Early adolescence is a strange time. Boys are starting to be interested in girls. Some have shot up while others still appear to be children. Girls are starting to grow into their beauty and flexing their attraction muscles. All are unsure of themselves, how they fit into the world and how to make their way forward. This was the case with the three main characters in Christopher Yate's novel, Grist Mill Road.

Patrick is the kid everyone knows; his father a popular figure around town who is going places. He is still small and unsure where he fits in. Hannah is the girl everyone wants to be. She is acknowledged as the prettiest girl in the class but there is still an innocence there as she starts to want to explore love. Her family is the richest in town. Matthew is the class bad boy. A year older than the rest and much bigger, his father is the town drunk who beats up his family to keep them in some imaginary line. He and Patrick become friends when Matthew moves from New York City to tiny Grist Mill Road. A year later, he and Hannah notice each other and sparks start to fly. The three decide to hang out one afternoon. At the end of it, a senseless crime has occurred that will mark the three for life and send them all in different directions.

Christopher Yates's first novel, Black Chalk, hit the mystery genre like a bomb. This novel has the same ingredients; an intricate plot that twists and turns into areas the reader doesn't anticipate; compelling characters that work their way into the reader's brain, and a mystery that shocks as it is revealed. This novel is also unlike the first which is the bane of second novels and can easily stand on its own, not depend on the first novel. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

3.5 stars.

This story revolves around Patrick, Matthew and Hannah. Twenty-six years ago, as high school classmates, they were part of a gruesome crime that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Two decades after the brutal incident, the three are reunited when pieces of the unexplained crime start to come together. They begin to find answers to questions that have long burned in their minds.

The opening scene in this novel is highly disturbing. It grabbed my attention in an unsettling way, creating a curiosity that kept me flipping the pages to piece together this confusing puzzle. The author, Christopher J. Yates, does a great job building suspense, slowly revealing the story through different perspectives.
While I enjoyed the way the story unfolded through a Now and Then timeframe with multiple perspectives, I found that there was a lot of unnecessary detail throughout. Sections had endless talk about food, recipes, ingredients and cooking which was highly distracting and took away from the story for me. The lack of quotation marks was also an unpleasant distraction.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, dark and twisty mystery that had interesting characters and unique relationship dynamics.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Picador and Christopher J. Yates for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Grist Mill Road is available now!

GRIST MILL ROAD by author Christopher J. Yates is a novel that spans time from the early 80’s to 2008 involving three characters; Patrick (also called “Patch”, “Trick”, and “Tricky”), Matthew, and Hannah who are all three schoolmates when the story begins who’s lives are forever altered by a horrible event that takes place involving permanent injury to one of the three.

Past and present are covered throughout the book, as it transitions back and forth to set the stage for the events developing in the present, and each section is narrated by each of the three characters in their private thoughts, making the suspense build as the story unfolds.

Something all of the characters share is that they all have at least one deep secret unknown to any of the others that played a part in the catastrophic event, and are haunted by the secrets to the point that their lives are affected by the baggage each carries as a result even as adults.

Eventually things take place that come to a head that makes all their paths converge with the likelihood of another event likely to have a horrible outcome, possibly resulting in one or more of the three winding up dead.

Can another irreversible event be avoided, or do the long suppressed feelings make it impossible to avoid the oncoming tragedy sure to take place unless one of the three can alter the outcome?

Suspenseful book that leaves out several things until near the climax, thus keeping the ending unclear but creating a sense that a happy ending is unlikely to result.

I liked this one quite a bit, as it was a little more suspenseful than the usual crime/mystery genre novels that I’m attracted to, and it is a well written book by the author that I’d recommend to others who like novels that are not always what they seem on the surface, and difficult to predict the outcome.

4 stars.

This has been touted as one of the best thrillers of the year and feaured on the January 2018 Indie Next list. Although I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would, it was a great read nonetheless, I will be putting "Black Chalk" Yates' cult hit onto my TBR pile.

What I liked about "Grist Mill Road" is that it is an intelligent thriller that really makes you think. With a multitude of different strands that are woven together seamlessly, the plot keeps you interested in what the outcome or final resolution will be. I am always up for an unsettling and "oh-my-god" read and this certainly fit the bill in that respect. At its heart, this is a cold case thriller that is deceptively dark and filled with suspense. There were a lot of surprises as one thing Yates does exceptionally well is writing a novel that is unpredictable in nature with disturbing moments aplenty.

The multiple POV tells the story from three different perspectives (Hannah, Patrick and Matthew - the three children who were present on the day Hannah was attacked 26 years ago) so you have to be on-the-ball to keep it all straight in your head. The pace was enjoyable and the unpredictability means that the twists and turns often leave you rather shocked.

All in all, a book that is worthy of your time. It will be especially appreciated by those who enjoy psychological thrillers but conventional crime fiction fans will also find the book meaty enough to get their claws into.

Many thanks to Picador for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This story was told from multiple points of view and at times, I had to go back and reread sections to make sure I was understanding and keeping the story straight, but that may have just been because I was so caught up in reading and finding out what was happening.

This was a great story that shows actions do have consequences... even years later.

Things don't always appear as they seem. As a teacher, when I have a difficult student, I always have to remind myself that there is probably more to this student in his/her personal life than meets the eye. Grist Mill Road is a story told from three different points of view. I enjoy reading books that gives the background story from different characters. It also switches back and forth from present day to the past, and you learn how these three characters are intertwined with each other. The story includes friendship, romance, and mystery.

The beginning of the book starts with an exciting scene. I mean who doesn't want to find out why a teenage boy shoots a girl right in the eye...40 times? Why didi his friend just stand there and watch? That is the way to hook a reader. Although the book held my attention, it wasn't a book that I couldn't put down. At times, it was almost confusing. I wouldn't recommend this book to my middle school students, but I did enjoy it as an adult reader.

This book was given to me for my honest review.

I expected Grist Mill Road to be a page turner and to be a bit disturbing, however, it did not meet my anticipations. I found it to be boring and that I wanted the book to hurry up and be over. I did not care about the characters and found the dialogue to be confusing since there were no quotations anywhere. There were parts of the story that was interesting, but it would die down fast. This book was not for me.

This is a book of many layers. Almost mischievously written, it takes you down one path and then does a quick double turn and then leaves you facing the opposite direction.

Struggling to fit in at school, twelve year old Patrick finds himself drawn to the enigmatic and dangerous Matthew. They spend a happy summer together playing various survival games in the woods until their pleasant equilibrium is ruined as one day Matthew arrives accompanied by Hannah. The day ends with Hannah tied to a tree and shot multiple times with an air rifle by Matthew, finally in one eye. Patrick returns to save her and the three go their separate ways only to be almost magnetically drawn back together twenty years later. Patrick and Hannah are now married, with a caveat that they never discuss that day then Patrick receives a mysterious summons to meet with a commentator on his blog and all the secrets from that fateful summer threaten to come to light.

This is a true coming of age story and then some. Each character has their own demons to wrestle with. Matthew with his abusive father, Patrick expected to be a part of a Kennedy style dynasty which never quite comes to fruition and Hannah desperate to break free from her narcissistic mother. All these situations aren't immediately presented to the reader and how slowly they appear make this book a delight to read. Each narrator has their own secrets and flaws and Patrick, while presented early on as a hero seems to be the character carrying the most baggage. Slowly revealing himself to be a man on the edge, there's a chilling chapter where he follows the boss who fired him and which has a jarring ending that almost made me gasp out loud.

A brilliantly written book which really cements Christoper J. Yates' reputation as an excellent writer. There's a real edge to the writing and towards the end I was unsure of how any of the characters were going to act or what was going to happen next. Do yourself a favour and add this to your TBR pile pronto.

I received an advance ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

This was a slow read for me. It took a few months for me to get through it. As I was reading it, I was interested in what was happening, but it was never enough to make me want to come back to pick it up again.

The book is told in alternating perspectives and times. I enjoyed the 1982 sections the most. The present day sections felt a little disjointed. There was a lot of unnecessary information that didn’t necessarily serve the characters or the plot. An example of this is with Patrick’s job/boss & the actions surrounding him. It made me excited to see where the character would go and what he might do, but in the end, he didn’t go anywhere or do much of anything. All of the characters behaved the way that they would have if present day situations were happening without any big revelations.

Ultimately, I think there was just too much going on without enough behind it, either from characters or background information, to really keep me coming back.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Picador USA, and Christopher Yates for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This has been billed as one of the bigger thrillers for 2018 and to an extent, it didn't let me down. The book opens with a shocking scene- a young teenage girl tied to a tree, bloodied and broken, two of her male friends nearby, one holding the weapon used to torture her. Twenty something years later, their lives have changed more than they could ever have imagined. The three meet again in New York, with devastating consequences. I think while the book started out incredibly strongly, and I was really intrigued by what their futures would hold, I felt it waned slightly with a lot of talk of food blogging (which I mostly enjoyed...nom!) and the origin of a cement factory, which went on a bit longer than I would have liked. I really appreciated that we got to hear from more than one of the characters in flashback form, telling their version of the story years later and then also the conversations between the characters. It felt like we got a well rounded view of the events depicted in the book. All of those points of view converge later on but it wasn't the dramatic ending I expected. Personally, I had a very different idea of how the book was going; I thought the character of Hannah was doing an Amazing Amy on us at one point and honestly, I was totally there for that! In spite of all of the "read this if you love Gone Girl" book recommendations over the last few years, it really felt well-suited to this book because it had a similar Gilian Flynn vibe. That's probably my own fault for going off on a mental tangent though! Overall, it's slow paced but simmers with tension. I loved Hannah's character and would gladly have read more from her.

In Grist Mill Road, Yates wove three stories together in an expert fashion, showing that we never truly understand the motives of others, or the experiences we haven't lived ourselves. The first chapter was jaw-dropping; the ending left me unsettled.

All but guarantees that Black Chalk will be on my TBR pile in the near future...

I loved this book. So well written. I found this book unputdownable!!

Let me start with saying that as someone who reads a lot of mysteries and thrillers I didn’t think that this fit those genres to well. At one point the author mentions how Truman Capote wrote In Cold Blood more as literary fiction rather than true crime. I feel that he may have been going for the same here, for me this is more literary fiction than mystery. I think that may have made it a little harder to enjoy the book as much as I could have, I think I kept waiting for more mystery. It seemed more of an exploration of perspective, personal truth and how we communicate what we fear to those we love. Perhaps if I wasn’t waiting for the mystery to get more intriguing I would have enjoyed this more.

I did really enjoy the characters development, they were a little weird and complex and early on I enjoyed getting to know them. There were times that some details were drawn out, way to much information about concrete and rocks, I like cooking but even some of the food blogging was a little to detailed. As everything progressed it just got a little sadder and less mysterious, perhaps because I was having a hard time seeing any of the main characters as the bad guy. Yes bad things happened but hard to see anyone as truly evil.

There were a few ah ha moments as things fell together and overall it was an enjoyable read. I would say just don’t go into this expecting a thriller or even much of mystery.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan-Picador for an ARC of Grist Mill Road by Christopher J. Yates.

Sorry, this book just wasn't for me in the end. Very well written, just not my cup of tea so to speak.

I really liked this book. The story was different and the characters had their own separate personalities and stories other than the story that brought them together. The story unfolding in the past and the present and then by the character each chapter made me think a bit to keep from getting confused but the different point of views really gave you a deeper understanding of the whole story

'Grist Mill Road' by Christopher J. Yates is a story surrounding a brutal torture that took place 26 years ago leaving then 13 year old Hannah with only one eye and mental scars which haunt her nightmares for years to follow. The question is, was the attack on Hannah unprovoked or is she not as innocent as she seems?

This story is told in 3 parts by the 3 children who were present that fateful day. Hannah, Patrick and Matthew. You will be left guessing until you have read the full accounts of all 3, who are now adults and ready to tell the truth about what happened that day.

I really enjoyed the structure of 'Grist Mill Road' especially how it was told in 3 parts by 3 different POV. I enjoyed the pace and the twists and turns that followed. What makes it a 3 star read for me is that one of the biggest revelations in the book isn't a big deal for me. I think the actions expected of a 12 year old and how they could/should of acted are unjustified/ unrealistic/ dangerous and harsh. It's called fight or flight for a reason and for this reason I can only rate 3 stars. It did have the potential to be a 5 star read so I would still recommend it to people who enjoy thrillers just maybe not people like myself who are qualified in childcare and feel protective of children and their actions/decisions.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in return for an honest review.

Did not connect with it as much as I wanted to.
Just a lot of detail to remember anything.

This book was not what I was expecting, in a slightly negative way. It starts out pretty explosive with a rather violent scene. Then it tapers off into almost a literary fiction novel, about the characters' lives and motivations and the people around them. Literary fiction is not my thing, I tend to get pretty bored, which I did for about 50% of this book. It was good enough for 3 stars, though. And I am interested in trying Yates's other novel, Black Chalk.

exceptionally captivating and immersive. It’s one of those books that you continue to read “just one more chapter” until there is nothing left except the disappointment that comes with the book reaching its end

3 stars Thanks to NetGalley and Picador Books for a chance to read this book. Published Jan 9, 2018.

Let me first say that I realize that each book is a work of art for the author. They may have worked for a long time researching material, developing characters and plot, rewriting drafts, maybe even suffering writers block. I understand that a lot goes into developing a book, and I appreciate that. With all that in mind, there appears to be a popular change in the writing of books. And I wonder if the author has the reader in mind when they adapt this new change? The change is something that has always been there - but in a very minute percentage of books. Now it is becoming popular - much to my chagrin. Is the author thinking of their target population when they write a book without quotation marks? I know what I think about this elimination in writing, but I am not sure that the author thinks the same thing. I find it to be a total distraction. I am unhappy with books that do not use quotation marks. I have quit reading books for this reason. I believe that punctuation has it's place and in almost all cases should be adhered to. I read for enjoyment. Leaving out quotations marks takes that enjoyment away.

This book was written in three different voices, Patrick, aka Patch, Hannah and Matthew. The novel starts with them as preteens and concludes when they are in their twenties. The facts of the tragedy that tears them apart -putting one of them in prison - is not always fully known by all three. Patch and Hannah marry. The problems escalate when Matthew reenters the picture.

Other than the missing quotation marks, that make you wonder if a sentence is background information, a thought, or actually a spoken word, this novel will pick up about a quarter of the way in. I thought the beginning was relatively slow, but the novel premise was worth pursuing. I felt that in the ending something was missing. For me, it did not stand to reason that things would be as they were written.

Character development is good, premise is good, and the three voice narration makes it interesting however, for me, this book was disappointing. I waited a long time to get my hands on this book and between the lack of quotation marks and an unrealistic ending I am hesitant to rate it any higher than I have.