A psychological thriller written in my favorite style - from multiple perspectives. Not only is The Victim written from multiple perspectives, it's written from parallel universes as well. This was a style that had me significantly confused, until it finally clicked about a third of the way into the book (and has to do with the killer's modus operandi).

While the parallel universe angle took me awhile to figure out, I really enjoyed The Victim. It was a little predictable on how the car-jacking came about (thanks to being a huge fan of Criminal Minds and Law and Order, among other crime dramas, haha) but watching as the story unfolded from the various perspectives kept me enthralled from the get go. Watching as all of the story lines were tied up was really interesting, particularly as the book began to come to a close and there were still what I thought were a lot of loose ends. As the police close in the pace of the book picks up as everything comes to a head and the carjacker must finish the game.

The Victim is full of action from the first page and Manning does an excellent job developing each of his characters - not an easy task when there are as many characters involved as there were in this story, along with the dual universes. Being able to feel the detective's frustration as the attacker always seems to be one step ahead, Gem's terror as she faces down her attacker, and in the next chapter the eerie calm that the perpetrator's perspective was told from was incredible. I would definitely recommend this book to friends (I've already told my mother-in-law to look into it when it comes out!).

Max Manning is out with The Victim a superb thriller that will keep you reading until the final page

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance read in exchange for this review.

Gem Golding is a victim of a carjacking.  In the moment, she must make a choice.  Does she fight back or does she surrender?  Her choices will impact the rest of her life.

What a cool concept!  The book alternates chapters with what happens in the aftermath had she fought back and had she surrendered.  At some point, I kind of wished that it was just one story because it was a little exhausting to start over with another plot.  It's still an interesting concept, and the writer just about pulls it off.   It does get a little confusing and hard to follow, and I sometimes wished for more character development.  Still, I give Max Manning tons of praise!

Gem Golding, a public relations executive, is working late one night and needs to make a quick stop at the store for pain medication. What she doesn't know, is she is about to become the victim of a carjacking. At that moment, she must decide if she is going to surrender or fight, neither choice is easy. The book continues as two different versions of that night...one where she surrenders, one where she fights her attacker. Although the scenarios are very different, many of the outcomes remain the same.

I was often confused by the parallel stories, not remembering if I was reading the surrender chapter or fight chapter. I really enjoyed the concept of the book, the characters were well defined, Gem seems to be a strong woman no matter which position she took. The attacker is a vicious person, and as the story unfolds and his past comes into focus, you will be surprised by the psychological twist of events.

I am giving The Victim a solid 3.5 stars. I really like the story, but I wasn't a fan of the presentation of the two scenarios. I would like to thank Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced reader copy if this in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to Netgalley, source books and author Max Manning for this digital ARC in return for an unbiased review

here comes the blurb as they say it so much better than i can do! :)

When public relations executive Gem Golding becomes the victim of a carjacking at the hands of a dangerous criminal bent on her destruction, she must make a choice: Does she surrender to her attacker, or does she stand her ground and fight for her life? What follows are the two strands Gem’s life can take, and the chain of causes and effects that leads to Gem’s survival...or her eventual demise.

Emphasizing the power our choices have to determine who we become, The Victim is an ingenious high-concept psychological thriller following the devastating effects of two characters as they spiral toward their ultimate fates.

really enjoyed this book so many vibes of the old choose your own adventure books ihad as a child loved seeing the twists and turn the timelines gave, as this was a digital ARC i was on my KOBO and i feel this would be a much better book to read as a hard copy, i think you would understand the flow of the timelines so much more and i see others feel the same in there reviews so glad its not just me!

fantastic read!

This book was COOL y’all! Remember those books from your childhood where you would choose what path the story took? This one made me so nostalgic of that. The Victim is basically two stories wrapped into one, the outcome dependent on how our victim/fighter reacts to being in a very threatening and scary situation. In the beginning, I struggled a little bit with keeping track of which storyline was which but as soon as I got used to it, I was almost mesmerized by the uniqueness of it all. It was different than anything I have read in a long time. There were twists and turns, recipe for any good psychological thriller obviously, but my favorite part was the psychopath in this story. He was really interesting to get to know via the very descriptive words of this author and I felt like I was there witnessing his creepiness and disregard for human life.

This book comes out in August. Definitely add it to your TBR! Thanks to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #TheVictim

The concept of this book was tremendously interesting however much was lost in the execution. While the book was true to genre with a constant anticipatory feel and plenty of twists and turns. The technique proved to be difficult to follow in some parts. While some readers may appreciate the effort to detail that is required and the sort of systematic approach the reading takes on, others may shy away from it. Parts of it were extremely enjoyable, while others took a few re-reads to thoroughly appreciate. Overall, an average but unique read. 3 stars.

I really enjoyed this book but did find it a bit hard to follow at times. I would recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Victirm by Max Manning.
Are we defined by our choices - if we made a different choice for a different situation rather than the one we made, would our lives be changed - better, worse, the same?
Gem is in a life or death situation when she is the victim of a carjacking. Will she be a victim or will she survive.
There are two stories going on (at the same time? I think), and the plots interchange with each decision and storyline.
This is a different book that I did like. I had to re-read and go back a few times and that I didn't really like.
All in all, this is a different approach by this author and a good attempt to change things up in novels of this genre.
3 stars.

Make the wrong choice, and you won’t live to make another...
When public relations executive Gem Golding becomes the victim of a carjacking at the hands of a dangerous criminal bent on her destruction, she must make a choice: Does she surrender to her attacker, or does she stand her ground and fight for her life? What follows are the two strands Gem’s life can take, and the chain of causes and effects that leads to Gem’s survival...or her eventual demise.

Emphasizing the power our choices have to determine who we become, The Victim is an ingenious high-concept psychological thriller following the devastating effects of two characters as they spiral toward their ultimate fates.

This book had a good concept but at times I found it a little confusing. The ending didn't flow well for me either. I might reread it just to see if maybe I understand it a bit better the second time around.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of The Victim
by Max Manning
Pub Date: 06 Aug 2019

The Victim
by Max Manning
Description
Make the wrong choice, and you won’t live to make another...
When public relations executive Gem Golding becomes the victim of a carjacking at the hands of a dangerous criminal bent on her destruction, she must make a choice: Does she surrender to her attacker, or does she stand her ground and fight for her life? What follows are the two strands Gem’s life can take, and the chain of causes and effects that leads to Gem’s survival...or her eventual demise.
Emphasizing the power our choices have to determine who we become, The Victim is an ingenious high-concept psychological thriller following the devastating effects of two characters as they spiral toward their ultimate fates.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for a free copy of Max Manning’s book The Victim.
I enjoyed the book. It was a bit confusing at times. I did find it a bit hard to remember if I was in the fighter or surrender chapter. But, in the end, It was quite good.

Kept me in my toes with the back and forth of the character and her decisions! Quick read, which to me, is the sign that I wanted to keep reading because it was a good book - kept my attention and was suspenseful! Look forward to more.

This book had an interesting story but was difficult to follow story as one of characters appears to have been killed twice by different methods. Andrew Bentley was killed by subway train and then later in his office. I’m not sure if I’m missing something but it was very confusing. There were 2 different scenarios for conclusion also. I’m not sure this galley was ready.

Super confusing how this is written. Probably better in hard copy vs ebook. Had tough time getting through it. Great concept, poor execution.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

I love that the author takes the story down more than one storyline. It keeps the reader guessing and focused on the novel. The characters were well developed and the story was well written. This is my first book by this author and I would love to read more. Overall great thriller and will be recommending highly.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for a free copy of Max Manning’s book The Victim.
3.5*
This is my first time reading a novel by Max Manning and I was thoroughly entertained.
It was a great concept having the tale spun into two parallel storylines. If Gem fights or surrenders to a carjacking attack we follow each outcome. You do need to pay attention en route. As the police investigate both outcomes, Gem’s boyfriend Drew’s past comes back to haunt them both.
Being strong or submissive in a moment of terror will define Gem and alter her future forever.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a great experience first time reading anything from this author

Fast moving and suspense filled. Lots of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. Great story!