This book was SO SO good... til it wasn't (no spoilers).

BP Walter does great with suspense but if I had to sum up this book in three words it would be - screaming, crying and vomiting. If the characters are not doing one of these three things, you'd have about 100 pages of story. The grief reactions of each character are achingly clear and the reader takes on some of the anguish in this story. However, there was just so much crying and screaming it was beginning to feel overwhelming.

I previously read Walter's The Dinner Guest and it had me barreling through pages to get to the end. This one was much of the same, except it was more like a car accident I just could not look away from than a good suspense story. I plowed through it in nearly one afternoon so I am giving it four stars. I am not giving it five stars because the ending nearly made me throw the book across the room. However, if you want to find out why I was so mad, you'll have to take this arduous journey first.

I hope he went somewhere warm and tropical after writing this to get rid of all the rain and darkness within the pages.

When Caroline Byrne's only child is killed in a terrorist attack, she is heartbroken. She cannot understand why Jessica was in Stratford when she was supposed to be in Somerset at a friend's, but when Caroline check Jessica's phone she finds a possible answer. Jessica had been messaging with a boy named Michael, & they had arranged to meet up the day of the attack. Caroline in her grief decides that someone has to pay for her daughter's death, & it may as well be Michael.

Although this was very well-written & in a style that draws the reader in & keeps them engaged with the plot, the main characters were just awful. I started off very sympathetic to Caroline due to her loss & her being saddled with a cheating spouse, but her actions just became more & more unbelievable. I hated her husband Alec (what a louse) too, in fact the only characters I felt sorry for were Michael & his brother, Evan. The ending just made me want to pitch my Kindle across the room.

TW: It covers some very dark material including abuse & paedophilia.

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

The Woman on the Pier is a very sad story that is full of secrets, lies, grieving and how far will you go for revenge.

This was a difficult read for me having just lost my 37 year old son so perhaps I am not the best judge.

The story itself had twists and turns and an ending I did not see coming.

In spite of my personal view , I do think its worth picking up and reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review.

This isn't a criticism, I find B P Walter's books often an uncomfortable read as the author shines a light on often difficult or sensitive topics as in the case as the Woman on the Pier as domestic terrorism is tackled.. It's a fear we all live in as we go about our daily lives.

As Caroline struggles to come to terms with the death of her daughter Jessica in a terrorist attack she lays the blame at the door of the young man Jessica was supposed to meet that day but didn't turn up. With her marriage breaking apart, her feeling for revenge against Michael are the only outlet for her grief.

This is a really dark with characters that aren't always likeable.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

I have to confess, I did not finish The Woman on the Pier.

Caroline’s teenage daughter died in a terrorist attack a few months ago, and Caroline is not dealing with her grief well. Her daughter had lied about being in the city and Caroline is determined to make someone pay for her death…even if it’s the teenage boy her daughter was talking to.

I didn’t like any of the characters. Caroline is obsessed and destructive in her grief, but she doesn’t sound like a great person even before “The Event.” Her husband and daughter don’t sound much better.

I just couldn’t connect with Caroline and her obsession. She seemed deranged and in need of some inpatient treatment. I found myself skimming words and unable to care what the “mystery twist” would end up being.

And so I quit.

Overall, I was disappointed with The Woman on the Pier but open to trying more from the author again.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the review copy!

A grieving mother becomes a detective trying to find out why her daughter was at a London station when she was murdered - she should have been away for the weekend.
Excellent story, full of surprises and kept me awake late into the night trying to get to the end.
Brilliant.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. I have really enjoyed his previous books so was looking forward to this

I raced through this tonight. It’s packed with twists, turns and revelations .

Fast paced with a lot going on but at the root of the story is a grieving mother and the lengths she will go for answers .

Unpredictable and thought provoking this is a cleverly written psychological thriller.

It you’re new to his books I highly recommend .

Complex characters and a gripping plot this will have you reading till you know the truth.

Published 11th November

Caroline is a grieving mother. Her daughter was killed in a terrorist attack. Three months later Caroline is still grieving and wondering why her daughter was even at the train station to begin with. She was supposed to be with a friend in another town.
Caroline eventually decides to check Jessica's phone and finds she was communicating with a boy that her parents knew nothing about.
The majority of the book is a mothers reaction to the death of her daughter and how to deal with (or not) grief.

I spent the majority of the book wondering why it was called The Woman on the Pier. The pier only appears briefly.
I did not care for how the book ended.There were also some random parts that did not match the story and were completely not needed.
A 3 star read for me.
I will try another book by this author as I really enjoyed The Dinner Guest.

Thanks to netgalley and One More Chapter for the arc.

After her daughter, Jessica, is killed in a terrorist attack, Caroline is desperate for answers. What was Jessica doing in Stratford when she was suppose to be at a friends in Somerset? Three months later Caroline finds information on Jessica’s phone. Information that leads her to Michael Kelly. Laying the blame at Michael’s door, Caroline is out for revenge and one early morning only one of them walks away from a meeting on the pier. This book was filled with loathsome characters and very dark content and while I very much enjoyed Walter’s previous book, The Dinner Guest, this book was filled with so many trigger topics it will leave your head spinning. A depressing read with no redeeming qualities.

This is a difficult in for me to review, as I am the type of reader that likes to be able to root for a character. In this case I really didn’t like any of the characters. I’m not sure where the title came from for the book but it doesn’t really seem to match the book except for a couple of pages.

Caroline is unhinged and unhappy, but she had lost her daughter so maybe a bit of empathy was due, but I just couldn’t like her no matter how hard I tried. She is just rude and nasty and her husband isn’t much better.

I had read The Dinner Guest by this author recently, so thought this one would be good. But I’m sorry It just didn’t grab me.

I didn’t find this at all thrilling I am so sorry to say. I just can’t say I enjoyed something when I didn’t.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #OneMoreChapter for a eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Screenwriter Caroline Byrne is desperate to know why her daughter Jessica died, murdered in Stratford when she was supposed to be at a friend’s in Somerset. When Caroline discovers the messages Jessica had been sending a boy named Michael, she realises it’s because of him. Because he failed to meet her that day. He’s the reason why her daughter is dead. And so she makes a choice. He’s the one who’s going to pay. That is her promise. Her price.

This is very dark which I was not expecting. Walter writes about some very tough subjects and it did make for uncomfortable reading. A lot happens in this as well, too much really, it meant the plot felt rushed and there were threads that needed more development. The ending in particular was extremely rushed and it was not a straight-forward ending, Walter reveals a lot in the ending and there is no time to unpack what we have learnt and see how it impacts. I did like the style of the book and the way Walter writes it means the reader is never too sure what is happening which makes for thrilling reading.

The characters are good and tell the story well. There is a good variety of personalities and I enjoyed learning about them. Some of their actions do border on the ridiculous at times which was a shame and for me, the plot lost a bit of realism as a result.

'The Woman On The Pier' is a very dark read with secrets at the heart of it. This is okay but very rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an advance copy.

I enjoyed the author's previous book, so I was excited to be approved for this ARC. There was a good twist there, and the story took a surprising direction, but it wasn't one that I liked, and therefore I felt it ruined my enjoyment. The ending left me a bit baffled, but overall it was a good and enjoyable book.

It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. Screenwriter Caroline Byrne doesn’t know why her daughter Jessica died. She was killed in Stratford despite the fact that she was meant to be at a friend’s in Somerset. Caroline is understandably looking for someone to blame… and she thinks she’s found someone. She discovers messages her daughter had been sending to a boy named Michael, a boy who failed to meet her on the day she died. To Caroline, Michael is the reason why her Jessica is no longer here and she makes a promise… he is going to pay for his misdeeds. Of course, nothing is exactly as it seems in this creepy domestic thriller that will have parents across Northern Ireland deciding what they’d do in similar circumstances. There are disturbing themes discussed – mental health, personal demons, and of course, grief so if you prefer your reading a little more light-hearted, this may not be for you. Richly plotted, lovers of the genre will appreciate this.

I'm sorry to say that I wish I had not read this book. From the very start, I wasn't sure about it - the tone was off somehow, and I really didn't like the main characters at all - but persevered, in the hope that something good would happen. Nothing good happened...

It's a very very sad story. The sadnesses include relationship issues, distant self-absorbed parents, tragic death of a child, terrorism, the terrible living conditions of kids whose mother is a druggie, child sexual abuse. teenage self-harm, murder, and more. Underlying it all - most of the characters were really horrible people. The only characters I felt sorry for were the teenagers - Jessica and the two boys.

Do not read this if you are triggered by any of the above.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book centres around Caroline, her husband, Alec, and their daughter Jessica. What seems to be a normal family unit is uncovered to not be the case when tragedy strikes the family.

This was another great read from this author. The writing was great and flowed really well. The story had a few twists in it, and some I really didn’t see coming. The story also focuses on real world problems, such as terrorism, self harm, and depression. I like books that explore serious issues such as these as it pushes them out into the world rather than being taboo subjects that should be ignored or hidden.
The characters were all very irritating, but I could also understand that because of the tragic circumstances. Caroline made some really odd choices throughout, and some which would be laughable in reality, but again, no one knows how they’ll react when such a terrible thing happens to their family.
Overall, another excellent read from this author.

Requested this book as the blurb made it sound my type of novel.....sadly that was just not the case.
Caroline and Alec's daughter Jessica was killed in a terrorist attack at a train station. Fast forward 3 months and they are separately suffering un-imaginable grief. Caroline finds out Jessica had arranged to meet a boy that day and from here on in the story plays out like Top Trumps as to who has the saddest, most mixed up life. Perhaps the book should have come with a trigger warning as self harm, domestic abuse, paedophilia and mental health issues are all part of the storyline.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of this book.

The only thing that bothered me about this book is the title! I really wouldn't have titled it that from the book itself. That said I enjoyed the plot and would reccomend it.

Wow! What a truly twisty novel that grabbed my attention from the start and did not let go until I turned the last page.

BP Walter is a new to me author but one that I will definitely be looking out for in the future.

This psychological thriller felt raw but because not one single character was sanitised in that they didn't behave as if they were on show, they behaved as people do when things are raw, and that is often not pretty at all!

I loved the twists and turns, the tale took from middle class home to a drug and drink addled single mother, from on-line meetings to intimate marital backbiting, from past hurts to present traumas, this book has it all.

Excellent definitely one of my favourite reads of 2021

I'm sorry, I just didn't like it. I was drawn to the book for the cover, and I haven't read anything by the author before but I have seen positive reviews so thought this would be worth a try.

As others have said, the title and blurb are very misleading and bear little relation to the actual plot. My biggest issue with the book is there was just way too much going on, nothing was explored in any detail, there was just one shocking thing after another, which dulled the impact. If the author had chosen fewer themes but really wrote about them in depth I feel like this book would have been a lot better.

The main character was just awful. She came across as horrible and snobby, and her decisions and interactions with people made absolutely no sense and weren't in any way believable, grieving or not. There were also way too many physiological responses in the book - on every page someone was either crying, vomiting, struggling for breath or passing out. It made for a very hectic read.

The ending didn't wrap everything up satisfactorily, but by that point I didn't much care anyway. I was confused about how Caroline left her purse at Michael's house but then suddenly had her bank card when she went to Australia but again I was really past caring.

The only reason I am giving the book two stars instead of one is because I was quite interested in the storyline of the two Kelley brothers, and I did make it to the end of the book without giving up.

Caroline has come unhinged. Her beloved daughter Jessica wasn't meant to be where she was when the terrorists attacked- and Caroline is determined to find out why she was. Her marriage to Alec is falling apart, which doesn't help (although Alec is odious). This moves back and forth in time and perspective as Caroline hunts the boy she blames for Jessica's death. It's not really a thriller but more a portrait of grief. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I've liked Walter's previous novels but this was meh for me.