought she knew when she starts to get text messages insinuating Ethan's death wasn't quite as accidental as Zoe and everyone else was led to believe. It's a really clever premise, and I liked that Jake, Zoe's husband, was on Zoe's side throughout when she started to delve back into what happened on the day Ethan and Josh died. He was not a great husband otherwise, but he was rock solid in being on Zoe's side as she went down the rabbit hole of her son's last days and hours.It was so refreshing.


There is a lot going on in this novel - it's not just about Zoe's search for the truth, but there's Josh's mum Roberta as well, who just seems very Stepford-wife-y and her husband most definitely rules their roost with an iron fist and it actually made me so sad for her, because she seemed like a decent person, more or less. Then there's Zoe's surviving son, Harley, off to medical school soon and very, very introverted. Then there is the obligatory narrator in italics who is almost like the puppet master - you can tell this person is manipulative but it isn't clear at all who it actually is. I will say, the reveal wasn't one of those moments where your jaw drops, unfortunately, I had an idea who I thought it might have been and was utterly wrong, so utterly wrong, but it was everything that came out after that reveal that was the shock, in my opinion.


The Warning was a truly magnificent read. I was glued to it from start to finish, barely able to put it down and desperate for Zoe to put to rest what happened to Ethan (and Josh) all those years ago. Kathryn Croft is a fantastic writer and I will definitely be going back and reading her previous novels because she is such a brilliant writer, she honestly kept me awake long enough to finish this book in one go and this week, that is a bloody rarity. Thank you, Kathryn, The Warning was the exact book I needed to kick my reading mojo back into gear.