What an amazing read, the story just sucked me in, I couldn't put it down......Mind please write more, you are a wonderful writer!

Can something be deeply bland? Do those words make sense together? This story is fine. The plot is fine, the writing is...fine. The experience of reading this book is a bit like eating pudding.

This was an enjoyable book, an easy to read story that pulled one in and keeps the interest high. Andy has recently moved back home to look after his father who is in the early stages of dementia. Andy lives across the street from his dad and spends time in the morning and evening with him. He also gets invited to neighborhood events, like a get together at another neighbor, Rachel, who ends up kissing him while they are both alone in kitchen. That kiss leads to a full blown affair, until Andy receives a note telling him to stop seeing her, or else. Not long after receiving the note, Rachel's house is broken into and her husband killed, Rachel and her two kids are no where to be found. Andy is distraught, and starts to investigate her disappearance on his own, his first step is to search her house to see if he can find anything out of the ordinary. He doesn't find anything, but he does find another person in the house, Andy makes his escape but is pursued by the person and eventually gets away. Andy is a very diligent investigator, likely attributed to his being an author of mystery/thriller type books. As Andy's investigation gains traction, there are some red herrings along the way and he is visited by a mob enforcer, a scary dude for sure. There are family dynamic issues, his older bother is a pain (that's putting it mildly) and his younger sister had committed suicide a number of years earlier after an intervention by her mom. Overall a very good book and I would recommend. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I’m fairly sure I hadn’t previously read anything by Joe Hart, but I was happy to get a copy of Or Else (thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

When they were kids, Andy Drake was friends with a girl named Rachel. As time went on, Rachel got into an emotionally abusive marriage, while Andy became a successful novelist. When Andy’s father needs care, Andy comes back to town to help out and reconnects with Rachel at a neighborhood cookout, where they share a quick kiss. That kiss leads to a full on love affair, despite Rachel being married and having two kids with her husband David.

Andy receives an anonymous note warning him to end the affair Or else. Andy needs to figure out who sent the note and WTH is going on. There are several possibilities for the note writer: there is a man who walks around with a tiny dog, and no one seems to know much about him. There is also an older woman who likes to sit outside with her binoculars and watch people. And then of course there is David. But then David is dead and Rachel vanishes with her kids.

For some reason, Andy thinks it’s a swell idea to break into Rachel’s house. He discovers David’s business wasn’t doing well, and it seems his partner has committed suicide. A visit from a creepy guy, some people to whom David owed money, and the ongoing mystery of Rachel’s whereabouts keep things moving along.

I liked it! I look forward to reading some more from Joe Hart. Four stars.

The is the first title I have read by Joe Hart. This a totally thrilling read from beginning to end. I will definitely be reading more of his books!!

Lots of twists and turns take place when Andy returns home. His life is complicated by old relationships and lies.

I just couldn’t get engaged in the plot or with the characters.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

What happens when a secret affair turns fatal?

Andy and Rachel were friends as kids. They went their separate ways but when Andy returns to his hometown to care for his dying father he reconnects with Rachel. Problem is, Rachel is married to David. Now, don't get me wrong, it may look like Rachel was living the perfect life with a perfect husband and a perfect marriage but the truth is, her marriage was anything but perfect. Rachel was trapped in an abusive marriage.

Andy is now receiving messages, warning him to stay away from Rachel. Someone is watching Andy.

David is dead, shot to death . Rachel and her kids have disappeared. Andy is starting to look really guilty. As Andy plunges head first into figuring out what is going on he realizes that it was not just him and Rachel keeping secrets.

What happened to David and Rachel? What is going to happen to Andy?

Stay tuned April 1, 2022 for this insane thriller!!!!! Five Stars!

Andy Drake, a mystery/thriller author, returns home to care for his father and to enjoy their last few good years together. He wasn’t expecting to start an affair with his new neighbor, Rachel. But Rachel is struggling to be the perfect wife for her husband, who is emotionally abusive. One day Andy receives an anonymous letter on his door warning him to end the affair or else.

Then Rachel and her two boys disappear and her husband is found dead. Andy puts himself at risk in order to find out what happened to Rachel. But what will he find in the process?

If you are looking for a fast-passed thriller that you can’t put down than you definitely need to put this one on your list for next year. This book flowed smoothly and I couldn’t stop reading. The ending was… ironic. I did laugh, but only because it is just Andy’s luck that what happened to Rachel happened. Also there were a few things that really weren’t resolved that were talked about in the end but never resolved really. I’m still not sure how I feel about those.

Overall I highly recommend this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A struggling writer. A father who has the beginnings dementia. Having a relationship with a well to do married woman with two kids. I warning to leave her alone. Someone ends up dead, someone ends up missing. How can this writer put it all together. What happened and why? Story started out strong but got long winded in the middle and then picked back up again in the end. Was well worth the read. There was a surprise and twist I didn't see coming. I could piece it together myself though, wasn't really surprised at the end.

Or Else follows novelist Andy as he goes home to take care of his ailing father.

It does a good job of showing the baggage we can leave behind and that going home might not be as great as it sounds. Home for Andy means an ex girlfriend who has baggage of her own, family illness and just nothing is as it seems. When strange things start happening the twists stats from disappearances to murder
This book has a lot of plot twists to keep you guessing and involved. I never knew who to trust and exactly who was responsible. That being said it did drag in some parts and I felt like a few chapters could have been removed as they provided more fluff than anything. However it was a descent read and I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author. 3.5 rounded down. Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy!

I loved this! A wonderfully written, exciting, and strong novel. Andy and his dad were amazing characters. Kel also. I felt like I knew them. Absolutely adored the Visitor too. All in all, a solid 5/5! One of my favorite books this year, for sure.

This was an excellent read! One thing kept leading to another but also dead ends. How Andy kept going and piecing things together was unbelievable! The ending absolutely threw me for not one but two major shocks! So well done! I'll definitely be checking out more by this author.

Can you really go home again. Andy Drake tries, but his dad is suffering, his ex-girlfriend is suffering, and many things are just strange. With murders, disappearances, and lots of plots twists, the author does a very good of keeping the reader guessing.

Novelist Andy Drake returns to his old neighborhood to care for his dad, who is in the beginning stages of dementia. Also living in the neighborhood is his not so secret crush, Rachel, who is now married to an emotionally abusive man and has two kids.

A quick kiss at a cookout at Rachel's spirals into something more. Until someone leaves a note in Andy's door, telling him to knock it off, or else. Our first mystery: who left the note? The guy with the tiny dog, who no one seems to know anything about? An older lady, on her own, who likes to sit outside with her binoculars? Rachel's husband David?

Several weeks later, Rachel's husband is shot dead, and Rachel and the kids have disappeared. Andy, not currently working on the book that's due to his editor, instead starts chasing up clues, and nearly gets himself shot in the process after breaking in to Rachel's house, looking for anything that might indicate what her husband was up to or where she and the kids might be.

From details Andy's able to glean, it seems David's business isn't doing as well as it appears - and David's partner in the business has committed suicide, it seems.

After finding a business card in the house, he dithers a bit until he calls the number and says what appears to be a code word. After the other side hangs up, Andy thinks he's on to something: did David owe these people money? Were they capable of killing David? When Andy gets a late night visit from a stranger he deems the Visitor, he knows the answer is yes. But the visitor insists they didn't do it, and it's believable, both to Andy and the reader.

Andy continues to go down the rabbit hole, eventually coming out the other side. There's quite a nice twist at the end that was not telegraphed from chapters away, and it was a nice touch that made sense of things.

My only issue was with the beginning and some of the chapters that were more stream of consciousness than narrative. I get why they're there, as it was the easiest way to get certain information into the book without having them be full-fledged narrative parts, but I wasn't a fan.

Other than that, however, I enjoyed it quite a lot, and I believe readers who are used to tight neighborhoods or small towns especially will as well.

A solid four out of five star read.

Thanks to Thomas & mercer and NetGalley for the review copy.

Hart is spot on for a tense and complex domestic mystery, humans are the ultimate evil - one red herring after another, all tied together in a tapestry of suspense leading to the ultimate,, and rather satisfying, ending. His best by far!

Excellent story! Totally engrossing!. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Could not put this down!

Or Else
by Joe Hart

Nothing in this quiet neighborhood is as it seems. No one peeking from behind the curtains of their homes can be trusted. And the worst is yet to come. Because David isn’t the only one who will die.
Just set aside some time to read this . You will NOT want to stop. So many secrets in this neighborhood. I loved the ending. Like a smack in the face.

A struggling novelist, a neighbourhood with secrets, an abusive marriage, a secret affair and a couple of murders - all brilliantly put together to create a sensational novel. Very hard to put this book down as your excitement builds through the wonderful twists and turns, and the breathe taking suspense and intrigue. A very highly recommended novel and another great Joe Hart read.

This book was sent to me on Kindle by. Netgalley for review…mystery and intrigue…characters we like while others we just do not… Nothing is as it seems in this book…murder…disappearances but did they really disappear or just go away for awhile? Secret romance…this was an entertaining read, but the story was somewhat slow…the author is excellent at crafting characters that come alive on the pages…

When novelist Andy Drake returns to his hometown to care for his ailing father, a reconnection with his childhood friend Rachel escalates into a secret love affair. For Rachel, struggling to maintain the facade of a picture-perfect life, it’s an escape from an emotionally abusive marriage. Then Andy receives an anonymous note warning him to end the affair. Or else. And the or else involves murder. I can't believe I have never read anything by this writer before. Where have I been? His style is amazing and grabs you from page one and holds you until the surprise ending. I am now going to go back and read everything Hart has written. Clearly I have been missing out. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.