To the Lions" is the phrase journalists use when talking about who they are going to rip apart and throw to the lions next. To that end, this is a story about how far a journalist will go to get a story and the hip, young journalists portrayed here who work undercover in disguise and secret identities like secret agents test those limits. They get word overhearing a conversation in a posh London nightclub that rich first-worlders jetsettting off for one last thrill are going on safari in the third world, they go undercover in Libya and join an expedition and the question is how far they'll take it to get the scoop and the expose. Will they take their turn at this twisted form of evil.

A pulse-pounding thriller, To The Lions is the first book I have read from this author.

It was an interesting read and I was quite pleased with the ending.

To The Lions is just my kind of book, strong realistic characters, a tense and thought provoking story with perfectly immersive writing and a page turning quality that grips you throughout.

I don't know where to start with this gripping political thriller, it was such an incredible read, but I fear my review will just fall short in describing the talent Holly Watt presents in the pages. Told from the perspective of journalist Casey Benedict, To the Lions follows Casey and her investigative journalist crew as they dive into a story about the influx of migrants, wealthy hedge fund and political leaders, and the depraved desires these men seek to fulfill. A secret hunt, one man's apparent suicide, and a beautiful journalist who knows how to slip into any character for the scoop. To the Lions is a fast-paced read with one horrifying plot and yet I couldn't put it down.

I could feel the power rolling of the wealthy magnates in waves, I could understand how their cracks appeared, how the corruption leaked in like black gas turning them into blood hungry monsters. The public doesn't see it, they don't want to, but Casey wants to get to the bottom of whatever the hunt is. I loved Casey as a character, though she certainly has some holes in her background that would have made the story a 5 star read for me. She's imaginative, driven to a fault, and truly has the best interest of the world at heart. She's an authentic journalist and I so appreciated her perspective. She felt authentic and that lent itself to every character and every situation encountered in this novel. It made the far off lands of Libya and Africa come to life, the desperation of the migrant families was palpable, and the terrifying events felt as though I'd read them in a newspaper and not a novel.

Thought-provoking, intriguing, and far more horrifying than I can put to words, To the Lions is one of those reads that takes current political issues just one step further, to the point of making you question if you can even imagine it. Holly Watt makes it so you can.

A fast paced political thriller that makes for a page-turning and terrifying read because it is so realistic.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I will not be giving feedback on this title at this time.

An international thriller featuring a female journalist who stumbles upon a dark conspiracy, and her determination to follow the clues, no matter how far that takes her.

Casey Benedict, star reporter at the Post, has infiltrated the lives and exposed the lies of countless politicians and power players. Using her network of contacts, and her ability to slip into whatever identity suits the situation, Casey is always on the search for the next big story, no matter how much danger this might place her in, or what the cost might be, emotionally.

Tipped off by an overheard conversation at an exclusive London nightclub, she begins to investigate the apparent suicide of a wealthy young British man whose death has left his fiancée and family devastated. The young man's death, however, is only the tipping point of a much more sinister and dangerous scandal involving the world's most powerful leaders and magnates—men who are gathering in northern Africa for an extreme and secret hunt. With fellow reporter Miranda and combat veteran Ed by her side, Casey's determined hunt for the truth will take her from the glitz of St. Tropez to the deserts of Libya and on to the very darkest corners of the human mind.

I wanted to love this book. I picked it up and set it down so many times, I just couldn’t finish it. I feel that it was a bit all over the place and couldn’t keep my interest past the first few chapters. This wasn’t my cup of tea but I could see why others may enjoy it

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

I am not a huge fan of thrilled but this one is a masterpiece. The plot was captivating, the characters were interesting and complex and the twists were surprising. I loved every second of this book and the ending was perfect I thought.

This journalistic thriller was not entirely my style, but I think that other readers will really enjoy this. It was a little different than I expected, dry in tone and the writing style felt quipped. But the characters and story were both really smart, so if you don't think the tone of the narrative will bother you, I thought that this story held a lot of interesting plot points.

I was only able to get about 25% in to the book and really didn't like it. The writing just wasn't for me. I did like the story idea, but for my reading style it didn't work.

I'm quite late in reviewing this but when I finished To The Lions on 9/1/19 I had a hard time writing up a review. I was torn on the rating but decided on 3 stars because despite not caring much for the main character, I did enjoy it. It's a disturbing plot but the idea of a journalist willing to risk her life for a story was intriguing and kept me reading because I needed to know how it ended.

To The Lions is one dark, intense thriller with high-stakes and lots of danger.
Casey Benedict is an investigative journalist who stumbles upon the story of a lifetime after overhearing a disturbing conversation while undercover at a nightclub. A conversation about travelling to the Middle East and shooting humans. For sport.
Teaming up with fellow reporter Miranda and veteran Ed, their investigation them leads to a dangerous scandal in Northern Africa. A much bigger scandal than anyone expected.

The pacing isn't perfect but once you reach Casey's undercover operation it gets better. There are a lot of passages that flash back to Casey's past experiences that didn't necessarily feel like a contribution to the current time. I would have preferred less of those.
Casey doesn't just want a good story. She wants justice for the refugees being hunted like animals by rich men who are bored with their lives and looking for a thrill. And she's willing to risk her life for it. While in Libya Casey and Ed have to be extremely careful. If one thing were to go wrong, they know they may never make it back home. But the question becomes, just how far is Casey willing to go to get her story?

This book is super fast paced, edge of your seat exciting. I was nervous for Her the entire book. The subject matter is horrifying, however in this crazy world we live in, I can see it being an actual thing. I think that is what makes it so terrifying for me. I just enjoyed this book so much because of the way you get so wrapped up in it. Excellent book.

To the Lions takes on an intense, complex topic. It’s the type of novel that normally holds me riveted and tears at my emotions. I so wanted to love this book, but I didn’t.

The major issue for me is the total lack of character development. Who are these people and why should I care what happens to them? If I can’t answer that, the rest doesn’t matter. And, for the most part, I didn’t learn anything about these people. Casey and Miranda, our two female leads, are highly driven journalists. They’re unlikable in the way they use and manipulate people, stomping through lives without regard, all in the name of the story. And that’s about all I know. Everyone else is just a chess piece there to serve a purpose for the plot.

The writing style lacks cohesion. We jump around a whole lot, with appearances from an endless procession of characters, none of which breathe life into the story.

The plot itself is horrifying, and yet I only experienced it in the abstract way of knowing but not feeling. The journalistic feel is spot on, which makes sense given the author is a successful investigative journalist herself. But the crossover to fiction didn’t work for me.

About one-third through, when I realized I was skimming way more than I was reading, I knew it was time to give it up.

To the Lions
A Novel

by Holly Watt


PENGUIN GROUP Dutton

Dutton

Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 03 Sep 2019




I am reviewing a copy of To the Lions from Penguin Group/Dutton and Netgalley:





Casey Benedict is a star reporter for the Post and she has infiltrated the lives of abd exposes the lies of countless politicians as well as power players! She used her network of contacts too slip into various identities for various situations, Casey is always ready to find the next big story no matter how dangerous.



Casey becomes tipped off by an unheard conversation at an exclusive night club
and begins to investigate the apparent suicide of a wealthy young British man whose death has left his fiancée and family devastated. The young man’s death is only the start of a far more dangerous scandal that involves some of the world’s most powerful leaders and magnates, men who are gathering in northern Africa for an extreme and secret hunt. With another reporter Miranda and combat veteran Ed by her side, Casey's determined the hunt for the truth will take her from the glitz of St. Tropez to the deserts of Libya and on to the very darkest corners of the human mind.



I do not recommend To the Lions to anyone under the age of sixteen due to the overuse of profanity. I give To the Lions three out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

4 out of 5 stars. A modern day spy thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat!

When Casey, an expose writer at a top paper, gets wind of a suspicious suicide, she begins to investigate on her own. Her investigation takes her down a dangerous path where the worlds most powerful men are going on the hunt for human flesh. Casey goes undercover in this alarming setting to truly get to the bottom of this mystery.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it’s very unique plot. Taking a page out of modern history and refugee camps in the Middle East and Africa, Holly Watt weave an engaging story that captures your attention!

Thank you to Holly Watt, Dutton Books, and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #ToTheLions

I was intrigued by the premise of this, an investigative journalist going undercover to report on crimes in Libya involving refugees being shot for fun. This chilling plot would've been much better served had the author picked up the pace in the first half of the book. Casey, the main character, decides to partner up with her friend and colleague Miranda to find out the truth about what's happening in Libya. I found Miranda's character boring without much personality. Couple this with the extremely slow and drawn out first half and I almost didn't continue reading. While I found the second half much better paced and interesting, this story wasn't for me in the end.

Wow! So not expecting this from a thriller! Spooky, sexy, and crazy!!! I loved every minute of it. My advice... go into this book blind. You won’t regret it. What a roller coaster!

This book just didn't work for me. I couldn't finish it and stopped around 21%.

FIrst of all I couldn't get into the writing style. It seemed very movie-ish. It jumped through actions leaving a lot to interpretation, and I just don't like that kind of writing. The journalists were looking at each other and knew that they had something big, but it is not revealed to the reader, what exactly they are thinking. It was very annoying, as the answers weren't really there by the time I decided to quit.

The theme, of hunting in refugee camps seemed like a really interesting one, and I wish I could have gotten hooked to this book and found out what happened, or who is responsible. But not being a journalist and not knowing how all this investigative journalism works, I couldn't find a connection to the story to keep me going. The characters were also forgettable and uninteresting. They seemed like the snoopy kind, know it all, very secretive and that is what makes them unrelatable.