Decent read but very slow burner. I think maybe there was a bit too much detail, more than necessary. The writing is fine. I didn’t love the main character. She was dreary. The psycho was quite interesting though!

There are some twists and turns. I was surprised a couple of times so that was fun. Overall, this was pretty good but with a little pairing down of details could be very good.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

This is a psychological thriller, and a good read! Claire is tormented by her horrific past, where she escaped the hands of a serial killer. Left with visible and internal scars, she is trying to move on with her life, now that the serial killer is dead. However the killings start again and Claire is thrown back into her past whether she likes it or not. Some good twists, but if I’m honest it was a slow burner which didn’t really peak at the end as I hoped. That said it was a thrilling story and I would recommend. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for this honest review.

Let's just start out by saying, don't read this unless all the lights are on! Because this serial killer. The Blackout Killer knows exactly how to instill fear in his victims; he simply cuts off the power to the neighborhood and then tortures and sets husband and wife ablaze in the bathtub. Scared yet? You should be!
Claire was fortunate that she was the only victim who escaped years ago. But she mourns her dead husband and limps because of the injuries she sustained. And of course she has a crippling fear that she is being watched and that the killer will be back for her--even though the suspected villain died in prison.
Told from her perspective as well as the killer's, the novel details the reasons why she is paralyzed by fear and why the killer is so ruthless to women he believes are "weak" and won't stand up to their abusive husbands. Lots of red herrings and just when you think you know the identity of the killer...you don't! Gripped me until the end! Whew! I will be reading more of Sullivan for sure!

Closer than you think.

In this book we follow Claire's journey. 10 years ago she was the only survivor of the serial killer known as The Black Out Killer, a killer whose mother killed herself when he was young due to the abuse she suffered at the hands of his father. He kills men that abuse their wives and also the wives that are too weak to leave their abusive husband's.

Having survived the attack where her husband was killed and Claire was left bruised, burned, bloody, and broken, she's now finally starting to take small steps to recovery. She still has a lot of anxiety but her blossoming romance with Paul and the support from her mother and her mother's partner is helping her.

She believes the person responsible for the murders and her scars died while in prison for other crimes.

Until there's another murder...and someone is watching Claire.

Totally gripping, had me suspicious of quite a few people but I never guessed who the killer was. This is the first book I have read by this author and it won't be the last!

All I can say is what a great read this is. Darren is an excellent writer because I felt as if I was on the sidelines watching the story unfold. I had my own ideas as to who was the killer and I'm glad to say that I was completely wrong. I was given this to read in exchange for my honest opinion and I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review.

First things first guys. Let’s start with the cover. Would you just take a good look at this beautifully designed book? How eye catching, right? A bit creepy and chilling? Sometimes you can tell that the book will be fabulous just by looking at it.

Being a big fan of serial killer topic, this book swallowed me up within few pages. That feeling of getting into head of serial killer is unbelievable. You can’t quite get why psycho acts like a psycho, why he kills the way he does, but it’s interesting to at least try. I mean some parts were quite disgusting to read even without images flashing in front of you (which by the way is pretty impossible to avoid). Great ‘baddie’ character. 👌🏼

Poor Clare can’t move on from what happened to her 10 years ago. She lost husband, home, freedom. All in just that one night. You can, without a doubt, feel for her, the trauma she is dealing with (or trying to) is scary. I mean, could you get over something like this? Could you get over escaping death by serial killer with mutilated body and mind? When similar style killing happens again, all memories come back even more vividly. Is it the same man or a copycat? Is he going to come back for her and finish off what he started? Clare is freaked out and you will be with her.

Well done Darren O’Sullivan for creating this realistic, scary and creepy novel. Each goosebump and every held breath was definitely worth it.

If you haven’t heard about this author yet (that’s if you’ve been living in a cave 😜), don’t wait and pre-order this beauty now. Check out also Darren’s other novels, they are fabulous!

This is a serial killer thriller set in Ireland, with a two timelines. You follow Claire who survived the black out killer. A killer turning off the power, killing and burning the remains. Claire was supposed to be the 8th victim but she escaped. 10 years later, Claire is trying to move on with her life and come to terms with the trauma caused by that night. However, reports are coming in that the black out killer is back and he's closer than you think

So, serial killer thrillers are one of my faves to read and this was no expection. This book is incredibly pacey and claustrophobic. It has the right amount of gore and guts to gross you out but is not overdone so it becomes silly.

I found myself constantly guessing throughout this book. I was set on it being one of two people. I was thinking this was going to be ruined by the ending has I thought it was going to be super predictable. But bam!! The ending came and I did not guess what happened!

If you like pacey, tense exciting thrillers, I think you will love this one.

This title comes out on March 15th! Get your pre-orders in girls and guys

Thank you for letting me read this arc, netgalley and the publishers!

Having barely escaped the clutches of a serial killer, Claire Moore has struggled to rebuild her life. After her terrifying encounter with the man the media dubbed The Black-Out Killer, she became an overnight celebrity: a symbol of hope and survival in the face of pure evil. And then the killings stopped.

Now ten years have passed, and Claire remains traumatised by her brush with death. What happened that night continues to haunt her still.
Just when things are starting to improve, there is a power cut; a house fire; another victim found killed in the same way as before. The Black-Out Killer is back. And he’s coming for Claire…

This was such a creepy good read!! I was so engrossed with this story, it was original and thrilling.... It felt so realistic and scary that I had to read it with the lights on! I didn't see that ending coming either.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #CloserThanYouThink
Pub Date: 15 Mar 2019

I really enjoyed this novel! This is the first I’ve read of Darren O’Sullivan and I can’t wait to “check out” more of his books! His plot and characters were on point and made you think you knew what was gonna happen and kept me engaged in his work! Loved this!! Absolutely recommend!

Ill never look at power outages the same way again. I really enjoyed this book. It had a great concept and a very unique, high suspense, almost ending . It was fairly suspenseful and fast paced. I liked the characters, they were easy to relate to. The serial killer/black out calling card angle was the right kind or terrifying. Overall the book flowed really well and kept me interested in its twists and turns. It lost a star for me because i hate unfinished endings.

This story is about Claire Moore she is still suffering the psychological effects of a horrific attack and her husband murder by a man labelled the black out killer. As far as Claire is concerned the killer was caught and died whilst in prison. The murders start again and the police suspect there is a copycat.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought that I had guessed the outcome very early on in the book. In the end I was wrong and although I am glad that the author didn’t go down the obvious route I am left with a lot of questions.

Closer Than You Think

I have read and loved the first two books by Darren O’Sullivan so I had high hopes for the third!

This book is a sit on the edge of your seat, if your reading alone and here a noise you jump, page turning gem!

The depth of the characters is flawless and the flow of the book is perfection! Perfectly placed twists and turns and a surprise ending I don’t think anyone will see coming.

When I read the book description it sounded good! I knew I had to read it!
The first few pages really captured my attention I kept turning the page to see where the story was going and what would happen next. But as it went on the story started getting a little bit too long in details that I felt was unnecessary, it lost its flow. it didn't seem to be getting anywhere as far as the point of the story.
Unfortunately i was unable to finish reading the book which saddens me because i really would have liked to have known where the story went and what would have happened.

Good pace, enough suspects to keep you guessing and occasional twists interspersed through the chapters. I found myself having one theory, getting sidetracked by a different one but then finding out my original one was correct. I didn't particularly like the main character, despite being through significant trauma it was hard to warm to her, not sure why. There were also some random characters who got mentioned a lot but then you hardly ever saw so I wasn't sure what their significance was.

Coming to the plot, we are first introduced to the serial killer (aka the BlackOut Killer) who remembers his past as a child and how and why he started killing. Apparently his mom and dad were not in a happy marriage and he wasn't happy that his mother tolerated his abusive father. he wanted her to escape from this hell but the weak she was she held on and in turn let her son suffer. But one day she took her own life and left him all on his own. Since then he has wanted to stop brute men and weak women who tolerate them.

Meet Claire Moore, an ex kindergarten teacher, now living in London, and who survived the serial killers attempt to murder her. Its been ten years since the incident in Ireland and yet she is still haunted by it. She hardly steps out of her home, still needs her mother to stand outside the bathroom as she takes a shower and still feels every other person she meets is a killer. But on the tenth anniversary of her incident where she was almost killed and where her husband, Owen had died, her mother decided its finally time to confront the ghosts of the past and to make peace with it. The fact that she has someone new in her life - Paul, who was set-up by her mom through a dating site, makes her want to try.  Slowly she revisits her hometown where the horrors had changed her life forever. Finally after ten long years Claire begins to feel hope for the future, except, the BlackOut killer is back or is it a copycat? Claire tries everything she has to fight back and not succumb to been a victim again. But the killer is closer than you think.

Admittedly, this is the first time I have actually sympathised with the villain, which is no small feat. Of course he is no saint but sometimes you do feel for this guy who could never come out from his past.....................The author builds up the tension perfectly and what comes in the end will have you unprepared.


full review on www.bibliogyan.com

This is the first book I have read from this author and it will not be the last. From the first page I was drawn into the fear of the black out killer and it continued to the last page.
Darren O'Sullivan knows how to weave suspense and tension together to form a rollercaster of emotions with little time to relax. One of the best psychological thrillers I have read in a long time

Excellent book. Five stars. A real page turner that keeps you hooked right to the very end. Highly recommended. I loved it

I enjoyed this book but didn’t love it. Found it a bit slow & I didn’t like the female main character. All in all I would recommend it but it could have been better

I didn’t go in overwhelmed with expectations, there are simply too many suspense thrillers out, and turns out it was just the right approach. Because this was steadily average, but perfectly decent of a read. I actually haven’t read one by the male author in a while, women seem to be dominating the genre presently, but the main character was still a woman. The only survivor of a terribly violent crime, the last one in a crime spree of an Irish serial killer, who since then been (possibly) apprehended. But of course he hasn’t. He’s just been biding his time, waiting to go off again. All the while never too far in thoughts and distance from the one who got away. Literally. In fact, he’s closer than you think. Get it, get it. Ok, then. So it’s a pretty straight forward sort of story, the female protagonist is making strides to get on with her life, but the world has too many real and imaginary dangers and that’s even aside from her questionable taste in men. Otherwise pretty standard…split narrative, check, misleading the reader, check, twist ending, check. I figured it out relatively early on, then got sidelined by a very (too much so) convincing alternative and then the epilogue proved me right. Without that ending, this would have been just too basic, so it’s nice it’s there. Never read the author before, probably would again based on this book, but not something to aggressively look for either. It was a very quick read and it did entertain, so a very serviceable way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Thanks Netgalley.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for a nice review.

This is one of those rare books where you actually root for the killer and wouldn’t be sad if the final girl were to die. Granted -this book was written by a man, but the main female character is so flat it is truly hard to engage with her at all, and at least the psychopath is engaging and has a sense of purpose. Did not necessarily take away from my enjoyment of the book as escapism, but there it is