thank you so much to netgalley for this corker! I loved every page of this. I wanted to finish this so badly for my November reads, so it really helped that I couldn’t put it down. Perfectly creepy and a total page turner, well done sam carrington

1989: Teo ten year old schoolgirls play a prank. But is goes horribly wrong. One of the girls is now missing. She was seen getting into the local weirdos truck. She was never seen again. Her body was never found. Bill Crawley was given a thirty year prison sentence.

Present day: Bill Crawley has been released on licence. The local villagers wonder if he will have the gall to show face and return to the house that has been empty for the past thirty years. Anna hasn't been back to her family home for twenty years. Lizzie, a freelance journalist has not been back for thirty years. Anna returns because she got a frightening call from her mother, Muriel. Someone is purposely scaring her.

This story goes back and forth from 1989 to the present day. The narrative is told from several peoples point of view. Anna and Lizzie are the main characters who searched for clues to find out the truth behind what had happened thirty years ago. It full of twist and turns. The dual timelines are weaved together seamlessly when we find out the truth at the end of this book. Was Bill Crawley innocent of his crimes? You will have to read the book to find out.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author Sam Carrington for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two young girls dare each other to play Knock Knock Ginger in a small town called Mapledon, one of them thinks it's a great laugh to wind up the village "weirdo " Creepy Billy Crawley, until one day one of them doesn't return home from playing the game.
What went wrong on that day in 1989 and can Anna bring herself to go back to her home village twenty years after she left and thirty years since everything went wrong and Creepy Billy was arrested and charged with her friend Jonie abduction and murder even when the body was never found.

Who’s the killer? What’s their motive? And what everybody’s hiding and why?

So many questions and the answers turned out to be far more intriguing than I anticipated!

The story is told from various perspectives and as it alternates between timelines, we get to uncover the many facets of the well-developed characters.

Moreover, in the middle, I felt the plot did drag on a little and most of the twists were somewhat predictable but still thought-provoking.

Infused with twists, turns, and a lot of secrets, this gripping mystery is definitely worth a read!

I would like to thank the Publishers, NetGalley, and the Author for sending me an ARC of this book.

"Sometimes when you go digging you unearth things you're not looking for."

3.5 stars rounded up because it was quite the twisty tale and one I had to think about for a bit after I finished it in a single sitting tonight after only intending to read a few chapters.

In 1989, in a small town named Mapledon, two young girls are taunting a neighbor with a knock-knock-run game. At the end of the evening, 10-year-old Jonie Hayes would go missing and her friend, Bella's, testimony at the trial would put that same neighbor behind bars for over 30 years. No body was ever found, but Bella's eyewitness version of what happened would prove enough to convict Billy Cawley of abduction and murder.

Fast forward to 2019 and Bella, now using the name, Anna, hears that Cawley is going to be released from prison. She goes to Mapledon because her mother, Muriel Fisher, is worried. It seems that someone has nailed a doll's head to her front door and she thinks it might be Billy come to extract some kind of revenge over things that happened back in 1989 even before he killed Jonie. In addition, Billy's release has brought someone else to town -- Lizzie Brenfield -- and she is going to get answers to all of her questions about Billy and about the events of 1989. NO SPOILERS.

It's hard to write about this book because I don't want to give anything away. I found the most difficult impediment to my total enjoyment of this novel was the way in which it was written. It jumps between 1989 and 2019 and between characters and that shift is usually right about the moment where something important is going to happen or be revealed. In this case, I would have preferred less flashback and a more linear tale so that the story elements would be less confusing but perhaps that style was the whole point to create the tension and deepen the mystery. What can I saw about these characters, well not much as identifying my feelings about one or the others would give it away. Let's just say that there were some that I despised, some I felt sorry for, and some that I am still on the fence about.

Give this one a shot as it's drama, yes, but definitely thought-provoking and not what I was expecting. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this e-book ARC to read and review.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher. I was hooked from the beginning of the book thanks to the childhood "rituals" that were written about and the memories that they provoked in me. The characters were typical ones that you would hear about as you grew up not just in small villages but in cities as well. The creepy neighbor who you were warned not to go near as well as the neighborhood gossips who felt they knew what was in the best interest of everyone. The description of the small village and its' occupants really painted a picture that was critical to the story I felt. There was lots of suspense and an ending that I definitely didn't see coming.

I really loved this book and can not wait for more of her book's! this was my first book by this author and will be looking forward to reading more of this author book's! I couldn't put it down! I loved the cover!

This was a thoroughly enjoyable thriller with a decidedly (and without giving anything away) British-feeling ending. I give it 3.5 stars.

A small town, especially unwelcoming to outsiders, singles out Billy as the scapegoat for anything that's gone wrong in town -- the abuse of his own daughter Eliza and the kidnapping and murder of another 10-year-old girl. Thirty years later, when Billy is released from prison, one of the town ringleaders, Muriel, and her daughter, Anna, seemed to be singled out for revenge.

While so many of the characters were unlikeable and there wasn't much to either Lizzie or Anna (two of the main characters,) this book worked well enough as a fun mystery/thriller. There were smaller mysteries through the book, which were also fun to.figure out ahead of time, although none of the twists were really that shocking if you're familiar with this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book. It has not influenced my opinion.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Sam Carrington's books but I am pleased I took the plunge as I thoroughly enjoyed I Dare You. Billy Cawley is the local misfit in the small village of Mapledon and the children in the area used to love to subject him to the game Knock Knock Ginger by banging on his front door constantly and calling him Creepy Cawley. July arrives and the summer heralds the beginning of longer days in which the kids can play outside longer. It's 1989 but when ten-year-old Jonie Hayes vanishes the summer serenity comes to an abrupt end and the village residents immediately point the finger at Billy despite there being no evidence to implicate him and the young girl's body had not been found. Nevertheless, he was found guilty and sentenced to thirty years in prison. Now he has just been released and is looking for revenge against those he feels wrongfully dubbed him a child killer whilst knowing what really happened. They know he will seek vengeance.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable thriller which played with my psyche somewhat. It makes me upset that people would judge another as evil merely for not appreciating the same things they do or for keeping to themselves and I know this is fiction but make no bones about it this happens in reality too sadly. It is a compulsive, well written and utterly riveting piece of writing and I loved every second of it; trying to work it out and put all of the puzzle pieces together. It's a quick, fun and entertaining read and incredibly easy to get into. The switches in timeline and perspectives are done seamlessly and leave no room for confusion and the twists and turns come on fast and strong in the latter half of the book. The small village mentality was depicted perfectly with lots of gossiping, secrets and the unremitting need to keep up appearances. Many thanks to Avon for an ARC.

Do NOT play knock and run at someone's door... something bad is going to happen... something did happen...

My second time reading that author.

Well written and captivating story. Going from 1989 to 2019 to see what went on back then and how it connects to the present...
Interesting storyline with strong characters.

A really good thriller that keeps you turning the pages until the end. Good from start to finish!

Beautiful cover.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

There’s a sinister atmosphere to Sam Carrington’s latest novel, I Dare You.

Set in the rural village of Mapledon across two timelines, 1989 and 2019, we follow events as they unfolded thirty years ago when a ten-year-old girl disappeared. In 2019, her kidnapper, Bill Crawley has just been released from prison which creates an uproar among the locals. They are determined to make sure he doesn’t step foot back in Mapledon, but it appears that there may be a more disturbing reason why they don’t want him back.

Sam Carrington first introduces us to Anna, who is visiting her mother. Anna hasn’t stepped foot in the village of Mapledon for years and is still haunted by the disappearance of her friend, Joni. But things appear to have taken a more sinister turn. Someone has been tearing off doll pieces and attaching them to her mother’s front door. It causes Anna to consider if Bill Crawley is targeting her family, particularly as she was the one who identified him as Joni’s kidnapper thirty years earlier. Although her mother is quick to dismiss these claims, blaming local kids instead. But Anna is unconvinced.

We also meet Lizzie who lived in the village a very long time ago. Lizzie is now a journalist and is probing the story of Bill Crawley’s release. But what is her connection to the events that took place? What is she hoping to uncover?

You really do get the sense that there is certainly some unfinished business when it comes to Joni’s disappearance. I thought the flashback scenes to 1989 were really creepy, particularly when we meet Bill Crawley for the first time, otherwise known as ‘Creepy Crawley’ to the local kids, and that name seems to have stuck. I could never be sure about him. As rumour after rumour and different accusations flew around the village about him, I was never able to separate fact from fiction. It did feel as though he had become the victim of a witch hunt. 

As with all of Sam’s novels, I found her latest intensely gripping and I wanted to find out what the real truth was and what had really happened to Joni on the night she disappeared. I couldn't stop turning the pages as I got to the end and when Sam's final revelations came to light.  I Dare You is really good.

This thriller failed to thrill me. I found the characters a bit one dimensional and changed to fit the plot.

How far would you go to protect your family? In I Dare You we see just how far some are prepared to go.
Our story begins with two ten year old friends, Bella and Jonie. They have been friends for years, and Bella was the last to see Jonie. Jonie’s body has never been found. Her killer is behind bars, and thirty years on he is about to be released.
In the present day Bella (now known as Anna) is called by her mother to come and help. Parts of a doll have been found attached to her door, and inside are notes suggesting that someone knows a secret. Bella is determined to find out why, and how these present day events link to the incarceration of ‘Creepy Cawley’.
The split time frame kept certain details hidden. Unfortunately, some of the details around the characters were quite transparent. I don’t know to what extent such a scenario could be achieved, and it felt like it took us a long time to get to where we needed to be.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me access to this prior to publication

A small village,with a small village mentality. What really happened thirty years age,when rumours and speculation stirred up a community. Lots of twists and a big surprise.

What really happened to Jonie? Her body was never found but Billy Creepy Crawly served thirty years on the testimony of Anna. She was ten years old at the time. Was she a reliable narrator? Now that Crawly's been released, Anna is back in town, along with Lizzie, a reporter who wants to get to the truth. This is a dual time line and multiple perspective thriller that actually will keep you guessing. The town of Mapledon has a lot of secrets, some of which have simmered for years. This is nicely written with the sort of short chapter/cliff hangers which keep you turning the pages. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. A good one to while away travel time.

AN INNOCENT GAME. A SHOCKING CRIME. A COMMUNITY FULL OF SECRETS.

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 of prison and looking for revenge. The question is, who will he start with?

This book tells the story of when a simple game of dare goes badly wrong, and the consequences that followed. It's told over two timelines, 1989 and Now, and describes the lengths a community will go to, to hide the truth, but 30 years later someone wants it all to be revealed and they'll stop at nothing to uncover what really happened. I didn't really connect with any of the characters but did feel quite sorry for Billy as the story progressed. I loved the short chapters and the many twists, it's certainly an intriguing read and one I would recommend.

I'd like to thank Avon Books and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day. 4 stars

Two little girls playing a harmless game. The local misfit, outcast and mistrusted. One little girl disappears and a village closes its ranks, they all knew what had happened. But 30 years on someone doesn’t believe the story and wants to know the truth...
This book was a real page turner and kept me hooked throughout. The author really captured the small-minded characters of the rural village beautifully and had me feeling very angry with them.
I did think a few bits of it were a little bit predictable which is why I gave it 4 stars rather than 5, but it’s still a great story and I will definitely read more from this author.
My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books Uk for allowing me to read this advance copy in return for an honest review.

A brilliant thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed his and loved the POV’s coming from a different timeline. Very clever. Loved it.

Well I had shivers down my spine at one point. Very well told story witg some obvious choices for some parts to be solved but wow near the end the surprises kept coming!

What really did happen to Jonie? Was Billy framed? Or was he really involved? Why is Muriel nervous? Did Tina and Muriel fall out over something? So many questions you will want to find out about and even to solve yourself.

Go on... give it a go. You wont be disappointed

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. It had everything in it for a good read - a missing girl, a man convicted of her murder based on a young girls witness statement, people keeping secrets about events from that time. Fast forward 30 years and the killer is released from prison looking for the truth. The book has two main likeable characters Anna and Lizzie. Both return to the village they used to live in wanting to find out more about events surrounding Jonie’s disappearance. The book moves from past to present day and is told by different characters. One thing I initially wasn’t keen on was that when the book moved to past events the order in which you read them was very jumbled and I got used to that the further I read. This was a good read that grabbed my attention, although at times I felt it was a little drawn out. It really gained pace about three quarters in racing to a reveal at the end which I didn’t expect or see coming. 3.5 stars