This was so so. I did give up a few times and try to get back and ultimately stopped around the 50-60% mark. Bit too slow and not well executed.

3 for neutral. Unfortunately I couldn’t finish this book, I did try multiple times, but just couldn’t get into it. Will update if able to finish at a later date, as I am a moody reader.

Pat Black is back and this his 4th book is as much as a surprise as his previous 3 were, you never quite know what to expect from this author, always excellent but always different, this for me is my favourite, I loved the writing style and short bursts of description, enjoyed the story and frantic start, investigative middle and action packed, twister thrill of its ending
Imagine finding out via your Mum’s will who your Dad is…..after waiting more than 20 years….imagine the reaction to finding out he is ‘The WoodCutter’ a notorious evil serial killer, imagine being compelled to visit him and then imagine wondering if there has been a miscarriage of justice
Dark, moody, edgy, atmospheric and at times shocking but with an injection of humour this is a really fascinating book looking at relationships, some toxic and introduces a feisty main character who cares little for anyones thoughts about her but intends to find out the truth about her Dad, will she live to regret it?, I will let you find that out.
Loved it
10/10
5 Stars

This is so so good!
Pace is maintained throughout, and gets more and more intriguing as it progresses.
Freya gets a double shock when her mother dies and then in a letter reveals that her father is actually a known notorious serial killer. Eager to get answers and find out if this is true, she goes on a mission to seek out the truth.
I think at one stage I had guessed every single character as "The Woodcutter" it was completely un-guessable to me.
Great storyline, great characters. Freya is a great female lead and really drives this.
And of course, the cherry on top was the final showdown! Thrilling to find out who made the cut - pun intended.
Ambitious, creepy, daring.

Although this book started out slow for me once it got going I was on edge til the last page! A unique story with likable characters, 4 stars!

The story has a good beginning with Freya going in search of a serial killer and clear her father’s name. Along the way the book slows down with all the characters running around cluelessly. Towards the conclusion the pace picks up but the suspense is predictable from the beginning. 3.5 stars

Twenty-five year old Freya Bain gets a shock at the will reading of her recently deceased mother when the solicitor hands her a letter from her mother in which her father is finally identified. She gets even more of a shock when she learns he is in prison for murder. Gareth Solomon was convicted of the brutal murder and dismemberment of June Caton-Bell about 25 years ago but many believe he is guilty of many more killings, that he is in fact the feared Woodcutter who killed at least 5 people back in the 90s. He has always maintained he did not kill Caton-Bell.

Freya visits her father regardless and gives him the benefit of the doubt. You know how it goes from here - she talks to the people involved in the original investigation and joins forces with an online true crime blogger/armchair sleuth called Glenn Allender. Soon they are tracking down the bodies of the remaining original victims of the Woodcutter. No, they are not that brilliant. They are following clues provided for Freya, presumably from the Woodcutter himself. In addition, new bodies are turning up with the same MO as the original killings. Does this mean that Freya’s dad is not the Woodcutter? Or is it a copycat? Either way, it’s a dangerous game as there is no doubt that this killer will eventually come for Freya.

The book was certainly gripping and a little gruesome at times. Both Freya and Glenn who were the main protagonists seemed a bit ambiguous at times. Glenn was a computer geek who was a bit cowardly at times, brave at others, got annoyed with Freya, got upset when she got annoyed with him. Freya herself was a contradictory persona and I couldn’t quite get a handle on her. The pace of the story was good and didn’t lag although the plot was a little predictable at times. It is not too hard to work out who the bad guy is as there are not that many characters to choose from. It is a good quick read that doesn’t tax the brain too much. My thanks go to Netgalley for providing a free copy and I am providing this review voluntarily.

Wow! What can I say about this book in one word! Tremendous!!! Although I would recommend all books from this author, this book was definitely on another level! I can not recommend this book enough to anyone that enjoys a psychological thriller!!’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Absolutely fantastic read. I have loved this and been completely unable and unwilling to put this one down.
This is a great read which I will be highly recommending.

One of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time! Kept me guessing until the last page, so many twists and turns….none of which I saw coming!

The Runner is the story of Freya, a young woman whose life is thrown into chaos when her mother’s will discloses the identity of her father. She is stunned to learn that her father is the man identified as the Woodcutter, a notorious serial killer known for cutting up his victims with an axe. Freya decides to visit her father in prison, where she learns that he denies any involvement in the murders and is appealing his conviction. She begins to wonder if he is guilty and launches her own investigation of the crimes, which sets off a series of events that clearly point to another person as the Woodcutter. Is her father guilty? Or has the real Woodcutter been out there the entire time? This book did a good job of throwing the reader off the trail of the guilty party. Freya’s determination to find out the truth makes her an enjoyable character to follow through the story. I like books with a powerful climax and the showdown at the end of this book was definitely worth it. I would recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I jumped up and down when I got approved for The Runner! So thanks NetGalley Aria & Aries and Author for this amazing book!
I absolutely loved this one! Black knows how to write and hold the attention of the reader! Like WoW I was hooked! I just enjoyed everything about this wonderful new and upcoming book! It was a thriller I will most definitely recommend and when it hits the shelves ill be buying a copy just to have!
Simply Amazing

This was a different book to what I would usually read. The plot is good but I’m not sure it’s executed well. The beginning was good and the ending picked up pace too but unfortunately the rest of it was slow and I almost gave up at places.

This book is so much more than you'd expect from the plot summary. After her mother dies, Freya discovers the identity of her absent father, who her mother refused to ever discuss. Not only is he in prison, but he is a convicted murderer - the notorious Woodcutter. Believed to have killed at least 5 people, they could only convict him of one murder, but it was enough to put him away for life. The grisly chopped up body of that victim ensured his severe sentence. Freya feels an urge to meet with him out of pure curiosity. She never expected him to say that he was innocent.

She meets with several people involved in his case to learn more about his crimes and why he was convicted on such circumstantial evidence. His lawyer hints that there may be a new breakthrough that could change everything, but can't tell Freya what it is. Freya soon befriends a man named Glenn who runs a website about killers and he agrees to help Freya, but because he's sure that her father is guilty, not innocent. Someone begins leaving messages on the trails that Freya runs, and she and Glenn work to decipher the clues. What they discover thrusts the Woodcutter case back into the spotlight. And then, the new bodies appear... Was Freya's father right in proclaiming his innocence? Or has his notoriety inspired a copycat, one that has Freya in his sights?

It's quite a story, gory at times, but not overly so. It's definitely not one of those where you know how it will end, not by a mile! I have to say that at times, the interactions between Freya and Glenn were a bit off, but it's hard to describe just why. They often argue and I didn't see the slightest hint of reciprocal attraction in their dialogue. I think it was supposed to be implied, but I feel the author is more comfortable with writing the grittier aspects of the story than with male/female communication. Readers will be more than satisfied by the macabre aspects of the story, stick with those!

Freya is a great character, I really liked her. She never knew her father but, after her mum dies, the solicitor gives her a letter from her mum that tells her all about him. Unfortunately, he turns out to be in prison for murder. Freya visits him and believes that he’s innocent. Is she right?

This had me hooked and I’d recommend this brilliant thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

The Runner is fantastic! A solid thriller with some interesting twists along the way.

I won’t give any of the plot away since we all know I’m so bad at summing up stories! Freya is a brilliant character, I fell in love with her instantly. She’s got the drive that a protagonist needs but thankfully has normal human reactions! My only complaint with this book is the middle dragged.

Highly recommended, I loved The Runner and you will too!