Having always enjoyed Sebastian Fitzek books I was looking forward to reading this new one.the first page intrigued me so I thought it was going to be my kind of read dark and beguiling but sadly it fell short.The writing is on point as is the character descriptions, but I just found it hard to engage with.
I look forward to reading the authorsnext book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC.

A con man who can't read sees a girl holding a sign up and looking distressed. This starts a journey both in travel and into his past. With the help of his girlfriend he sets off on a rescue mission. There were plenty of twists and the ending? (Nearly the ending actually) I did not see coming! The plot has him being attacked in prison and telling the tale of how he came to be there in the hope of survival. This is actually easy to forget as the story unfolds and you learn how events in the past triggered everything

I didn’t quite enjoy this. The very first paragraph was really jarring, and the rest quite skimmable.
Yes, there were some surprising twists and turns, and the main character was actually interesting, but the plot was a little all over the place.

The Gift follows the story of Milan, an ex-conman with a photographic memory that hides a secret: he’s illiterate. Trying to navigate a world that doesn’t accommodate his condition he manages to hide it from almost everyone around him - that is until, stuck in traffic, he comes across a girl holding a note he can’t read sporting an expression of pure fear.

Do you remember the never-ending magic trick? The one where a magician takes an endless amount of scarfs from a hat or a box? Reading this book felt exactly like that. Every page turned gave birth to a new plot-twist until it culminated into a breathtaking crescendo that left me both amazed and exhausted.
I do have to say that there were times when all of the plot twists felt a bit too much. Some of them made me feel lost during certain parts of the book. That is not to say that they weren’t absolutely necessary for the plot - they 100% were. The story was crafted extremely well and every surprise had its reasoning for existing.

I can underhanded these characters were not written to make you like them but i couldn’t help taking a liking towards Milan. He felt like a real breathing person.

I dare say this was probably one of my favorite mystery-thriller books i’ve ever had the pleasure to read. Nowadays i rarely expect much from this genre due to how underwhelming most of my picks have been but i was very pleasantly surprised. I could not put this book down!

Thanks Netgalley for my copy.

Oh no no no no. No! I discovered Fitzek a few years ago and I devoured all he'd written back then, so when I saw this was available on here, I was so excited and even more so when I was given a copy. But I don't know what happened. I love all things evil and gross and bloody and sick in literature but this just didn't work for me. I wanted to give up so many times but I figured I owed it to such a good author (usually) to see if it improved. For me, it did not. I am so sad.

The second star is for a twist I did enjoy, but that's it.

Hopefully Fitzek's next will be a winner for me!

I was at first interested in the story but as it went on it became predictable and confusing at the same time. I got a bit bored with the story line and I found myself skimming most of it to get to the end. I found the characters and their actions predictable and knew what was going to happen before it happened.

I enjoyed this story. It is the first Sebastian Fitzek book I have read and it will not be the last. The story begins with Milan Berg in prison and he is telling his story to inmates under threat of death, why? The story moves then backwards and forwards past and present. Milan is making his way through life as a petty criminal. Milan suffers for a form of dyslexia called alexia. He cannot read or write and even with support it does not work. He has managed to keep this secret all his life having it seems a photographic memory and good at drawing. He works in a restaurant and can draw symbols for orders – this gets him through his day. One day he is on his way to work and has stopped at traffic lights when he sees a girl in a car holding up a note to the window. She looks frightened. He cannot read the note but decides to follow the car. Here is where the story really begins. Milan is convinced that the girl has been kidnapped and decides to try and save her. He got the job through his girlfriend Nora. He met Nora when he was trying one of his petty criminal heists. Enough said about that, don’t want to give the story away. Nora gets involved with trying to save the girl. He continues on his quest to find out what has happened and the clues to finding the girl brings up his past in a strange way. The book sets the scene really well and brings Milan some peace about his past which he had been struggling with. A good read

The book had an intriguing atmosphere that drew me in and kept me reading until the end. Unfortunately, I didn't find the book enjoyable for several reasons. Although it was a quick and easy read, it didn't offer anything particularly interesting or new. The plot development was not very compelling, and it became predictable as the story unfolded. The author artfully presents a captivating mind game that blurs the lines between the paranoid musings of a character and the constraints of reality. So you never know with him On his other books. But this one just wasn't for me. Hence the score I give it. Thank you very much to head of Zeus and the author for the access to this arc

I love Sebastian Fitzek and was totally hooked on the book from the first page

I loved this book and would recommend to anyone

Thank you for the opportunity to review

I found this a little too unrealistic to be honest. It did keep me interested, but as I got further into it, it became too predictable and perhaps a little too easy to guess what was going to happen. But I stayed involved right to the end and it was an enjoyable read.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Aria or Aries for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily .
Although Sebastian Fitzek has been on my radar for a while this is the first book I have read of his. I like a lot of Scandi Noir so this German thriller appealed to me. Opening with a brutal first chapter we follow Milan recounting a story in the format of Now and Then. I found the story a bit disjointed at times whether that was the translation or the authors style of writing I’m not sure, however I still managed to follow the plot. The story has a rapid pace and the characters are really good especially Milan who was very intriguing. It didn’t grab me like a Chris Carter book would but there were parts of this book that were gripping with some good twists. Much stronger in the second half of the book as the plot starts to come together
Would I read another Fitzek book? Yes I think I probably would as this one was worth reading
3.5⭐️

I like this way this book tied together. Milan's character arc throughout was well executed as he struggles to comprehend his past alongside his secret. I think the plot was a little messy at times, but not so much that I lost focus or wanted to stop reading. I enjoyed Andra's contribution to this story, her actions were a little morally grey but the conclusion of the book allowed her to redeem herself. Jakobs characterisation was done very well as I even found myself grimacing whilst reading his chapters/povs which I believe is always the sign of a well-written character.

I found Zoe's plot twist a little random, and a bit of a stretch or last resort shock factor. I was able to predict their relationship from their first interaction which was alright as it added to the intensity of the abduction. Overall, a good book with a bit of a thrill.

The Gift by S. Fitzek, narrated by A. Fliakos, published by Head of Zeus, is a fast paced, complex thriller.
The story deals with some sensitive content, consider you warned.
Milan Berg is a con man with a secret. The man is illiteral but finds clever ways to mask it - til he comes across a girl on the backseat of a car holding up a sign. Only he has no clue what it means.
A fantasic read, 4,5 stars.
Blurb: Con man Milan Berg has a photographic memory. But he’s hiding a secret: He can’t read. Unable to interpret the world around him, Milan finds increasingly crafty ways to navigate it. That is, until he comes across a car in traffic with a girl in the back seat. She desperately holds a written note up to the window, but what does it say?
Fearing the girl is in mortal danger, Milan determines to search for her. As he follows a series of clues, each darker and scarier than the next, he’s thrust into a nightmarish odyssey with a deepening, disturbing progression: The clues are tied to his past. Lost in a web of lies, his world is upended as he lands in prison for a crime he claims he didn’t commit. Under the threat of death by his cellmates, Milan recounts his entire story to them from the beginning.