I Will Make You Pay is a great thriller that has some good twists. The writing is good and the characters are well developed.

I Will Make You Pay by Teresa Driscoll

I received an advanced copy of “I Will Make You Pay” by Teresa Driscoll. I do love a good psychological thriller, and this one is just that.

Ok, this novel creeped me out slightly when I first began reading- nothing like answering a phone call and receiving a good graphic death threat. Alice is our victim. She tries so hard to be a strong independent journalist, and now this call is making it difficult to do so. Thankfully she has her boyfriend Tom there to protect her.
But, it’s not that simple. There are secrets in this novel, secrets that can save and secrets that can kill.
This book is written in one of my favourite formats, one with a variety of points of view. Chapters labelled “Alice”( our protagonist), “Matthew” (an ex-policeman hired bodyguard) and “Him” (our villain). These chapters successfully weave together to build suspense and create our story. I appreciate chapters written from the villain’s point of view because it makes his motivation for violence more believable.
I found Alice a bit annoying and scattered. I didn’t feel she gave any of her decisions any forethought and I wanted to reach into the novel and shake her on occasion.
This was the perfect holiday read, not too deep and wonderfully engaging with just the right amount of suspense.
“I Will Make You Pay” is my first Teresa Driscoll novel. I have Googled her other novels and will most definitely be reading her again.

One word: wow! This latest book from Teresa Driscoll weaves a fascinating plot with an emotional depth that leaves you gasping. What begins as a story about journalist Alice Henderson, morphs into a gripping, disturbing and fascinating tale, not just about who is calling her at work through voice change software to distort his voice but about Alice herself. I kept asking myself if this stalker was someone who didn’t warm to a story she wrote. Or is it someone she might have mistakenly overlooked in her past.

Alices changes all her social media passwords and makes an appointment with a security company to check her flat. Statements have been taken not only at work but also with the local coffee shop — a place she regularly frequents. Driscoll ratchets up the tension here and you can’t help wondering if Alice will be snatched away in broad daylight. You’d think Alice has done everything she can to protect herself, but is there something she might have missed? A small loophole perhaps that this ardent stalker will cleverly slip through. And what is the significance of Wednesday?

Tom, Alice’s boyfriend hires a private investigator called Matthew Hill to cover Alice. But Matthew does a little investigation of his own and realizes there is more to Alice than meets the eye. Chapters alternate between past and present, and the “Him-before” chapters are both disturbing and heartbreaking. A little boy - we don’t know who at this stage - who loves his gran, Martha. Martha’s struggles are all too real and her grandson whom she calls ‘My beloved little soldier’ witnesses her suffering through his time. She tells him she will never move from her home because of the bench and the memories that go with it.

Driscoll demonstrates over and over again that she has what it takes to shock, surprise and move her readers. I couldn’t help empathizing with a child left on his own and a caregiver strained to the limits to carve out a life for herself and the boy. I couldn’t help wondering what would happen to Brian. Will this child, who has suffered so much, eventually play out his ‘delicious dreams’ in order to feel alive? These chapters sucked me in so completely, I forgot to drink the pot of coffee I’d made in the morning!

Alice, her campaign, the housing block and the local paper, all come full circle in a frightening denouement I didn’t see coming. All I can say is Driscoll teases out this twisty plot at the perfect pace, introducing multi-layered characters that even the sharpest readers won’t predict what’s coming.

4 - 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and had it not been for some reservations about the ending I would have given it 5 stars. The story was intriguing from the start as the truth gradually emerged over who and why Alice was being stalked. The author captured well the range of emotions that victims would go through as the threats to Alice escalated and her sense of paranoia and suspicion grew of those around her, as she felt increasingly vulnerable. I really liked that Alice’s overriding concern was for her sick mother and the love that Alice and her sister Leanne felt shone through clearly. There were times when the panic Alice felt were vividly portrayed, in particular there was a very scary scene on a train where the tension was palpable.

I really enjoyed the repeating characters from previous books although it’s perfectly possible to read this as a standalone . Matthew Hill, former police turned PI was involved as was now heavily pregnant DI Melanie Sanders and the friendship they shared was a nice element to the book. There were occasional flashes of dark humour, I was especially amused by the issues that one of Matthews clients had with European Lilliputians! Matthew’s kindness to this client was wonderful.

Throughout the book I had constant questions which I liked. I felt a range of emotions over the Him sections from terrible sadness to horror at what he must have suffered but also helplessness as you knew that there was nothing to stop the volcanic eruption of his rage. The storytelling was good - straightforward, nothing unnecessary and just got on with the narrative which I think is a major plus! I really like Teresa Driscoll’s books and thought this one was especially good.

Really enjoyed this novel. The writing flowed and the characters were depicted very well. Couldn't wait to find out what happens next.

** Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review **
Lo primero que tengo que decir es que me encanto el final. Es un thriller que es interesante desde la premisa ya. Es el tipo de historias que me da mas miedo que las historias de terror. El estilo de escritura es un poco demasiado formal, lo que me dificulto terminar de conectar con algunos aspectos de la protagonista. De todas formas es una buena historia.

I have a hard time getting into her books. I ended up skimming more than anything but the ending was great!!!

I Will Make You Pay is the perfect thriller book!

With an opening line that literally gave me nightmares, a strong storyline and a huge twist at the end what more can you ask for? Matthew is a fantastic character and his small side story with Ian gave me hope in humanity. (Yes I know it’s fiction but if it can warm this cold heart then it’s a winner!)

A strong five out of five and I highly recommend to anyone and everyone!

Now this is a psychological thriller! AJ Banner has done it again! Unpredictable twists you don't see coming. Elise finds her husband in bed with another woman and next thing you know hes dead! I definitely recommend this book!

Journalist Alice Henderson dismisses a nasty phone call as a prank, but when the same person strikes again the following week, it becomes clear that Alice is in danger. She summons the police, but they cannot come up with any leads. Alice brings in a PI, but it becomes increasingly clear, that Alice and her entire family are in terrible danger