A solid action thriller that moves fast. This kind of felt like a PI based book. If you like those kind of books, this is a worthy addition that won't be lost time if you pick it up. Not my favourite that I've read lately, but it was quite good.

3.5 stars rounded up.

The Witness – John Ryder

Savannah Nicoll is a young woman who has just entered the Federal Witness Protection Program after her testimony implicated a member of a well-connected family in her hometown of Houston. Despite threats against her safety, she felt the need to do the right thing, and in doing so, has lost the only life she’s ever had. Now, as she is trying to settle into the small town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, all she can see are the potential threats in the people she sees around her.

While attending a fundraiser in the city, Savannah’s mother is startled when someone approaches from behind, only to whisper that her daughter will be dead by Monday. Fearful for Savannah’s safety, yet not knowing her whereabouts or how to reach her, she turns to a free-lance investigator for help.

Kyle Roche accepts the terms offered by Savannah’s mother, and immediately sets out to find out Savannah’s location. With the assistance of a close friend and expert hacker (I was picturing Penelope from Criminal Minds for this character), he ascertains her whereabouts, and sets out to intercept her before the potential assassins do. He makes contact and gains her trust in the nick of time, and both narrowly escape Savannah’s home with their lives. Now on the run, Kyle is determined to discover who leaked her location to the killers. He also begins to realize that there is something off about Savannah and that she may have her own agenda…

This book takes off like a rocket, reminiscent of the movie ‘Speed’ and had me flipping pages well into the night just to get to the ‘whys’ of how each character behaved as the story evolved. The ending is satisfying, the action plentiful, and well it’s more than a bit far-fetched, it made for an engaging read!
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley & Bookouture in exchange for an objective review.

The Witness follows fixer Kyle Roche in his endeavour to protect a young woman in Witness Proteccion whose whreabouts have been leaked. If he finds out who did, he gets a nice bonus.

This was a super fast paced, easy to read, all around enjoyable book.

The twist was great and the ending was satisfying. What more can you ask for?

Superb.

goodreads.com/booksireadandliked
Disclosure: I would like to thank the publisher and author for my advanced review copy of the book. This is my honest review

Kyle Roche is a fix it man. Not the kind you think will come into your home and fix your house's problems, but one can you hire when you are in need of protection. When a well to do mother comes knocking at Roche's door with a money offer, he can't refuse, he's all into the job of protecting the woman's daughter, Savannah Nicholls. Only problem is Kyle or the mother doesn't know where she is as she is in the witness protection program with a new unknown name and whereabouts. Kyle has less than twenty-four hours to find her and as he enlists help from his computer friend, Savannah is tracked down and Kyle is there as her protector.

Problem is even though Savannah has been warned she is to be killed for witnessing a murder by a member of a connected family, there is something about her that Roche can't put his finger on. Roche has gone in blind as to Savannah's background and for a time he flounders with her behavior until what she is slowly is revealed. For certain, there is a leak in the witness protection plan, one that can not only prove fatal to Savannah, but also to countless others. Kyle certainly has his work cut out for him.

This was a fairly fast paced story and my only one concern is the number of details that went into a few scenes in the book that bogged down the telling. However, it is a book that will make you wonder who is who and who the leaker could possibly be? Savannah was an interesting character, not very likeable, but definitely a girl on a mission.

Thank you to John Ryder, Bookouture, and NetGalley for a copy of the story due out July 19, 2021.

Gripping, action-packed thriller. I did not see the twist the book took - it was thrilling through and through where you didn't know who to trust and what was going to happen next. Ryder does a great job at describing the scenes and setting the stage so you felt like you were there with him and Savannah throughout the book.

Gripping and a real page turner. From the very start this book grabs your attention. You're drawn into a world of witness protection but as the story develops there are so many twists and turns that you just don't see coming. Savannah turns out to be very different to the person Roche thinks he's protecting and you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next. Really loved this book, prepare for long nights as you just won't be able to put this down !

My thoughts about John Ryder’s brilliant,outstanding action crime thriller,The Witness is oh my gosh one hell of a ride.its breathtaking and fast moving, a well written thriller that is unique and full of suspense and action that truly grips you right from the first page. Author John Ryder has done it again with his powerful storytelling,which is incredible and unique. John not only writes a good story,the suspense that he builds up the the spectacular ending, is brilliantly well written and portrayed, as for the characters they are all brilliant. The story of The Witness begins,were we are introduced to character Kyle Roche is a man who people hire to fix problems. But this time he’s been hired to protect a woman who doesn’t officially exist anymore. And he’s the only man who can find her and keep her safe in less than twenty-four hours.The daughter’s name is Savannah Nicholls. She had to go into Witness Protection because of a tragic mistake. She moved to the small town of Pagosa Springs nine days ago but even hidden as she is, she’s in mortal danger. Savannah’s mother says her daughter is just a nice girl, from a good family, that she’s never gotten in trouble in her life.But she also says someone knows where she is. And they want to kill her. Within minutes of making contact with Savannah, as Roche feels a bullet whistle by his ear, he knows instinctively that she’s right.But who is after Savannah? And how can Roche protect her when he isn’t allowed to know anything about who she is or who her enemies are. John Ryder’s The Witness is one of the best thrillers I’ve read in recent times, if you like 24 and Taken,then your going to love this one. The Witness is highly recommend for all action thriller fans. I would like to say thank you to Author John Ryder and Publishers Bookouture and Netgally for kindly giving me a chance to read and review this rollercoaster edge of your seat action thriller.

What a joy to read another John Ryder book. The Witness is twisty, action packed and pacy. One of the things I like most about Ryder's books is the insight we get into each characters thought processes. This is billed as a stand alone but i'm wondering if Roche will make a reappearance at some point - he's too good a character to leave behind in one book and i'm not sure his story has been told yet.
Set in various parts of the USA, what seems to be a straight forward attack on a witness protected by Witness protection turns out to be something more - the fight scenes are light perfectly co-ordinated dance sequences - Maybe 'strictly come fighting' would be an apt description.
Highly recommended!

Imagine living your life looking over your shoulder. Well this is the life that John Ryder plunges his reader right into when you open up the first page and step inside.
The Witness is one of those books that has it all, corruption, sabotage, corruption and the human interest element when a mother hires Kyle Roche to find her daughter who is in Witness Protection. Roche, who is a cross between a PI and a “fixer” who maybe fixes things in a little unorthodox manner, is an intriguing character, there’s lots about him that makes me want to come across him again. His personal life is in tatters, or rather on a lawn and in a suitcase and the author has married him up with a cast of equally intriguing characters, from the complexity of Xander and her wizardry hacking skills to the woman he has been paid to protect, Savannah. Despite the tension, there is a fair amount of humour in the storyline as the characters interact and clash at times.
John Ryder knows how to set a ticking time bomb and pull the pin; the pacing is perfect and each page is laced with tension. This had so much tension and twists in it that my heart is still racing even as I type this out! The pace bounces along and with nice short chapters, it is easy just to be lulled into turning the pages for just another chapter. Add to this the delicious little cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter and it becomes impossible to put it down!
There is so much more I want to say about this book but I don’t want to give away any spoilers; it did make me think about how I might react if I had to give up the life that I’d known and go into Witness Protection and it also made my jaw smack the floor more than once as the story was revealed!
If you like a thriller that is jam packed with action, narrative taut with tension and a heart pumping pace then John Ryder is the man for you and you wouldn’t go wrong in picking up The Missing to give yourself a taste of what he has to offer.
Don’t blame me if you’re up all night, blame John Ryder!

Review will be on blog as part of the blog tour

Great action/suspense.
There is a leak in the Marshall's office and people in the Witness Protection are being sold out and killed. Savannah witnessed a murder of a drug gang member, and they blame her for the fight that killed him. She is placed in protection, but her mother is told that she will be killed. Roche is a private investigator who is hired to save Savannah and find out who the leak is. As the story unfolds there are some unexpected twists and turns that kept me reading all night.
Great characters, love the plot.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Witness by John Ryder Conflicts, tense, action packed, fast paced and a interesting premise with a tough as nails “fixer”. Kyle Rouche was very hard to connect to with all the violence and sarcasm his character engaged in. Savannah can across as a selfish, entitled snob.
A well written and descriptive thriller that was too violent for my reading preference.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Firstly a thank you to Netgalley and to Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to its public release.

Fans of David Baldacci, Lee Child and the like - put down your current book or Kindle. Whatever you are reading probably isn't as good as The Witness.

This is the first book I have read by John Ryder, and it certainly will not be the last. Fast paced, with more twists and turns than a pretzel, Roche is sprinting at breakneck speed to save Savannah from impending doom. He isn't particularly happy, but this is part of what endeared me to him. He's just a bit of a grumpy middle aged man, much like the ones we all know.

The consistent use of the present tense keeps the pace up, and the pages turning.

Great book, great twists. Read it. You will not regret it.

What a fast paced and entertaining read!
Fixer Kyle Roche is hired to protect a young woman in Witness Protection with a bonus to be paid if he also finds who leaked her whereabouts. What follows is a wild ride full of tension, action and deception that you won't want to put down.
Though this appears to be a stand alone book, I would like to see more of Kyle Roche.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Kyle Roche is approached by a lady who has been informed that her daughter will be dead by noon tomorrow. Savannah Nicholls should be safe in Witness Protection but someone knows where she is! Roche has to find her and save her life but not everything is as it seems!

This has to be my favourite book so far by the author. Fantastic characters throughout, this is powerful and intense. An action packed read that really does have it all.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I just discovered John Ryder and his Grant Fletcher series and immediately connected with his characters. So, when I saw The Witness was available I jumped at the chance. One thing I've noticed is Mr Ryder's books are heavily character driven and the plots are second fiddle, if you will. Kyle Roche is a mysterious man who is called upon to protect people who can't be protected by the usual means. Ryder leaves us guessing as to his background but he gives enough to know Roche has been through some stuff. The dynamic between Roche and his protectee drives the story while the plot is kind of basic with heart pounding action sprinkled in.

As I was reading The Witness I thought a few times Ryder could take Roche almost anywhere and do anything with the character. But, after finishing the book I learned The Witness was intended as a stand-alone novel. I hope Ryder changes his mind about Roche: he's that good a character.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review The Witness.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

Having read and enjoyed the authors Grant Fletcher series I read the premise of this and thought it sounded like my kind of read. It definitely was.

I thought the book got off to a good start, it was intriguing and I was drawn in immediately. I really liked Roche as one of the main characters and the more I read the more his character grew on me. He is asked to find someone in the Witness Protection Programme after death threats are made and keep her safe. How has this person been found and who has leaked information on where she is? I wasn’t so keen on Savannah’s character, to me she seemed evasive and not all she said she was. The author has really set the bar high here, I felt this book was very well written and engaging, it flowed really well, it had a great plot with so many twists - some I guessed, some I didn’t see coming at all. It was action packed, fast paced and thrilling. I particularly liked that the story was told through the two main characters perspectives, and was one of those books where I had lots of ‘wow’ moments, and the cliff hanger chapter endings made me want to continue reading to see what happened next. I I found it really hard to put this book down and read it in just over a day and enjoyed following the story and how the leak was traced and dealt with. This author has a talent for writing thrilling, attention grabbing books and I hope there is a second book featuring Kyle Roche

Solid Action Thriller. If you haven't been reading John Ryder... you need to be. This is just the second time I've read a book from him, and he has clearly established a pattern of solid action thrillers with heroes who are conflicted and yet have solid and even innovative ideas on how to do their jobs. The house scene early was truly brilliant in what Ryder has Roche do to prepare the scene, and a few other actions late were nearly as good - if a *touch* more typical.

Indeed, the one flaw - which again I'm chalking up to "maybe British people don't know their way around guns as well as Americans do" and even "most Americans also think this, but it is a myth" - is one point where even as Ryder uses the correct terminology - "suppressor" rather than "silencer" - he still gets the actual effects more Hollywood than real-world. Without giving a whole hell of a lot away, Roche is across the street when a suppressed shot goes off inside a building. *Roche doesn't hear the shot.* In *reality*... everyone within at least a quarter mile is hearing that shot, even with it occurring indoors and even if they are indoors themselves.

Still, this was the only actual flaw in the writing and story here, with everything else being more "no one is perfect and this actually makes the story seem even more real" level. Truly an excellent action thriller, and one you won't want to miss. Hell, even as this book is (currently?) listed as a standalone... let me say right here right now that I for one would like to come back to this world. :D Very much recommended.

“I need you to find and protect my daughter. I can’t even tell you where she is. All I can say is that I’ve been told she’ll be dead by noon tomorrow.”

Savannah Nicholls had to go into Witness Protection after witnessing a murder. She is supposed to be safe but someone knows where she is and wants her dead. How did they find out where she is!!!!!!

Savannah's mother hires private detective, Kyle Roche, to find her before it's too late.

Wow, wow, wow. This is by far the best book this author has written, I was on the edge of my seat wondering what the hell was going to happen next. Fast paced, gritty, twists and turns, it's got the lot. I thought I had ants in my pants when I was reading this because I couldn't sit still. Amazing must read book.

When Kyle Roche, a private investigator, is employed to search for Savannah he does not think for one moment that his own life could be in danger. Savannahs mum is told that her daughter will be killed in 48 hours, however Savannah is in a Witness Protection Programne so who knows where she is, will Kyle get to her in time and save her life.
This is a real edge of seat thriller, although i figures some of the story's twists and turns it did not take away from the fact this was a really enjoyable read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to John Ryder, and NetGalley, for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I have read all of John Ryder’s previous books and his alter ego Graham Smith, so I knew I was in for a fast paced, thrilling roller coaster. I wasn’t disappointed. Mr Ryder starts with the action from page one and feed in information on the characters and plot, rather than bog you down with full backstories n all the main characters straight away. This works well and the new character Kyle Roche is very easy to like, although I wouldn’t try and annoy him. He has a persona that is probably a little too soft at times but can be ruthlessly efficient with his assessment and actions to get out of situations. I believe this is a standalone but should there be more books I would like to know more about his background.

I loved the ticking clock aspect, created by the author. It really increased the ace and meant this was a difficult book to put down. The pace of it, ensured that the was practically no down time, when you could say “I will break there”. You will not be going to bed when you want to or getting back from lunch on time!

A must-read, brilliant book. I really hope we see more of Kyle Roche, and his bag of plenty in a sequel soon.