A classic crime suspense novel. I always enjoy a good crime book with a strong female lead character. The author did a great job describing Maggie’s fight scenes. I could completely envision them. I struggled a little bit with the criminal and why it actually happened. Seemed a bit unbelievable. The reasoning and the crimes just didn’t seem to match. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This thriller starts thrilling with a gripping prologue that draws you in. The mysteries of the past make for some interesting possible motives, but ultimately the solution is too far-fetched, Maggie's guilt-trip not as believable as it should be. It seems as if the author was trying to put some much discussed issues like bullying and bias against homosexuals into a story that ultimately has nothing to do with these issues.

This was the only book by Keith Houghton I had not read and it did not disappoint. The story is interesting and the characters have depth. I did work out the twist half way through but still was quite a good read.

Don’t Even Breathe is a pacy, addictive thriller with an intriguing mystery at the heart of it that draws you in immediately.

The prologue in which a murder is planned was enough to engage me then the author backs that up with a tense and beautifully plotted novel with little twists and turns leading you to a heart stopping finale.

Maggie is a great character and there is a well formed supporting cast with enough misdirection to keep you guessing. Past and present collide and you are hooked in first page to last.

A great crime read. I would not be disappointed if this were to be a series.

2.5 stars

I'm not quite sure about how to feel about this book. I enjoyed the whole mystery-solving thing and that first chapter certainly hooked me right in, but ultimately there were some thing that bugged me.

Firstly, I don't think the writing was bad, per se, but I don't believe it was for me. Although, it surprised me at some parts and I actually was enjoying it for those said parts, at times it felt too choppy for me and, although I can see where the author was headed with that, I don't think I liked that. Some parts were convenient and the ending kind of felt rushed and mediocre if you think about all the set up that was going on.

The thing that I didn't like most, though, was the main character, Maggie. Not only did I not like her as a person, but I felt that if she were such a good cop we would have been shown that? To me she was alright at best and I kept getting put off this book because of her towards the end of the story.

Don't even breathe is a fast paced crime thriller from Keith Houghton. The characters are funny and well thought out. The reader is engrossed from the first line itself and The mystery and pace of the narrative keeps the pages of the first half flowing even though the second half was a bit predictable and repetitive.
Maggie Novak is an experienced detective who is known to cover all her bases and keep her focus in the worst of times, but when she finds a dead body of her long lost friend who was supposed to be dead 20 years ago, her past comes tumbling down. While trying to untangle this particularly gruesome case, can Maggie keep herself safe from her past.!?
Predictable yet enjoyable, Dont even breathe was an interesting read which had both dark intricacies and humorous dialogues.
My rating : 3/5

I don't know what it was, but this cover just drew me in. I found the main protagonist really likeable with her sassy attitude.
The writing was easy to read, it flowed well. I found myself just reading on without a second thought.

Great book, will be looking out for more.

Thanks to NetGalley, Keith Houghton and the publishers.

A fairly enjoyable read. The writing could be a little clunky at times, and I had the ending figured out at about 75% through, but prior to that it was nice and twisty. Looooots of exposition after the climax that I could have done without-sometimes less is more, and I prefer not to have my explanations spoon-fed. But overall, a solid and easy read. I wouldn’t say no to another Maggie Novak novel!

A relatively decent police-procedural by Keith Houghton. The prologue is gripping and succinctly draws the reader in from line one. However, the pace of plot slows dramatically going into the first few chapters as more focus is placed on detailing police work and internal dialog. The characters are decently developed but lack a natural cohesion with one another. It feels as if the character’s description versus their actual portrayal is in conflict with one another. In addition, veteran readers of this genre may find Houghton’s foreshadowing presumptuous, leading to an easy depiction of the plot twist. Overall an okay read. 3 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #DontEvenBreathe in exchange for an honest review.

Whoa! 5 stars for this one that really had me floored.
Nothing like a brilliant thriller with spine-chilling events!
There's nothing like a detective with shadowy past and a point to prove. Maggie Novak is one kick-ass detective! All characters in this book are so damn interesting, I couldn't keep this one down!
It has all the salient points of a solid good thriller:
Murder, check.
Nail-biting suspense, check.
An extraordinary detective, check.
A remarkable partner, check.
A good mix of freaky & adorable characters, check
A well-written, twisted plot, check.
A you-didn't-see-it-coming ending, check!
I eagerly look forward to more of Ms Novak. Hands down one of the best I've picked from Netgalley. This book has definitely piqued my interest in Keith Houghton's other books and sure as hell I'll be reading them as soon as I can get my hands on them. I'm very happy I picked this up. Very unique of the book to have chapter headings!

Thanks to Netgalley, Keith Houghton & the publishers for an arc.

Whether an unpopular opinion or no, I feel that Don't Even Breathe could have been much better than it is. The author relied heavily on a confession from Maggie late in the final act but instead of being drawn into the alluded mystery I grew irritated and eventually bored by all the clunky mentions of what had happened years ago. The reveal was too little too late and the expected twist too nonsensical to take seriously. I prefer at least a reasonable amount of believability in police procedural novels. This killer would have needed supernaturally good luck for this series of events to work, as well as a terribly inept police force and medical professionals working the case. None of these options makes for gripping reading.

I did find my immersion broken often, and wish that the more natural relationships between characters, such as Loomis and Maggie, had been allowed to shine. While I'm sure there is a market for it and others will surely love this book, I found it all a little too far fetched to be really enjoyable.

Great book will be reading other books by this author.
Will also recommend this book to others.
Great read! 5***

I've read all of Mr. Houghton's books, and must say he's among my favorite authors. Why? Because all the boxes on my "must have" list are always checked. Intricate, intelligent plot? Check. Evocative characters? Check. Believable, logical dialogue? Check. Satisfying ending? Check. What are you waiting for? Go read it!

I loved the detail and well developed characters. The story does make you realize how a high school prank can affect an entire army of people. I did see the end coming but did not want to put the book down!

This book was right up my street. I was engrossed from the very start an couldn’t put it down. I could never predict what was going to happen or what way the plot was going which is a good thing as it keeps you wanting more. Having said that the ending was a bit of a let down. I was really expecting a great ending with plot twists I hadn’t even thought of not your average plot ending that you have read before. It had the potential to be great. On another note loved this authors style of writing an I would definitely read more from this author. Still a good read but just a let down when it came to the ending...

A gripping and intense read. I was very excited to start this one since the blurb had fascinated me.

It was an easy book to read, the characters were interesting and I wanted to know more about them, the more the story went on.
I would recommend this book to my friends!

A well written book and one that I enjoyed very much. One thing I particularly appreciated was that it shows the detectives using modern technology; too often, crime novels seem to be stuck decades in the past when it comes to showing photos to witnesses and things like that. So it felt very realistic and up to date. I did find some of the fight scenes a bit repetitive, and I saw the 'twist' coming from miles away. Nevertheless, I would definitely read another book in the same series.

With a multitude of twists and turns DON'T EVEN BREATHE by Keith Houghton is a thriller with unrelenting action that will keep you reading long into the night.

Main character, Maggie Novak is a believable character and is perfectly relatable. She may be an elite homicide detective, or "deathtective," as she calls herself, but she is also a person with a past. Maggie knows she has done terrible things and she wishes she could go back and change them, but knows she can't.

Maggie has a man in her life, but she keeps it casual. He is a cute, surfer-type whose day job is working in the mental health field. He has a dog and I love that the dog's name is Spartacus.

When Maggie's worst high school memory is brought to light, she has to not only find a murderer, but must also face up to the things she did back then.

This story proves that high school may be long over, but often those memories affect the rest of a person's life.

I rate DON'T EVEN BREATHE as 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and am thrilled to have found a writer whose work I was unfamiliar with until now. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of his novels.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.

Don’t Even Breathe is a pacy, addictive thriller with an intriguing mystery at the heart of it that draws you in immediately.

The prologue in which a murder is planned was enough to engage my reading senses then the author backs that up with a tense and beautifully plotted novel with little twists and turns leading you to a heart stopping finale.

Maggie is a great character and there is a well formed supporting cast with enough misdirection to keep you guessing. Past and present collide and you are hooked in first page to last.

A great crime read. I would not be disappointed if this were to be a series.

Recommended.

A suspenseful mystery full of twists. The characters are well developed. The plot is intriguing. Just when you think you have it solved, you're wrong. This is a good start to a new series. I can't wait to see how things develop.