I'm of two minds on this book.

You see, I loved the first part of the book. Oh, I read it at a feverish pace, feeling absolutely sick for our characters and completely loathing one in particular. Had the book stayed with these characters in this time (and this point of view), I likely would be giving this five stars right now.

But I hated, part two. In it, we completely change our focus and characters seem to flip personalities. It makes sense and I could see what the author was doing and why, but it wasn't enjoyable at all. I got the impression that the author was trying to give the reader an ethical quandary - and it is very unsettling as you start to worry about characters you once hated - and hate characters you once worried about. You also have a more personal quandary as you question the difference between revenge and punishment.

The problem is that it became like a different book. The pacing was different and I went from worrying about some characters to hating the lot of them.

As for the ending? It was find, but by then I was simply unhappy.

I appreciate what the author tried to do, but for me it was not a success.

I could not get into this book. Things were described that did not need to be. A bit drawn out and not thrilling enough for me.

Guilty

Well I do love a good psychological thriller that delivers what it promises in the description and this one certainly delivers. I've read all of Laura Elliott's books and I think this one is the best to date!

It begins with Karl Lawson's niece Constance disappearing, enter Amanda Bowes the journalist who digs her claws into Karl causing a media frenzy implying that he is the main suspect in his nieces disappearance. Karl ends up with his life in complete ruins, his career is over, his marriage is over and his brother wants nothing to do with him. Karl ends up completely down and out with nobody to turn to while Amanda Bowes has everything she ever wanted, a step up the career ladder and a family of her own, life couldn't get any better for her until that fateful day when she receives a phone call.

The twists and turns keep on coming in this excellent book that kept me gripped until the last page. If you are looking for a good psychological thriller this is the one.

4.5*
On a warm summer’s morning, thirteen-year-old school girl Constance Lawson is reported missing.

A few days later, Constance’s uncle, Karl Lawson suddenly finds himself swept up in a media frenzy created by journalist Amanda Bowe implying that he is the prime suspect.

Journalist Amanda Bowe decided from the start that Karl is guilty and would make a sensational story, which it did, so much so that it destroyed Karl’s life. Karl lost his family, his job and his house.

I loved the characters of Karl Lawson and Ben Carroll and absolutely loathed Amanda Bowe and would have liked to see her suffer a bit more.

Revenge is sweet.

I really enjoyed Guilty and can highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing a copy of this book and this is my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I found it very satisfying. I particularly liked the structure. The Prologue sets the scene, but often I forget that bit of the book as I get drawn into the plot and it is only on reflection that I think ‘of course’. Following this the book is divided into four parts.

The first part introduces us to the Lawsons – Karl, a music journalist with a wife (a nurse) and a daughter; his brother and his wife and children – one of which is Constance Lawson, a 13 year old girl. One night Constance argues with her parents who forbid her to attend a concert with Karl as they feel it is unsuitable for her age and as is her wont she goes to visit Karl and disappears. From this point Karl becomes under suspicion and malicious rumour and innuendo led by Amanda, a tabloid journalist of the worse kind.

The second part concentrates on Amanda, her background and her motivation.

The third part leaps forward and we find Amanda married and expecting a baby wealthy and successful.

The final part reveals all the twists and turns of the plot.

The characters are for the most part well-drawn. I do have some slight reservations about the Plinks and in particular Super Plink but if you can accept the Pied Piper analogy then…

This is a superb thriller and for me, one of the leading characters are the media and social media and the power they have to influence our lives.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Psychological thrillers are one of my favourite genres but for some reason I just couldn't gel with this book. It's written in four parts but I felt perhaps the first part where Constance is missing should have been the main focus of the book. I also found it quite slow paced. Sorry but this book wasn't for me.

I have been so excited to read Guilty, the upcoming novel from talented author Laura Elliot. The novel is divided into four parts at different points in the characters’ lives. The primary focus of each part is Karl Lawson, uncle of Connie Lawson that goes missing and/or Amanda Bowe, tabloid reporter. I don’t want to give spoilers so I’m trying to word this carefully, but Karl’s wonderful life is basically ruined after his niece’s disappearance, mainly due to Amanda Bowe’s accusatory journalism and the way in which she targeted Karl during the investigation. As the novel progresses we see Karl’s life unravel, Amanda’s life get better and better, Karl’s life get better, and Amanda’s life unravel.

My challenge in writing this review is that the first part was wonderful, the second part was o.k., but then things were odd in parts three and four. There were wonderfully suspenseful moments in parts three and four, but it was nothing compared to the first two parts.

Although I didn’t like the character of Amanda in the least, the author developed her perfectly, creating a fabulous villain as the nosy, pushy reporter. Karma is very unkind to Amanda, although I felt her later suffering was deserved.

I liked Karl from the beginning, despite some poor judgement on his part. However, as the novel progresses he just gets too weird. I was unable to identify with him at all as the anger and resentment took over his life, and he also became flat-out strange, in my opinion. Where he seemed a well-developed complex character in parts one and two, his character was flat for the remainder of the novel. I did sympathize with him for several reasons, however, and found it unfortunate that when things started getting better, he was still so focused on revenge.

Guilty addresses several important themes involving trust, faith in people, and how easily society is influenced by the media. Regardless of how unbelievable or awful, the author demonstrated how quickly seeds can be planted in the mind and how it can spread like wildfire. Remorse, or lack thereof, is also addressed repeatedly throughout the novel, which made me want to ask Amanda’s character several times, “karma sucks doesn’t it?”

Overall I enjoyed this novel, but the disconnect and odd shifts throughout the parts of this novel made it difficult for me to love it. It began with suspenseful momentum, but spiralled downward after that.

*thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to preface this review by saying that this one didn't grab me right away as many psychological thrillers do.  I wasn't sure how I felt about it at the beginning.  In fact, I almost gave up on it.  I'm glad I didn't.

Constance is missing.  When the thirteen-year-old suddenly disappears, all efforts are put into finding her.  Her much loved uncle Karl soon finds himself the focus of the investigation.  Through a series of circumstantial pieces of evidence along with a determined journalist, he quickly becomes suspect number one.  

Fast forward six years...

And I'm stopping here.  If you read the blurbs on various book-related sites, you'll find more details leading up to this point.  But I'm not going to give them to you.  Part of the pleasure of this story was the discovery, the itchy inkling feeling I had as I got deeper and deeper into the story.  And I'd like for you to have that same experience.  So go forth and enjoy!

A five stars book - kept me hooked from the very first page to the last. Grippy and twisty, BRILLIANT!

i've read a few books recently that haven't lived up to expectation however this is not one of them. i was totally absorbed from the first few pages and couldn't it it down staying up late to finish it.

a teenager called constance lawson disappears after an argument with her parents. a local journalist elects to hound her uncle and imply in her articles that he is involved in constance's disappearance and ultimate demise. karl lawson serves time in prison for a crime he hasn't committed and as a result loses everything leaving him nothing on his release from prison. he vows revenge will be his.

the story is well written and moves quickly. the act of revenge is brilliantly executed. this is definitely an author i would read again. many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A hypnotic psychological thriller culminating in the perfect ending for a revenge driven storyline. When you first begin this book by Elliot it seems to be the very definition of page turner as you are quickly pulled into the fast pace of this multi-part story.

Most of this book is very good with powerful characters and the kind of plot all mystery fans would die for. It grips you tight in the prologue then keeps peeling back layers of tension as you dive deeper into this dark tale of a young girl who has gone missing and the questions surrounding what involvement, if any, does a family member have in her disappearance. You also get the viewpoint of the journalist who is in a frantic pursuit of the truth regardless of who has to get mowed down to get there. Seeing the incredible influence the media has on how a investigation might go or who the public thinks is guilty even without proof is staggering. No longer do we practice innocent until proven guilty, now you’re tried by the media with no chance to testify on your own behalf. We also see the damage that gets left in the wake of pursuing a story at all costs with no thought of the repercussions to destroying lives for ratings.

As I said, MOST of the book is very good, where the tone changes is in the latter half. It seems like the author expended all the energy up front to get you in the door but then wore out with the back off as it becomes more tedious than tense. I found myself skipping pages ahead just to move the story along and not feeling like I missed much in between. The last 1/4 or so picks back up again so I felt this was a good use of my time.

I would recommend reading it just so you can really think about the power the media has in our everyday lives to the point we don’t question anymore what we hear from the journalists – even when they could be wrong.

Laura Elliot is a very loved author from what I can tell. She has published several other books, but this was my first experience with her books. To be honest, I am completely torn about this one!

I originally requested this because 1- its by Bookouture and I request pretty much everything they publish and 2- the cover is freaking gorgeous! I love how the balloon stands out. That being said I went into this book with no expectation other than bookouture publishes some awesome thrillers!

So this book is basically about a 13 year old girl named Constance that mysteriously goes missing one night and the fall out from all of that. Everyone looks to place the blame on someone else, family turns again family, lovers turn against lovers, and lives are ruined. 

Sounds like a drama filled thriller right? Well that's what about half of it was. The other half was kind of like but why? I was completely entranced with the first half of the book. Literally parts one and two were SO FREAKING GOOD! So I had high expectations for the rest of the book. But it kind of took a turn that I wasn't expecting nor could I really see the relevance of it. 

If you look at my reading progress from Goodreads, which I have inserted below, you can see my frustration with the latter part of the book. If I'm being honest, I'm still reasoning through it as I write this review.

If I were giving a rating for Parts One and Two of the book it would for sure be 5 stars! But the second half of the book just drug the rating down for me. I was really disappointed with it. I think it had a ton of potential to do more with the story.

I will say that Part Three was the worst part of the book and Part Four did pick up a fair amount. Not enough to redeem the book however. It really took me a while to figure out what the purpose of the second half of the book was, but it was the most epic revenge/karma story. It just wasn't executed to it's highest potential, in my opinion.

I did really enjoy the story, my heart really broke for Karl, Constance's uncle. His life was ripped to shreds and unnecessarily so. Every last thing in his life was taken from him to the point he ended up homeless. In some ways I feel like his downfall was a little exaggerated, but I see why it needed to be done. 

The reporter that was responsible for Karl's ruin definitely got what was coming to her. This chick was a walking cliche and I really disliked her character throughout the whole story. I never felt bad for her one time and I probably should have since she experiences a nightmare that no one would wish on anyone (See me trying to avoid spoilers here?). But I just found myself thinking "see there, that's what you get!"

After writing this review, I guess I did enjoy this book a little more than I originally felt. The last part of the book just seemed to drag on. I wasn't expecting a revenge story is what it boils down to I suppose. I wanted it to elaborate on the missing child aspect and it kind of flew through that. But overall it was a decent read!

Karma...what goes around comes around. Sometimes karma needs a little help.

Guilty 's eye catching cover, blurb and the fact that I have several books by this author on my shelf, had me eager to get my hands on this one, so I considered myself lucky when my request was approved to review this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

However, I soon discovered that although it had great potential, it did not always live up to it, resulting in my 3 star rating.

On the bright side:

*I enjoyed the beautiful writing and the many themes introduced throughout the book. Themes of ambition at any cost, power of the media, injustice,
and revenge that's best served cold. They gave me food for thought throughout , especially as I pondered over the media's ability to twist the truth, to so easily and completely destroy every aspect of a person's life, leaving a person with a lifetime of scars that are not always seen with the naked eye.

*One can tell the author gave a lot of thought as to how Karl turned his life back around, especially with his children's books and the introduction of the Plinks characters. I felt this concept to be very creative. I can easily see the Plinks becoming very popular with young children if they were brought out in the real world.

*I also thought the concept of double identity was very clever in order to pull the wool over the world's eyes.

On the other hand:

*The biggest issue I had is that I found the characters to be impersonal through most of the book. The characters find themselves knee deep in a highly emotional situation, yet it seemed they were going through the motions without the much needed emotion. The characters therefore came across as detached, making it rather difficult to connect and relate to them and to the book as a whole.

*I also found myself surprised that Constance's murder mystery was already solved as I reached the 35% mark of the book. This left the reader with not much of a mystery throughout the remainder of the story, as the author chose to keep the reader in the loop about what follows. In my opinion, it would make for better reading if the reader was left in doubt as to whom was behind the actions of revenge, but as this information is made known to the reader, the book was rather predictable, yet a satisfying read nonetheless. All loose ends were tied up which I'm happy about as that is a pet peeve of mine.

*I would also find myself slightly confused when the transition of time was sometimes distorted and not always smooth.

*The two midsections of the book also dragged on for me somewhat.


Although I had some issues with this novel , this book was clever and entertaining none the less.

My thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

I have read a few of this author's previous books and enjoyed them. As a fan of psychological thrillers I was looking forward to reading this, and it didn't disappoint. However I'm not totally sure about the thriller part of it as it came across as something else to me.

The initial part of the story involves a missing girl, Constance, and the hunt to find her. During the investigation journalist Amanda Bowe becomes increasingly involved in finding out what happened to the young girl. She starts to form her own opinions as to what happened and, in doing so, helps to destroy a mans life. The way the press stories are written shows just how intrusive they can be, and that is so true even now in real life. I have watched news programmes a lot in recent weeks, and it pains me when journalists on live television are pushing witnesses to some horrific scenes far more than they should, all to get a good story. This book is so relevant right now due to what has occurred recently.

The main thing I got from this book is just how far journalists will go in order to do their jobs, and the consequences those caught up in the news stories have to suffer as a result. I actually enjoyed the latter part of the story a lot more as, if I'm being honest, I actually felt far more empathy toward the main male character rather than the journalist.

This is written well, it kept me gripped throughout, and is a good story for fans of psychological stuff. Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Thirteen year old Constance sneaks out of her house one evening on a dare. She's argued with her parents and is feeling reckless. When her parents wake in the morning she hasn't returned. A frantic search begins. Her uncle Karl Lawson finds himself under media scrutiny due to his close relationship with his niece. Ambitious journalist Amanda Bowe fixates her attention on him implying he is behind Contances disappearance.
six year later Karl's life is in ruins. He's lost his family, home and job. Amanda however is leading a charmed life, she has a son, rich hubby and successful TV career. But then one day she gets the call every parent dreads.

The first part of this book is compulsive reading. As Karl's life falls apart you can feel the tension building. But that comes to a rather abrupt. As the book covers the six years between Contances disappearance and Amanda's subsequent drama it loses its way a bit. I think the problem is almost this is a talented of two halves with a pretty unnecessary midsection squeezed in. Take that out and this would be a far better book. The other issue is it's a rather emotionless story considering the subject matter. As a mom myself I tend to read stories like this with a tear in my eye and hand clutching my chest (seriously - I get some strange looks). But that connection wasn't there.
But - and its a good but (because we all like big buts - nope you cannot lie) I will read this author again. Because despite not really loving this story I do like her writing. It's well structured and enjoyable to read.

So in all what could have been a great book is merely just quite good. A wee bit disappointing but promising nonetheless.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very well written book. I enjoyed the plot very well and it pl;ayed out fabulously. I couldnt put iot down. this book draws you in and your hooked. great read

3.5 stars rounded up. I have mixed feelings on this one. This book is basically told in four parts. The first part starts off with a missing teenager named Constance. This part started strong and was engaging. In Guilty, the answer and conclusion of missing Constance is revealed in parts one and two. What was the rest of the book going to be about? I am used to reading books that unveil secrets and suspense along the way with the conclusion at the end with some twists. This book didn't do that and I have to be honest, that left me a little disappointed. Part 3 and 4 deal with Amanda, the journalist that covered the case of missing Constance and Karl, the uncle that was put though the mud by Amanda accusing him of foul play on his niece. The rest of the book deals with the aftermath of how being accused of something can ultimately ruin and destroy everything you know and love. If Constance had been the sole focus of the book, I would have enjoyed this book much more. Maybe it is just me as I see others loving this book, so don't let me deter you. I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of this book.

Groundless accusations, lives shattered and revenge served cold. How easily one simple error can shatter lives, change them forever and send your life and the lives of others on paths which could never be foreseen. This is the first of Laura Elliot's books that I have read and I enjoyed it immensely. Without the usual 'reveal' of so many thrillers and the reader involved in the choices and reasons throughout, this was a well written and compelling read.

Fair warning, the official synopsis is FILLED with spoilers...

Karl Lawson, 32, is the editor of the famous music magazine Hitch, he has a four year old daughter and a wife he adores when his 13 year old niece disappears. They were very close and she even confided in him about the secret group she was in but made him promise not to tell anyone.
Enters Amanda Bowe. She’s a journalist for a tabloid and was rejected by Karl when she went to interview for a position at Hitch years before. She focuses her investigation on him which ends up giving doubts to the police but also to Karl’s family.

This was deeply unsettling but in the best way?
What most disturbed me is that I couldn’t figure out if Karl a reliable narrator or not and so if I was right to root for him…
The other thing was that I could not stand Amanda. I seriously hate her with the strength of a thousand suns. Her point of view was pure torture, yet still captivating.

There are three points of views in this book. Karl’s in Part One, Karl’s and Angela’s in Part Two and Three and in Part Four, Karl’s, Angela’s and another I can’t name because spoiler.
The repartition between the points of views was, in my opinion, perfect.

The characters were deep and layered, even if I couldn’t stand Angela, I could have tried to relate with some parts of her. The many secondary characters were all connected all throughout the four parts and that was really cool to figure out.

In Part Four, we can see a character being deeply sexist and she is being called out by another one and that was great. However, there were many times where I could see sexism and it wasn’t shamed or anything. For example, throughout the book there are several moments where wives are expected to feed the men and children while the men do nothing and just put their feet under the table when the women call out. That’s not ok with me and it bothered me but most times the characters called out the sexism.

Finally, I’ve seen this book being called a psychological thriller everywhere and though I definitely agree with the psychological part, I’m not sure I agree with the thriller one… I mean the missing teenage girl thing is resolved fairly quickly and we then see mostly how it affected the main characters’ lives….

Anywaaaay… All in all, I would definitely recommend this book and I’m gonna go check out other books by this author.

Oh my goodness what a ride! This book is really exciting and I loved every page!!