GRIST MILL ROAD is a dark, twisted, and expertly plotted Rashomon-style tale. The year is 1982; the setting, an edenic hamlet some 90 miles north of New York City. There, among the craggy rock cliffs and glacial ponds of time warn mountains, three friends – Patrick, Matthew, and Hannah – are bound together by a terrible and seemingly seemless crime. 26 years later, in New York City, living lives there younger selves never could have predicted, the three meet again – with even more devastating results.

The YEAR: 1982. The PLACE:: Roseborn, NY – a small town 90 miles north of NYC. The main CHARACTERS: teenagers – Matthew (14), Hannah (13), and Patrick (a few days short of 13). The CRIME: Matthew brutally shot Hannah 40+ times with a BB gun, the last and final shot hitting her square in the eye, all while Patrick did nothing but watch.

Fast forward to 2008. Hannah and Patrick have been married now for four years and Matthew has come back to town hoping to reconnect with Patrick.

The book is divided into THREE (3) parts. Each part told by each of the three characters while flipping back-and-forth from 1982 to 2006. Each character giving an in-depth account of their lives leading up to the day of the crime.

Having been a teenager growing in the 80s, Yates did an EXCELLENT job of transporting me back to that ERA! A story of three kids growing up in three completely different economical backgrounds and how their worlds ultimately come together in this twisty literary fiction novel. A story about love, friendship, hate and envy. Mistakes, secrets, lies, and fear and finding your way in this ever-changing, complicated world

A real edge of your seat thriller could not put it down,characters are well developed

Don't start reading Grist Mill Road, by Christopher J. Yates, in the evening, because you may stay awake all night, trying to finish it. This is a dark, twisted thriller that pulls the reader through a heinous childhood crime and its aftermath, all the way up to an unexpected conclusion. This one will make you think about the consequences of hanging out with certain "friends." Recommended for those who love grim thrillers.

Thanks Macmillan-Picador and netgalley for this ARC.

Awesome contemporary crime novel
Horror, intense, great writing, and surrealist

I can not praise this book enough. Christopher Yates has written a wonderful book with twists that explain the trauma that occurs in the early chapters. The three main characters Patrick, Matthew and Hannah's lives were changed forever by a horrific incident during their childhoods for which Matthew was sent away, Patrick felt guilty for and Hannah was permanently disabled. Twenty six years later Patrick and Hannah are married and Matthew tries to re-enter their lives bringing back the painful memories of the past and revealing long kept secrets. A truly wonderful story, expertly told. Brilliant.

Grist Mill Road leads up from a small town in upstate New York to a special place in the mountains where young teens Matthew and Patrick often ride their bikes to explore and play. One day, Patrick, Matthew, and another friend, Hannah, experience a seemingly senseless, violent event that affects them all for the rest of their lives. They meet again several decades later and, because of secrets and misunderstandings regarding this event, react in tragic and violent ways.
There are two timelines: 1982, when the three were young teens, and 2008, when they reunite as adults and try to deal with a past they have tried to forget. All three are greatly affected by this tragic incident in their childhood: one is severely maimed, one goes to jail, and one witnesses the violence but does nothing to stop it and feels terribly guilty for years.
This book got off to a slow start. It seemed just okay to me until about a third of the way in. Then, several surprising revelations made me realize that I had misjudged it. After that I couldn’t put it down. Twists and turns I didn’t see coming kept me avidly reading.
Yates is highly skilled at creating intriguing, multifaceted characters, and this was what I liked best. I loved that the characters were complex; not all good or all bad but both. I empathized, even when the characters did despicable things. They seemed very realistic. I also enjoyed his descriptions of settings, especially of the mountainous areas where much of this takes place.
I gave this book three stars not only because of the slow start, but also because I thought that excessive details detracted from the flow of the storyline. I also felt the ending was somewhat strange and abrupt.
Even though I couldn’t rate this book more highly, I did enjoy reading it and would definitely like to read more from this author. I recommend reading this despite its flaws and urge you to to seek out more from this author.

Note: I received an advance copy of the ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Having never read anything by this author before, I picked up Grist Mill Road not knowing what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a really clever literary thriller, with alternating timelines and slightly divisive characters. I was gripped early on, and couldn’t put it down. A hidden gem author for me for sure! I would definitely recommend Grist Mill Road!

This was my first experience reading Christopher Yates and I truly enjoyed his writing.

The central characters Matthew, Patrick and Hannah are each wonderfully developed. I couldn't help but root for all three of them at different points in the novel.
We get to know each of their personalities, struggles etc. because Yates writes from multiple view-points and at multiple points in time. This also keeps the suspense strong through the novel, I felt intrigued right up until Matthews final viewpoint!

Thank you to Picador for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I'm shocked that I hadn't heard more buzz about GRIST MILL ROAD by Christopher J. Yates before picking it up. This was my introduction to Yates and I will definitely be grabbing his debut novel - and all future ones. I know this probably won't be for everyone, especially if you're looking for a nail-biting thriller. This is a story that dives into the lives of three people that are tied together because of one horrific event in their childhoods, and how it has changed them as adults.

It's 1982 in Roseborn - Matthew, Hannah, and Patrick (aka Patch or Tricky) are in the woods and their lives are forever changed by one horrific and violent act.

It's now 2008 in New York - twenty-six years have passed and they're all still dealing with the repercussions of that fateful day in August 1982. How will Patch and Hannah deal with Matthew now that he has resurfaced? How are their lives going to intertwine once more?

I feel that it's better to not go into too much detail with this one. We jump between perspectives and timelines. This is a multi-layered story that brings the reader through the events in 1982 and in 2008. We get to see through the eyes of Matthew, Hannah, and Patrick as they give their individual account of what happened and why. Each character was well-developed and I loved how Yates peeled back all of the layers so we can see what makes them tick. There is a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to the act of violence they experienced in their teens and I wasn't expecting most of the elements that came into play.

Overall, if you want a beautifully written and multi-layered story, then GRIST MILL ROAD is one you should have on your list. I definitely wouldn't classify this one as a thriller, but more of a contemporary fiction with a hint of mystery (if that's such a thing). It won't have you on the edge of your seat, but you'll find yourself reeled in by the events and characters and become completely absorbed.

I give this 5/5 stars!

I read Christopher J. Yates' Black Chalk a couple of years back and really enjoyed it, so I was extremely excited to have a chance to read an ARC of his latest novel, Grist Mill Road. I fully expected another dark, twisty novel that would keep me turning the pages, and Yates masterfully delivered on just that.

Grist Mill Road was hard to put down. This book felt like a very unique novel, as well as one that is difficult to describe. The synopsis itself sounds like a fairly regular thriller, but the way in which Yates tells the story is what sets it apart. It's very dark and unafraid, but there is a beauty to the writing style that makes it a rather mesmerizing tale. This is also one of those thrillers where the less that is said about the story itself, the better, so this might be a bit of a shorter review.



This book has a fairly simple premise--three friends living twenty-six years after a terrible crime they committed--but it goes so much deeper than that, and there are so many layers to each and every aspect of this story. And if you're at all into potentially unreliable narrators, then this one will be sure to please you. I was also both surprised and impressed by how emotional and raw this book felt in regards to harsh subject matters, such as abuse, and psychological issues; Yates delved deep into these areas and I think pulled it off in an extremely effective manner.

In much the same way as he did in Black Chalk, Yates once again introduced us to a small variety of extremely complex and unpredictable characters. Each character has such a deep, complex background that seeps into the actions of their present lives almost daily. The story is told from the perspectives of the three friends involved, alternating with both past and present narratives, which really helped build up tension and suspense as the story progressed. His characters also comes across as being very much on the morally grey scale. On that one hand, you want to feel pity for certain reasons, but on the other hand, they're not exactly innocent, either. But I almost think that that's part of the overarching theme of this story--none of us are innocent, so where and how can justice and understanding occur?

This book unfolds slowly, though the book itself is not a slow reading experience. We are given only a small bit of information at a time that makes it hard not to keep reading to discover just how or why something happened or what a particular character's motivation for doing something is. Just when you think you know or understand something, another layer is revealed and the entire image of the situation is changed.

Quick note that this book deals with quite a few heavy topics, so if you're not sure if you want that or have any issues, then just proceed with caution.

Overall, I've given Grist Mill Road four stars. This book was a solid, immersive read that is sure to draw you in.

This is no simple plot and not easily told--it requires a reader to fully engage--absorb the flashbacks so you can understand what is happening (and more importantly why) in the present (which is 2008). The setting is the beautiful Swangum Mountains, trails, trees, and rocks. But a brutal act in a clearing in the forest blinded each by their own perception of the event.

This is the story of twelve-year-old, Patrick (aka Patch), and two early teens, Matthew and Hannah, who back in 1982 fall victim to frenzied emotions fed by abuse, misunderstanding, and humiliation. Each will keep their dark secret until events unravel twenty-six years later in New York City. The book is a tightly plotted, dark suspense, cutting from one character to the other--switching time frames, each gradually sharing more of their memories of that fateful summer day back in Roseborn, ninety miles north of NYC.

I'm not sure you could label Patrick as the protagonist (though it is his narrative that dominates), nor any of the supporting characters the antagonist. Matthew, the eldest, is wholly sympathetic and tragic. Hannah, beautiful Hannah, also comes from one of the wealthiest families in the town--but isn't she soon also sympathetic?

The writing style is biting, sarcastic to the point of truthful, and told without benefit of quoted dialogue. The reader becomes a voyeur, peeking over the shoulder of the letter writer, getting a sense of the angst and experience of the teens forming the adult they become. Yates develops his characters so thoroughly you ache for each in their journey, especially Michael--poor Michael.

This is gripping and sensitive, and though I was let-down by the climax, must recommend as a suspenseful, thought-provoking, and perhaps much too honest narrative. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to download, read, and review by Picador and NetGalley. Recommended for suspense thriller enthusiasts.

1982: Matthew and Patch are best friends. They spend most of their time hanging out being typical boys playing in the woods and up in the mountains. Everything changes the day Matthew invites Hannah up to their secret escape in the woods. Patch wonders off to give them some privacy and when he comes back he finds Hannah tied to a tree and Matthew shooting her with a BB gun. He stands there watching until it all ends with a final shot to Hannah's eye.

2008: Patch and Hannah are now married. Hannah writes for the crime section and Patch has just been fired from his job. It's during the tough time that he starts to think back on that day. It's been eating at him his whole life that he just stood and watched but Hannah wasn't aware that Patch had even seen what happened. When someone from their past shows up everything changes....forever.

The first part of this book was a little hard to get through. I wasn't a fan of Patrick/Patch. He just seemed like he was on the pity party train and I couldn't get on board nor did I want to. Plus some of the details from the crime were a bit gruesome and hard to stomach. As the story progressed and we got to the other characters points of views it did become a little bit more tolerable. The way the story was going along made it seem like maybe there was something more to the story but there wasn't really a surprise twist or turn to it. It was a decent read but it's not something I'd pay to read or would I read it again.

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review.

Grist Mill Road was an unexpected surprise for me. I liked the idea behind the story and thought "what the heck" let's try it. And I am so glad I did. This is a disturbing but well plotted psychological thriller that had me hooked. I look forward to the authors next release based on this one.

Don't start this book if the idea of cruelty and the unintended consequences thereof, particularly when enacted by young boys, is going to be a problem. The way in which Patch and Matthew nearly destroy Hannah's life, and how their actions play out years later feels over the top, yet somehow works. What was less believable was how Hannah reacts in the modern day, as is her relationship with both Patch and the police (I bought she was a crime reporter, not the lengths Mikey went to for her). Add to that the multiple POVs, the way we don't see how Matthew changes over the years, we just see him as changed, and the improbable ending (including the One Twist that puts the ending in motion)... points got lost. More of Patch's cooking would have been nice. As mystery/thriller/suspense books go, this isn't bad, but it's not really unique either.

ARC provided by publisher.

This book started out slowly for me and I had a hard time getting involved in the story until I was about 1/3 through. At that point, the narrative seemed to speed up - or maybe I had just gotten used to the rhythm of it. None of the characters were especially sympathetic - their situations and what happened to them made me feel sorry for them but I didn't really like any of them.

As the story unfolded, one thought after another was shot down. I'd be thinking one thing was true - and then read the situation from one of the other character's point of view and realize the first thought wasn't true at all. But what WAS the truth?! The story is very involved and complex with misunderstandings and horrible actions because of them. Once I was involved in the story, I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. I did think the last chapter - another flashback - was unnecessary and rather anticlimactic.

Overall, the writing is very good and this book gives one a lot to think about.

It's 26 years after a horrible incident in the lives of 3 young friends, where one loses an eye, one tries to forget it ever happened and one paid the price of prison. When life takes a turn, we find that these 3 somehow end up facing each other again. Who will pay the price this time?

At times, I really enjoyed this, but the ending somehow left me feeling a little disappointed. I think if less time had been spent describing the terrain etc, then more time could have been devoted to the characters. In the end, I didn't feel any real justice had been served.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

Thanks for Netgalley for allowing me to read this copy for an honest review.

Grist Mill Road follows three characters- Hannah, Patrick, and Matthew and centers around a disturbing crime that happened while they were teenagers. Throughout the book, the plot rotates between the different characters' perspectives, while giving us glimpses of events from both the past and present. The plot explores whether any of them are really innocent, and if someone is out for revenge.

While I did enjoy the plot of this book, I did not appreciate how long it took to get through the backstory that helped me understand the characters. I realize that it was important. However, I felt as if these sections were too drawn out, and I found myself wanting the storyline to just get back to the plot. Despite this, there were fast-paced moments where I was thoroughly engaged. If you are a fan of mysteries with a lot of character development, then I think that this is one that you will enjoy!

This is what I call a THRILLER! Well written, engaging, can't put it down thriller. This will be on all the lists, I am sure! Looking forward to more from this powerful author

This is a fast read. I read it in two days. I thought it was an engrossing story from the start. The story is told from three points of view of the present and the past. The main mystery is of the events leading up to the incident that happened 26 years earlier where a 13 year old girl gets shot by a BB gun and loses an eye. Every story has at least two sides and not every one is privy to each piece of the puzzle. The mystery isn’t the ending but the events that happened 26 years before and how unresolved feelings and thoughts of “should of done this” affect the trio in the present.

So, this one takes it time, concentrating on telling the story at its own pace instead of thrills and spills, and all the better for it.

The story concentrates around three characters, Patrick and Matthew who are best friends as early teenagers, and also their friend Hannah.

It begins in 1982 in the Swangum mountains where we find the three of them. A very disturbing and violent crime takes place that will change their lives forever, leaving one without an eye and one in prison.
We then move forward in time to 2008 in NYC where all three cross paths again. Patrick(Patch) is now married to Hannah, vowing never to speak of that fateful day back in 1982. Hannah is a crime reporter and Patch after recently losing his job spends time food blogging and cooking at home to restaurant standards.
The story is told mostly from Patchs narrative(although not exclusively) and jumps between 2008(present day) and that summer in 1982 when all three were changed forever and perhaps their future paths forged then.

As some of the secrets of that day begin to reveal themselves, can the marriage of Hannah and Patch last and where does Matthew fit into all this? Do they all remember the events exactly as they happened or are there buried memories that will yet resurface revealing the whole truth of that horrible day?

I have to say, after being somewhat unsure of this one, I really enjoyed this read. Something different. Something that takes its time, molds the characters as more and more about them is revealed. Although not really a cliff hanger you do more or less wait until the very end to find out the whole story as the layers of secrets and events are peeled away throughout the book. The characterization and writing here is fantastic. As I said a slow and steady pace but that isnt criticism here. it gives the characters time to breath and time for you to get inside their heads as you figure them out and at times they figure themselves out.

This is quite a dark read. There are many dark subjects touched upon here but all handled quite delicately and respectfully. I cant really think of another book like it. Of course the vehicle of present and past narratives is very commonplace in modern fiction but the pacing and storytelling is what sets this apart. Very intelligent and satisfying writing. Id highly recommend marking this one as one to read. A very intelligent and enjoyable book.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC