This book had a great story line with numerous twists and turns. The characters were well developed and relatable. I did find it a little drawn out with more of a slow burn vs a fast paced thriller. The ending, however was shocking and well done. I liked that the author dove deep into gritty parts of people’s lives and told those stories realistically. It was a well done book.

Three old friends,two murders, lots of secrets spanning decades. Hard book to get into,didn't feel I got to know any of the characters and felt no empathy with them. Lots of twists and turns.

I'm a fan of the author's Jessica Daniel series and so was keen to read this book.

Harry Curtis has emigrated from small town Macklebury to Toronto. He is called out of the blue by childhood friend Paige, who tells him that their mutual friend Richard has been arrested for murder. Harry flies home.
The story is told in the first person by Harry as we follow Paige and he as they try to help Richard.

I found the book rather slow at first but then became engaged. The characters are well drawn, and the descriptions of small town life atmospheric. The suspense ratcheted up. I have reservations about the credibility of the ending, but the denouement was rapid, and twisted and turned.

So, overall an enjoyable read, particularly as the pace picked up, but there's something more special about the Jessica Daniel series.

Richard has been arrested for murder.
Paige calls her friend Harry who lives in Canada to ask him to come home as Paige is sure Richard is no killer.
Harry decides to come home .
Richard, Harry and Paige have been friends since school.
When Harry and Richard where walking home from school and they found the murdered body of Graham a class mate.
And now the rumours are that Richard killed Graham too.
The story is told by Harry.
Another great read
Thanks NetGalley

Harry is called out of the blue by his childhood friend Paige to say that their other mutual best friend Richard has been arrested for the murder of their old teacher. He hurries back to the UK and is amazed to see how much has changed. But then the friends discover the teacher's murder is being linked to the murder of a teen whose body was discovered by Harry and Richard twenty years ago...
The Blame is an intriguing thriller that centres around past and present murders. The suspense about the killings is maintained until the very end and I think it is impossible to guess!
Twenty years have passed since Harry and Richard found the body of their fellow school boy Graham. The murder was never solved and is now linked to the present day murder of a teacher. Paige and Harry are determined to prove Richard's innocence but also face their own demons.
Harry is a hugely likeable character and I think my positive feelings towards him are strengthened by the first person narrative. He is loyal to his friends but his life in Canada has nothing to keep him there following his separation from his wife. Paige is a much more troubled character, involved with drugs, pursued by dealers, estranged from her husband who just happens to be Richard's brother.
The style of writing and use of first person is instantly engaging and we are dropped straight into the plot. The pace is fast and the unfolding of events is non-stop. The characters and setting seem authentic and believable, and I thought the court procedure was portrayed realistically.
The Blame is a book full of red herrings and very entertaining.

Harry is stood in a coffee shop in Canada when he gets a call from old school bestie Paige to say their other best friend Richard has been arrested for murder. 20 years prior Harry and Richard stumbled across their dead classmate Graham on their way home from school. Now with two local murders and Richard being at both scenes he seems like the obvious suspect for both. But Paige is convinced Richard is innocent and with Harry's help they are determined to get to the bottom of it. But things change, then they change again. Harry returns back to his home town in England to find nothing and no one is as he left them, including his dear friend Paige.

I really enjoyed the way the author wrote about drunks affecting a small community. It's something that we are aware happens throughout the world but you tend to not read about it in a book that doesn't have drugs as its central storyline. However we get to learn quite quickly of the addiction one of the main characters has and it's fascinating the way it's played out. I actually found this storyline along with the local dealers more reverting than the murder mystery it has to be said. As the drug dealers seem linked some how but they clearly have nothing to do with he murder of their school friend 20 years prior.

In terms of the story we follow Harry and he is out lead protagonist. There was something about Harry I just didn't like. I found him judgemental. He leaves to live in Canada after uni and come rushing back to help his friend Richard because Paige calls. However he seems to not have kept on good contact with anyone, including his sister Evie. There's quite a lot of description throughout the story about homelessness and its through the eyes of Harry, although the point is how drugs are affecting rhe community he seems to have a snobbery response to it. Along with how he treats his so called best friends. Its clear he has moved forward in life and he feels this town and these people are beneath him even if he doesn't say it. So as a protagonist I didn't find him likeable. But he adds a level of depth to the story.

Rachel is written well and I almost wish the story was written from her point of view because although it would of been skued it would of felt more raw. She is clearly damaged and years of an unhappy marriage would do that to anyone. She has a I don't care kind of attitude that I can totally respect. She seems to be so invested in helping her friend out if prison even if that means putting up with judgement from so called best friend Harry. She appears to live in the present and deal with he reality of their situation. Her unwavering commitment to Richard is do well written. Although she is flawed her loyalty is something we could all do with in a friend.

The written itself is descriptive and indepth. This works well and is over used also. I found that the description of the state if the town was great at first and I really felt like I was there with the characters. However when the same streets are being described in the same way it really started to annoy me. It didn't feel like much was being added, which is unfortunately because Kerry Wilkinson has a talent for descriptive writing it has to he said!

The plot I wanted to really love but I guessed the culprits very easily and early in to the book. So I didn't find the thriller aspect to be present. However the psychological elements of the book are well written and alluring. I wanted to learn more about each character and how they got to where they are now. It was hard to get to understand Richard because although the prime suspect we hear and see so little of him.
However Kerry does a great job of dropping bread crumbs so we want to know more, one key example is that Paige is continually scratching her arms. It just all takes quite a while to be unmasked and that is where I struggledbto stay focused.

Would I recommend The Blame, sure. It's a good book which is well written, however if you are after a fast paced gory psychological thriller this is not for you. The end twist is only a twist if you have made it that far and have no idea who the killers are otherwise it was a bit of a let down. You read an entire book to have two pages of crazy action, which is predictable by how the scene is set up. I will say this is far from a bad book, I liked the premise I think I was just expecting much more. Rating 2 stars 🌟.


Thanks to netgslley, the publishers and Kerry Wilkinson for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

A sharply written, creepy and addictive thriller, hide behind the sofa and make sure that the windows and doors are firmly bolted because Kerry Wilkinson’s The Blame is his scariest book yet.

It was a typical weekday afternoon for Paige, Harry and Richard. Walking back home from school, the trio decided to take a short cut instead of going the long way along the longer – and safer – railway line. It was an impulsive decision which they didn’t think would ever have any repercussions or consequences, but little did they realise that they would spend the rest of their lives consumed by fear and regret after they discover the body of one of their classmates in the undergrowth. The three terrified teenagers make a pact never to tell another living soul about what they have just stumbled into – until two decades later when their secret come back to haunt them in the most startling and unexpected of ways.

In in the intervening years, so much has changed for the three friends. They each lead different lives and have tried their utmost to put the spine-chilling event behind them, but no matter how far one runs from the truth, eventually it always finds you as they discover when Richard is arrested by the police in connection with the dead body they had found all those years ago. As Paige and Harry find themselves forced to confront old demons they have spent most of their lives running away from, the time has come to return back home where everything seems to have stayed the same, yet so much has changed. With their old friend’s freedom in jeopardy and his name to clear, the three of them find themselves faced with an impossible choice because although the truth will set one of them free, it might also incriminate another.

With so much at stake, the three of them couldn’t possibly take any more shocking revelations – until a note is found in Richard’s flat that makes one thing very clear: somebody else knows what really happened that day and they are waiting for just the right moment to spill the beans and make them pay.

With twists and turns on almost every page, Kerry Wilkinson’s The Blame is a deftly crafted and exquisitely plotted thriller from a true craftsmen. A tense and sinister read full of danger and menace, The Blame is a nerve-twisting read that will grip, terrify and keep readers absolutely riveted to the page as they are bound to stay up way past their bedtime unable to put the book down and desperate to find out what happens next.

An awful incident from their school days haunts the main characters well into the present. Old secrets can never stay buried... A truly good book!

The Blame was an okay book but didn’t wow me. It had some twists and turns but for me was sorta slow. I have read other books by this author and really liked them this one just wasn’t for me. Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC.

Hmmm.... this was an ok read. I found it quite far fetched at times and I cannot say it grabbed me in any way . I was not actually bothered what happened to Graham by the end . It was an easy read that wasn’t that bad.

Another great story by Kerry Wilkinson, he never fails to deliver. This is a great story, which is both predictable, but surprising with some great twists and turns. I’d highly recommend this book.

Harry Curtis left behind the small English town where he grew up twenty years ago and now lives in Canada. However, when he gets a phone call from his childhood friend Paige to tell him their friend Richard has been arrested for the murder of a teacher he jumps on a plane and returns to offer his support. All through high school Harry, Richard and Paige made a tight little group of friends but drifted apart when school ended and Harry left for University. However, childhood friendships are always the most enduring and Harry feels compelled to help if he can. When they were still at school Harry and Richard found a body under a bush on their way home from school and now the police are looking to see if Richard was involved in that murder too.

The plot has a fairly slow build up and it’s mainly the characters that keep it interesting. Harry is staying with his sister Evie who he also hasn’t seen for years but she seems cold and remote and not particularly happy that he’s back. One of the catch phrases Harry and Paige have is ‘People Change. Then they change again.’ and Paige has changed a lot since Harry last knew her. Married and now separated from Richard’s older brother Oliver she has a drug habit and isn’t being honest with Harry much of the time. Richard is also not telling the police everything he knows about the murder of their old teacher but they seem to have arrested him on the flimsiest of evidence.

The novel is told purely through Harry’s point of view so we don’t get much of a feel for Richard’s character or how he has changed over the years and his guilt or innocence is difficult to assess until late in the novel. It makes for an interesting read about how hard it can be to go back to old friendships and the place where you grew up. The ending is very suspenseful with unexpected reveals and was worth the slow build.

A story of childhood friends that time has distanced, only to be thrown together again by another small town tragedy. Wilkinson keeps the reader enthralled with a multitude of topics from family drama, to addiction, to sexual orientation all while weaving a tale of murder and mystery. The narrative is brimming with the unknown as each character is just a bit untrustworthy and each truth told is with a bit of a lie. Great, entertaining read. 5 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheBlame which was read and reviewed voluntarily by Wayward Readers Book Blog.

I generally am head over heels for this authors work. This was good but left me thinking I was missing something

It is a good read but I think I keep comparing each of these to what attracted me to the authors work in the first place.

I did like the main character and thought that it was well developed.

You just can’t beat a good mystery, and The Blame is one of the best I’ve read so far this year. The setting was a great choice. The down-on-its luck town provided the perfect backdrop for flawed characters and unsavoury actions. Besides the murder, we are given drug dealers, drug addicts, adulterers, and bullies that never progressed past childhood. Even though the police have their man for the murder, you just know that everything isn’t so clear cut.

It was interesting to see childhood friends come together again after many years. While some books just slot the friends back together like nothing ever changed, I found Harry and Paige’s reunion more realistic. No matter what we choose to believe, nothing ever stays the same. Because we are thrown into Harry, Paige, and Richard’s past as well as their current situation, there is a strong level of character development. However, the author does a good job of providing just the necessary details, rather than overburdening the reader with information that detracts from the main story.

I was completely drawn into The Blame. I loved not just the flawed characters but also the fast pace of the story and gripping short chapters. The only little niggle I had was that I never really understood why Harry would drop everything and come home to support a man he hasn’t had much contact with over the last twenty years. The author does hint at Harry generally being unhappy with his life in Canada, but I would have liked a little more on that front.

One of three close childhood friends, Harry is called away from his home in Toronto to Macklebury in the UK by Paige regarding Richard. Richard has been arrested for the murder of a common former teacher. However, it’s been twenty years since he left and now it appears he doesn’t really know them at all.

First, he’s at a loss to know what he’s doing—why he is actually there or what he could do. It’s Paige who declares they’ll have to search for the real perp, but is quickly discovered to be on drugs and vacillates between manic and low key, depressive. Not like she is the only one depressing as his sister with whom he shares ownership of the family home is estranged, uncommunicative, allows him a room, but is not interested in “catching up.”

Richard is an obvious easy collar, having been associated with the discovery of one of his deceased classmates in questionable circumstances. That murder was never solved and it’s easy to look at Richard for this one. Seems they are more concerned with the cold case, however, than the current one.

Too many questions, holes I couldn’t fill, lack of affinity for any of the characters, and largely depressing and wretched conditions slowed the narrative for me. The pace doesn’t gain much momentum going into the conclusion with much of the investigation “slotting” in with Harry following Paige around on one of her manic objectives.

The conclusion cleared up few questions but then there was little burning desire to know more. Difficult read left me rather empty. A disquieting theme, sad tale, and disappointing. 3.5 stars

If you know me or have been following my blog or reviews on Goodreads, you know that I'm a sucker for a great murder mystery. You may also know that I simply cannot resist a book which has a morally grey character. This book, y'all, is dripping with morally grey personalities. In this book, even the secrets have secrets! (Yes, I totally stole that quote from The Avengers, bite me! lol). So, it is not surprising that this book deals with all kinds of issues and dysfunctional relationships: from murder, bullying, addiction to being homophobic, having gambling problems, and so much more! I was surprised that Kerry Wilkinson was able to fit all of that into the book and it still all makes sense.

The book starts with our narrator in Canada. We know after the first couple of chapters that he chose this place to live because it is faaaaar away from his past. But as they say: You can take the boy out of the small town, but you can't take the small town out of the boy. So it is not surprising that his past finds him and for various reasons--which we later learn about--he returns to the place where he spent his childhood. And that is where the crazy events begin.

I have to admit that the description for the book is a bit misleading, but then again, there is no way the author could have written it any differently without any spoilers. There was just so much going on. I'm sure the description of the book took longer to write than the book itself. It is really hard to summarize a book in only a few words if said book is all about character building, finding secrets, and still trying to not get sucked into the events that happened recently and twenty years ago.

My favorite part of course was that the MCs took me on their hunt for clues and answers. Picture me with my Sherlock Holmes hat, violin, and pipe hehehehe. Another thing that I really loved about the book was that we get to read all the newspaper articles about the cases.

Kerry Wilkinson takes you on a murder hunt, but he does so in quite an interesting way. We swing back and forth between clues, the new case, the old case, and in between we get a lot of character building. By the end of the book you feel as if you know all about the characters. You may think that this would make it easy to guess what exactly happen. Well, you would be wrong!!! The ending feels like a Chitauri army got nuked inside your brain--yes, that is absolutely another Avengers reference. For those who don't know much about the Avengers (which is wrong on so many levels, seriously lol), a Chitauri army getting nuked inside your brain is a crazy messy thing. It's as if someone blows your mind, but like 10000% bigger. So yeah, that ending left me with my jaw dropped and speechless, which is actually something that not everyone manages because I love to talk. There ya have it, my thoughts on this book. Now get up off that sofa and buy a copy.

A solid, different, psychological thriller. Admittedly I prefer the author's crime novels but an enjoyable read with unexpected twists and strong characters

Well… definitely not my favorite from this author. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and frankly couldn't care much about what was happening to any of them.

The story felt boring and the simple idea of someone just dropping everything to come back to their childhood place for someone he'd barely spoken to in years… was not convincing.

I'd still like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Harry has been living in Toronto for 20 years. Then one day he gets a call from, Paige, asking him to come back to England.
Their old school friend Richard has been arrested and accused of murder.
Although Harry hasn`t had much to do with either of them in a long time, the three of them have been friends since childhood so he gets on a plane.
He doesn`t know why or what he can do to help Richard but he knows he has to try.
When he gets back to his old home town he barely recognizes the place, everything is changed, not least his friends.
Paige has secrets she isn`t willing to share and Richard is definitely not telling him everything.
When they were teenagers, Richard and Harry found a boys body under a bush on the way home from school.
His murder was never solved but now Richard is being charged the old case is being opened and looked at again.
Who to believe thats the question.
Can he discover the truth?
I enjoyed the book, I did find it a little slow though towards the end it really picked up.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the copy in return for my honest review.