A slow burn. The beginning of the book was slow paced. I liked the writing style. The short chapters increased the suspense. The characters are relatable. A dark atmospheric book.

Really enjoyed this - will definitely be recommending and looking forward to the next one by this author!

As a voracious reader, I often get books from Netgalley which means that they have no covers on my Kindle and when I click on them, I am going in blind as I can't recall why I requested the books some of the time in the first place. This one was one of those, that ended up a thrilling ride. We first meet the Truman family with Ed, his wife, and his teen kids. Ed is a lawyer and is in the process of bringing down a website, this has made his family a target of an incel group called Men Together. When his daughter disappears, his wife tells him to drop the suit, the thing though that the last thing Ally said to her dad Ed was for him to promise not to drop the suit. Ed and his daughter are close, but his son is not so much. When Ally doesn't come home, Ed is convinced something bad has happened to her whereas his wife is not too fussed, she is also trying to convince Ed to drop the suit. I have to admit, I hated his wife during this book. Ed, on the other hand, we can see is a dad who cares for his daughter and will do anything to get her back. So when he meets Phoenix, a young girl who knows his daughter - the pair of them will go on the run to save Ally and in the process bring down some bad guys as Phoenix has the evidence they need and the bad guys are currently holding Ally hostage. I enjoyed this thriller as the author had written a strong father/daughter relationship between Ed and Ally, he even became a surrogate father when he was on the run with Phoenix as you could see he genuinely cared. Can Ed save his daughter before it's too late and he and Phoenix are framed with murder and an onslaught of other charges? Find out in Dan Malakin's thriller "The Box". The Box also contains a trigger warning as Conversion therapy and extreme ways including torture are talked about graphically in the book.

Having really enjoyed reading The Regret by Dan Malakin I was intrigued by the blub for The Box and quickly added it to my TBR pile and I am glad that I did as it turned out to be one of those books that grabbed my attention and I devoured in two days. The opening chapter left me both excited and confused but I knew that had to find out exactly what the connection was to the rest of the story.
Ed Truman is certainly put through the wringer, his daughter Ally has gone missing, and he is being targeted at home and at work with slurs against his name after he managed to get a website for Men Together taken down. With his DNA being found on the body of a murdered girl he has no choice but to go on the run and you just know that he is not equipped physically or emotionally for what that actually entails, although that’s not to say that he didn’t surprise me (and at times himself) along the way. Thankfully for Ed there are a few strong characters that help him along the way and he is going to need them.
I liked Ally’s friend Phoenix, she is street smart and wants to find her friend as much as Ed wants to find his daughter. She clearly knows more about what has happened but she has a natural distrust of adults and when the reason is revealed you can understand why. The DCI in charge of the case was a harder one to work out as she seemed to be torn between following the rules or her gut instincts even when they put her at odds with her boss and her new DS but she doesn’t back down from a fight even when she is not sure who she can trust.
The events happen fast and are at times in your face leaving you horrified at what is happening, but it is the nature of the subject that partially draws you in and what you learn will at times break your heart but is all too believable. In a world where so much is online it shows how quickly things can be manipulated and have the potential to destroy someone. As for the Box itself well its purpose had me wanting to throw the book across the room but sometimes a book that will challenge you and be a little uncomfortable to read is not a bad thing and I would recommend picking this up

A brilliant book full of well realised characters, turns, and high octane thrills. Following Ed as he tries to find his daughter and clear his name the alternating perspectives help to ratchet up the tension.

This story covers some very heavy topics so trigger warnings are a must.

I couldn't put this one down and will definitely read more from this author.

There is so much in this book - gritty thriller, crime, social commentary, politics, LBGTQ+, horror, suspense and a bit of down-to-earth comedic moments.

How far would you go to save your child?

The pace, characterisation and settings for this book are superb. The cover is awesome. The ending... you decide. Put in on your "to be read" pile.

With thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Viperbooks for giving me the opportunity to review this book. It is about Ed Truman and how his daughter goes missing and he is looking for her. She had been targeted by an organisation called Men Together and therefore suspects them of taking her. He goes on the run with his daughters friend in a bid to find his missing daughter.

This book was an enjoyable edge of your seat read. It was my first book by Dan Malakin and I will be checking out his other novel for sure. It was archived before I got a chance to finish it so I then purchased it on audio, and the narrator was easy to follow.

This felt like it could easily be the start of series & I would be HERE for it - I don’t tend to gravitate towards action thrillers but this was just plain fun!

This was giving major cosy mystery vibes - the main character is hilariously dad-esque in his approach to fighting crime - but in terms of themes, it’s pretty hard hitting (great LGBTQ+ rep) & there are some intense, graphic moments that keep everything from feeling too low stakes.

I really enjoy a split perspective story that involves the point of view of the investigating detective. DCI Rose was such a complex, flawed & interesting character & I’d definitely read more from her perspective (I’m telling ya, this could be a series!)

I knocked my rating down slightly because it was little too much action for me & I personally prefer more of a character driven narrative. I also found that our main bad buy felt a bit disjointed in his motives & he did occasionally veer into villainous caricature territory.

If you love high energy, plot focused, cat & mouse thrillers - this is one for you.

Hmm, what can I say about this? The first few pages sucked me in, but after that it didn't really make me want to keep reading and several times this nearly ended up in my dnf pile. I even started another book part way through as I couldn't face reading this. The last few chapters pulled it back but not enough to make me want to read another by this author. Sorry, this one was not for me.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher & Dan for the ARC.

A fast paced thriller, unable to put it down until it was read. Expertly crafted & the intricate plots weave throughout leading to the thrilling end. Will absolutely seek out more books by Dan.

Excellent read from Dan Malakin. Ed’s life is falling apart after an incident with his daughter falling foul of a incel group Men Together. He quickly finds that things go from bad to worse with his daughter Ally disappearing. Suspecting that Men Together have kidnapped her, Ed takes matters in to his own hands. He doesn’t know where to start - luckily an encounter with Ally’s friend Phoenix helps. A great book.

I couldn’t really get in to this book, I might re visit at some point but I read the first few chapters and it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Viper Books/Serpants Tail and Dan Malakin for this advanced copy!

What a wild read this was! The Box is a twisting, crime thriller that will have you in the edge of your seat, gripped on every word! Malakin's writing of murder, right-wing extremists, incels and blackmail makes a story that is truly addictive and hard to put down. Multiple POVs are always a favourite feature of mine, there's just something about them thay create an air of suspense! When following Ed, Jackie, Phoenix and the other characters, you're left wondering what's the next twist, and which player's life is about to be upended.

I have to say I honestly found the insight into incel groups scary. The entire process that's discussed in this book is mad and you just know that it's based in truth. The grooming, cyber bullying, speeches and YouTube videos. It's a terrifying reality. How one group can control and unravel so many peoples lives, just like in The Box. The last few chapters of this book really made it for me. It is so intense and there are some revelations which I did not expect at all! A few little jaw drop moments!

If you're looking for a quick read that will have you hooked, The Box is for you!

*Please research any trigger warnings before reading *

The Box is the first book by Dan which I read, and I definitely want to catch-up on The Regret and Smiling Exercises!

The book flows, the writing is really good. The story is quite terrifying as I believe it could be happening somewhere in the world. I wouldn't be surprised at all, maybe even in America where all different kind of extremes happen (and are tolerated for whatever reason, often encouraged by the right-wing politicians).

Ed Truman is a lawyer, he wanted to help his daughter Ally who was targeted by the alt-right incel organisation Men Together. After his actions to take down the website which shared Ally's personal information, bad things starts happening. His daughter disappears on a supposed weekend away with friends, he's been accused of a sexual assault and potentially a murder! He's on a run with the only person who might know something... Phoenix - Ally's friend.

This fast-paced thriller is full of action, and a warning. I believe we need to be more conscious about the alt-right organisations brainwashing people and gaining more and more power. The clock is ticking, Ally is still missing, and the police is on Ed's trail...

I loved the different timelines of the book, the structure. It was a great read, chapters are written from the different people's perspectives and there's an underlying story of a detective which I found really interesting.

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending of the story, nevertheless I loved the book!

PS. What a brilliant cover!

Excellent. That’s my first thought when I finished this read. It totally gripped me from start to finish.

It’s one of them books where I was very reluctant to put down and found myself on more than one occasion saying to myself ‘just one more chapter’.

The prologue- crikey what a start to a story.

This is another fantastic read by this author. I am already looking forward to what he writes next.

A brilliantly tense, sometimes pretty horrifying, read! Loved the way the plot built and I thought the characters were really well fleshed out. Certainly a story that drags you in and keeps you turning the pages with some hard-hitting, socially relevant topics and a great level of suspense. Really enjoyed the detective - Jackie Rose - flawed yet remarkable!

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I thought this story was quite a confusing read. There is good tension and timing but many of the characters were dull especially Ed and Gabriella. The police officer DCI Rose on the other hand was great and could be excellent in a less muddled tale

Well that was a bit of a tense start! i loved it and was immediately engrossed.

The tension remained throughout and I had so many theories going on at various points!

I loved the different timelines and how this linked with the characters.

A must read

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It was a really different story covering some difficult themes, well written and I would recommend this book.