Hollie Overton's debut 'Baby Doll' was brought to my attention by the Richard and Judy book club and I absolutely loved it.  Initially drawn by the sensationalised blurb, Overton sustained my engagement throughout the book.  As a result, I was eager to see what her next novel would bring.   

The blurb for 'The Walls' didn't excite me as much as that of 'Baby Doll', but the writing was just as arresting and the characters as vivid. Overton is skilled at creating complex female characters and putting them in situations that force the reader to think about how they would react and what they would do.  The moral question that Kristy faces first in her day job and then in her personal life had echoes of a Jodi Picoult novel (in the best way possible) and added a dimension to the book that wasn't present in her debut. 

This is a quick-read, exploring some serious and gritty issues and I look forward to Overton's next novel.

What can I say about this book? For fans of Baby Doll, Overton’s first novel, this thriller is just as taught, just as developed and just as gripping. The story is very different to her Baby Doll, but it is clear that Overton’s skills lie in suspense building and lulling you into a false sense of security before ripping the rug out from underneath!

The story follows Kristy Tucker, single mother of fourteen year old Ryan and caring for her father who is suffering with COPD and finds it hard to breathe, working in the Texas State Prison (Dubbed the Walls) in the Public Relations department. Apart from the morality of the job, she leads a charmed life, with just one thing missing, Prince Charming. So when the handsome Judo instructor shows an interest in her and her family, she can’t help but fall in love with him, her happy ending complete. But soon after they wed, her new husband shows a side that she didn’t expect, and actually comes to fear. We all have the fight or flight gene embedded within us, but how far does it take for that to become the last resort?

The first part of the book sets the scene for Kristy and her family dynamic, her son doesn’t want her to do her job, but despite this they are still very close, having always been a single mother it has just been the two of them. When Ryan gets into trouble for breaking a fellow students nose, the wheels are set in motion for the plot to move forward with Kristy and Ryan’s self defense tutor, Lance. But Lance isn’t all he appeared to be and it is not long before she finds herself in Prison at home as well as work.

What I feel was missing from the book was the lead up to the second half of the book. The bridge between the two was slightly disjointed, and I would have liked to have seen more of the relationship between Kristy and Lance. However, after you get used to the time jump, the story progresses nicely and the suspense builds fast and then dwindles, and then builds again, it was a delicious whiplash of emotions and I actually couldn’t put it down!

The book is out 10th August, and it is definitely one I would recommend.

4 out of 5 stars!

What a story. I'm not sure what I can write without spoiling it for other readers.
Kristy, Ryan and Pops were managing...they had love for each other but Kristy was carrying them all.
At fourteen Ryan is in need of more than his mother can provide. The Texas school system is unforgiving for kids who don't fit the required pattern.
Enter Lance. The answer to all their problems. Kristy and Lance are perfect together. Aren't they?
The second half of this book made my stomach hurt with nerves. I felt sick at the way things turned around so quickly. I was afraid for what Kristy might set in motion. I did not expect her to choose the option she did.
In another book I could cheer for Ranger Santiago. Not this one. I did not see the end coming. It was sad, partly inevitable, a relief.
Well done Hollie Overton. Book three should be the charm.

Wow, what a marvellous read. The Walls of the title is the location of the death chamber where those inmates on death row in Polunsky, Livingston, Texas would face execution by lethal injection.
It is the story of someone who marries a charming sociopath and is soon trapped in an endless cycle of domestic violence. Isolated from her friends and with no one else seeing behind the charming mask, her attempts to escape are foiled by threats to the lives of her loved ones. With no other way out, she must consider desperate measures but if she succeeds will she be able to get away with it.
Full of suspense, it gripped me from beginning to the unexpected conclusion. I could not put it down. Hollie Overton’s second book is even better than her first, if that is possible. I cannot recommend it more strongly.

Another brilliant read by Hollie Overton! I loved her Baby Doll novel and this one doesn't disappoint either. The story focuses on single mum Kristy who works as a press agent for Texas Department of Corrections and oversees prisoners executions amongst other things. She lives with her son and her dad who is lovingly referred to as Pops. It seems that Kristy has been single for a long time and so she is swept off her feet when handsome and charismatic Lance comes into the scene but be aware that this is no love story.
This story had me utterly gripped! I felt there was 2 parts to this story which I was desperate to see how it ended. There was the Lance/Kristin story line and then the other story which is interwoven in with 'Baby Killer' Clint,who as always protested his innocence, has been condemned to the death penalty. It raised a lot of issues in my mind about the death sentence and it really does make you stop and think.
The book was uncomfortable to read at times just to the sheer brutality that Lance inflicts and you really do root for Kristin the whole book. I had a couple of endings mapped out in my end and I wasn't let down when it came to the conclusion.
A suspenseful page turner that had me hooked from the get go.

I’m going to say this right at the beginning of this blog. This is one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve ever read.

Kirsty Tucker is a Public Information Officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. She has one of the toughest jobs in the prison, dealing with death row prisoners, and the press who want to talk to them as their execution approaches.

In her private life, she is a single mom bringing up her teenage son, Ryan, whilst looking after her ill father.

When Ryan gets into a fight at school Kirsty can’t believe what she sees. Her usually studious son has beat up one of the school jocks. When she finds out Ryan has been taking secret martial arts lessons she goes to confront the instructor.

The instructor is Lance. He’s attractive, fit, attentive and single. The obvious relationship soon blossoms and Kirsty and Lance become inseparable.

Everybody loves Lance, but what are his secrets and what type of person is he really.

Meanwhile Kirsty is developing an unusual friendship with a death row inmate, Clifton Harris-The Baby Killer. Nobody likes, or trusts, Clifton so why does Kirsty connect with him so well.

This plot is full of twists and turns. Not everybody is who they seem to be and, as a reader, I found my allegiances, and suspicions changing throughout the book.

Kirsty and her family are put in danger, she gets hurt, but who can she turn to.

How is she going to ensure the family’s safety, can she bring herself to deal out her own justice, or should she turn to somebody else.

There are very few books that have made me exclaim out loud, but there was at least twice when my wife looked across at me and asked me why I was shouting out loud.

The characters in this book are fascinating. I defy anybody to not connect with Kirsty.

There is no way I could see the way this book was going to end, there were times when I thought just end now why things are going well, there were others when I wanted it to keep going.

This book goes beyond the usual victim-revenge story. It covers the ethics of thought. Can a victim become an aggressor?? Will the normally law abiding, placid person, manage to take things into their own hands, and if they do, do they think they can live with the consequences, legal and moral?

Most authors would have been happy to end this book at an earlier stage of the story, but Hollie Overton has done a masterful job of continuing a story beyond where many would have placed the last full stop (period).

In the Acknowledgements Hollie Overton said writing this book challenged her in ways she’d never imagined. Well she met the challenge well and has produced one of the books of the year.

Clear the number one spots on all the book sales and download charts, The Walls is published this week.

Amazing. It’s a great sign when all you want to do is read a book and do absolutely nothing else, and ‘The Walls’ is definitely one of those books. I really enjoyed Hollie Overton’s first book ‘Baby Doll’, and this is certainly another outstanding novel. The plot is tense and unpredictable, along with a great group of characters. The Author has that special ability in being able to connect with your emotions when you’re reading the story. I think I went through the full range of emotions, especially anger and sadness. Simply Brilliant.
Kristy Tucker has a tough job at the prison as a Public Information Officer. Dealing with inmates on death row on a day to day basis isn’t an easy thing to do. She thought she was a tough woman because of that, and also bringing up her son Ryan without a dad for the past 17 years. Kristy finally thought she had met the right man that she could see herself possibly settling down with. Lance Dobson initially was Ryan’s Judo coach, and he really did seem like the perfect man. It also helped that Ryan and her dad seemed to really like him as well. When cracks did start to appear in their relationship, the only person she could confine in was Clifton Harris, a convicted child killer on death row. Kristy has no idea what to do, after all she does love her husband. I did have to stop myself from turning straight to the end of the book to find out what happens, but I’m glad I held out. A fabulous book with a great ending. Easily worth the 5/5 Star rating.

A very well written book with lots of food for thought.

Kristy Tucker witnesses evil all of the time in her job dealing with the press for the men and women on death row. When evil comes into her and her family's lives in the shape of Lance Dobson she doesn't see it until she is so wrapped in its clutches she can't see a way to escape.

Woven throughout the books is her relationship with Clifton Harris, a convicted child killer who sends her letters and who's keen eyes spot the missing sparkle in her eyes. He reminded me of the gentle giant in Green Mile.

My heart hurt for Kristy and her despair. My jaw dropped with the way events turned. Definitely gripping and a really really good psychological read.

After reading Baby Doll I was really excited about this book but I found it slightly disappointing . I could not connect with the main characters and to many questions left unanswered .

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This was a great book, difficult to read at times because of the domestic violence but a really good book and i would highly recommend it.

Kristy Tucker meets Lance Dobson, her son's martial arts instructor. But by the time she figures out he's a monster, it's too late. Just like the people on death row that she works with, she too is serving a life sentence. Or can she use what she's learned on the job to get rid of Lance?

I found the premise of The Walls incredibly intriguing, thinking this would make one heck of a domestic thriller. There are so many of them around lately, it takes something special to stand out from the crowd and the blurb promised that uniqueness. Yet there was a very slow and long build-up that had me anxiously waiting for something, anything (!), to actually happen.

By far the most interesting bits for me were the circumstances of Clifton Harris, a man on death row who was convicted of murdering his children. I was very close to not finishing this book but his story is what kept me reading as I was desperate to know what would happen to him.

Overall, I feel that while this one had immense potential, it fell a little flat and didn't really deliver. For me, it desperately needed a whole other level of tension to be thrilling and to keep me gripped and that was sorely lacking.

The Walls is an emotional rollercoster, wrapped up in a pretty bow. Having loved Hollies first book, Baby Doll I couldn’t resist the opportunity to read her new novel.
The backdrop of continual ‘murder’ whilst going about you everyday life creates a brilliant atmosphere for the Texan setting of Kristy Tuckers story. Her fairy-tale prince turning into a monster creates a desperate environment – picking up the humiliation of the situation, the desire for it to not be true, but also allowing Kristy to use her knowledge of the system to her advantage.
I spent a large part of the book optimistically thinking I hope her Pops makes it through the book, and the baby killer really is innocent and is freed along with the hope she’d secretly take martial arts lessons. Looking back I’m glad Hollie didn’t grant all of my wishes!

I'm always amazed at just much authors can manipulate my feelings and Hollie Overton definitely gave my moral compass a thorough workout here. When you read the blurb and see mention of death row executions and domestic violence you know that there will be some uncomfortable reading ahead and there is. What you also get is a great study of the relationships Kristy has with her teenage son and her ailing father. The letters from the death row inmate definitely added to the narrative and Clifton Harris was a character I won't forget in a hurry.
I had a huge knot in my stomach reading the last third of this book and there was no way I was putting it down until I saw how it finished. It's hard to escape the thought while reading the uncomfortable scenes that they are an everyday reality for many folk. I highly recommend this book.

Amazing second book from Hollie Overton. I highly recommend it. Previously reviewed on Facebook and Goodreads!

I Recommend This Book

Strongly
Review
Last updated on 26 May 2017
I loved Baby Doll and I thought this book was even better. If I could give the author a hug I would, I enjoyed the book so much. It is a psychological crime thriller about a young single Texan mum who works in a prison as a liaison officer. She has to deal with terrible things in her job, never dreaming that something dreadful could happen in her own life. Although it's against all the rules she befriends an inmate on death row and the more she learns about him the more she thinks he is innocent. The friendship is not all one sided and she starts to depend on him as much as he depends on her when her life starts to spiral out of control. Once you start reading this book you won't want to put it down.