Any One of Us
by Martyn Ford
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Pub Date Oct 13 2022 | Archive Date Oct 27 2022
Amazon Publishing UK | Thomas & Mercer
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Description
Her old schoolfriends are dead. She might be next.
When Ruby hears from her best friend Elizabeth that two of their old classmates have been murdered, Ruby is more certain than ever that leaving her hometown was the right decision. But after Elizabeth suddenly stops responding to texts, and Ruby hears a third classmate has been killed, she knows in her heart what has happened. Elizabeth is dead too.
Missbrook Bay is a place haunted by memories Ruby wanted to forget, and people she never wanted to see again, but Ruby has no choice but to go back to investigate. While staying with her ex-boyfriend, she notices a pattern in their full school year photo—the killer seems to be working through victims in a specific order. And after her ex’s house is broken into, Ruby realises nowhere and no one is safe.
There are still many faces left in that photo. Any one of them could be the next victim—and any one of them could be the killer. And with each death, the killer is getting closer to Ruby.
A Note From the Publisher
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781542034517 |
PRICE | £8.99 (GBP) |
PAGES | 332 |
Featured Reviews
This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the electronic copy. Murder and intrigue…love and romance…friends and enemies…discerning who did it…who is the murder? This author is talented and gifted at writing a cannot put down novel. It reads like true crime for a television show. Enjoy…
I so hardly dnf, but I did not have the patience for this one. I usually always pull through and finish what I started. But no, i gave up, sadly.
Ruby is working as a “profiler”, I think, in Australia at the moment. She gets a call from home, that her class mates are murdered one by one.
I just could not get into the writing. It was dragging along and I felt nothing toward the characters. Bleh. The sentences felt hacked. It was all kind of rushed, no real building up of suspense. The story sounded really interesting but I guess it was just not the book for me.
The plot of Any One of Us had me intrigued, but I struggled a little to connect with the writing. Often the sentences were choppy and hard to follow, and certain scenes (especially the very beginning) felt more like filler than anything that drove the plot forward.
All of that said, the setting was well-written and there were just enough characters to provide lots of suspects and red herrings, but not so many that it was overwhelming. The author did a beautiful job of weaving in the complexity of nostalgia and looking back on the past.
This book was a little different for me, It had so many twists and turns That at times I was almost lost! I did enjoy reading this book but it wasn't 1 of my top favorite. This book had light suspense, Intrigue, action, murder, and a good who done it! The storyline was interesting but confusing at times?! The main character was kind of all over the place?! I would recommend reading this book as it was worth reading but it was just ok for me! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!
This seemed like a box that’s been written before. Not really that original and kinda dragged on. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC copy
Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC.
I really wanted to enjoy this book since it sound like my type of book. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the writing style so I didn't finish it. I kept picking it up to give it another try, but found myself reading the same sentences over and over. I just couldn't do it and finally admitted defeat.
Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the eARC.
Wow, this is one heck of a book; at about 1/3 of the book there's a lengthy scene that is terrifying with such a sinking feeling of doom, I had a hard time shaking it off, very visceral.
At first I had difficulty with the writing style, but soon settled into an easy groove. The protagonist, Ruby, obviously has problems; insomnia and hooked onAdderall are two indicators But that doesn't stop her from leaving Australia to travel back home to England to try to solve the case of a serial killer targeting her childhood school mates and facing her demons.
Those demons are very well described, it's a very realistic read which made me feel very sorry for her.
I had no idea who the perpetrator was, nor her reasons and they were quite a surprise.
All in all I thought this a terrific read, disturbing but at the same time unputdownable!
Highly recommended!
Any One of Us by Martyn Ford is a fun, intriguing suspense filled story.
Twists and turns until the end… I could not put this book down.
A good suspense thriller with characters that were really interesting.
Ford did an amazing job creating a gripping read.
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
Amazon Pub UK,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.
This book was really fun! It caught my attention from the beginning and had me guessing the entire time. The main character, Ruby had her struggles which made it hard for me to like her but I enjoyed this story and will be on the look out for other titles by Ford.
Ruby left her hometown to emigrate to Australia.
When her schoolfriends are murdered, she is called back by the Police to assist in solving the murders. She is very uncomfortable, because she feels that she is on the kill-list.
She is trying to find the motive for the murders, and through that will definitely find the killer.
I did enjoy the plot of this book, but the chapters were ultra long. Being the type to 'read until the end of the chapter' before going to sleep, I found this off-putting.
The book could also have been condensed slightly, in my opinion, as there was a lot that did not really have to be explained, sometimes more than once in the book.
Giving 3 stars, as I did not hate the book itself, only the length of chapters and what I felt was padding the word count.
Any One of Us had a very intriguing plot to me and while I enjoyed the story, at times I felt like I was lost. One of the hardest things for me with thrillers and staying engaged in being able to guess (most of the time incorrectly) what is coming next. I didn't find myself guessing or trying to figure things out on my own and really used the story as a crutch. Overall, written well and I can see that some people will really enjoy the nostalgia and storytelling the author accomplished.
The premise of Any One of Us is really great, which led me to having higher expectations of the book than it really warranted. Ultimately, the major failing for me was that I had no real emotional investment in any of the characters, but especially Ruby. She's introduced with a variety of quirks and issues, which were interesting set ups for her, but they don't really factor into the plot at all in ways that make an impact. For example, Ruby has been taking adderall for years and only in this investigation does it cause her memory loss issues? She seems to have some intense OCD when it comes to needs for order and routine and yet it doesn't create any problems for her job or her personal life really? All of the other characters just sort of become background noise.
I also just wish the mystery packed more of a punch. There are some compelling elements (like what exactly Scott's entire deal was?) but they all get brushed aside for a motive to murder that opens up a lot more questions than it answers.
ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley for access to this book! I quite enjoyed this read, the storyline was intriguing. The question is can Ruby solves the motives and the murders and that are happening in her usually peaceful home town? You start to get a hint of who it could be about 2/3 of the way through but you will still be unsure until the end. This is my first time reading Martyn Ford’s work and I look forward to reading his previous books. I will definitely be recommending this book to other mystery thriller lovers!
Any One of Us
by Martyn Ford
Pub Date: 13 Oct 2022
Great thriller! Ruby has moved all the way to Australia to get away from her old life in a small town in England. She left behind her old life: the only father she ever knew, Giles a tough ex military step-father who adopted her after mother's tragic death, Will her first love who cheated on her in front of all her classmates, and a sweet friend who truly valued her friendship. Fifteen years later when she receives a text from that friend...someone is killing their classmates and it all started after their 20th class reunion. Ruby, being a profiler of sorts, is interested but it still isn't enough to bring her back, until her sweet friend becomes the latest victim.
Ruby finds herself drawn to the case. She must stop more innocent classmates from dying, but are they really that innocent?
Good read. I had it narrowed down to one of two characters within the first little bit of the book, but, I didn't know the why. The why is the twist of the book.
#AnyOneOfUs #MartynFord #NetGalley
The characters in this book were an interesting group--many of them extremely flawed, but that added a depth to this story that it wouldn't have ordinarily had. They were described well and through actions and words they came to life in ways that were surprising--but as for some of them--not necessarily pleasant.
The story itself had quite a number of twists and turns. Lacking any helpful clues in the beginning, it wasn't possible to even make a good guess who the murderer was. However, when Ruby finally figures out the reason why her former classmates are being picked off one by one, the pieces start to come together. For quite awhile, I did have the murderer pegged as a candidate for the that position, but I didn't have any reason to choose that person.
There's is a slowness to this book, and maybe too many long descriptions that made it take a while to read. It wasn't one of my favorites, but I definitely feel the author put together a well thought out story.
There was a plot twist. I thought many times through the book this is who did it or this person. In the end though it was an unlikely suspect. It was an interesting read.
Unpredictable Suspense,,
Ruby reluctantly makes a return to her hometown of Missbrook Bay. The place haunts her, memories have seared themselves into her mind - the place and the people were all the things she never wanted contact with again. The reason for her return is murder. Classmates are seemingly being killed off one by one and as Ruby investigates she makes a series of troubling and frightening discoveries. Will Ruby be next and who could be the elusive killer? With a snappy narrative, choppy chapters, a cast of well drawn and credible characters and a swiftly moving plot this is an immersive, menacing and unpredictable suspense.
An Agatha Christie like thriller with a stunning cast of characters??? Absolutely a tense mystery shrouded in suspense. All readers will love this story!
This was not for me, unfortunately I DNF’d this book after about 25% way. It was not keeping my attention and I hope that other people can find this enjoyable, but it was not for me. The story was interesting enough, with the main character losing people she knew one by one, but the writing style did not connect with me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my early readers copy.
First time reading this author and it was intense! Loved it! I can’t wait to read more by him! Highly recommend it to others!
“It. Is. About. Power”
This thriller was amazing !!!
This book is perfect for fans of “One of us is lying” but imagining the main characters being back at their school after twenty years.
It was absolutely amazing. I felt engaged in the mystery and completely thrilled and excited in finding out who was behind it all.
The profiling part was, I have to say, even better than the whole action sequences.
I loved every second of trying to figure out the main reasons and common denominator of each and every murder. The characters were absolutely great and I loved reading and meeting them.
I have to say that by the end of the book, I had figured out the truth and the killer’s identity but the reasons where still a bit blurred for me.
Apart from that I have to say that I deeply appreciated all the fundamental mental health issues we should discuss more. Starting from the feeling of nakedness while crying in front of others getting to the feeling of injustice because of witnessing wrongdoings and standing there doing nothing.
Overall it was exactly the kind of book that I needed right now so I’m very glad I had the chance to experience it.
“And you can also commit injustice by doing nothing”
3,5 stars! It took me a little while to truly get into the book, but when it started picking up and the action got going I liked it! I do prefer the writing style to be from the MCs point of view, instead of third person writing. Great plottwist at the end and overall a good story! Thank you for the great read!
I'm a bit 50/50 with this one. I felt like it dragged and I didn't quite gel with the writing style but I loved the premise and the wider array of characters. There were a fair few red herrings thrown in and it does keep you guessing. I wish it had hooked me a but more but I just get a bit bored. I think anyone who likes character driven plots will really enjoy this!
The cover and description of "Any One of Us", by Martyn Ford, drew me in right away, and it was overall an enjoyable and fast-paced read.
The story starts in Australia, where the protagonist, Ruby, is working as essentially a criminal profiler--up until she learns of the deaths of two of her former classmates. She starts getting a bad feeling when her best friend from school--Elizabeth, the one who notified her of the first two deaths--stops responding to her texts, and unfortunately that bad feeling is confirmed when Ruby learns that Elizabeth was the third victim. Although initially hesitant to return home to the UK to investigate the case, Ruby feels obligated now that Elizabeth is dead.
I thought it was interesting how the author portrayed Ruby as somewhat unreliable due to her reliance on non-prescribed Adderall and her subsequent lack of sleep and lapses in memory. That made it a bit more difficult for me to be certain of my predictions on who the killer was. There were definitely parts of the story that were really compelling and hard to put down, as my mind was going in a bunch of different directions,
I did feel that the beginning was a bit slow, and some of the writing was a little hard to get through. I found myself wanting to skim, but I stayed focused since I didn't want to miss anything important. In addition, I felt that the book could have been a bit shorter than it was, and still had the same level of suspense and impact on the reader, if not more.
Overall, I would give this a 3.5, rounded up to a 4. Thanks very much to the author, Martyn Ford, Amazon Publishing UK, and NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy!
I enjoyed this twisty murder mystery suspense. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy.
In the first few pages I was hooked. The murder of a former school friend in Ruby’s hometown in the UK brings this perfectionist “behavioral investigative advisor” AKA criminal profiler on a journey into her past from her home in Australia.
It turns out there is a serial killer on the loose in Missbrook Bay. As the mystery unfolds more people die and it seems Ruby is certainly in danger. Everything seems to be related to a high school incident.
There’s a strange relationship with two of the classmates that’s not fully explainable, but it serves to provide a murder suspect and moved the story forward. Ruby’s addiction to a stimulant medication, which she gets illegally, is a bit of a misalignment with her hyper-perfectionist personality, and is explained as keeping her “sharp.” In a convenient plot action the medication may be contributing to Ruby’s forgetfulness. She also ultimately seems to be a very poor profiler.
I found the final killer reveal engaging, but the killer’s motivations, once revealed, annoyed me. I didn’t think the final act was in alignment with the killer’s behavior throughout the story. That said, I was interested through to the end and it kept me reading.
Ruby is a profiler in Australia and she receives a text from her best friend from school letting her know two of her classmates were murdered.
Soon her best friend stops responding to texts so Ruby finds herself returning to the UK to work out what is happening.
This book took some effort getting into but in the end it was a good read with a possibly unreliable, definitely erratic narrator.
Actual rating: 3.5
Have you ever found yourself reminiscing about the past, wondering where your old classmates are up to, what your old school looks like now, and just about that 'good ol' time'? Me too! But have you ever been pretty much forced back down memory lane when you get the news that there has been a series of murders in your old town and that the victims were your classmates? That's exactly what happens to Ruby.
Working as the equivalent of a criminal profiler, Ruby goes back to her hometown to investigate the murders and find the culprit. And soon. Because it seems that whoever is committing those crimes might have a vendetta against people in her class, and she might be next.
I quite liked this read. It was fast-paced and gives only snippets of information about the case, just enough to only really allow you to guess who the murderer is about halfway through the book, keeping you on your toes.
My biggest complaint would be that for someone working in the police force, she does talk about evidence and theories with just about anybody, including suspects, quite a bit. Then she wonders how the murderer was one step ahead of her. Come on now...
This book is a really good mystery! I had fun trying to solve the mystery along with the characters.
This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Amazon Publishing UK and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
Intrigue, thrills, murder and suspense, You wo'n't want to put this action packed fast-paced chiller down.
I really enjoyed this one.
While I’m not often a fan of books where people from high school are suddenly being killed (I guess I just left high school behind so completely myself), this one was actually compelling. I really liked our main character and was definitely intrigued by our mystery.
I’m happy to say that the author kept me guessing. All of my ‘obvious’ solutions were completely wrong, yet the actual reason and ‘who’ behind everything wasn’t a cheat.
My first book by the author, but I’ll happily read them in the future!
• ARC via Net Galley
This book was a strange one for me, and also the closest I have ever been to DNFing a book. It took me an absolute age to read, and I think that's because I just didn't really get on with the writing style. The sentences are quite choppy, and there was lots of filler writing that I just skimmed over. secondly, the chapters are really long, so I just wasn't engaged throughout the book. The pace definitely picks up in the last quarter of the book, but it was a struggle to make it to that.
I wanted to read this as it gave me 'one of us is lying' vibes, but adults and British! The premise of the book is interesting but doesn't quote love up to the potential. I did guess who the Killer was pretty much as soon as their character was in the book, and this did mean any suspense was lost for me. that isn't to say it wasn't a good twist, but it was quite predictable for me. Also if you didn't guess who it was, then I think the reveal comes as almost too much of a shock - I didn't really pick up on too many hints throughout the book, and it felt really sudden when we do get to the reveal. I did enjoy the story, and could definitely see this working as a good TV adaptation.
Ruby was a really difficult main character for me to like. I'm a bit tired of the main female character with a secret drug addiction storyline, and there was so much more that could have been explored in that. It just felt like her addiction was only there as an excuse for her memory loss. Another disappointing character was Frank. I actually really loved his storyline but was disappointed we didn't find out more about him and his past. Maybe this was intentional, but I felt like this open-endedness to his character was quite disappointing.
Overall if you're into BBC/ITV crime shows I do think you'd enjoy this, but I think the writing style is definitely personal preference, and for me, it just didn't work for a murder mystery book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. This review is wholly my own.
I should have paid attention to the other reviews mentioning that this book is DNF worthy. They were not wrong. Man, this was a sleeper and wish I had not wasted time reading it.
The cover reminded me of Every Last Fear and The One, but it was nowhere close to similar.
Writing style was hard to get into. The chapters are SUPER long, which I despise. Not a fan of the 2 page chapters either, but chapters that are 20+ pages long are just a bit much and make me lose interest really quickly.
Ruby was not a likeable character nor were most of the others so it was hard to get invested in them.
The twists & turns were unoriginal. Not one I would recommend.
I received an advance copy of this book from netgalley and am leaving this book voluntarily.
I liked the concept of this book and felt it did not disappoint. While working in Australia Ruby, a criminal profiler, receives news from an old friend that two of her school year have been murdered. When Elizabeth then stops responding to texts Ruby discovers to her horror that her friend has become victim number three. Ruby reluctantly returns to her home town to investigate.
The book has a lot of strong characters who are well written and relatable. It deals with a lot of issues such as bullying, guilt and grief.
There are a lot of twists and turns in the book and I genuinely did not see the final twist coming, I thought it was really cleverly written and actually although dark very realistic.
Very much enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more from the author
An enjoyable read that is well written with a well developed cast of characters and a storyline that kept me engaged the whole way through with the right amount of tension and pacing.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The main character was well drawn and the ancillary characters were interesting as well. The psychology of reunions was described beautifully. Lots of twists and turns, and as you approached the end, the suspense drew you right in. Highly recommended.
At the beginning, it was really hard to get into the book, the whole story seemed kind of vague, and I confess I didn't understand Ruby's motivation to go help, one second she was completely detached of her past and estranged from her friend, and then suddenly her friend's death makes her leave everything to join the investigation.
.
My problem, also, was Ruby herself, she sounded so robotic, which after completing the whole book was explained because of her taking drugs and being kind of shamed for showing emotions and weaknesses, after the first third, she actually grown on me, I kind of sympathized with her.
.
The story was really engrossing, I had my guess about who could've done it before the reveal, but that didn't take anything from my enjoyment of the book.
.
*thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this bool in exchange of an honest review*
I don't typically like mysteries from the perspective of the detective trying to solve the case. However, Any One Of Us was alright. The beginning was really good and hooked me in, but there were definitely some long chapters that didn't need to be that long and detailed. The ending chapters come at you pretty fast, which is not something you'd expect when the build up took that long to get to, but those final chapters are pretty good. Just when you think you guessed what was happening, you realize you've missed the mark, which I always enjoy. Overall, it was a long read, but a decent one — especially if you like following a detective as she tries to find the killer.
I started this book with great hope because we'll title and cover was very interesting. I was expecting twists and turns that will put me in edge but literally nothing came upto 40 percentage of book and i dnfed it after that.
I couldn't take it anymore. It was written in such a slow place and narration was scattered.
I was hoping so much more from the book but sadly couldn't get any.
Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for allowing me to read this advanced digital copy of Any One of Us.
In Any One of Us, Ruby is working as a profiler and gets a call from home that her classmates are being murdered one by one. Unfortunately, the story sounded really interesting but it was just not the book for me. I had a hard time getting into the writing. The chapters were long and dragged on. There seemed to be a lot of filler that did not help progress the story forward.
I really, really enjoyed reading this book! It had me glued to the edge of my seat. It started off a bit slow, but once it picked up it was awesome.
This was a pretty good thriller. The story has been done but I was kept guessing as to who was the culprit. Some great red herrings.
This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!
I struggled to finish this book and I am usually a very fast reader. I found the writing style difficult and the pace very slow moving. The idea of a group of people being murdered who are linked by a school photograph is excellent. Even the idea of one of them being an investigator on the case held promise but, in the end, the promise largely failed to deliver. Readers who persist while find that things get better towards the end, but I suspect many will give up before reaching that point.
A decent mystery but I found the characters difficult to really engage with and that made some aspects of the story drag a little. The writing style was different and I think that is a good thing. It’s nice to read things which are presented in innovative ways.
*4 Stars*
Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.
This was a good read with good characters. The ending surprised me.
Hmmm, this one definitely kept me engaged in the novel! The main character was quite a complex character and I wasn’t sure her qualities were consistent throughout but I sort of wanted to root for her.
I guessed the ending but I don’t think most people would? Actually maybe they would but the motive…. Man you make it break it on the motive after the big reveal and I felt like it was a little break on the motive for this one 😩
The ending did at least make sense though so it had that going for it even if I wasn’t convinced. Solid 3 ⭐️ execution and will recommend to others.
After a class reunion, members of Ruby's class start dying. After one of her good friends is a victim of the killer, she decides to come back home from Australia and use her criminal profiling expertise to help find the culprit. as she investigates, the answers lead her to a past trauma and those involved.
I really enjoyed this mystery! It felt half thriller, half traditional mystery since Ruby is a profiler and not an actual detective. I did predict the culprit, although I did get fooled by a red herring! It was enjoyable and a good mystery.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a nice, easy read for me. It kept me engaged and interested. Lately I've really been into the younger age thrillers versus the older domestic thrillers.
Definitely a great read!
This was my first book by Mr. Ford, and I’m a fan. His characters are realistic and flawed, and he is excellent at telling a tale.
Love finding a new to me author! I will definitely be reading more by Martyn Ford. This was action packed with non stop twists and turns. Such great writing that gave me ALL of the feels. Great character development!
Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book
This book was suspenseful and a quick read once you get into it. The twist at the end was pretty good, but for some reason I just didn't feel as full invested as I wanted to be. The book did lag at times as well.
After 3 of her former classmates got murdered, Ruby decides to go back to her former hometown to find out who killed them.
I was very intrigued by the cover and the blurb of this book and it was a decent thriller. However, I felt like it had a lot of filler sequences that weren't entirely necessary, so it felt rather slow sometimes.
The plot twist was surprising enough but unfortunately I guessed it very early on. Generally, the book is not bad but not the most exciting one.
I really enjoyed this fast paced mystery. I thought Ruby was reliable even though her addiction to a stimulant medication seems to make her forgetful. While staying with her ex-boyfriend, she notices a pattern in their full school year photo the killer seems to be working through victims in a specific order. And after her ex’s house is broken into, Ruby realises nowhere and no one is safe.
There are still many faces left in that photo. Any one of them could be the next victim and any one of them could be the killer. And with each death, the killer is getting closer to Ruby.
Her old schoolfriends are dead. She might be next.
When Ruby hears from her best friend Elizabeth that two of their old classmates have been murdered, Ruby is more certain than ever that leaving her hometown was the right decision. But after Elizabeth suddenly stops responding to texts, and Ruby hears a third classmate has been killed, she knows in her heart what has happened. Elizabeth is dead too.
Missbrook Bay is a place haunted by memories Ruby wanted to forget, and people she never wanted to see again, but Ruby has no choice but to go back to investigate. While staying with her ex-boyfriend, she notices a pattern in their full school year photo—the killer seems to be working through victims in a specific order. And after her ex’s house is broken into, Ruby realises nowhere and no one is safe.
There are still many faces left in that photo. Any one of them could be the next victim—and any one of them could be the killer. And with each death, the killer is getting closer to Ruby.
A good read that I would recommend, not earth shattering but very readable
Well, well, well, what have we hear! A perfect book for the spooky season. Edge of your seat, high octane, well paced, engaging read and a good thriller. Well done.
Any One of Us takes off with a bang with Ruby talking on the phone to an old high school friend about a classmates murder and then shortly thereafter her friend meets the same demise and with her profession of being a profiler she heads back home to help solve the murders. Once she gets home and settled the story starts running hot and cold for me as things start dragging a bit with such long chapters that really didn't say much. They seemed more filler than anything.
I found myself getting a little bored about the midway point but I kept reading because overall I really did enjoy the mystery and the characters when the action bits would take place.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for providing this copy for my honest review.
Any One of Us has an intriguing premise. What would you do if you found out that members of your class year were being murdered one by one?
Ruby is a profiler working in Australia when she learns of the murders. She is sent home to work on the case. Ruby does not have very fond memories of her childhood there and left as soon as possible. What really upsets Ruby is that her best friend is the third victim.
Ruby herself is not a particularly likeable character. So many books I have read in the past have main characters with drug or alcohol problems and I am a little bored with that. I liked that there were so many suspects that you couldn't guess right away who the bad guy was.
The flow of the book and the writing style were a little off for me. Not an easy read. Had to really concentrate to keep up with the story.
Thanks you to netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the arc
Any One of Us by Martyn Ford.
Her old schoolfriends are dead. She might be next. When Ruby hears from her best friend Elizabeth that two of their old classmates have been murdered, Ruby is more certain than ever that leaving her hometown was the right decision. But after Elizabeth suddenly stops responding to texts, and Ruby hears a third classmate has been killed, she knows in her heart what has happened. Elizabeth is dead too. Missbrook Bay is a place haunted by memories Ruby wanted to forget, and people she never wanted to see again, but Ruby has no choice but to go back to investigate. While staying with her ex-boyfriend, she notices a pattern in their full school year photo—the killer seems to be working through victims in a specific order. And after her ex’s house is broken into, Ruby realises nowhere and no one is safe. There are still many faces left in that photo. Any one of them could be the next victim—and any one of them could be the killer. And with each death, the killer is getting closer to Ruby.
I really enjoyed this book. Twisty and tense. I had no clue who the killer was. 5*.
When Ruby hears from her best friend Elizabeth that two of their old classmates have been murdered, Ruby is more certain than ever that leaving her hometown was the right decision. But after Elizabeth suddenly stops responding to texts, and Ruby hears a third classmate has been killed, she knows in her heart what has happened. Elizabeth is dead too.
Missbrook Bay is a place haunted by memories Ruby wanted to forget, and people she never wanted to see again, but Ruby has no choice but to go back to investigate. While staying with her ex-boyfriend, she notices a pattern in their full school year photo the killer seems to be working through victims in a specific order. And after her ex’s house is broken into, Ruby realises nowhere and no one is safe.
There are still many faces left in that photo. Any one of them could be the next victim and any one of them could be the killer. And with each death, the killer is getting closer to Ruby.
Really enjoyed this book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Amazon Publishing Uk
I just reviewed Any One of Us by Martyn Ford. #AnyOneofUs #NetGalley
I found Any One of Us to be an OK read. It did not grab me as much as I expected it would from the description. It did take me a while to fully get into the story but I enjoyed the unexpected plot twist.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.
Her old schoolfriends are dead. She might be next.
When Ruby hears from her best friend Elizabeth that two of their old classmates have been murdered, Ruby is more certain than ever that leaving her hometown was the right decision. But after Elizabeth suddenly stops responding to texts, and Ruby hears a third classmate has been killed, she knows in her heart what has happened. Elizabeth is dead too.
Missbrook Bay is a place haunted by memories Ruby wanted to forget, and people she never wanted to see again, but Ruby has no choice but to go back to investigate. While staying with her ex-boyfriend, she notices a pattern in their full school year photo—the killer seems to be working through victims in a specific order. And after her ex’s house is broken into, Ruby realises nowhere and no one is safe.
There are still many faces left in that photo. Any one of them could be the next victim—and any one of them could be the killer. And with each death, the killer is getting closer to Ruby.
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.
Ruby is told by her friend Elizabeth that two of their old class mates have been murdered and when Elizabeth doesn’t reply to messages and Ruby can’t contact her she fears the worst .
Ruby now lives in Australia and is working as a criminal profiler , she left her home town to escape the memories but returns to Missbrook Bay to try and help solve the murders.
The premise of the story is a good one but I found it hard going at times , Ruby is a very complex character and not without her flaws.
The writing is excellent and very descriptive but I felt it was missing something that could have made it a great read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK .
Ruby returns to her home town to assist with a murder investigation. Some of her old class mates are being killed off one by one and Ruby has to wonder if she's next!
I liked the premise of the book, but I just felt that this one was way too long. The plot twist (the why) was a bit predictable, though I didn't quite nail down who out of the 3 suspects that I had....so that's a plus.
A lot could have been cut down or out of this book and it would have perhaps been an easier read for me.
I loved this book and read it in one sitting. I’m was so invested to know who was the actual killer and most of all, why were they killing them in the order of their school photographs.
It was a fast paced read, with intriguing characters and so many twisted scenes. Towards the end I thought that I knew where it’s going to end but I was wrong because the real killer was someone else.
I’m all about a twisted ending and this one proved how hard it is to see the big picture even if all the clues point to a specific villain.
This was my first book by the author but won’t be my last. I’m looking forward to see where is he taking me next because his writing is addictive and that good.
🆓📖Grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
This is the first book for me from Martyn Ford. I was immediately drawn in and had a hard time putting it down. There were so many twists and turns! The writing is great and the character development is spot on!
Look forward to reading more from this author!
This was a DNF for now, I may try and come back to it. I just couldn't get into it, sometimes this happens and I need to approach it at a better time.
It was an fantastic story. Plot twists and unexpected story turns...I could not put this book down.
I'm generally a fan of thrillers and mystery novels and this not fail to disappoint and that ending. It was a satisfying conclusion to a well written mystery murder story.
This is totally for fans of Katherine McManus and Pretty Little Liars.
The author did a stellar job creating an edge of the seat read.
Thank you @netgalley for providing me with a copy of this ARC
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Think pretty little liars but all grown up! This was a truly amazing thriller with a who done it mystery. Ford delivered in every way!!
Beginning in Australia Ruby, a criminal profiler finds out that some of her old classmates are dying. But when Ruby find out that the third victim was her friend Elizabeth she knows something isn’t right. Ruby goes home against her better judgement to investigate.
The author doesn’t his Ruby’s flaws and you find out she is addicted to adderall and doesn’t sleep well. This makes you question her reliability so you don’t know whether to love or hate her. This story was intriguing and I could r put it down.
Grid wrote a compelling thriller and I cannot wait to read more.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Martyn Ford and Amazon Publishing Uk for providing me with a copy in exchange for a honest review.
#anyoneofus #marytnford #NetGalley #amazonpublishinguk #arcreview #timetonovel #whodunit #prettylittleliarsvibes
3.5 stars :)
It took me a little while to get into this one, but once I was into it I flew through the pages. I was a lot more into this than I thought I would be and I actually became very invested in the mystery. I think it was well written, although dramatic at times (though I suppose this comes with the genre). The main character was likeable, despite her flaws, and I was rooting for her the entire way! However, the reason I'm only giving this a 3.5 star rating is because the ending was annoying. I hated it! The reveal of the culprit's identity was dumb and I really wish it hadn't been them. There was other more viable options that would've made a lot more sense and would've had a lot more motive, in my opinion.
This was an okey read for me. I was hoping for a more suspenseful book, but was a bit underwhelmed. Guessing the killer was very easy and the book was therefore not as good as I had hoped. I like when its a little more mysterious! All in all a good read.
I really enjoyed this one! A great whodunnit that is chockful of intrigue and a logical plot (always nice!).
The book kept me guessing and awake at night reading ”one more chapter”.
The small town vibes really shone through, as did the return home trope seen in the main character.
I could see Ruby having a series. The turmoil between her and her stepfather gave a good backstory as to why she is the way she is and how rigid she can be. I would have never guessed the ending, but it was a great proper whodunit with basically everyone in the class being capable of being a victim or the culprit. Very good book.
I always love a reunion type thriller, and while we were not at the actual reunion throughout this book, it’s a great backdrop. This had so many twists and turns, you didn’t know who done it till the very end. Any book that has me guessing is one I love. The characters were very well developed and you really felt like you knew everyone really well. It was definitely not predictable and that’s a plus for me.
I was so surprised by this book, I don’t know why but I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I flew through it and really enjoyed the suspense. I liked the plot and how it centred around old school friends being dead and fearing you are next, that really created a massive suspense and thrill before it even started. Didn’t predict the ending at all which is huge for me in a book and was just engaged the whole way through! Very good
This is a really great read and the first book I have read from Ford. It’s intriguing premise drew me in, had me hooked and I couldn’t wait to dive in!
Ford creates a super tense and suspenseful atmosphere that increases in intensity throughout. The mystery of who was behind the killings plays out well and I was kept second guessing myself as to how it was all going to unfold..Much appreciation to the author
The book description drew me in but it took me forever to read this book. I could not get into it. The writing style is overly descriptive with filler and the characters are not well developed. Ruby, the main character, is difficult to like and is portrayed as such a mess—unable to sleep, dependent on stimulants, periodic memory loss—yet she is the ONLY person that is capable of solving a series of murders in her hometown. There is a pretty good mystery there but it is hard to keep all characters straight and get to the plot under all the filler.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.
This is a really great premise, that unfortunately is suffering due to poor writing. The vibe the author seemed to be going for was similar to "One of Us is Lying", but the execution was just not high quality. I did not enjoy the writing style, had no interest in any of the characters, and the ending ultimately felt unsatisfying.
Ruby, a criminal advisor, finds out that two of her old school friends have been murdered, and she is asked to investigate. As more friends are murdered, she finds herself in a race against time to catch the killer.
Great thriller! I was hooked trying to guess the murderer, motive and next victims. An addictive read, perfect for all mystery fans, great writing!
#AnyOneOfUs #NetGalley
Awesome. 5 ⭐
When Ruby hears from her best friend Elizabeth that two of their old classmates have been murdered, Ruby is more certain than ever that leaving her hometown was the right decision. But after Elizabeth suddenly stops responding to texts, and Ruby hears a third classmate has been killed, she knows in her heart what has happened. Elizabeth is dead too. Missbrook Bay is a place haunted by memories Ruby wanted to forget, and people she never wanted to see again, but Ruby has no choice but to go back to investigate. While staying with her ex-boyfriend, she notices a pattern in their full school year photo—the killer seems to be working through victims in a specific order. And after her ex’s house is broken into, Ruby realises nowhere and no one is safe. There are still many faces left in that photo. Any one of them could be the next victim—and any one of them could be the killer. And with each death, the killer is getting closer to Ruby.
Loved it. It was a nice book with so many twists and turns.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazing Publishing UK for giving me an advance copy.
Sadly, I was not able to read this title. The book would not download. I will definitely keep this in my list of books to order and I will be happy to come back once I finish it and give an honest review !
Any One of Us is a compelling read about Ruby who needs to return to her hometown after hearing about mysterious deaths of two of her classmates. She learns about this from her friend Elizabeth who all of a sudden does not answer any of her texts or emails. Something is up and Ruby intends to find out what it is.
3.5 stars
When Ruby's classmates start dying at the hands of a mysterious serial killer shortly after a class reunion, she's assigned to return to her hometown to help profile the potential killer before he can continue his deadly streak across the Class of '99. But this killer leaves barely any evidence behind and seems to strike at random, all while keeping close tabs on Ruby herself. With these odds, Ruby begins to wonder whether she'll ever be able to figure this case out before more bodies turn up.
This book has a really great plot set-up, with a killer seeming to randomly target members of a school class, both the good and the terrible (wait til you hear about Scott and his little set-up). So from the beginning, there's a lot going on with the plot and there's plenty of potential leads for Ruby to follow, but most begin to fizzle out as the investigation goes on. Which leads to classic "what the heck is going on here?!" conundrum. And when we find out, it's quite a reveal, with plenty of twists and switches going around.
Plus, Ruby is dealing with some personal issues related to her health and mental wellbeing that are making her doubt her own abilities as she is dealing with this heavy case. Imagine dealing with such a personal case while not being able to trust your own judgement. It doesn't really work out too well for her, to say the least.
But I think the plot dragged on a little too long. there were some sub plots that got a little too much attention that went nowhere and could have been cut down, like said one with Scott. I don't want to give away anything, but I think a lot was left unresolved there and a lot could have just been cut without harming the plot. Same with some other side plots that made the book just a little too long and over-detailed.
But overall, I didn't dislike the book or anything. It had a good mystery and I liked Ruby as a protagonist. I would recommend the book, with caveats.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
For me this one took me a while to really get into.
The description sounded more interesting than the book actually was for me.
It was a decent book but just did not wow me like I expected.
At first I had difficulty with the writing style, but soon settled into an easy groove. The protagonist, Ruby, obviously has problems; insomnia and hooked onAdderall are two indicators But that doesn't stop her from leaving Australia to travel back home to England to try to solve the case of a serial killer targeting her childhood school mates and facing her demons.
Those demons are very well described, it's a very realistic read which made me feel very sorry for her.
I had no idea who the perpetrator was, nor her reasons and they were quite a surprise.
All in all I thought this a terrific read, Giving it four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Great cover on this one!
I really liked this book. It took me a bit to get into it because the writing style is very short sentences, very matter of fact, choppy. However, the plot soon had me hooked and I got used to the writing style. There were plenty of twists and turns. The characters themselves were well developed and intriguing. I particularly liked that Ruby was an unreliable narrator, it made it more difficult to guess who was killing the people off. My only small complaint is that there are some things that are never really explained or wrapped up (Scott's issues, the gun in the trunk, Ruby's mental health). Other than that, this was a really solid read that I finished within a day. 👍🏻👍🏻
**ARC Via NetGalley**
had high hopes for this book. I loved the premise. The protagonist is Ruby, a criminal profiler working in Australia who is is called back to her home town in England to assist in a murder investigation in which her high school classmates are being killed one by one. From the beginning, I could not find Ruby to be a character I could like or become invested in. She seemed too cold, unemotional, and tedious. These characteristics in someone who works in law enforcement can actually add to a story, but to me all they did was weight the story down. As the story progressed, it seemed that Ruby is obviously a very troubled person who doesn’t seem suited to a job as a criminal profiler. Unfortunately, none of the other characters were people I could get invested in either. Because the premise so interested me, I kept on reading. I will say that there were lots of twists and turns which kept me going, but ultimately it was the writing style that did me in. The chapters were too long and I’m sorry to say that I can only describe the writing style as generally plodding. I did manage to finish the book, but was left with a strong feeling of disappointment. The author had a great idea for the storyline and carried it through to the point that I kept guessing at the identity of the killer until the end. This could have been a great book. Sadly, due to the characters and writing style, I can only give it only three stars.
Thank you so much to #netgalley and the publisher for the arc!
I needed a good thriller just to sink my teeth into and this one was perfect.
THe characters were well written and kept my interest and I actually was able to grow attached to some of them.
This story was just enough to keep me invested without going over the top.
Thank you!!
I sadly did not like this book as much as I expected I would. It was really hard going in its style and content. I feel I have read similar storylines with much more engaging writing. The chapters felt very long and i believe because of that the pacing was very slow. It wasn't especially detailed, however sentences were very long and this overall made it a difficult read. I didn't manage to get to the end of this book, I gave up at 45%. This author is not for me, sorry.
Ruby is in Australia when an old school friend calls to advise 2 mutual friends from their school year have been murdered in their small hometown. Ruby, who works for NCA, is called back to Missbrook to help investigate the crimes and turns out there are more victims by the time Ruby arrives. Ruby needs to think back to a high school incident that links all the victims and find the killer before they strike again.
An interesting plot which links cleverly the past and the present. Ruby is a likeable character who doesn’t suffer fools gladly.