Wow is all i can say.....

5 years after Lucy lost her Fiancee in a train cash she is at her lowest point and struggling with crippling debts, but when an envelope is placed in her bag whilst on a packed bus so begins what can only be described as a nightmare

Highly recommended

I could not put this down! This was perfectly paced and included everything I want in this genre: a sketchy domestic household, red herrings, twists, and plenty of drama. And the dog!!! What a fun read!

Lucy is struggling to make ends meet, often skipping meals just so she can feed her dog Billy. Her prayers seem to have been answered when an envelope of cash is slipped into her bag. She’s faced with a moral conundrum, should she keep the money or give it into the police?

Her life starts to rapidly spiral out of control and Lucy feels like she’s being followed. Who gave her the money and what do they want with her?

So I really enjoyed Kerry Wilkinson’s stand-alone thriller The Death and Life of Eleanor Parker last year, so when I saw he had another book out, I just couldn’t wait to read it.

A face in the crowd is a real tension packed read that pulled me in and didn’t let me go until the end.

Lucy is one of those characters who you root for. She seems to have been dealt a bad hand in life but still tries to be kind and help out where she can.

What I really did admire about this novel the fact that though is the fact most of the characters didn’t have a lot of money but they weren’t portrayed as criminals, just people trapped by circumstance. It also made a change from the usual more middle class characters you see in psychological thrillers.

Truthfully I did sort of see the big reveal coming but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the novel.
A face in the crowd is intriguing and well written psychological thriller with flawed yet realistic characters.

A stand alone novel by author Kerry Wilkinson.
Lucy’s boyfriend Ben and his brother Alex were killed in a train accident. Now five years later she is still trying to get her life back together. But things are not working out well, stuck in a small flat and in a job that she hates there doesn't appear to be any light at the end of the tunnel. Everything changes when on getting off a crowded bus she finds an envelope full of cash in her bag. With no knowledge of where it came from she is left with the dilemma of whether to hand it in to the police or keep the much needed money. Is this a lifeline she needs or the start of a nightmare.
This is a page turner which made it a very quick read. Good characters and exciting plot. You will find yourself racing through this book to learn more.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is a stand alone psychological thriller that had me racing through the pages to find out what would happen next.
Lucy discovers a few thousand pounds has been put in her bag whilst she was on the bus and can’t understand how it got there.
She tells herself she’ll call the Police the next day but then starts spending the money as she’s a struggling student, who has been living on the bare minimum.
Lucy slowly starts to spend the money and realises she can no longer go to the Police.
She starts to get anonymous phone calls but no-one speaks and she starts to see a mysterious figure everywhere she goes.
Lucy starts to worry especially as a woman in her flats has been killed and the Police visit her and her neighbour.
It’s soon revealed where the money came from and it wasn’t what I was expecting!
This is a real page turner that had me hooked.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

4.5 stars. Another cracking read by this author. He’s fast becoming one of my favourites and his books never disappoint. Quite a unique storyline that kept me guessing right up until the end.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt sorry for Lucy. I thought the story was believable and that it was all well written. Kerry Wilkinson definitely knows how to write a great book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Alright, what do I think about A Face in the Crowd?

On the plus side, it has a solid writing that I didn't realise I finished it in just a day. The pace was good, characterisation was okay, I mean I have no complain other than the plot.

I don't think AFitC was qualified under psychological thriller/mystery. At times, it felt contemporary/woman fiction. And I truly couldn't grasp the theme.

Was it the money? Was it the hard life? Was it the dead fiance? What was it?

AFitC ended each chapter with a question that predicted at least an eye-opening answer to a mystery, but every explanation just felt flat.

Although I didn't really into it, it made for a short and fun read.

A very slow burner to start with but I am glad to say that it did get better. Unfortunately not a lot.
A few twists to tease the reader. Personally I think that would have been better as a short story.
An okay read , just not for me.
I would like to thank the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Kerry Wilkinson is one of my favorite authors. I discovered her on Netgalley. Every novel is better than the last and never a disappointment. A FACE IN THE CROWD is no exception. You never know what is going on or the main character can trust. A great read!!!

Another excellent stand alone novel from Kerry Wilkinson. Fast paced with great tension that encourages real empathy with Lucy as she struggles with problems of poverty and loneliness. While travelling on a crowded commuter bus a stranger leaves an envelope full of cash in her bag. Who would do such a thing? Was it a kindness, a mistake or something more sinister. Should she keep quiet and spend it on much needed items or do the honest thing and hand it in to the police? As events take increasingly bizarre turns and her money worries spiral out of control, Lucy has no idea who to trust and becomes more unpredictable as she searches for answers. A great read in typical down to earth style with a satisfying conclusion, I sped through this one in two days. Many thanks to Kerry Wilkinson for the advance copy for review.

A FACE IN THE CROWD is Kerry Wilkinson's newest standalone thriller, and while not his best, it does feature the best character any book could - a gorgeous snuggable staffy! However, I may not have enjoyed it as much as much as I probably could have had I not spent the entire book on tenterhooks waiting for something untoward to happen to Billy. That constant shadow remained with me throughout the whole book and if it hadn't then I am sure I would have enjoyed it more. Having said that, I DID really enjoy it...just probably not as much as I could have.

Lucy's Life hasn't turned out the way she thought it would. Five years ago she was engaged to charismatic Ben Peterson and they seemed like the perfect couple. They were happy, they had plans, they had a future. Then it all came crashing down when Ben was killed in an horrific train crash. Suddenly she found herself in debt. Now she lives day to day, pay cheque to pay cheque, working as a cashier at a supermarket struggling to make ends meet while the new love of her life - her dog, a staffy - waits for her at home in their small one bedroom flat.

One day however, everything changes. Lucy is on her usual way home one Friday evening on the bus - standing room only - trying to keep her head down while armpits are shoved in her face and elbows in her back. Just waiting to get back home to Billy. She has the sense that someone is watching her and when she reaches her stop something feels different...but she doesn't know what. When she discovers a strange blank envelope in her bag, she is shocked to discover that it is filled with thousands of pounds! Upon finding it she vows to turn it in to the police. But as the hours stretch into the night and then into the next day, Lucy still has the envelope and its contents and can't help but wonder how it got there. That's when strange things start to happen. Coincidence? Or something more sinister?

Then Lucy begins to hear music coming the flat directly opposite her, abandoned by previous tenant Jade, and a shiver runs through her as the melodic sounds of "Rocket Man" by Elton John emanate from behind the closed door. But when she knocks, no one ever answers. There is no sound but the music. Who is her new neighbour and why do they constantly play what was once her favourite song over and over? Is it Harry? The new man she met on a dating app? Has he been stalking her? He is a computer hacker, after all, or is she being ridiculous? But then he is attacked after leaving her apartment one night. Or is it Melanie? Ben's mum. Lucy has seen her everywhere she goes lately. Is SHE stalking her? She knows she blames Lucy for her son's death. But whoever it is, where ever she goes, Lucy has the constant feeling of being watched.

When she discovers her best friend and neighbour Karen also has an envelope of money, Lucy begins to wonder what secrets her friend may be harbouring? Has Karen received an envelope as well? Or is she responsible for her's?

And then Jade's body is found and the police are treating it as murder. Someone they know could be a cold-blooded killer. Could life get any worse?

But when Billy suddenly takes ill, Lucy is beside herself with worry! What is wrong with him? She takes the envelope of cash and hurries to the vet where she awaits tests that reveal he has been poisoned. Who would poison Billy? Why would they poison him?

Lucy may have thought the envelope of money would save her life but nothing could be further from the truth.

A slow burn to begin with, A FACE IN THE CROWD is an intriguing tale of suspense that is woven with an every day story of an every day person in their ever day life. Nothing exciting, nothing extravagant. Just someone like you or me living week to week, struggling to make ends meet...when something extraordinary happens. I like how Kerry Wilkinson has drawn on that. Not someone who has it all.

I think it is because of this that I can relate to Lucy. She could be me. I know what it is to struggle from pay cheque to pay cheque, trying to make ends meet. And yes, much of that goes on rent and bills with not a lot left over for groceries. I could relate to trying to balance the cost of a meal and opting for the cheapest option. Lucy could be me. But thankfully, in this case, she wasn't. But I could relate to her. And the fact that she has a completely lovable and snuggable staffy only cements that fact. I have two staffies of my own and am familiar with their love, loyalty and devotion to their master. I could relate to the dead weight of them when they decide to sprawl across your lap your legs. Or anywhere that is comfortable. Staffies view life as if it is completely for their benefit. And in my world, it is.

I enjoyed the cast of characters in A FACE IN THE CROWD. We've already established I liked Lucy, but I also enjoyed her interactions with Karen, Vicky and Nick. Mark is someone I wouldn't want in my complex either, which is precisely why I don't live in a flat. I even liked Harry, though I was suspicious of him at times. And because Melanie was not a fan of Lucy, I wasn't a fan of her. But I enjoyed their interactions. However, there wasn't a vast array of characters and those that were only had a small part to play because the story highlighted Lucy's isolation. In essence it was about her and Billy. And Billy was, above all, my favourite character. I could sit and snuggle with him all night.

I wouldn't call A FACE IN THE CROWD a thriller as such. It is more of a mystery suspense. It lacked the twists of Wilkinson's other standalones, and I already guessed the "big reveal" about halfway through, but it is still compelling. I was still drawn into the story, losing track of time as read until the early hours. It did not have that huge climatic ending we naturally come to expect but I felt it was a good ending. And Billy was the hero of it all...as it should be.

My only real fault was in Kerry's "note" at the end when he referenced Billy with being a "big arse dog". This is the kind of misconception that gives staffies a bad name. They are not "big arse dogs". They are huge snugglebugs who love people and regardless of their size, believe they are lap dogs. That aside, as it was not part of the story, and Kerry cleverly did not portray Billy as a "big arse dog" in my opinion either. I think he portrayed him rather well, except that at 10, Billy would still be a little more active. Though the fact he is kept indoors would be why he is indeed a lounge lizard, as staffies are quite capable of being.

I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #AFaceInTheCrowd in exchange for an honest review.

A Face in the Crowd by Kerry Wilkinson

Ben spoke of weddings and such the last time Lucy saw him as he was leaving for work. Five years later her life is MUCH different as she is living on a tight budget hoping to make ends meet. Sometimes she feeds her dog instead of herself but she is managing to scrape by as she works as a grocery checker and goes to school. She has some friends and does a bit of online dating but really...all she seems to do is put on foot ahead of the other to get from one day to the next...until...something big happens...and...she is faced with a dilemma. What should she do with that envelope of money that showed up unexpectedly...look for the person who lost it, spend it or do something else? Then...bizarre things begin to happen and she starts feeling things are perhaps not quite right. What is NOT right is a mystery...until it is not.

This was creepy and interesting and perhaps a bit unbelievable and yet...it did make me think and wonder...what if? If I had any quibble with the story it was that I felt Lucy was left hanging at the end and if given a choice might have liked another chapter or perhaps an epilogue that let me know what Lucy’s future holds in store for her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

You’ve got to feel sorry for Lucy. Her boyfriend died a few years previously in a train crash, leaving her with huge debts which she didn’t know about. Life is a struggle now for her, earning pennies working in a supermarket, doing a University course and trying to pay off the endless debts. One day whilst on the bus, she finds an envelope in her bag which doesn’t belong to her. Upon opening it, she finds just under £3500 in cash. It could solve some of her problems, but who put it there?

I love Kerry Wilkinson books so I couldn’t wait to get started on this one. I liked Lucy’s character and did feel sorry for her. Her life seemed pretty miserable, with only her dog Billy for company. Finding all that money in her bag must seem like a dream come true, but I admired Lucy for holding onto it for as long as she did before dipping into it! It did pose an interesting question of what would I do if it happened to me! I think I personally would have taken it to the police as it wasn’t mine, but my husband said he would have spent, spent, spent!! I suppose morally the right thing would have been to hand it in, but as Lucy discovered things always go wrong at the most inopportune times!

Lucy wasn’t obviously a bad person, but by her taking some of the money did it make her one? Who put the money there and what was going to happen was a couple of worrying questions that went around as I read further on. As I liked Lucy, I wouldn’t have wanted anything bad to happen to her, but as the book carried on I felt a growing sense of unease as to what was going to happen. The build-up of suspense was steady and the story kept me hooked to find out what the outcome would be. I had my ideas as to who had put the money in her bag and why, but I have to say I got it wrong and don’t think I would ever have guessed who it really was!

This was an enjoyable thriller of a read, and I thoroughly enjoyed the unexpected events throughout which caught me totally unawares! This was completely different to what I expected, but I loved the originality of it! Would definitely recommend!

Lucy and Ben were making plans for their future, but when Ben left to meet a prospective client that fateful morning, Lucy wasn’t to know that it would be the last time she’d see him. The train taking Ben to his appointment crashed, and he, along with many other passengers was killed.

Five years later and Lucy lives in a run down bedsit and works in a grocery store - she doesn’t really like either, but the fact is she doesn’t have a choice because Ben left behind huge debts, and more importantly he’d forged her signature, leaving her in extreme financial difficulties. The only constant in her life is her rescue dog Billy ( and oh how I loved Billy)!

Lucy catches the number 24 bus to work every day, but she never really takes any notice of the other passengers, she’d rather sit and read, keep herself to herself. This particular Friday turns out to be very different though - because as Lucy gets off the bus she discovers an envelope in her bag that contains several thousand pounds! Should she hand it in to the police - should she spend some?

Things start to happen that unnerve Lucy, she’s certain that someone is following her, and there’s something strange going on in the apartment across the hallway after the last tenant upped and left. Things are going to get a great deal stranger and a great deal scarier too! Discovering the money should have been the answer to Lucy’s dreams but instead it became a nightmare.

I loved the tension that came with Lucy finding the money, and I was curious to know how it got into her bag - who put it there, it had me gripped. I wasn’t totally sold on the ending, but all in all I enjoyed it, and my favourite character? It has to be Billy the dog. Loved him to bits!

I was looking forward to reading this. But unfortunately I was very disappointed.

It started well enough with a few twists and teasers. But it quickly lost its way and became boring and predictable.

It almost seemed like a short story trying to be a full size book.

Others may enjoy it but sadly not me.

Lucy's life changed for the worse the day her fiancée Ben died tragically in a train accident 5 years ago. They had been full of hopes and dreams, homeowners with plans of great things. After his death Lucy discovered that Ben had spent all their savings and racked up huge debts which she has been left to pay off now he's gone. She's living in a tiny flat, working as a checkout girl in a small supermarket a bus ride away from home. It's on one such jam-packed bus journey home after work that Lucy discovers an envelope full of cash pushed into her bag. She desperately tries to recall who was standing close to her, who could have had the opportunity to put it there but nobody stands out. Why would they plant it there? Is she in trouble in holding on to the money or should she report it to the police? She decides to sleep on it and make a decision in the morning.

As is usually the case when you're strapped for cash life continues to give Lucy lemons and she is forced to dip into the envelope to buy essentials, then once the seal is broken the temptation to dip in again is too much. Before she knows it Lucy has spent a fair chunk of the money - and that's when she starts to get paranoid. What if the person it belongs to wants it back and she can't give it back in full? What sort of people is she involved with here? They could be dangerous people. She starts to see shadows while she out walking her adorable staffie, Billy. She is convinced Ben's mum is following her and music is blaring out from the newly rented apartment opposite yet nobody ever seems to be home. Lucy is spooked.

Nothing prepared me for the facts of who was behind the cash and why they were doing it. I've not read any of this author's work before so I don't know whether this is trademark writing for him but I am so impressed that I have gone out and bought the first 3 of the books in a long-running series of his since reading this standalone book. Despite Lucy's paranoia I was pleased that the author didn't turn the character into a weak person which could have been quite easy to do, but she kept her grit and I was quite shocked by the ending - but rather satisfied with the outcome. I really am looking forward to reading the other books from this author; I liked the way Billy was made into a significant character in the storyline, so as an animal lover Wilkinson won me over and especially as he elected to cast him as an ageing staffie. Fiercely protective as a breed I am proud to have one (albeit a hybrid version) as part of our family and am delighted how well the breed was portrayed in the book.

In summary there was far more to this book than I expected from the original description, and I am extremely grateful to Noelle Holten at Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication as part of the promotional tour.

GOSH - Kerry Wilkinson has done it again,
Kept me reading well into the night
I could not put it down full of suspense, tension and twists
As always a must read.

Thank you netgalley, Kerry Wilkinson and Bookouture for allowing me to read and review this book.

Lucy and Ben seem like a happy, successful couple. But beneath the surface, cracks are already appearing.

Ben wants to buy Lucy the perfect house - one she commented on once upon a time - and now he's talking about stables for a horse based on a tale she told him from when she was seven years old. He wants her to have everything and is determined to provide it.

Thing is, Lucy has never asked for the extravagant wedding he seems insistent on giving her, and the horse tale was just a childhood memory, not a lifelong dream. Sometimes she wonders if he knows that, or just chooses not to listen. 

Like I said ... cracks!

But then, one day Ben doesn't come home. A train crash has killed several passengers and he and his brother are amongst the dead. 

Lucy has to start over, as a single woman.

However, once the grief has lessened, she finds that this time around, not only is she on her own but she is saddled with a mountain of debt too - Ben's debts from loans made in her name.

Yep! That's right. Mr "I'll give you the world" is - was - not quite the man she thought him to be. 

So, with understandable anger and bitterness now creeping into her thoughts, memories of Ben are not quite what they could be. She's living in a one-bedroomed flat, living from hand to mouth on a minimum wage from a nearby supermarket. After tending to her dog, Billy, there is little left over for her to live off. Even owning a decent pair of shoes is a luxury she can ill afford. (she has a pair of trainers and a pair of "school" shoes - not quite the life she enjoyed before)

Until, that is, one Friday evening during the bus journey home, Lucy finds an envelope in her bag, packed with cash. Cash she cannot stop counting. Cash that she is determined to hand in to the police the next day. Cash that could help with her bills, give her and Billy a few treats and just make her life easier for a while. But she's not the type of person who can say nothing. Is she?

Lucy's dilemma is not resolved that weekend, but it has already changed her in those few hours. She's more wary of people - are they watching her? do they know about the money? -and when the sole falls off her trainers and her laptop dies its long-awaited and expected death, dipping into the cash is the answer. But, of course, not permanently. 

The events that followed had me turning the pages for 'just one more chapter' until it was all over. There's the anniversary of the train crash, a fellow resident being found dead,  and Ben's mother glaring at her from every corner. then there's the poisoning of Billy, and Judge the Corgi, at the block of flats, an unpleasant neighbour and his loud music, and an incident at the supermarket that costs her dearly.

This is a great story, packed with interest, taken from the viewpoint of a very ordinary young woman, living a mundane life, but for whom these events fuel a paranoia. But for a very good reason. The twist revelation towards the end of the book is where the pace goes through the ceiling. Lucy is in danger - but from whom? Luckily, she has Billy to come to her rescue. When Billy is threatened too, then Lucy finds her inner strength and fights back. This is tense stuff, page-scrolling like you've never scrolled before.

Read it, and find out for yourself.

You won't regret it.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book - the author does a great job of making the main character, Lucy, believable and likeable, and I loved her relationship with her dog. However, there are a few too many plot holes and not-very-credible twists and turns. The ending was a bit disappointing, but I did enjoy watching the story get there.