3.5 stars rounded up to 4

First. I discovered after finishing I Will Make You Pay that it is part of a series starring PI Matthew Hill and DI Melanie Sanders. It reads perfectly well as a stand-alone; however, I enjoyed the Hill and Sanders characters so much that I will go back to find earlier books. This particular outing follows a small-town newspaper reporter named Alice who has a stalker who only threatens her on Wednesdays. The majority of the novel is told from Alice's POV. The other chapters are from the POV of Him, the presumed stalker. When the police seem unable to help Alice, her boyfriend Tom hires PI Hill to shadow Alice on Wednesdays in an attempt to identify and trap the stalker.

Driscoll did a terrific job ratcheting up the reader's sense of Alice's fear and paranoia, and overall delivered a strong storyline. I was also surprised by the final chapters when we learn who Him is. However, my issue with the book was that while the stalker's motivation was clear, his methodology of obtaining revenge was, I thought, convoluted. It just took away from my overall enjoyment of the novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This was a page turner! Definitely didn’t see the ending coming, but I enjoyed trying to figure out who the bad guy was. I highly recommend this book. Very well written and kept my interest.

This was a read with an interesting story line which follows a journalist, Alice, who is being stalked and harrassed every Wednesday. The horror begins at work and then follows her wherever she goes. Her boyfriend, Tom, hires a retired police officer turned PI, Mathew, to investigate when police resources are stretched thin. All anyone wants to know is who she could have upset badly enough to want to do all these terrible things to her.
The books is an easy read, but predictable in the sense that it doesn't lead to the "usual suspects."

I can't imagine being stalked and the feelings of fear that keep building and building as the events that happen to you get creepier and creepier. You don't know who to trust, so you aren't quite sure who to turn to for help. Eventually you question everything, even your sanity! This book had me trying to guess who Alice's stalker was and why they were doing it. Just when I thought I had it figured out I found out I was SO wrong! This book kept me riveted until the last page. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

PI Mathew Hill and DI Melanie Sanders are on the case together again! Someone has it in for Journalist Alice Henderson. She’s trying to be a good daughter to her mother dying from COPD. She and her sister are close and supportive of each other. She feels a strong kinship with her boyfriend, and her employer is supportive but a bit impatient with the empty threats from some stranger with a hang-up about something Alice has done.
From a second perspective, we meet a sweet little boy being raised by his grandmother and thru no fault of her own, she must leave him at home alone on Wednesday nights so she can keep her job. And a child’s worst nightmare begins: someone opens the mail flap in their door, peeking in and threatening him, “Let me in, let me in…” It’s the stuff of nightmares coming true for this innocent little soul. As these two plots spin closer to one another in time and in common, we’re thrown the occasional distraction to completely keep us off-track.
This is a quick psychological thriller that keeps you guessing all along and envelopes feelings of empathy, deep sorrow, and deep love.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks so much to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for making it available.)

Alice is a journalist that receives a threatening phone call on a Wednesday, and being that she works for a newspaper, the police and also some of her work associates dismiss it as a random hoax against the newspaper, not necessarily Alice herself. However, the next Wednesday Alice receives another threat which is directly meant for her. Now the fear sets in. Her boyfriend hires private investigator Matthew Hill (a recurring character in the author's books FYI) to help find out who is stalking Alice and also protect her on Wednesday.

The book jumps from Alice's point of view now and in her past, Matthew's point of view, as well as the mysterious "Him - before". There are a lot of people looking out for Alice, but when parts of her past are revealed things start to go awry. Who should anyone believe? Who is threatening Alice? I feel like you are kept wondering and questioning everyone's motives until "Him" is revealed and things start to make sense.

I read another book by Ms. Driscoll in the past and it was good, but this one is even better! I will not write a book report as the jacket cover is adequate and many others have written synopses of the book.
A couple of the characters are the same but it is not necessary to read any other book in order to follow this one. Characters are realistic, conversations and thoughts flow nicely and it is easy to know which person's. viewpoint you are reading. It is a mystery,psychological thriller with twists and turns that you won't see coming. The book keeps you turning pages and holds your interest. Thankfully there is very little violence or profanity and no real gore included. Enjoy!

I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased review. Thanks to the author,publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

A fast paced, scary psychological thriller about stalking with lots of twists and turns. I was hooked from the first line, “I will use cheese wire on you”, and read this in one sitting.

The story starts with Alice the main character receiving a threatening phone call in the newsroom where she works as a journalist. One of the things I liked best about this book was how Teresa Driscoll does such a brilliant job of bringing to life the insidious nature of stalking. From the outset I was immediately fearful for Alice’s fate, and really felt her sense of isolation and how the stalker came to dominate her life. Tension builds in the story with each creepy event as the stalking escalates and Alice is forced from her old life. What made it scary was how believable each event was against the backdrop of ordinary life. The story is also told from the point of view of “Him”, whose identity remains unknown until the final twist in the plot. I liked that this character has their own story to tell that makes them sympathetic to the reader. There are lots of hints thrown in as to who this might be, and I was suspicious of many of the characters and their stories. It kept me guessing right up to the end.

Private investigator Matthew Hill makes a return appearance from the writer’s previous books, and I enjoyed the ongoing professional relationship with his ex police colleague, Melanie Sanders. I’m not a big fan of police procedurals so I liked the way the investigation aspect was secondary to the stories of Alice and “Him”, but helped pull the story together and ramp up the action.

I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read it and offer my personal review.

I ripped through this book and really enjoyed it.

I like books that keep me asking questions and this is an excellent example.

It is well written and easy to read-would recommend.

This is a story of stalking. It alternates between the voices of the woman who is being stalked Alice, and her stalker as a young boy going through a dreadful time. I liked that we were given some understanding as to why the stalker had turned out as he did. Too often there is no background given and it is just assumed that the perpetrator is evil. The stalker was once himself a very vulnerable child. The story is well paced with the escalation of the threats against Alice and the inability of those around her to protect her. Characters were well drawn especially Matthew, the private detective hired by Alice's rich boyfriend. I especially liked his compassion towards the lonely old man and thought this subplot was particularly well done. The relationship between Alice and her dying mother was poignant - for once a female protagonist who had a loving relationship with her mother. The only thing I wasn't completely convinced by was the big reveal. Otherwise though a satisfying read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

It's the beginning of fall and I like to stack my reads with mysteries and thrillers. After receiving an early copy of I Will Make You Pay, I dived right into this mystery and was trying to figure out the "whodunit" and WHY by the clues.

I Will Make You Pay is told in 3 POVs. Alice is a journalist that starts receiving threatening phone calls, letter, etc on Wednesdays. We wonder why her, why Wednesdays and who could it be? By the pacing of the book, we are slowly given little details into her past that would make us question her family, her past and her present.

The next POV is from Him, in the past. 'Him' lives with his gran and seems to have gone through a lot. He has no other family, lives with his gran in an apartment building and she has to work hard and even late on certain days in order for her to support him. But when she works late, this little boy is dealing with more than any young child should have to. Imagine living in a building being 8 years old and staying in your room while your guardian is gone until the wee hours of the morning. It seems scary just thinking it. For that, I had a soft spot for Him.

The third POV is Mathew. He is the PI on the investigation of Alice's stalker. We get to see his family, the woman that's the head of Alice's case and all the little clues he is picking up on by their research and the information that Alice is slowly giving them. He is a carer and protector. He feels he fails if he can't "fix" things. His heart definitely shows throughout the book. I want to hear more about him (and apparently he is from other books, I've been told).

The pacing at times seemed a little slow and it seemed as if we were given so much to make us confused who the stalker was. It's liking giving extra information that you don't necessarily need in order to throw you, which Teresa Driscoll did wonderfully. What she excelled at was making me feel sorry for the stalker (Him). I was continuously waiting for the bomb to explode with him. There was so much tension and vulnerability there that I couldn't wait to see how he was going to handle it all. I almost felt more for him than for Alice. But Alice's love for her mother and her family stood the test of time. She was willing to risk everything for them. And that showed in her scenes with them and one of the final conversations of the book.

There were heart pounding scenes and there was a great cast of characters that all played their parts for a complete story. I did feel some characters may not have been needed, but the interaction and dialogue between them all opened up so many possibilities for us, the reader.

Overall, this was a great suspense thriller that had me thinking throughout. I don't know when I've ever felt so much for the tormentor rather than the victim, but this book made me feel it.

Oh my goodness! What a shocking end! I tried not to figure it out as I read the book. So the ending was such a surprise. Alice had such bad luck with men but was good as a journalist. She got into a niche reporting on a housing development. At the same time as we read about Alice we also read about a child raised by his grandmother. Keep reading, the stories do mesh. So many side stories added to the story. A good story!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this suspenseful novel. I enjoyed this fast paced well developed thriller. I did not see the ending coming. I thought I had it figured out. I will definitely be reading more of Teresa Driscoll.

What a great book! i couldn’t stop reading it - I had to find out who the stalker was! The characters were interesting and well-developed. It was written so that you wanted to keep reading. Highly recommend.

Secret Smile by Nicci French 🖤
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This book was recommended by my lovely book buddy @butbooksarebetter2 and boy am I glad she did 😊. What a creepy and nightmarish story. I loved it.
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Miranda meets Brendan and has a very brief relationship before she ends it. But getting Brendan out of her life is not that easy. Within weeks Brendan is dating her sister and everyone think he’s the perfect guy. Only Miranda has her suspicions but no one will listen. Creepy, dark and full suspense. Highly recommended xx
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"I Will Make You Pay" by Teresa Driscoll is an entertaining thriller about Alice Henderson, a woman terrorized by a stalker who only seems to strike on Wednesdays. I give it 3/5 stars, subtracting a star from 4 because I figured out who the stalker was pretty far in advance of the ending. Even though I knew who the culprit was, there were still twists in the story line that I did not see coming, and these kept my interest and kept me reading. The methods the stalker used were creative and frightening! I also liked how the story jumped back and forth between characters, giving all points of view of everyone involved, including the stalker. The book is fast-paced and I read it in only a few hours. This is my first book by Teresa Driscoll, but it will not be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the publisher, and to the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this entertaining book.

I had a little trouble getting into this book. The switching between the present, with reporter Alice being threatened by an unnamed person, and the past, where a mystery child is being abused, started a bit clunky and melodramatic. But, I eventually had enough time to sit down and read a long chunk at a time and that made the difference. I wouldn't say it was that tough to solve, but it was a good plot and I enjoyed it.

4 1/2 stars.

2/5 ⭐️
Eh
It was okay
Nothing to terribly interesting in my opinion.
Maybe I’ve read to many thrillers in the past month, but nothing really exciting happens.

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Teresa Driscoll for the advanced copy of this book. There were many things I appreciated about the story and how it was delivered:

I enjoyed the back and forth from past to present and from character to character with each chapter. I had a good time trying to figure out who "him" was.

I enjoyed the teasers the author provided throughout the book - I was never sure if they were to foreshadow what was to come or if they were designed to throw me off track.

I gave the book 3 stars because I did feel the writing was repetitive in places - the same sentiment was repeated several times over the course fo a few paragraphs. I also felt the transition between chapters was a bit awkward and I had to read a page or two to acclimate. With respect to Alice, one thing I still don't understand is why she withheld so much information from the policy and from her private investigator. Maybe that was the reporter in her wanting a good story for herself? Possibly.

I probably wouldn't put this book at the top of my list of recommendations, but it was an enjoyable way to pass the time and I did get a bit of a surprise towards the end.

Journalist Alice Henderson has a stalker. Threats and actions come only on Wednesdays. Is it someone from her past, an acquaintance, someone she has angered with her writings, or just random? Does Alice have something to hide? The case is investigated by PI Matthew Hill, and DI Melanie Sanders, recurring characters in other of Teresa Driscoll’s books.

The story is told from alternating viewpoints, moving between past and present, devices that have become quite popular with many of today's authors. The story is revealed layer by layer, with surprises and red herrings.

This is an engrossing psychological thriller; I didn’t want to put it down. Alice can be a bit of an annoying character, making some questionable decisions probably due to her continually reminding the reader that she is stubborn.