This is an enjoyable and entertaining book set in Ireland. This book has elements of animal cruelty.
Found this book, difficult to follow. an average thriller

I loved the writing style of this book! It was a quick easy read and easy to follow. The story was decent enough, however there wasn’t a huge twist at the end. The who dun it was a surprise, but it didn’t seem very twisty.

I liked Ben’s character, but didn’t care for Deborah’s.

All in all, this was a good book and I would recommend.

I enjoyed this book. The writing flowed well and it was a nice depiction of “country” life.
There was a good twist towards the end of the book where you think you have it figured out but then learn there is more to it. I would read another book from this author

I did enjoy this, ticked all the boxes so it worked it was a good read for an afternoon to take my mind off things and I needed to know what happened next. This author is always dependable to do this

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This book was everything I look for in a book. It was so exciting. The plot was fantastic. It really had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart racing. It was very well written and flowed well.

Thanks to Netgalley for sending me the ARC! I was excited but then the story started so slowly and didn't pick up. The ending was a total let down. I rate this book a 2.1

Somebody out there - Kevin lynch

I didn’t even realise I had this title but nonetheless it expired before I had chance to read. Can’t give an accurate review sorry

The premise of this book was so promising!!! But sadly I had a hard time getting into it. The writing was a bit choppy, and it wasn't as spooky as I thought it would be. I could see others loving this book, but it wasn't quite my cup of tea.

This is a bit of a formulaic book - family move from the big city to an idyllic (or should be) life in the countryside but someone isn’t happy about it. I wish authors would refrain from using animals when they write books such as this as you always know it never ends well and I find myself on the lookout for it so that it can be instantly bypassed. The ending and reason why there were problems and trouble was lame! Sorry to have to say but this was just an average version of a well used plot.

Ben and Deborah and their two children are leaving the city life to start over in a very rural country area in Ireland to open a natural health store that they hope will be a nice addition to the community. Their new neighbors don't seem very receptive to the city family and it becomes hard for the children who are not very happy not having any friends in the new environment. It seems the family may have a stalker in their midst. Almost immediately strange things begin to happen that feel threatening but the police think it's probably teens playing pranks but the threats begin to get more serious and possibly dangerous and Ben and Deborah can't understand why they would be treated so poorly and it begins to take a toll non their marriage and Deborah thinks maybe they should move back to Dublin but Ben refuses to be intimidated by the locals but secretly wonders himself if they are in over heir heads.

I found this to be a very enjoyable and entertaining fast paced book taking place in Ireland. I loved how the country Irish folk had their own special phrasing and special ways of conducting themselves within the community. Really great fun. The daughter was only fifteen and had quite a mouth on her and the parents didn't seem to mind which was surprising to me. The son was a sweetheart and well behaved. I liked Ben's character but I didn't care for Deborah. She seemed very self involved to me and somewhat stand-offish even though she was supposed to be a warm personality. I just didn't find her likeable. There were some good twists to the book and the ending was quite a surprise to find out who their stalker really was.

Warning: There is some disturbing animal cruelty involved.

I want to thank the publisher "Inkubator Books" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I recommends this book to any reader who enjoys domestic thrillers and have given a rating of 3 Creepy 🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!

I took a while to give a review won this because I did not enjoy this book. I struggled with reading it and put it down many times. I couldn't get into the plot or characters. Spoiler alert - I find it hard to read about animals who get killed.

This wasn't a great read for me.

Somebody Out There opened with a chapter I thought was very good & I loved how the story unfolded in first couple of chapters. But from there it went downhill for me quickly. Everytime I thought something was about to happen I waited for the thrills that never showed up. There were so many good characters with a backstory that had so much potential, but they all sort of fell flat. I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters except the children. There was just nasty stuff happening one after the other & the reason revealed at the end did not make sense to me. I expected an extraordinary ending or twisted story given the voice in prologue. I didn't find either. I did not find that thrill build up in the last half of the book.
Thank you NetGalley, Kevin Lynch & Inkubator books for the arc!

Somebody Out There by Kevin Lynch is a thriller surrounding a family that has just moved to the country. As excited as they are about this new life - weird things start to happen to them. Why are these mysterious things happening?

Ben and Deborah are looking for a change in their lives so they are moving the kids to a rural area and starting a health food shop. From day 1 they have many issues and difficulties, from their hen house being broken into to the killing of their dog. They do t understand who is behind this or why, but they are going to put a stop to it.

This was an ok read, but has some graphic writing of cruelty to animals. I never felt like I was connected to or invested in any of the characters, that made the book less enjoyable for me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Kevin Lynch and Inkubator Books for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

Not bad for a first book, but I expected more. To be truthful, I often find mysteries and thrillers to be a little predictable. There were some parts that creeped me out, but I was hoping for more altogether.

Can starting over in the Irish countryside help Ben and Deborah leave their troubles behind them, or does new danger await them instead?

This book's strongest point for me unfortunately, was how short it was. I'm not sure how much more I could have stuck it out for. The writing style did not flow and kept taking me out of the narrative with clunky phrasing and unnatural dialogue-an instant killer of suspension of belief for me.
I initially thought I could push through this as the premise of the story had potential, however it ended up falling flat and the final reveal was borderline nonsensical and anti-climactic. This is partially due to any relveant information that could have created foreshadowing or built tension was instead dropped into the narrative only when it was needed, not a moment sooner or even later. This timing of information reveal is crucial in a thriller and this one just missed the mark. None of the characters seemed to have distinct or memorable personalities, or even integral roles in the plot for the most part.

Ultimately, the story ended up feeling more like a recounting from memory of a more complex narrative than its own entity, and so I struggled to get invested in it.


Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator books for the e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.

Deborah and Ben move to a small, Irish town to escape the hectic life of Deborah's journalism career and the Mafia she wrote about. Ben decides to open a health food store and buy a cottage with lots of land. Their two children Molly and Jack are reluctant to move.

The previous owner of the cottage passed away and the son is there to help the new owners out. Strange things start happening and Ben fears they've made a grave mistake moving there.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. However I found that the characters lacked depth and I felt indifferent towards them. The concept was good and the ending was a surprise. I just needed more from the characters and their relationship. It felt like something was missing.

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book

A psychological thriller that hooks you in from the beginning. The setting of rural Ireland made the eerie premise so much more.. Ben and Deborah along with their two children move from Dublin to a very rural small town in country Ireland. Their new home was previously occupied by an elderly lady whom recently passed away within it's walls and her remaining son is restful of the new families occupation of the home. The rest of the town is unwelcoming and hostile with violent acts upon the family escalating each day.

If there’s ever been a Prologue to pull me straight in, this was it. It set an eerie tone that reminded me of Psycho.

Ben and Deborah Higgins move to the Irish countryside from Dublin along with their kids, teenage Molly and 12-year-old Jack, and their dog, Harry, for a fresh start. Deborah is an award winning crime reporter, and the family has made the move to escape the repercussions of her work, with a gang she reported on threatening violence. They hope to put the fears of the past behind them and start afresh.

The house they have moved into used to belong to a woman who died in it. Her mentally unstable younger son Jeremiah, who claims to hear the voice of his mother in his mind, resents them for living in his house.

They find themselves unwelcome in the town, with butcher Pat Doyle, pub owner Mossy Hennigan being openly unfriendly. Dave Breen, an upstanding town man, who handles the accounts of most of the establishments, is the only one who shows the Higgins any kind of welcome.

Pretty soon, strange things begin to happen to them. Two of their chickens get their heads cut off. Then their dog is killed brutally. With each case of harassment, they find themselves increasingly alone, with the Gardai (Irish police) refusing to take them seriously. The trouble causes a rift within the family, with Deborah and Molly, in particular, resenting Ben for not cutting his losses and moving away.

Ben is determined to find out who is trying to drive him off his property. Will he discover it in time or will he lose his family and his sanity in the process?

The story is written in the third person past tense point of view of Ben. Interspersed between the main narrative relating to the Higgins family are short chapters written in the second person. These are the thoughts of Jeremiah, and they are characterized with the feeling of an intense and unhealthy devotion of a son for his mother.

The desolation of the countryside is described very well and the pacing is good.

The dialogue in the past perfect tense sounded unnatural. Some sentences were rather awkward. Dave Breen put down…whatever product he was holding. The vagueness makes no sense. In another chapter, we are told that Ben had been really shook.

There’s a lot of swearing, with almost everyone, except Jack, swearing freely. I was put off by this aspect.

Since the PoV is Ben’s, we don’t really feel close to Deborah. The little that we see of her makes her feel distant towards her. She was totally unsupportive towards Ben, refusing to understand him at all.

Jack was really sweet, but Molly came across as insensitive. Even when she was deliberately rude and disrespectful to her father, neither parent called her out on her behaviour.

The Gardai were completely lame and useless; their whole attitude needed work.

The ending was wrapped up too soon, without being at all satisfying.

Ben was the only characters that came across as real. I could form no connection with any of the others, except for Jeremiah. I would have liked to see more of him.

I guessed the identity of the culprit early on; it wasn’t difficult.

My biggest grouse is with the blurb at the back of the book. It was totally misleading. It tells us that Deborah doesn’t scare easily and that she starts to dig for the truth. It was odd that the author set her up as an award-winning reporter and then she did nothing for her family.

As it plays out in the book, Deborah shows none of the feistiness we expect from a crime reporter. It’s Ben who stands up for his family. Deborah is quite ready to compromise.