3.75 Stars* (rounded up)

Fourteen years ago, Daniel was in an accident. When he awoke from a coma he had no recollection of who he was before. Now he is awoken in the middle of the night by a phone call. The caller asks for “Michael” and tells him that he must return what he stole or his family will suffer. Of course, he has no idea what the caller is talking about, but they mean business and he immediately fears for his son, Thomas, his ex-wife, Rachel. Thereafter, he immediately rushes to his ex-wife’s house to find evidence of a crime having been committed and discovers that Rachel and Thomas are gone. Dread fills his soul. It is real.

The clock is ticking - Daniel has 5 days to recover what he stole fourteen years ago. Daniel does his best to uncover a past he knows nothing about. Talking to his mother, trying to track down a father he hasn’t spoken to in years. Meanwhile, Rachel does whatever she has to do to protect her son. Their love for each other is evident.

“Close Your Eyes” by Darren O’Sullivan is a race against time, it gives you heart palpitations and makes your breath catch in your throat. The characters are very real and likable and their emotions are felt as if they are your own. If you are looking for a mystery/suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat, this is it.

Kaceey and I read this one together. We enjoyed all of the twists and turns this book had to offer. Thanks for reading it with me Kaceey!

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital and Darren O’Sullivan for a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 4.29.18.

A fast paced thriller that had me hooked from the first page. I loved it. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Darren O’Sullivan for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

This book is intense from start to finish. The pacing was amazing and I never wanted to put it down.

The main character has suffered amnesia and can not remember anything from before his car accident. Nothing. We start out learning about his current life. His relationship with his young son, girlfriend, ex wife and her husband. Despite his memory loss he has great relationships with all four of them.

Then one day, someone kidnaps his loved ones and demands he returns something he took prior to his accident. WHAT?! He has no idea what they are referring to but he has to figure it our before his family is killed.

For most of the book we switch between the main character and his ex-wife. I quickly felt attached to them and became really invested in the story. The plot was great and easy to follow. So why not 5 stars? There were a few things that did not feel very logical and it pulled me out of the story to think how that probably would not happen in real life but it worked for the story.

I would highly recommend thins book if you are in the mood for an intense thriller. It will take you for a ride.

To be perfectly honest, the start of this book was a struggle for me. It's not really anything to do with the book itself but this is definitely not my brand of thriller. The story centers around Daniel, a man whose family gets kidnapped by a mysterious figure from his past. The figure says that Daniel has something that belongs to them and they need it back or else his family will die. The only problem is Daniel has amnesia and has no idea what the object is, let alone where he hid it.

So yeah, I typically go for more psychological and domestic thrillers. For the first half of this book I was very bored and I almost didn't finish reading it. However, it is very well-written and I found myself connecting with the characters despite it all. After the halfway point, I was hooked. It helped me that the chapters alternate between Daniel hunting for this object and his wife and child being held hostage. Rachel was by far my favourite character and I loved the amount of time spent on her half of the story, as well as the focus on the child. Too often the family is treated like a plot device in books like this whereas here they were definitely fully-fledged characters.

In the end, I really enjoyed reading this book and I loved how the plot went. If this is your kind of thriller then you should definitely read it as you will enjoy the first half much more than I did. Even if it isn't, it might be worth trying. For an author to get me invested in a story like this, they have to be doing something right. The second half definitely has more elements of a psychological thriller as well which adds a nice dimension to the more adventure thriller side. Overall I would highly recommend this book.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review of the book. The book centers on Daniel, who is on the cusp of a new chapter in his life. Daniel is about to propose to his girlfriend, a woman that is a natural fit with his young son. Together, they spend time with Daniel's ex-wife and her new husband, who are having a baby, They are a modern family that has found peace in a new normal.

But all that changes when Daniel's son Thomas goes missing with his ex-wife, Rachel. The scene left behind is horrific and soon Daniel gets a puzzling phone call demanding reparations made in exchange for their return. The caller expects Daniel to know what those reparations are, but Daniel has no memory of his life before a car accident some ten years ago. Daniel has less than a week to piece together clues of his old life and understand what he must delivery for Thomas and Rachel's safe return.

I liked the pace of the book and I think this would make a good beach read while traveling. It's a good thriller and an easy read to float into and out of like you do when you are traveling. The menagerie of characters isn't so complex as to be confusing, and the flow of the story is steady and clear. Sometimes the people and the clues were somewhat conveniently tied in, but overall, I liked the story.

I wanted to love this on. I read Darren’s debut and though he showed great promise, but sadly I just couldn’t connect with this one at all. The writing is good, and the premise is a clever one, but I didn’t warm to the characters at all, so I wasn’t invested in the outcome.

Very strong book, which grabbed me from the beginning! I thought this book was absolutely terrifying, in that way that I enjoy books being! It kept me interested and glued to the pages, because I needed to know all the answers! Authors writing was very good and the characters were developed amazingly!

Wow.. this book had me hooked very early on and didn't let go. I read this in 2 sessions, I just had to finish it.

14 years earlier Daniel woke from a coma unaware of who he was and with no memory of anything from his past. He has moved on with life and is happy... until he receives a phone call telling him to give it back or his family will die. He needs to remember his past or lose his son... and fast.

This book will have you turning pages and losing track of time.. it is so good. This is the first book by this author but I have already downloaded his debut novel to read.

Thanks to Digital HQ and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read and enjoy in exchange for my honest opinions

Wow, what a great book! Nice twist love it!
This author is becoming one of my new favorites


Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an early release of this book

Sometimes, we come across a book where you’re gripped immediately! You rush around your home, getting everything you need to do, done, as quickly as possible, just so you can sit down with a cuppa and emerge yourself into its world. Then, it compels you to keep reading until you reach the end. Yeah… this is that book!

From the moment I started reading the prologue, I said to myself, “Uh Oh! I know I’m not sleeping tonight!’

Darren’s ability to emerge his readers into his fictional world is compelling, captivating their attention, feeding the intricate clues, which are interwoven through the plot. As you read about Daniel’s past, the threads of mystery unravel slowly as he members his past that his parents tried to bury.

When yo think you know where it’s going, suddenly you’re faced with the plot twist we all love about a thriller! And yes, its a great one!

The plot is gripping, following the emotional story of a fathers love for his child and the journey he goes through to get him back.

When Close Your Eyes arrives on your Kindle, don’t start it until you know you have a clear day ahead, because you’re going to need it!



Congratulations Darren O’Sullivan! You did it again!

Actually 4.5 stars but I have rounded up.
I really enjoyed this author's debut - Our Little Secret - when I read it last year so I was quite excited to get my hands on this, his follow up book. It's always a bit scary starting a book with high expectations but, on the whole, this follow up did match up quite nicely.
So, 14 years ago Daniel woke up from a coma after an accident he can not recall. More disturbing is that he actually can't remember anything from before his accident; not even his name. Fast forward to the present and, apart from the odd flashbacks which still do not add up to anything sensible, his memories of life before the accident have still not returned. But, he has got on with his life as best as he can. Living with Katie and sharing parental responsibility for Tom with his ex, Rachael, he seems to be ticking along quite nicely. Until that is he receives a phone call from someone who appears to know him. A rather nasty someone who wants what Daniel stole from him. A someone who called him Michael. Convinced that the caller has the wrong person, Daniel is about to hang up when he hears something that blows his world apart. He has 5 days to return what he stole or face some rather devastating consequences. But he has no memory of anything so how can he? And so begins a delicious game of cat and mouse as Daniel races to get to the truth and save the ones close to him.
Well, after a bit of a build up which was wholly necessary, the action kicks in and doesn't let up until the very end. OK so I did guess a couple of key things early but I think that was more due to the sheer volume of this genre book I read rather than the author being too easy to suss out, and I don't think that this early discovery marred my enjoyment of the book at all. I mean, I've been wrong before!
The story itself is narrated by several of the characters. each chapter is headed with who, where and when but, as they are all quite distinct voices, it is easy to follow and remember who is talking.
The plot is cleverly worked out and well executed. All the way through, we are drip fed elements from Daniel's past which sketch out the picture of his life before the accident and it soon becomes evident that that life is not quite as he thought. These are mostly in the form of flashbacks but there is also the added element of his remembering things from memory links connected to people and places he encounters as the story goes on. I found both these methods to be very effective and their inclusion was well timed to complement the present day narrative. Almost like giving the next clue in a treasure hunt. Which, in effect, was exactly what this book turned out to be for me. Albeit one with a bit more at stake than just getting the prize. Action and adventure and a thrilling ride all the way!
All in all, although it didn't quite hit the heady heights of his debut, only just missing mind, the author has followed up with a cracking read thus cementing him firmly on my watch list. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This was thrilling, scary, and heart racing at its best.

I loved the premise of this book but I had a hard time getting into it. I did not finish it because I kept losing interest. Maybe another time.