Alright. I’ve started this audiobook over at least 4 different times and just can’t get past the 30% mark. I can’t put my finger on what the issue is, because it seems entertaining enough, so I’m starting to wonder if it’s just me. My mind kept drifting onto something else, every single time I started listening to this book. I really did try though and I’m sure other people will love it. It just didn’t seem to hold my interest enough.

the setup…
Icarus (Ike) Glass, a British expatriate, walks into a San Antonio bar, takes a seat at the counter, prepared for rounds that will lead to inebriation. He’s joined by a stranger, an obese man with a Southern accent who calls himself Lyle Accrington. The next thing Ike remembers is waking up in a dark room tied to a chair with Lyle facing him with a gun. As he prepares to be killed, he realizes he’s survived after the gun is fired. Lyle’s gone but when he manages to free himself, he sees another person in the room…dead from a gunshot wound. This begins the strangest journey that goes national when three other murders occur in exactly the same way and at the exact same time, all in different cities. FBI Special Agent Shannon Wallace takes the lead on the investigation as law enforcement agencies combine to figure out what and who they are dealing with.

the heart of the story…
While the story starts with Ike’s point of view, we also get narratives from Shannon and Lieutenant Michael Boyd, the detective investigating Ike’s case. It becomes a keenly intriguing psychological exploration of the four people involved in the first murders, the people behind it and those tasked with figuring out what’s going on and why. The men pulling the strings are also media savvy, involving the entire country in the intrigue. Someone labels them as The Alliance and it sticks.

the narration…
Hillary Huber was the perfect choice for this story, with her sultry tone and killer storytelling skills. I could listen to her narrate anything.

the bottom line…
This is a sophisticated psychological thriller that will have you shifting your perspective throughout as more insights are provided. I often paused to assemble what I was learning, trying to find some semblance of logic to what was going on. Be prepared for lots of curve balls and don’t get firmly wedded to a solution. It’s unique and thought provoking, drawing me in quickly and never letting go.

Four murders in four different cities at the same time, leaves FBI special agent Shannon Wallace in a race against time to find the killers. An edge of you seat thriller that keeps you listening. Although not enough time for character development hopefully the next books? we will learn more about them. Hillary Huber's narration is excellent. Thanks to Brilliance publishing and Netgalley for this audiobook review copy.

Overall, I loved the plot and idea behind this book!! I was hooked right away but I couldn’t following all of this different characters and kept putting this book back down. Which also made it harder to remember what’s going on. I think this came from not having the physical book and only the audio version. I’m going to download it on KU and think I’ll enjoy this book a little more. However, the entire plot line is so unique and interesting! It definitely has that thriller excitement that I love!

I received the audio book from NetGalley. The narration was done by a women, which I love, but I don’t think it was the best fit for this book. There are so many characters and I struggled to keep them straight from the audio version alone. I think a cast of 2 or more would have been a better for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for an arc of The Alliance by Matt Brolly. Out now and on KU!

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**
Narrated by Hillary Huber ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Narrator has an amazing voice.
Story by Matt Brolly ⭐⭐
The premise of this book is FANTASTIC! That alone is 5 stars for its originality. What let this book down for me was
1 It's pacing was far too slow for me especially with switching between POV's.

2 I found the characters super dull. Nothing about them will be memorable and in a few months if someone asked me about this book other than the premise I would struggle to recall them, their names or situation.

This is the first time I've read or heard of this author and I would definitely try another book by
Matt Brolly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

A highly elite group of serial killers have united together to commit four separate unrelated murders across the country in the same way at the exact same time. They see themselves as the most evolved form of killer and have decided to take their cause public. Each murder left an eye witness, all four were told "thrive to survive" and to go public with their experience. Icarus Glass is one of the "lucky survivors and as a journalist he quickly starts writing the stories of his experiences. As the survivors fame and the groups infamy grows at break neck speed, a deeper darker plot begins to unfold as the four survivors are involved in more killings. FBI agent Shannon Wallace has been tasked to work with local law enforcement and head up the investigations across the country. As more bodies fall she must get to the bottom of this group before their recruitment and popularity gets worse, but these elite killers are always one step ahead.

I really enjoyed this book as it was a gripping psychological thriller, unique and well thought out. The POV is from multiple characters and the pace is fast. There are a lot of characters and information but was easy enough to follow where the plot was. This is a dark subject with violence but is not gory. Some of the characters were hard to connect to but I think that worked for the story. This was the first book I have read from Brolly but I can not wait to read more of his work. He intricately laid out the plot with gripping suspense while not being predictable. I highly enjoyed and recommend this book.

I had the audio version read by Hillary Huber. She was excellent and I loved listening to her. Her timing and pace was perfect with good voice work to tell which character was speaking. I will look for more of her narrations in the future.

The premise and the plot for this one were truly intriguing and caught my attention right away. Unfortunately I just think it was not for me. I could not fully get into the story and immerse myself entirely. I got to 30% and for me I felt bored, I am truly in the minority with this book and I see why it is appealing to a large audience. For me this one was a miss and a DNF, but a lot will love it.

The Alliance by Matt Brolly and narrated by Hillary Huber was an excellent read from start to finish, especially as it was full of twists and turns throughout that will have you guessing till the end. This latest book starts with a Bang!! with an abduction.........

Over four cities, in four different locations in the US, with miles apart from each other and all at the same time............There's four identical murders of total strangers.
All the local Police are lost for words and have called in the Big boys/girls! The FBI.....with Special Agent Shannon Wallace helping them. But, she is just the same!
They all start to investigate and they all get sucked into the killers guessing game!

With each murder there is survivor who has witnessed it all, and these lucky ones - But are they?

They now need to decide how to tell their stories to the whole world through social media etc. They have to write about the horrific murders they have witnessed to create a media storm and a new term is soon coined for the "The Alliance"

But Why?

This is to lead to a bigger murderer spree!

As they recruit new killers and into their ranks, more innocent people are linked to the initial murders and these are killed. It now becomes clear that Wallace is facing an unprecedented threat a deadly alliance formed to terrorise the nation with coordinated strikes.

But, who is next?

As they all recruit new killers into their ranks, more innocent people are linked to the initial murders are killed. It now becomes clear that Wallace is facing an unprecedented threat

Tick Tock the clock is ticking and will the Police and Special Agent Shannon Wallace of the FBI need to work it all out before the next round of murders?

WoW!!!! Just mind blowing and excellent the way Matt has put this book together. Superb book/audiobook that will keep you gripped!

Big Thank you to Netgalley, Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC.

This reminded me of the tv show the following. If you liked that show or generally enjoy detective type stories in general you will likely enjoy this. I found it to be well paced and mostly a page turner. I was also glad the author primarily engaged in showing instead of telling.

There is a twist that I saw miles away but it didn’t ruin the story for me. Initially I was irked a MC was an alcoholic (this has been overdone lately) but to my pleasant surprise it worked here and was written more accurately than usual.

Overall this was a gripping read and I’ll definitely look for more books by this author. Superb narration as well.

Thanks netgalley for me ALC! This was quite the pleasant surprise!

5 ⭐️

4 identical murders happen in 4 different locations across the country at exactly the same time. It has local police and the FBI scratching their heads as they get sucked into the killers’ game. This jumped right in and kept a fast pace throughout the entire book. After reading the summary I was nervous it would be too complicated for me to stay focused to the audiobook version with so many characters and settings, but it really focused on one specific location. This will be one I recommend often to others!

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for this ARC opportunity!

An absolutely genius plot! Raw, gripping and original.

Icarus “Ike” Glass is abducted, witnesses a murder and then the police are called to the scene, but not by him. Ok, I’m interested.

At the exact same time, three more identical murders are called in to police forces in other US cities.

So that’s FOUR murders, FOUR witnesses, FOUR cities - all at the same time. I was HOOKED!

A network of serial killers working together - why? Well, there’s only one way to find out!

This book was well written, fast paced and brilliantly narrated by Hillary Huber who really brought these characters to life and did a convincing English accent too!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Matt Brolly and Brilliance for an ARC in return for an honest review.