Two and a half star rating.
30 years ago two 10 year old girls were absolute pests, continually knocking on the door of the village loner’s door until one of them went missing. When the culprit is released from prison two 40 year old women return to the village. This book sounded really good but didn’t live up to the promise. It was all a bit contrived and predictable sadly. I hated the way the parts featuring 30 years ago kept going backwards from “the day” which was just confusing. The middle section was slow so I skimmed quite a bit. Only one of the characters was decent, the others left a lot to be desired! The small place mentality was good with their reactions to outsiders, especially someone a bit odd.

What a fabulous read. The story is told in dual timelines and is narrated by two women - Anna and Lizzie. this tale will keep you gripped to your seat. Definitely a must-read.

Clever characterisation made I Dare You a compelling read.

With the take on a classic - the children of Mapledon daring each other to knock on the door of the creepy Cawley house put me very much in mind of Boo Radley's house in To Kill a Mockingbird - the storyline drew me in straight away.

One day this little 'game' appears to go badly wrong as a little girl fails to return home, with Bill Cawley apparently the last to see her... and he is sentenced to 30 years in jail.

On the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of little Jonie Hayes' disappearance, two women return to the village to unravel it's secrets from amidst all of the toxicity and years and years of lies. But who are they and can they be trusted - can they trust each other?

The story is a slow burn but be warned, the characters in this book will likely make you angry and you won't be able to put it down until you know the truth!

A ravening read into 30 years of deeply buried memories to reveal the truth.

Billy Cawley, found guilty of murdering a child, is released from prison after 30 years. When the people of Mapledon hear the news, deeply inevitably, buried memories are brought to the surface. Lizzie, Bella/Anna, Muriel and many others involved have their memories ripped out of them causing gaping wounds.

From the beginning, this book becomes an insatiable need to get to the deeper plot as it unravels. It is evident, early on in the book, repressed memories have to be peeled away to uncover the truth.

Innocent children’s games can be cruel. Interfering adults can be even more brutal. Anna and Lizzie, who were the child victims, are both needing memories of the adults in their lives to reveal harsh truths. However, ‘maybe in digging further, Anna would find something far worse. Was she prepared for that?’ Lizzie expresses a fear of ‘revisiting demons, so suppressed that there is no memory of them anymore.’

Both Lizzie and Anna wonder if the truth will be as painful as the lies. I highly recommend you read I Dare You to find out. But set aside a day or two, you will not be able to put this book down.

BonnieK

Elite Book Group received a copy of the book to review.

‘I Dare You’ is the latest book by Sam Carrington.

Mapledon, 1989. Two little girls were out playing a game of dares. Only one returned home. The ten-year-old told police what she saw: village loner Bill ‘Creepy’ Cawley dragged her friend into his truck and disappeared. No body was found, but her testimony sent Cawley to prison for murder. An open and shut case, the right man behind bars. The village could sleep safe once again.
Now. Anna thought she had left Mapledon and her nightmares behind but a distraught phone call brings her back to face her past. 30 years ago, someone lied. 30 years ago, the man convicted wasn’t the only guilty party. Now he’s out.

With the right amount of suspense and drama, Sam’s latest book is a thrilling story that keeps everyone on edge. The story is written in the past and present tense with multiple narratives, giving an insight into the people affected by the tragedy.

The story is essentially about a child who disappears 30 years ago never to be found and the village recluse, who didn’t fit with the mindset of the villagers being the prime suspect and later sent to jail. Now ‘Creepy Crawley’ has been released from prison and Anna returns home to the village, that her best friend died in and Lizzie has gone to the village with the mindset of getting the big scoop.

But neither of the women are prepared for what they discover on their return, as Anna and her mother become victims of harassment and Lizzie is determined to get some questions finally answered.

The story flows at a fast pace, with short chapters that leave the reader bursting for more. The characters are interesting and complex and even from the very outset you can see that not everything is as it seems. The community is tight knit and protective of its community and newcomers or those who don’t fit in with the village are not welcome.

With the story flowing between tenses, it gives a good background into the drama and I particularly found these scenes interesting as they really set the tone for the suspense and drama that was weaved throughout the book. I found the characters to be quite fascinating, as nearly everyone had something to hide and found Anna’s mother, Muriel quite interesting. She came across as the matriarch of the village with everyone siding with her, no matter the consequences.

A pacy and observational thriller about family secrets and betrayal, ’I Dare You’ is an engrossing tale filled with twists, drama and riddled with suspense that made for tense reading.

You can buy ‘I Dare You’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

Woah. This was a good book well written and solid story. I felt a little annoyed with one aspect of the book and that part seemed a little unbelievable for me but it was a good read. I’d definitely read this author again.

What an incredible read. It was gripping from the start. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more from Carrington

An intense, suspenseful novel that will leave you hooked as you read along from beginning to end. I enjoyed this one, and am sure you will too. Great character development, and a great plot. Definitely recommend.

I really, really enjoyed this novel. Gripping and unputdownable it kept me guessing and turning the pages into the night. Highly recommended.

Thirty years ago, the kids of Mapledon would play a game where they would torment the village outcast, Billy Crawley. One day while playing this game, a girl disappeared. Billy was convicted of her murder even though her body was never found.

Now, Thirty years later, Billy Cawley has been released from prison and some weird things are happening.

This story surprised me. I thought I already guessed the real killer yet in the end, I was absolutely shocked.

I feel sorry for Anna because she has been bullied. I have a hunched with who Lizzie is and I'm happy that I was correct.

My heart goes to Billy. He didn't deserve to be judged and to be in prison for something that he really didn't do.

I love how the events unfold and kudos to you Miss Sam Carrington, you did a great job with this story!

Thank you to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the ARC!

I Dare you is the type of book that chills you to the bone and makes you hope and pray that you'll never have to face something as horrific as what plays out in this book.

During the summer of 1989 10 year old Jonie Hayes 'disappears' after a game of dares goes wrong. Her close friend Bella is quick to implicate the town misfit 'Creepy Cawley' and the situations spirals from there and life suddenly moves on. However, jumping ahead to the present day the villages does not appear to have moved on from Jonie's murder and disappearance. Perhaps, due to the fact that her body has never been recovered. Bella, who now goes by the name Anna, is drawn back to the village when Cawley is released from jail and strange goings on appear to be targeting her mum. In, the meantime, journalist Lizzie arrives looking for answers but what is her strange connection to the village?

Is everything as it seems?

Overall I found that I was desperate to find out what happened to Jonie and I kept reading on and pretty much suspecting everyone in the story - a sign that I was well and truly hooked. This is a pretty enthralling read and I'd highly recommend.

Omg.......... this book was amazing I could not put it down I enjoyed it so much it's one of them books that keeps you hooked and on the edge of your seat so many twists and turns I was getting dizzy I loved it well done definitely worth a read but one you start you just can't stop so be warned

I seem to be going against the majority of reviewers in finding this very disappointing. The characters were not very well drawn and the writing poor. The split timeline was bad enough, but the earlier one being in reverse was just irritating. Books like this just seem to me to be chaeting by the author as they reveal the answers little by little with proper plot development at all
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WARNING SPOILERS
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I also found the idea that Cawley would spend 30 years in clink when he knew the real killer just laughable and I'm glad I skimmed most of the book to get to the end.

Sorry, not for me.

This was a superb thriller set in timelines of thirty years apart. In 1989 when a young girl goes missing,, a resident of the village, whom children have given the nickname Bill ‘creepy’ Cawley is arrested on suspicion of murder. He is released after 30 years in jail and strange things start to occur in the locality.

The characterisation is great and I loved the growth of the book to an unexpected finish. A great read and very well written.

My thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books Uk for a copy of “I dare You “ from Sam Carrington.

I found this book to be a well written , suspenseful psychological thriller that kept me guessing to the end.
I loved the village setting, and the development of the characters
I would definitely recommend this to others and will be reading more from this author in the future.

First book that I have read of Sam Carrington and I loved this thriller. For sure I wasn't expecting that ending. Will be checking out other books by him.

This was fabulously crafted and twisted as Bill ‘Creepy’ Cawley (come on, the name alone is worth an extra star) is released 30 years after a horrendous crime involving two young children in a small town. Told from both 1989, when it happened, and today, in the typical short chapters, we realize the 1989 narrator is telling the tale in reverse, making it even more intense and enthralling. I had no idea of the truth and the ending had me gasping!

In 1989 Bella and Jonie are 10 years old and best friends. They live in the village of Mapledon and along with other children in the village play a game where they taunt the local ‘weirdo’ Bill ‘Creepy’ Cawley. One day Bella runs home and informs her parents and the police that she saw him dragging Jonie into his truck. Jonie has never been seen again and her body was never found but Cawley was convicted of her murder due to Bella’s testament. Bella, now known as Anna, left the village and her nightmares behind and is now married to Dom. It is now thirty years later and Anna receives an urgent telephone call from her mother that takes her back to Mapledon. Cawley has recently been released from prison and all the village fear that he will return. The story goes back and forth between 1989 and the present day and we learn that all the villagers have been harbouring secrets and the story of Jonie’s kidnapping is gradually revealed. This is a tense thriller with so many twists and turns and a totally unexpected ending. I haven’t read any of this author’s previous books but I will certainly be looking out for them. A highly recommended read.
Thanks to a Netgalley and Avon for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

My first read from Sam Carrington and I loved loved loved it. Flew through this in an afternoon and evening and could not put it down. A brilliant thriller set in a quaint and isolated English village. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.