A series I will always look at and have avidly read often one book after the other. This was enjoyable but we felt like we went round in circles and the answers were more obvious than normal. Good but a little too easy …..maybe that says more about me reading this genre too much and it needs to be really cryptic to capture me these days….but I definitely still enjoyed it and it won’t stop me picking up another.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the action in this book..very strange story..the links to previous incidents of this same was interesting but also frustrating as to how it was all maneuvered…seemed forced to me. Other wise interesting twist .

Four cities. Four killers. Four murders. The Alliance is just beginning its reign of terror.

When four unconnected serial killers commit identical, grotesque murders across different US cities simultaneously, FBI Special Agent Shannon Wallace is plunged into a nightmare unlike any other. What starts as a chilling coincidence quickly unravels into a horrifying reality: a sinister cooperative of killers, working together with ruthless precision.

Survivors—if they can be called lucky—bear witness to the carnage, their stories fueling a media frenzy that feeds the public's fear. The term "The Alliance" is coined, as the group relentlessly recruits new blood, leaving a trail of death and destruction. Innocent lives connected to the initial murders are snuffed out in brutal fashion, proving that nowhere, and no one, is safe.

Wallace is trapped in a deadly game, always a step behind, as The Alliance escalates their campaign of terror. The very fabric of society begins to fray under the weight of the escalating violence. With each coordinated strike, the nation edges closer to chaos. As Wallace races against time, the stakes couldn't be higher: decipher The Alliance's twisted motives and end their deadly game—or watch helplessly as civilization itself crumbles, city by city, under their relentless assault. The clock is ticking, and the body count is rising. Will Wallace stop them before more innocent lives are shattered?

I much prefer Matt Brolly's earlier mysteries.

Four people - four murders. This is part police procedural with psychological suspense. It starts off with a bang immediately. Gripping the reader from the start. The storyline is centered in San Antonio and I’m a fellow Texan. Love when Texas is mentioned in books.

I found the pacing to stall at parts, however, the last 20% packed a punch. This is perfect for fans of crime and psychological thrillers.
Thank you Matt Brolly, Thomas & Mercer @amazonpublishing for the opportunity.

The Alliance by Matt Brolly. This book is so exciting from the first page as there are four unconnected serial killers who are simultaneously committing identical murders around four different U.S. Cities. Are these serial killers working together and can FBI Special agent Shannon Walace solve the cases before there are any more murders as she races from one city to the next trying to find the link. As the killers post there murders online and recruit new killers into their fold can Wallace catch the killers before more innocent people are killed.
If you like your thrillers on the dark, twisted, and exhilarating side then The Alliance is an excellent choice. It is one of the most original serial killer thrillers I have read in a while. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If you're looking for a book full of suspense, excitement, mystery, and a good dose of investigation, this is the perfect novel. I'm a fan of the series Criminal Minds, and from the presentation, this novel seemed to have similar vibes, so I started it with high expectations, somewhat convinced that I would love the story. Many points of view switch back and forth, allowing the various events to be followed from different perspectives, which adds originality to the plot. However, I found the repetitiveness annoying; at a certain point, it became a constant. I probably would have preferred if the author had found a way to end the novel sooner or, even better, made everything flow more naturally without forced repetitions. The beginning might not be the best given the calm manner in which the story is told; one could say that the book starts very slowly and gradually builds up the excitement, which blossoms in the last quarter of the pages.

Aside from this, I believe I've read a very good book that I would recommend, although with the caveat that it's not suited for everyone looking for a wealth of suspense.

Another excellent novel by Matt Brolly regarding four different murders across four different cities with four survivors giving out their experiences to the world. This book keeps the reader enthralled throughout to the final pages..

Dnf the contents was not to my liking. Read 25% then lost interest and didn't return to it. Liked the synopsis but not the novel

4 murders, 4 cities, this is an intriguing crime wave that has got the FBI involved to crack the case. The Alliance are powerful and know how to make it grow and expand their murderous and nefarious activities.

What really piqued my interest was the fact it combines the impact of social media in such cases, which brings a thought-provoking.

FBI Special Agent Shannon Wallace is passionate about her work. She's recently started working in the Behavioural Analysis Unit, which brings with it an interesting study into societal behaviours, including psychopathy and manipulation.

It's a darkly gripping thriller that keeps you guessing and keeps you thinking about media in crime cases.

I read and reviewed one of Matt Brolly's earlier US set books, The Controller, a few years back and really enjoyed it. So that fact, along with the blurb (shown above) piqued my interest in this one. I wasn't disappointed.

Icarus (Ike) Glass - great name - is a Brit who came to the US years ago, settled in San Antonio and became a journalist. He's pretty washed up and definitely drinks too much. One evening he shares a few beers with a man he meets in a bar - it turns out not to be a great idea...

I didn't find Ike Glass particularly likeable but it was hard not to feel sorry for him as he gets caught up in a bizarre string of events. Shannon Wallace was much more relatable - in her forties, a strained relationship with her son and trying to establish herself at Quantico after years of working in the field. She's in the Behavior Analysis Unit (the one often imagined on the small screen), specifically the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, which I imagine is a tough gig at the best of times. But here she is presented with a case like no other, with identical incidents across the US - it's unprecedented. But I think my favourite character was Lieutenant Michael Boyd, who takes initial charge of the San Antonio crime scene. He's world weary, mourning the death of his wife but there seemed a gentleness around him. I liked him a lot.

I really liked the idea of crimes taking place simultaneously across the US. And ones that are creatively staged too. Yes, they are far fetched but suitably creepy and pretty darn scary! For various reasons that become clear as the book progresses much of the action here is in San Antonio but we hear plenty of details of incidents happening across the country.

I loved the use of both more traditional media and social media in this novel. It shows both how quickly news can travel - instantly, really - and people's fascination with the darker side of human nature. As events build and the Alliance themselves make more use of social media, there is no shortage of folk ready and waiting to watch whatever horror is perpetrated. And I really don't know if that wouldn't be the case in real life - there seems to be a real appetite for true crime. It's funny, as regular visitors here will know, I read (and watch) a lot of fictional crime but very rarely the true life stuff. But plenty of people are fascinated by it. So is it such a big leap to imagine us watching it on our screens in real time? Subscribing to social media accounts set up by killers? I'm not so sure.

The Alliance is a hard book to review in detail without giving plot spoilers, which, of course, I'm not going to do. It's tense almost from the get go and only gets more so until we reach a denouement full of surprises. The writing is tight - there's always something going on, moving the plot forward. It's exciting and I was genuinely invested in what happened in the end. And more than a little shocked. Worth a read.

The Alliance is the latest dark thriller by Matt Brolly.
In short, it’s a furious race against time in a deadly power game. When a rash of concurrent killings in four different US cities happen, FBI Special Agent Shannon Wallace needs to use all her wit and skill to bring the killings to an end…and no investigation in her career had delivered more surprises than this one!
Another pacy thriller by Matt, The Alliance is a true suspenseful stuffed, original thriller…hard, fast and really good. I’m looking forward to reading more from Matt.
Big thanks to Matt Brolly, Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️ The Alliance by Matt Brolly

A book about four serial killers across the country working together? Sign me up! What a unique and intriguing idea. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

This book is told in multiple POV’s. I usually love this type of book, but for this situation it just led to confusion. It would have been much better suited to the POV’s of the killers, but only one was given the opportunity. The other POV’s belonged to one of the victims and a couple of the detectives (I think…it’s been a few days since I read it and apparently it didn't stick with me too well.) The different POV’s did not transition well and I had to think hard about who was talking and what was currently going on in the plot. None of the characters were likable. The side stories had no impact on the main storyline and seemed like a waste of time. Also, it was very repetitive and the pace stalled quite often.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title for review.

Interesting characters and story. A lot going on but very good ending. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Really enjoyable story. Some excellent characters.
Strange story that twists and turns all the way through.

Here is my initial thoughts on The Alliance by Matt Brolly.

What a way to open a story, it jumps straight into the drama! There is multiple Povs and you follow the police investigation.

4 crimes and 4 completely different cities. FBI Wallace faces a very intense investigation like no other.

I really enjoy the fact that this book is like watching a crime TV show, as they are my favourite. This is my first book by Matt Brolly and won't be my last.

This is definitely an intense Physiological thriller to have your mind in a twist.

I found this book utterly fascinating. The themes running through it and the psychology element is really intriguing. Add the fact that Matt Brolly is an exceptional story teller makes it very hard to put down.

I loved the inter cooperation with the police forces, the FBI and even Homeland. I found that there weren't any huge cliches involved like turf wars or bosses yanking good people away from their jobs, that you might find necessary in other books. The biggest plus was that the story progressed despite the good guys not finding out too much for themselves. It showed them from the perspective of working as hard as humanly possible and yet being very human in that sometimes they just don't find out the things that need finding.

The characters were fantastic and deep despite their being quite a few of them. The dual perspectives were great and I appreciated both of the back stories and point of view from Boyd and Shannon. There was also Ike and Casey to hear from as well.

The modern state of the world was explored well and the relationship between social media and the fascination for gore, keyboard warriors and hype and frenzy along with the advantages and disadvantages of media.

All in all, I loved it and Matt Brolly is on my radar of authors not to miss out on. My thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is fast paced from the get go and is dark and gritty writing. Matt doesn't hold his punches with this story.

The story is shocking and psychotic from The Alliance point of view, as is what unveils. I felt the menace of Lyle rolling off him. Through this evil, there are some great characters on the force - especially Jiffy and Boyd. They're really likable and not shown as incompetent.

I thought this was part of a series, as I felt there was missing history for the team, such as Boyd. Also, I did see something coming from quite early on.

Overall, addictive reading and I hope this is the start of a series. I like the style and am keen to read more of Matt's books.

Absolutely brilliant! I literally could not put this book down. The storyline was fascinating and the characters well crafted.
I am looking forward to the next Matt Brolly. and thoroughly recommend this book.

I just finished devouring Matt Brolly's thriller "The Alliance"; honestly, it's a heart-pounding read that hooked me from the first page.

Picture this: four cities, four serial killers, and a series of chillingly identical murders setting the stage for an FBI investigation like no other. Enter Special Agent Shannon Wallace, tasked with unravelling this web of orchestrated terror that's not just about catching killers but understanding the sinister connective tissue binding them together.

The Alliance is a gripping concept—a cooperative of killers working in deadly unison across the US, leaving behind a trail of horror and a handful of survivors whose stories whip up a media frenzy. The narrative cleverly integrates the modern world's obsession with real-time updates and social media storms, adding a fresh layer to the traditional crime thriller fabric.

Matt Brolly masterfully balances the plot's intensity with well-developed characters, each adding their unique perspective to the unfolding drama. Whether it's the steely nerve of Agent Wallace, the street-smart insights of San Antonio Police Lieutenant Boyd, or the haunting reflections of survivor Icarus Glass, each voice is compelling in its own right.

This book is an adrenaline-fueled ride that doesn't just entertain but makes you ponder the chilling implications of our interconnected world. Perfect for those who love a thriller with a twisty plot and a high-stakes atmosphere, The Alliance might just be your next favourite read. It's a promising start to what I hope becomes a series. Get ready for some sleepless nights!

Wow, I was not expecting this! That was brilliant! The story starts off with a bang and just doesn't let off.
Clever plot, very well executed, written really well, unputdownable, The Alliance is a modern and very smart thriller and I really enjoyed it.
I was hooked right from the get go and just couldn't put that book down. It's so so good. I was completely taken in with it. The plot is just so clever and very different and really interesting.
The story itself is really dark with lots of twists and turns. Matt Brolly created a very unique story that I could easily see play out in real life which is brilliant and utterly terrifying at the same time.
Gripping, smart and terrifyingly realistic, The Alliance is a book that I'm happy to recommend.