Panic by Catherine Jinks is a very highly recommended psychological thriller set in Australia.

Bronte posted a rant on social media that went viral for all the wrong reasons. Now she's a social pariah whom strangers recognize and taunt. To escape the attention and lie low for awhile she volunteers as a carer on an isolated rural property near Bathurst. For room and board Bronte will be watching Nell, a dementia sufferer, at Gwendelynne, the families isolated homestead where her Nell's daughter, Veda, runs spiritual rebirthing retreats.

Unknown until she already arrived, Veda is also involved with the sovereign citizen movement and rejects the authority of the state. This makes Bronte's arrival a rocky introduction and events go downhill from here as Bronte begins to question her safety and the sanity of Veda and the others at Gwendelynne.

The writing is very good and credibly captures the unwanted notoriety Bronte receives over the bad choice of posting her regrettably scandalous video. Even though readers may shake their heads at her poor choices, especially in the beginning of the narrative, these details help depict her as a complex, fully realized, and sympathetic character. Since Bronte is also the narrator, this helps hold your attention as the plot unfolds. Other characters in the novel are also all portrayed as unique individuals

The start of the narrative is a little slow, but will hold your attention as you learn why Bronte wants to escape to an isolated area and are introduced to the cast of characters. Quickly you will realize that these people are odd and the tension begins to rise. Bronte's situation is tenuous and it becomes clear that she is in a problematic position. Once the action takes off it is a riveting, tension-filled, action-packed, twisty thriller.

Panic starts out as an okay novel but becomes notably better, faster, and more compelling with every page. 4.5 rounded up. Thanks to Text Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Bronte has run away from her home in Katoomba after she posted an ill-considered drunken rant about her boyfriend on social media which went viral. Now everyone recognises her as ‘that girl’ and are out to jeer and ridicule her. After losing her job, she found a live-in position near Bathurst looking after Nell, an elderly woman with dementia. No salary, but board and food provided and peace and quiet far from everyone who might know who she is.

Nell’s daughter Veda runs a spiritual rebirthing retreat, which does sound peaceful. However, what Bronte doesn’t know is that Veda and her boyfriend and staff believe they are sovereign citizens, not answerable to the government or the laws of the land and see conspiracies around every corner. Bronte tries to ignore their beliefs and do her job looking after Nell, but when a situation escalates dangerously Nell finds herself fearing for her life.

The tension ramps up gradually in this novel as Bronte finds Veda and her followers becoming increasingly uneasy and strange. The atmosphere is claustrophobic and creepy with strange goings on at night and the almost cultish beliefs that make Veda and her friedns paranoid about those in authority. 3.5&#9733

Bronte is jobless and friendless after a drunken online rant about her ex-boyfriend Callum. She is desperate for a place to hide and signs up to be a carer for Nell who has dementia. Nell's daughter Veda is busy running her rebirthing business and needs the help in looking after Nell. When Bronte arrives at Gwendelynne, an isolated homestead, she is faced with a group of individuals who reject the authority of the state and claim to be free citizens, not answerable to the law. Are they a harmless cult or dangerous individuals? Why is Nell obsessed with the dam that she can see out of her window? Will Bronte be safe?

Jinks has written an entralling thriller that is difficult to put down. Bronte's dilemma is gripping. After her drunken video has gone viral she is easily recognisable and has been harassed online and in real time. Her window has been broken and her coffee spiked. She has no where to go but her innate ability to think clearly and to be practical helps her to struggle through the danger that she faces.

The action is non stop. Each chapter is rivetting and the reader is forced to continue reading to see whether Bronte will survive.

Readers who enjoy psychological thrillers and gripping suspense, a social media background and conspiracy theories, are sure to get a thrill from Panic.

4.5 stars.

Panic by Catherine Jinks is a suspense-laden mystery.

Bronte is a sympathetic character whose life has turned upside down after a drunken video goes viral. She is desperate to escape the real-life and internet trolls that have plagued her in the aftermath. Unsure who to trust trust, Bronte makes a fateful decision to take a job caring for an elderly woman in rural Australia.

Bronte soon discovers her hosts are embroiled in the sovereign citizen movement. Their distrust of all officials results in increasingly antagonistic interactions. Bronte is already uneasy with her accommodations when an already fraught situation turns into a dangerous situation that leaves her fearing for her life.

Panic is a riveting mystery that is fast-paced. Bronte is a complex character with relatable strengths and weaknesses. The storyline is timely and will resonate with social media users. The sovereign citizen element of the plot is well-developed and adds another layer of tension. With an unexpected plot twist, Catherine Jinks brings this tense thriller to an action-packed conclusion.

I really enjoyed this slow burn thriller. It's my first book by this author, but will be checking out more of her work. The unreliable characters keeps the book interesting. Bronte makes some not so good choices that really shape her life going forward. She's definitely relatable.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Catherine Jinks is an Australian writer who’s worked in almost every genre, and I love her work in every one of them. “Panic” is a domestic thriller that is very very hard to stop reading once you’ve started. Jinks grabs your attention and doesn’t let go.

Bronte was drunk and angry when she recorded a rant about her ex-boyfriend. She had enough sense to keep it relatively private when she posted it on-line, but someone leaked it more widely. Bronte’s ex has a measure of on-line fame, and so now Bronte is the subject of a full scale misogynist pile on: abuse on-line and IRL, harassment, and intense embarrassment.

So the opportunity to work on an isolated property outside Bathurst looks pretty good. It’s unpaid, but comes with room and board, and the task of keeping dementia sufferer Nell company doesn’t sound too hard. It doesn’t take long before Bronte starts to realise that her hosts may be more than mild new-age cranks. She’s increasingly uneasy, but doesn’t have anywhere to go.

This tense thriller takes a little while to build, and then maintains the tension for a remarkably long time. I know the area where this is set and Jinks evokes a strong and accurate sense of place.

She also evokes a sense that this is well within the realms of possibility. We’ve all seen the kind of harassment Bronte is suffering happen to others, and Jinks extends this credibility to what’s happening on the property. While it’s not “ripped from the headlines” stuff, it’s certainly believable in light of things that have happened in recent years. This is a very contemporary novel.

The characterisation is an absolutely critical part of making this novel work. Bronte is a strong and believable character. It doesn’t take much to believe in what’s happened to her, and Jinks quickly builds empathy and a sense of connection with her. Bronte’s reactions and decisions are believable and serve to draw the reader in emotionally. We’d likely do the same thing in her place.

Other characters, while less empathetic (deliberately) are also vivid and believable. I could picture each vividly, and Bronte’s reactions to them were credible.

I loved this novel. It has so much to appreciate. I enjoyed how very contemporary it is, evoking the way the world currently works and the way people respond. The strong characters still live with me, and the plot is strong. The writing style enhanced everything. This was not just a great reading experience, but a novel that stands up to later analysis. It’s great. Read it.

I WILL PUBLISH THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG AND OTHER SITES CLOSER TO PUBLICATION DATE - I will return and add links then.

A tense and scary thriller with taut suspense that lifts up a notch every page. The dialogue flows while the characters are deceptive.

Bronte needs to escape. She never knew a drunken rant on social media about her cheating boyfriend would be so damaging. Now it has taken over her entire life, as it seems like the entire world has seen it and she's even recognised in public.

The backlash has become not only toxic but scary, with all sorts of threats aimed at her. Deciding to leave it all behind and hide for a while far from home in the city, she takes up a HelpX position near the rural town of Bathurst. Outback Australia would've been even further and probably better, but Bathurst will do. Her main job will be looking after an elderly woman and keeping her company. Much easier than the other HelpX farm jobs on offer.

She's collected from the railway station by her host named Veda. It's Bronte's 2nd mistake - again not entirely her fault. Flashing blue and red lights on the drive to her home alert Bronte and Veda to the police behind them on the road. To Bronte's horror, Veda just speeds up ignoring the wailing police car.

When Veda does finally stop, a tirade of abuse comes from her at the officers - about rights and a plethora of other legal jargon Bronte has never heard of. Veda is taken away, leaving Bronte in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully the police know where Veda's home named Gwendolyne is, and they drop her off.

Bronte's feel of unease remains with her as she realises that Veda, her husband, and another woman working for them are devout believers of personal rights that mean that the government, police and other places of authority have no power over them. Luckily, her elderly charge is much easier to be with. But she does seem to have a fixation on the farm dam.

Bronte learns that years before, an ex of Veda's vanished from nearby. Discovering not one but two panic rooms inside the large house also makes Bronte wary. Somebody walking around her caravan at night also puts her on edge.

Things become even more tense as the welfare of her elderly charge is being questioned by local authorities and Veda and her anti-establishment group are lashing out at them.

Things soon come to a head and Bronte now knows that the social media hate that ruined her life isn't the worst thing that can happen to her. But maybe can social media help get her life back?

When Brontë makes some bad life choices, she decides it’s time to disappear for awhile, so she accepts a volunteer position as a carer for Nell, a dementia patient. Nell’s daughter, Veda, runs what she calls a rebirthing center. She has a few people who follow her beliefs such as their claim to sovereignty, but it seems like they are more conspiracy theorists than anything else. Brontë doesn’t like being there and finds the people odd, but where else can she go?

This is a suspenseful read and easy to read. I liked it but didn’t love it. Thank you, NetGalley and Text Publishing for the eARC.

firts thank you net galley for this arc. ok this story is about a women named bronte who make a post that goes viral and she need to lay low.so she take a volunteer job at a spirtual birthing retreat. looking after nell. but something is going on with nell. i thought the story itself was ok,but why was it formatted the way it was, no chapter heading or page numbers.

This book was very interesting. I like how we focused on themes of isolation and loneliness. I do think the main character was a bit whiny and complained quite a lot. I do like how this book was a thriller, and how it had a suspense feeling built into the writing.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!