A well written physcological thriller about a woman trying to escape her abusive husband. The plot is scarily real.

5☆ Devoured it in one night!
A Chilling Psychological Thriller!

I am a huge fan of John's writing, he is one of my favourite Authors and as soon as i see The Girl In Red I couldn't wait to delve in, and yet again he didn't disappoint.
I devoured this book in 1day! I couldn't put it down!

If like me you are a fan of Nicholls books then you will be aware that the subjects in his books are not for the feint hearted.
What I love most about his books is that no matter how uncomfortable the subject, he has this way of drawing you in and captivating your attention, almost as if for a split second holding your breath for fear of what will happen next.

It has graphic scenes of abuse, some reference to sexual abuse and violence.

My only gripe was the ending. I didn't like it. But it wasn't enough to drop a star for.
The ending did bring the story to a close, but I so wanted more.

I couldn’t put this book down. It was so good. I’m definitely going to recommend this book. It had so much depth. The story was very interesting and very well written. There wasn’t one boring part in this book.

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

Oh wow! I thought "The Student" was an uncomfortable read but it has nothing on THE COP! True to form, Nicholl wastes no time in plunging the reader straight into a confronting first chapter which only got worse as the story unfolded. The subject matter is dark and is certainly uncomfortable to read with plenty of trigger warnings for those who have suffered domestic violence. Nicholl's villain is a vile hateful character that makes your blood boil with every word that spews out of his mouth. He has an innate knack of creating the types of characters that really get under my skin more than anyone else ever has...which speaks to his skillful writing and unique style.

Kathy Conner thought she had married that man of her dreams but instead what she got was her worst nightmare. Her husband Michael Conner, a police inspector no less, is a bully who has broken his wife down little by little over the half a dozen years in which they've been married. He controls her every movement, she has no friends, he has separated her from her family and everything she does must meet his high expectations and standards...but then, they never do anyway...even when they do. He belittles her, abuses her, beats her, dehumanises her and laughs at her every misfortune by his hand. She is trapped with no way out for Conner has ensured that no one will believe her should she call for help. After all, he's the respected police detective and she is just a silly woman with mental problems.

Conner uses cruel and manipulative measures to control Kathy so that she will never leave...to be at his mercy forever. He owns her. And when she tries to escape, he convinces everyone that she is mentally ill, crying tears that have his colleagues and neighbours eating out of his hand. Even her own mother believes the lies he has constructed! The only person Kathy can turn to is her twin sister Anna.

Then Kathy discovers she is pregnant again and rather than risk Conner beating the life out of her unborn child, she instead devises a plan to take back control of her life. Enlisting Anna's help but without confiding in her, lest Conner discovers her plans, Kathy must rid herself of Conner once and for all.

But will her plan work? Or will she pay with her life?

OMG! This was one tense read from start to finish. I was so uncomfortable reading it I had to put it down - yes, just as I did "The Student" but this one was way more uncomfortable! But for different reasons. The brutality is confronting and Nicholl holds nothing back. I was literally squirming whilst turning the pages. Part of me wanted to just race to the end to find out how it ended to save myself the discomfort but I knew I would be doing myself a disservice because Nicholl is such an accomplished writer I would miss out on so much. I so wanted to see Conner get his comeuppance! My only complaint is I didn't get to the full impact of it. Still, this was Kathy's story.

And then there is that ending. WOW! Where did that come from? I did not expect any of that! Maybe a little far fetched but hell, it was pure genius. Such a masterful stroke to turn the tables as he did. And here I was wondering how it was all going to end? I'm still shaking my head in disbelief...just wow!

Throughout the abuse scenes between Kathy and Conner, I couldn't help but draw parallels to that of "the doctor", David Galbraith from that trilogy. Galbraith treated his own wife with the same contempt and cruelty, I felt as if I was re-reading Galbraith's scenes again. The similarities were chilling. And both men were incredibly hateful.

I have to say Nicholl has done it again. He is a pure master at psychological thrillers which torture me each time I read them...and yet I go back for more. Why? Because he is such a brilliant writer. His storylines are compelling, his characters are hateful and pitiful in equal measure, he has the innate ability to draw you in completely and then spit you out at the end with a shocking twist! And best of all, his thrillers are fast paced thrill rides with relatively short snappy chapters which just keep that pace moving. Everything I love in a thriller.

If you have not read John Nicholl yet, I have to ask why not? I urge you to go out and do so! He is one hell of an author that I only discovered some six months ago and he is now up there as one of my all-time favourite go-to authors.

I would like to thank #JohnNicholl, #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #TheCop in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Previously published as The Girl in Red.

This started in hair-raising conflict. Be warned--it could he triggering for domestic abuse victims. It certainly was for me. Nicholls had created a vile, evil character in Officer Conner that will turn your stomach and boil your blood. It's an emotional read that rocked me. So real, so disturbingly authentic. You won't be forgetting this suspenseful read anytime soon.

Kathy thought she'd met her soulmate. But Police Inspector Michael Conner's behaviour changes on the day of their wedding. showing his true colours for the first time, Conner becomes increasingly manipulative, controlling, and cruel as the months pass. When Kathy tries to escape, conner does his best to convince everyone that she is mentally ill. But Anna, Kathy's identical twin sister, doesn't believe it. After a tragic event, Kathy decides enough is enough and elicits Anna's help to rid herself of Conner for good.

Michael Conner is a well-respected Police Inspector. When his wife Kathy complains of domestic violence, nobody believes her as Conner has made sure her credibility is non-existent. Only her twin sister believes her. Commer is quite an evil character. I was pulled into this story by the end of the first chapter. This is a dark and twisted read. The escape plan that Kathy and Anna make stretches your beliefs just a little bit. I never knew what direction the plotline would take next. This is a gripping, thought provoking and well written read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #JohnNicholl for my ARC of #TheCop in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book it was fast paced, atmospheric and full of mystery. The writing was engaging and the story was gripping, I couldn't put it down

Geeez! Way to keep me on the edge of my seat! I definitely couldn't put this book down! This book had high suspense, intrigue, action, murder, and one sadistic mother trucker! The storyline was so very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! As I said I couldn't put this book down! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Definitely don't miss out on this one! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I was so excited to read this book, when I went to add it to my' currently reading' on Goodreads shelf, I had apparently already read it in 2019 so I'm not sure what's going on there but it was a book I must have enjoyed as I rated it 4 stars.