Gripping and suspenseful! A very well-written book with wonderfully-interesting characters. The tension builds at just the right pace as the story unfolds. Will keep you swiping the pages furiously. Worthy of your TBR list.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from in order to read and provide a voluntary and honest review, should I choose to do so.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Choice. This is a very fast paced novel with lots of bad guys. You have to pay attention, because there are many characters and at times I did get confused.
A man is driving down a dark road and a woman runs out and gets in his car. She is panicked and tells him very little. Karl is an average man with a pregnant wife at home and a small business. He doesn’t need this drama. He takes her to his small shop and tells her to leave by morning. She tells him to be careful but he doesn’t take it all that seriously.
By the next morning Karl learns there’s been. Murder and it looks like he’s involved
From there it goes from zero to sixty and Karl’s life is turned upside down
Will he survive all these bad people trying to kill him and the woman he saved. Because the bad guys are not what they appear to be and Karl has to save himself and the woman he saved things are really turned around. This is really good. Recommend!

This is the first book by Jake Cross I've read, and it won't be my last. It was gripping from the beginning to the end and I honestly didn't know what choices I would make myself anymore!
Recommended.

This book is fantastic it's quick paced keeps you on the edge of your seat it's an action packed thrilling read which I really enjoyed it's a bit goory in places but I really enjoyed it

As someone whose favorite movie is The Silence of the Lambs I am drawn to good Murder Mysteries and Thrillers. Blood, cussing, torture, Murder, stalking, and seedy intentions make a lot of stories (not all, but many) even better in the context of delivering to readers an enthralling journey with twisted antagonists to keep you shocked and on you the edge of your seat! The Choice has some twisted antagonists.
When Karl just wants to do the right thing when he comes across a stranded woman in distress he successfully multitasks in the worse way possible by giving her a helping hand and also royally screwing himself over in the process. What he does not know is she is the wife of a violent crime boss who wants to call on Karl for his interference. What ensues is a crime thriller from differing POVs that will keep you interested. It is outlandish and yet so, so good. This is a strong debut by Jake Cross and I look forward to more stories by him!

I give The Choice four stars ✨✨✨✨!

This was a really good book from a new debut author. I really enjoyed the storyline, however I had to slow down my pace of reading on occasions as I found the story got a bit complicated. But all in all a really good debut.

3.5*

The Choice

The Choice is Cross’ debut novel.
On a wet road in the black of night, Karl Seabury is driving home to his pregnant wife. Suddenly, caught in the headlights is a woman shaking with fright. The woman says her name is Liz Smith, that her home was attached and that she was the only one to escape.

The Choice is a fast paced thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. There are twists and turns galore and you will not want to put it down! Five stars for a fab debut.

The Choice is a fast paced thriller with many twists and turns. The characters make many "bad, and wrong" choices, which stretch belief that they are normal. This made the book unbelievable. Just too many "Duh, why did they do that?" moments.
The book was well written as the characters were well developed, the dialog was natural. I did enjoy the writing style of Jake Cross, and hope to read more books by him, with perhaps a better plot.
I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Karl is driving to a job one evening when a woman, clearly terrified flags him down. She's the only survivor of a home invasion. Should Karl help her and possibly put his own family at risk? Well, of course, he does otherwise this would be a very short book!

This book is one of those you have to stick with. To be honest I really struggled to engage with any of the characters. Karl and his pregnant wife should have been the ones to feel for but they're a bit one dimensional. The bad guys are far more interesting characters and a large chunk of the story is told from their point of view. About halfway through the book, there's a fantastic but quite mental twist that takes this from been a pretty run of the mill thriller to actually been pretty damned good. If you like Simon Kernick novels you'll like this but will need to stick with it. This is a very promising debut.

The Choice is not if action-packed and super intense crime thriller. But in order to fully enjoy it, you may have to suspend your disbelief. Because Karl, instead of going to the police to report what Liz claimed as an attack on her home, bring her to his shop to spend the night. Sure, a complete stranger on your business with men after her yet still avoiding the police. Not dodgy at all. All through the book is a thrilling cat and mouse chase which spans in a matter of only one day with Liz and Karl running for their life. But as much as I enjoy a good thriller story, there are a lot of unconvincing things that most of the characters in the book are doing and it is just so hard for me to take it seriously when you question everything they do. The bad guy was also revealed a little too early for my liking though as to why he’s doing it remains a mystery right until the end. Something that doesn’t give me satisfaction because by that point I just want to finish the book and move on to the next. I feel spent with all the things that happened like I’m the one running. It was a laborious read. Even the characters are a struggle to connect to. But I still think of it as a solid debut considering the issues I’ve had. Maybe there are some out there that will enjoy it more than I did.

The Choice started off a bit strange for me. I can understand Karl stopping to help a woman in distress in the middle of the night. But why wouldn't he take her to the police or hospital? You just would not take her back to your premises. Apart from that, It was a pretty good book. Lots of action and edge of the seat moments, although its not one I would read again.

I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable rollercoaster ride of thrills! You will read this in one sitting, I did!

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

For me to engage with the characters and get engrossed in the plot I need to believe in the characters even if I don't like them and I need to believe the plot. I don't mind suspending belief but when the characters make ridiculous decisions and ignore the danger signs then unfortunately this spoils the books for me.

I will say though this is just my personal opinion and if you like books that border on the unrealistic then go for it.

Woooo-weeee! Set in London, the reader is taken on a dark and thrilling journey where fear, corruption, consequences, choice, violence, greed, power and betrayal wrap themselves around you like an unwelcome blanket!
What a fantastic opening! The reader is instantly hooked in the first paragraph of this story and the author then spends the rest of the story, reeling us in …page by merciless page! I loved the tension injected right from the start and I was like – WTAF is happening here?! Never knowing who OR what to believe, the plot has your mind racing with peaks and troughs of suspense laced throughout. I found myself holding my breath at times with a hunter vs the hunted game that I knew would not end well for someone..but WHO!? The police are secondary characters in this novel which sees Karl and Liz’s story as the main plot. There was humour, violence, suspense and a few OMFG moments to keep me gripped until the very last page!
Character-wise – there were A LOT! For some this may be confusing, but I URGE you to stick with it as they all have a role to play in driving this story forward. Karl Seabury is a bit naive and I found myself feeling sorry for him – trying to be nice and then finding himself in a situation that just would not end the way he may hope it will! He’s a decent guy but his good nature is his downfall. Who can we trust? Who can HE trust?
Liz Grafton – I immediately want to know what her story is. Is she an innocent victim? I didn’t find her very likeable and with quite an attitude for someone who wanted help! When you find out more about her …well… I have to say, my sympathy wore thin!
I want to talk about so many of the characters but fear I may inadvertently give something away! The baddies – well they are some dark, twisted, nasty individuals in the main. I cringed when I knew I would be coming across them again. There are quite a few twists and surprises – one that caught me COMPLETELY off guard…I had to do one of those re-read, double takes! Brilliant!
So would I recommend this read? You bet your sweet arse I would! I love a book filled with flawed characters, dark souls, twisted storylines and a pace that leaves your fingers on fire! Definitely one for the TBR, peeps!

I didn't not enjoy this book but did find it a bit heavy going in some place. It definitely kept the pace going but sometimes the voices of the characters got a bit lost. However, I would be interested in other books by this author.

Really loved this book, Karl Seabury, driving along one night, when a woman steps out in front of his van. This sets off a series of events that leaves Karl wondering if he would have been better off hitting her versus dealing with the issues and people she is running from.

This book sounded so good and started well but then I struggled with it and eventually gave up. Sorry, not for me !!

I was so looking forward to read The Choice by Jake Cross, as I like a good thriller and it had everything I liked in a good book. Unfortunately, I am Sorry I tried to finish this book but 35% in I gave up. I found this book hard to get into and so long winded and So far fetched!

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Choice’ by Jake Cross in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The Choice is a great crime thriller that had me wanting to keep reading on. This is a new author to me, I look forward to more of his books.

This book was not really what I thought it would be but I liked it anyway. I think this book requires me to think outside the box. I liked that about it. So, many books try to be "cookie cutter" sometimes. Would you choose to help a stranger? I think this book took me into a new idea of how books can be written and that is a great thing for me. I say give this book a try and see what you think. *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*