Member Reviews
This was an interesting story which takes a dark turn as it progresses. It did make be wonder if anyone is watching me.
Although slow at first I found this book quite the page turner. The paranoia of our hero, that he is being watched is strangely relatable! Would recommend to anyone looking for a slightly different thriller to read.
I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley.
I'd not read any J S Monroe but love a good thriller. The novel did not disappoint. I did wonder where it was going at one point but, once the premise kicked in, the book just kept on giving. It was dark, menacing and gripping and the short chapters kept the action fast paced and made me want to find out more.
However, I did find the switch to first person and third person narrative from the same character point of view distracting and spoiled the flow.
Adam makes Tania do too much damn labor. "I am clean at work but messy at home and it makes Tania crazy."
Well maybe step it up you absolute jerk.
I love the way the stories unravels and reveals why Adam is paranoid about being filmed.
He goes on an on about his domestic failings but does nothing to fix it. Dude can't even put an ironing board away. Literally Tania is so exhausted she's falling asleep in the park.
This book gets really scary towards the end. I mean imagine. I don't want to spoil it.
I love that I read two books in a row with the Tate mentioned.
Bravo.
I just reviewed No Place to Hide by J.S. Monroe. #NoPlacetoHide #NetGalley
Psychological thriller which lays on peoples paranoia of being watched or followed by CCTV, mobile signals, road cameras - in fact, all areas of modern day society that is there to keep us safe and give the police an easier way to track criminal activity…… It could make a guilty person feel very paranoid indeed…..
This book will make you paranoid if you are not already and will increase your anxiety...Ok I love books like that. It was a bit slow in the beginning but my curiosity made me continue because I had to know what happened. I'm a psychological thriller addict and this is a good one.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy. #noplaceto hide #netgalley
Having read and enjoyed Forget My Name, I was delighted to be given the opportunity to read No Place to Hide.
Dr Adam Pound, a successful paediatrician, seems to be obsessed with security cameras - how they are everywhere, watching. With two young children, his wife is feeling the strain and their marriage is suffering,
Suddenly, a blast from the past, an old flame suddenly appears having found Freddie wandering alone in the park.
This is a slow burner which gathers pace. Adam's dislike of cameras becomes apparent as his past catches up with him. Gradually Tania, his wife, learns the secrets Adam has been keeping and begins to understand her husband more.
Big Brother is definitely watching!
Many thanks to Netgalley/J.S. Monroe/Aria & Aries for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
Adam seems to have it all. A happy marriage, a wonderful young child and a career as a doctor on a promising upwards trajectory. Adam has a secret though. One that leaves him paranoid that the camera in the street down from their house is watching him. The CCTV in the hospital is tracking him, he is being recorded on strangers' phones, his every step monitored. Why is he so paranoid? Is it just paranoia? why is Adam so freaked out by technology? Something happened which was captured on a hidden camera at a house party 24 years ago, something which could destroy Adam's life and take away everything he loves. Adam made a Faustian pact with the filmmaker of the secret footage and then moved on with his life, but with an aversion to cameras.
When an old friend from his past suddenly reappears Adam’s life is thrown into turmoil. Suddenly his mild, mid-level paranoia seems very real and justified. Adam is not just at risk of losing his job, but his family, and his life. But no matter where he turns it seems like he is being watched, tracked, his every move known. How can he escape this nightmare?
At first, this book seemed almost far-fetched. Being tracked through CCTV, having your every move monitored, having nowhere you can escape a camera's eye. But the more you read, the more you get drawn in, and realise the reality of the situation is not too far off what life has become, with cameras and tracking everywhere. The story takes us through two timelines, jumping from the present day, and almost 24 years ago. This method gradually unveils the story and explains Adam’s seemingly unfound paranoia, which grows deeper and deeper.
The storytelling is excellent, with the characters well-developed, and the twists skillfully plotted. I couldn’t stop reading, needing to know what was going to happen next. Very much an edge-of-the-seat thriller. You won’t want to put this one down. When you eventually do, you may find yourself looking around for all the cameras around you and wondering, just who are they watching…
*I received this copy for review from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.
Epic dark brilliance, absolutely terrifying and sinister beyond belief. I love the way that classical prose mingles with contemporary dark web and technology and human psyche is explored with themes of good and evil. The characters are very real and easy to love / fear and this makes the terrifying pace and drama unfolding even more compelling. The level of detail portraying student life in Cambridge is brilliant as are the dilemmas and balances of study versus partying and relationships. The premise and unfolding of the tales, alongside the twists is genius. A very satisfying read overall and pretty much unmissable.
Thank you to Aria and Aries for this Arc copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was wonderful! I loved the very different plot and concept, the settings (although I may be biased on that front) and the characters.
I found the use of cameras and feeling like you’re being watched very creepy and tense, especially in a world where everything nowadays has a camera on it and can connect to the wifi, it reminded me a lot of a tv show I saw recently called Red Rose, this was very different but had a similar idea.
Living in Cornwall I found it very interesting to see my own hometown and places that I know and have been to mentioned regularly throughout the book, it made it so much more captivating to me.
I loved the plot twists and I felt gripped the entire way through the book, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I gave this book a 4.5 ⭐️ rating and will definitely recommend it!
An interesting psychological thriller with the play Doctor Faustus at its heart. A young medical student gets involved in the play basically to get close to the girl playing the female lead and this then leads to a dark tale of murders described as suicides and blackmail with a promise to give his soul to the blackmailer 24 years hence. The actions at university and then 24 years later are cleverly described and the tense build up to the final scenes is excellent. All in all beware of surveillance cameras as the hero here would testify!
Im still quite undecided about this book and whether I enjoyed it or not. The premise was an interesting one, but I felt it never really quite fulfilled the original promise. I found it quite confusing at times with the author throwing in various, mainly medical, facts and statistics almost textbook style, and I'm not sure I needed reminding quite so often that Adam was a first generation medic who'd been to Cambridge.
Having said all that, the plot was clever and although a bit farfetched at the end did make me want to keep reading to find out what happened.
Thank you to netgalley and Head of Zeus for an advance copy of this book
This is one of those tense and gripping book that keeps you hooked even if you hate the characters. I think this means the author is an excellent storyteller and keeps you attention alive.
Well plotted and well knitted.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
If you weren't paranoid before reading this book you will be now. A slow burner but I had to keep on reading I HAD TO KNOW THE TRUTH!!!!! It definitely picked up and kept me intrigued. All ìn all a good read and a well deserved three stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.
"Thriller" is a genre that promises to keep readers on the edge of their seats, and this definitely delivers. From the very first page, the tension is palpable, and the plot twists and turns in unexpected ways, making it difficult to put the book down. The characters are well-developed and the author does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing as to who can be trusted and who is hiding something. The pacing is spot-on, with just the right amount of action and suspense to keep the reader engaged. The writing style is gripping and evocative, making it easy to visualise the scenes and feel the emotions of the characters. The author's attention to detail and ability to create a believable world adds to the overall experience of the book.
Overall, this is an excellent example of the thriller genre. It's a page-turner that will keep readers guessing until the very end and is sure to satisfy fans of the genre. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good suspenseful read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.
3.5/5.
Overall an enjoyable read. I liked the build up of the story but then thought it became too far fetched. It did redeem itself at the end though and I would recommend it. It was a bit different from the normal psychological thriller and I liked that.
A Faustian bargain when he was a student comes barreling back at Adam 24 years later, And he spins out. For good reason, This updates the old story (which might be unfamiliar to some readers and which, to be honest, was a bit hazy to me) with modern details such as cameras and the altering of pictures, It moves between the two time periods but,, of course,, the more compelling story is in the present as Adam scrambles. No spoiler from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, A good read.
4/5 stars
This was a most enjoyable book. Admitedly I skimmed the last 5% or so because I don't have much time for bad guy speeches and I think I would have liked a bit more action before, or as part of, the final confrontation.
That being said I would definitely recommend this book. The story is original and well written and I enjoyed the time I spent reading it. It jumps around just enough to keep you interested and guessing about what is going to be revealed.and there is an extra added twist/revelation at the end that I didn't see coming, which is well worth discovering.
Firstly, before I start my review I need to say a massive thank you to Aria and Aries at Head of Zeus for gifting me the eARC of this book on NetGalley - I'm so, so, so grateful!
This book really shocked me; I went in blind but had some incline about the fact it was based on stalking and CCTV due to the quote on the front "You might be paranoid. But that doesn't mean they're not watching you" and there's CCTV cameras on the cover, but this was the extent to my knowledge. I feel like blurbs always give me some judgement beforehand and I don't like this about myself so that's why I tend to avoid reading them!
I was not in any way, shape or form prepared for this book though, and it actually quite scared me in a sense that things like this could probably happen, and may have already happened! The whole concept of hacking, the black web, cryptocurrency etc. scares me so there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that the events that occur in this book could definitely be someone's truth; especially within those individuals that are the richest in the world!
J.S. Monroe's writing style was excellent; the right amount of suspense and detail were carefully crafted within the paragraphs so that I was physically sat on the edge of my seat wondering what on earth was going to happen next! I'm really glad some of the scenes were set at the Minack Theatre because it helped me with picturing them scenes so well - I went to the Minack when I was younger and it's picturesque; if you've never been definitely add it to you bucket list! I definitely wouldn't want to be hanging around there in when it's dark and windy though, so I was genuinely fearful when reading that scene!
Am I going to be paranoid about hackers and CCTV and blackmail for a little while, most probably, but will I be recommending this book to everyone I know anyway, absolutely! I actually thought this book was delivered so well and I can't wait for others to read it when it's released on the 13th April 2023. If you haven't got this on your pre-orders you should definitely add it. This is one of the best psychological thrillers I've read this year!
This is a skillfully weaved mystery. I was initially a little nervous because it is told in two timelines, which when it's done right, really makes for a good thriller. But when it's done wrong, it ruins much of the story being told. This was done right. I read it in 2 big gulps of time.Rounding up to a 4.5. Thank You to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this