The Fear by C L Taylor

The Fear by C.L. Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 hours

Pages - 400

Publisher - Avon

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

‘Grabs you by the metaphorical throat right from the start and doesn’t let up until the end.’ Heat

When Lou Wandsworth ran away to France with her teacher Mike Hughes, she thought he was the love of her life. But Mike wasn’t what he seemed and he left her life in pieces.

Now 32, Lou discovers that he is involved with teenager Chloe Meadows. Determined to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself, she returns home to confront him for the damage he’s caused.

But Mike is a predator of the worst kind, and as Lou tries to bring him to justice, it’s clear that she could once again become his prey…

The million copy Sunday Times bestseller returns with a taut, compelling psychological thriller that will have you glued to the edge of your seat.



My Review

Imagine being in love with an older man, thinking he loves you, only to realise you had been groomed and abused. That is what happened to Lou as a child, now 32 and still living with the effects from everything she survived Lou finds herself confronting her past. Upon returning home Lou finds out Mike is still up to his predatory ways and Lou won’t allow him to get away with it any longer.

Oooh I wasn’t too sure where this book was going to go, so much kicks off quickly you are left guessing what will happen next. Four main characters, three real view points coming from Lou, Wendy and Chloe. Chloe is Mike’s latest interest, Wendy we aren’t too sure who she is or what her part will be and Lou you know from the outset. We learn about Mike from their outlook and what is transpiring when it is their chapters, clearly marked as you head into each chapter.

I sank this story in six hours, I would have got through it quicker had I not had to stop for wee tasks throughout the day. Taylor carves out characters that, whether you like them or not, you are drawn to what happens next in their stories. Whilst the book covers paedophilia there aren’t any scenes that are heavily graphic although enough to make you uncomfortable, especially the glimpses of manipulation and control used. It does a fantastic job of hooking the reader, dark, suspense but also a look at the emotive side from the victims. It shows the reader how something like that in childhood can have lasting effects as an adult and impact on so many aspects of the persons lives. I have read all of Taylor’s books I think she just goes from strength to strength, an absolute page turner 4.5 stars out of 5 for me this time. Thanks to Netgalley for sending me a copy, if you enjoy intrigue and a book that keeps you on your toes then this is absolutely for you!

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ARC - Bad Blood by Mark Sennen

Bad Blood by Mark Sennen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days

Publisher - Avon

Blurb from Goodreads

‘We’re going to find them, sort them, pay them back …’

When the body of a six-year-old girl is found buried beneath a patio, nobody is surprised when a local paedophile is murdered shortly afterwards. But when a member of DI Charlotte Savage’s team is abducted and several men are executed in cold blood it becomes apparent that there’s a psychopath on the loose with no mercy for his victims…

It becomes clear that the killer isn’t selecting his victims at random and soon Savage is in a race against time to stop him. But what if this man has a message for Charlotte herself? One she won’t forget in a hurry. It’s payback time. Deadly payback time.

Part thriller, part police procedural, a must-read for fans of Mark Billingham and Chris Carter.


My Review

This is the second in a series, I was given an ARC copy from the publisher so this is my first encounter with this author. I think, personally I would recommend you go and get the first book in the series instead of starting with this one as I believe it will make the story more enjoyable. The story opens with the prologue, we meet the mastermind bad guy, Ricky Budgeon and a very brief look into his views on what has happened prior and brings him to the actions that follow. A bit vague? I thought so too and the theme follows throughout the story but it does all come together and information is released in snippets.

We move on to Savage, who turns out to be DI Charlotte Savage, at home with her family when she gets a reminder from a colleague about the PSD (Public Standards Department) inquiry meeting regarding her actions in a previous case. I believe this is also something that happened in the last book although I am not 100% sure. We then go to another scene where a body is discovered and DI Savage is called in, our story really starts here. Soon a child’s body is discovered, linked to an old residence of a paedophile and soon a paedophile is found murdered.
Shortly after that a member of DI Savages team goes missing, bodies are turning up murdered in vicious and horrific crime scenes and Savage and her team are running out of time to solve the mystery and save their colleague.


Exhausted reading all that? It is quite a lot to take in and to be honest, had I read the first book and had a feel for some of the characters it would probably have been a lot easier to get into. As it was I felt there was a lot of characters to try and get to know, a few different stories lines going on and I had to re read bits to try and establish what was going on.
There is a lot happening and plenty to keep you interested and intrigued as to what is going to happen and who is linked to whom but I would suggest reading it in big chunks or in one go if you can. Reading this over a few days can be a bit hard going as it is such a busy story.
It is quite violent and gorey, there is a lot of swearing and quite a few terms that are racist so be warned it may offend quite a few readers. DI Savage I found to be hard to like, she has been through a lot which may attribute to her attitude and almost total disregard for her professional standards and behaviour. She seemed like a loose cannon at times rather than a level headed leader of a police team and lead investigator in a high profile case. As I said I think maybe going back and reading the first book would give a bit of clarity and help with the enjoyment and understanding of this book.


All your ends are eventually tied up, most things are linked and explained although at the end of this book a character throws a curve ball that will pull followers from the first story to get the third book. I have only read book two however I want clarification and closure on this particular issue from the stories, a rather clever ploy from the author, always leave them wanting more. A rather mixed bag for me, it annoyed me on so many levels but got me there in the end and had enough intrigue to keep me going to the end so 3/5 for me this time. Thanks to Avon Books for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review and for introducing me to this author whom I will read again. This book is available to buy from all good retailers from the 26th of September 2013, in paperback format and for the kindle.

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