This is the first book I've read by this author, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the opening chapter, with Daniel getting picked on by the local teenage delinquents, where the author makes you believe one thing before you read a line that turns everything upside down!

The story pulls you in from the beginning - Scott and Gemma are hard-working parents who have a son with learning difficulties. He has one rule to follow, for his, and everyone else's, safety. Then one day he breaks the rule, and the family find themselves having to do things they'd never have dreamed of doing in their worst nightmares.

There are some interesting plot twists along the way, with a fantastic finale that keeps you on the edge of your seat! A great read, and a look into how far someone would go to protect their family.

What a rollercoaster of a ride! I could not put this down. This original tale of a regular family thrown into a crime is a must read. The side story of the detective in charge of the case is just as fascinating and I had to keep reading to see where her story went. I will definitely be buying this for our library's adult readers.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

A gripping thriller by David Jackson that had me flying through the pages. MY DAD SAYS BAD THINGS HAPPEN WHEN I BREAK IT... Daniel is looking forward to his birthday. He wants pie and chips, a big chocolate cake, and a comic book starring his favourite superhero. And as long as he follows The Rule, nothing bad will happen. Daniel will be twenty-three next week. And he has no idea that he's about to kill a stranger. Daniel's parents know that their beloved and vulnerable son will be taken away. They know that Daniel didn't mean to hurt anyone, he just doesn't know his own strength. They dispose of the body. Isn't that what any loving parent would do? But as forces on both sides of the law begin to close in on them, they realise they have no option but to finish what they started. Even if it means that others will have to die... Because they'll do anything to protect Daniel. Even murder. Definitely one to look out for! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Daniel has a rule he always has to follow. Now he’s broken the rule with tragic results.

A desperate father trying to protect his son and wife, a mother and brother seeking revenge and a detective struggling after the loss of her daughter and being sidelined after a death during her last investigation.

This was a brilliant book to read. Felt every moment of the father’s struggle to protect his family - fantastic.

Thanks to Netgalley, Serpent’s Tail and David Jackson for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Well this latest book from David Jackson turned out to such an addictive read I flew through it it was one of those I’ll just read one more chapter books that you end up finishing bleary eyed late at night because you just had to know what was going to happen !
One of the best things about the book was the big question it asked just how far would you go to protect your family and keep them safe especially when your strapping 23 year old son Daniel who has learning problems and the strength of an ox accidentally kills a man that is attacking you. This is the situation that Daniel’s parents must face and what follows is a helter skelter ride with plenty of the twists and turns that we come to expect from this author and it’s a belter of a read.
So great characters, excellent storyline with some real poignant moments it’s a book to keep you hooked so what more do you need, I loved it its one not to be missed.
My thanks to NetGalley and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Rule
The Rule is like nothing I’ve ever read. In fact, you could say it breaks all the rules of detective fiction!
So, firstly, this book doesn’t let up. It’s massively gripping, and I can’t think of another book in this genre that holds such a moral dilemma at its root.
Secondly, I have to mention the utterly brilliant characters - all of them, twist upon twist and I’m immediately going to look up this author’s back catalogue.
An easy five stars for me.

Daniel is a giant physically, but a young boy mentally. Daniel is soon to be 23 and looking forward to his chippy chips, caterpillar birthday cake and new superhero toys for his special day. However, one day, Daniel breaks The Rule and his strength ends up killing a stranger. His parents just want to protect Daniel and their actions spiral out of control and now the whole family is in danger. Parents will do anything to protect their child.
An enjoyable, easy to read in one sitting book characters you really sympathise for. Some great twists that will keep you turning those pages.

Absolutely loved this novel and raced through it in one sitting. Great characters and fast paced storyline throughout.

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book, but what I got was much better than I'd ever imagined.
The story follows Daniel, who is 23, but mentally a lot younger, and who doesn't know his own strength.
His life revolves around his favourite comic book character Adam 9 and his family. So when he sees a man attacking his father he tries to stop him, but he accidentally kills him.
What happens next is his families worst nightmare, if they go the the police they'll take Daniel away, So they decide to dispose of the body, that's what every other family would do, wouldn't they ?
But will that be the end of it, or will the past come back to haunt them all ?
This is a thriller and a half. It makes you wonder just how far you'd go to protect the ones you love. It's an absolute roller coaster of a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat right until the last page. One of the best books you'll read this year.

I really enjoyed this book but have to say some things were really unlikely to happen but for entertainment value XI would give it 3 stars as I really wanted to know the end result.

The Rule - David Jackson

David is a strapping 23 year old man with the mental age of an eight year old, he doesn't know his own strength. The Rule is that he mustn't touch other people or animals, in case he accidentally injures them.

This is an interesting and involving book, part Police murder case, part family man drawn into a world of drug dealers, guns and violence as he attempts to keep his family safe.

I really enjoyed, the varied characters have depth and are very well portrayed, the plots are twisty and unpredictable. The whole thing is very original and it works very well.

It builds very satisfyingly to the end, with plenty of tense moments, action and twists.

I'll definitely be looking out by more books by this author.


Thanks to Netgalley and Viper

I am a big fan of David Jackson's writing, and this latest offering didn't disappoint. Daniel is nearly 23 years old, but he has the mind of a child. Furthermore, he is huge and doesn't know his own strength. So when he accidently kills a stranger in their block of flats, his parents are determined that he won't go to prison. So they dispose of the body. When it transpires that the victim is a notorious drug dealer from a very nasty family, a trail of events is set off, which takes Daniel's family to places they've never been to. How far would you go to protect your child? This is a roller coaster of a book, which I thoroughly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

The Rule by David Jackson is a compulsive story of two parents who would do anything for their vulnerable son, Daniel. When Daniel accidently kills a stranger, it is clear to his parents that their beloved son will be taken away. They eventually reach a difficult conclusion: they must dispose of the body.
Daniels father takes control of the situation, wanting to leave his wife and son out of this as much as possible.
After one darkly comical (and rather grotesque) night, he believes they can put this tragic accident behind them. However, when the police begin door to door enquiries, it is clear that the incident isn’t as clear cut as this law abiding family were hoping it to be.

Wow this is a totally mad book about how things can spill so far out of control when your child does something wrong. I felt sorry for the whole family in this book as they were just all trying to protect their son and things just kept getting worst no matter what they tried. I loved it.

How far would you go to protect your vulnerable adult child? Would you sacrifice a stranger, or even yourself? These are the question explored in the latest offering from David Jackson.

I really liked the characterisation of Daniel, Scott and Hannah. The bond between father and son was believable and helped drive the story, engaging our investment in Scott’s arc throughout the story. Hannah’s character also provided an interesting sub-plot although some aspects of her story felt a little extraneous.

However, I felt Gemma was somewhat under developed - she came across as a rather weak and passive sidelined character - and I was never fully convinced by the Cobb brothers as hardened gangsters - something about the dialogue felt a little contrived and unrealistic.

Given the book’s title and blurb, I was also expecting more of an exploration of the rule imposed by the Timpsons to control Daniel’s physical strength. I was anticipating more focus on the difficulties of Daniel’s handicap and I thought the book was going to grapple with slightly different issues.

Overall the book was well written, as usual with David Jackson, but it wasn’t one of my favourites of his. I was much more invested in some of his earlier books, notably A Tapping At My Door and Your Deepest Fear. There was much more intrigue and mystery in those, whereas I felt The Rule was a little one dimensional for an author of Jackson’s skill.

My thanks to David Jackson, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this. One of the main characters is a very likeable 22 year old man called Daniel who has learning difficulties and who lives with his mum and dad. One day a chance encounter and bad luck leads to Daniel accidentally killing someone, partly because he was trying to protect his dad and partly because he doesn’t know his own strength.
The story then shows the incredible bonds of a family and the lengths they’ll go to to protect their own, even when there really doesn’t seem to be no hope and the hole they’re digging just gets bigger and bigger and messier by the minute. When becoming involved with the criminal underworld the situation really seems to become more and more hopeless and the tension is immense and brilliantly portrayed. The characterisation of the underdog detective, scrabbling to try and turn her career around, amidst personal tragedy, was also heartfelt and fitted seamlessly into the storyline. There are lots of twists and turns and bittersweet moments and I was on the edge of my seat until the ending.

I loved The Resident so was pleased to get an early opportunity to read the author’s next book. Add to that being a bit of a sucker for Dad’s who want to protect their Autistic sons and this was going to be a winning formula.

Scott finds himself at the centre of a death in his block of flats and things go from bad to worse as he tries to make things right and keep police attention away from his son who cannot speak anything but the literal truth.

An entertaining read that keeps you hoping that the good guys win out even if they do bad things right through to the last chapter.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for a fair review

Absolutely loved it.... gripping with twists and turns keep tou guessing..... didn't want to put it down! Even took Mt kindle to work Highley recommended

Cheerfully mixing the gritty daily realities of life in a dilapidated block of council flats with (hopefully improbable) extreme violence, this is a story of a very gentle man trying to do the right thing by his SEN son and his wife in a grim situation made increasingly impossible by those whose concept of right and wrong is shaped by their own whim first and their own interests second, with the rest of the world nowhere except in the way.

Although the hero sometimes contributes to his own misfortunes by being awesomely naive, there is no situation so bad that the psychopaths who have intruded into his life cannot make it worse. For most of the novel the tension lies in the reader wondering how long the author can go on turning the screw and when relief comes it redefines salvation as something which, before you read the book, would seem like catastrophe.

David Jackson's usual brilliant combination of tense, page-turning plot and pitch-dark humour. I inhaled it in one day. Loved it!