The premise of Running In Circles by Claire Grey was intriguing with some interesting characters but unfortunately I did find this book to be quite slow paced for me. Overall, I would recommend this book to those who enjoy reading thrillers.

Interesting to immerse myself in Lucy’s life as she deals with both the aftermath of a bomb and the fallout of a past she’s running from.

What a lot of “stuff” going on within the story!
Overall, not a favorite read though I did find parts of it to be intriguing.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the first book in a new thrilling series and I can't wait to see where the author takes the series. This is recommended for anyone who loves a good story. Recommended.

Such a great book. Makes for a wonderful read. I can not wait to read more from this author. I love books like this.

Lucy Lewis is a reporter for a small newspaper with her editor, Steve. They live on a small island, both running from their past. One day a devastating bomb is set off, killing tourists and islanders alike. While they are trying to cope with this disaster, other events are happening. A wealthy golf resort owner is found dead. A Taiwanese girl and her boyfriend are missing. Bodies are still being found due to the bombing. The hostel Lucy lives in is destroyed. Then Steve, and Lucy are in danger of being hunted down and killed. Lucy never expected to become an investigative reporter, but that is exactly what she finds herself doing. Trying to solve the crimes that have been a detriment to the people on the island. Especially to her own peace of mind. All the chaos has brought to the front of her mind what she is running from and having to face those past demons.
Exciting, and titillating read!

I received a copy of this review from netgalley in return for a fair review. I really liked the premise of this book. Lucy is a British journalist who has moved to an island off of Thailand to escape something bad from her past. She has found a job at a weekly paper and is living in a hostel when a bombing occurs right outside of her building. At the same time, there is a disappearance of a wealthy hotel owner. Are the two incidences related? This is what Lucy and her editor Steve wonder and they set off in search of answers. I liked the characters of Lucy and Steve a lot, but I found that their mysterious "pasts" were presented too quickly and too matter-of-factly. I also thought that the end of the book was abrupt and I wondered what happened to other characters in the story. My biggest disappointment was the revelation of who the bomber was. It is so disheartening to find that the culprit in a story is someone the reader has never even heard of! Readers want to be able to guess along with the characters in the book and it's unfair for the answer to be someone we don't even know exists. The book would have been 4 to 4 1/2 stars if the solution to the bombing had been better written and the reader would have known this person even existed.

This was the first book I've read by this author, and just like anything new I like to give it a chance. Unfortunately, I really struggled to finish the book and had to push myself to get to the end. Usually this genre of books hooks me right at the beginning and keeps me wanting to guess what is going to happen at the end. I want to WANT to solve the mystery, however this was not the case for me. It is important to note that everyone has different tastes and maybe you will like this style of writing.
I found both Lucy and Steve to be quite boring. Both characters really lacked personality and I did not feel like I got to know them at all throughout the book. It did not captivate me from the beginning and I think it's where the book really lost me. The end for me was quite dull and anti-climatic. Sadly this book was not for me.

ARC copy received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Running in Circles by Claire Grey is a mystery/thriller read and my first from this author. The synopsis intrigued me to pick it up for my next read. I have mixed feelings about this one.

The start of the book was really captivating, edgy , mysterious but then the graph started dropping and then it was a plateau with nothing really happening more so actually like going in circles. The end was pretty anti climatic and I felt like I missed something. The characters were a little shallow and lacked depth.

Overall it was an ok read, I did take some time to finish this as I kept getting distracted by other books.

Thank you #Netgalley for helping me to discover unread authors.

Readometer rating - 2.5/5*

The story for “Running in Circles” is set in an island in Thailand. Steve is the editor of a local paper and Lucy works for him. For both of them, their current jobs are a welcome respite from their past.

One day a bomb goes off causing many casualties, and panic, in what is a prime tourist location. Steve and Lucy feel duty bound to find out who did this. During a business meeting with a client, Shuttleworth, he hints at a few suspicions he has about the events to Lucy. Very soon, though, Shuttleworth goes missing and is later found dead. Is this a coincidence or are these events connected? The investigation soon turns dangerous for Steve & Lucy.

The overall story is interesting, as are the characters of Steve & Lucy, especially Lucy and her perseverance. Yet, the story lacks pace and while you feel at many places that it might just take off – it never does, and rather meanders along. The more serious study of both Steve & Lucy’s characters comes too late, the investigation is mostly random and there is lot of space devoted to “how” events happened and very little to “why” they did.

The story offered far more potential, than the book ultimately delivers….

I like this book and felt it had a fast paced plot and was a good psychological thriller that kept me guessing till the end
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I enjoyed reading Running in Circles by Claire Gray. It’s the story of Lucy Lewis a journalist of small island town newspaper. She left England to distance herself from a traumatic chapter in her life. Claire Gray writes in such a way that the reader can fill in the details. The exact reason why Lucy moves on alone to an island is unknown and left to the imagination of the reader for a good portion of the book, so is her involvement with her boss. Bits of information are interwoven throughout the story. The story jumps around between a bomb, a murder, developing friends, the same as Lucy`s thoughts jumps around self-doubt, insecurities and determination. It`s all over the place but easy to follow while keeping you hooked and entertained.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange of an honest review.

3 Stars

I really liked the premise and stunning cover art of Running In Circles by Claire Gray and was happy to be approved by the publisher for an ARC of the book from NetGalley for an honest review. The author writes well, and since I love mysteries, I looked forward to delving into a satisfying read.
I wanted to give this book a high rating, since I know firsthand how challenging it is to write a novel, but as a reader I was unable to get lost in the story due to its lack of highs and lows. The tone and story pacing is the same whether the protagonists experience the bombing that forms the basis of the tale, are engaged in dialogue, or ride bicycles to search for clues. From the first page to its surprisingly abrupt ending, the modulation is the same. Since Running In Circles is the first book in a series, perhaps book two will offer more tension, with high points that draw the reader deeper into the adventure.

I got this as an ARC from Sapere books. I love the cover! It drew me in completely! This novel has a lot of potential, but I feel it falls from the mark. I didn't really feel that there was a lot of depth to the plot. The characters were interesting, but also seemed to lack a certain depth. Detail is amazing - though the reference to how detailed one of the characters speaks was a bit odd, particularly when the main character also started "sounding" like that as well. The story ended abruptly. I didn't feel any sort of closure at the conclusion of the story. This is a great start. With some additional work this could be an amazing start to a great series.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

This book started off strong. A small newspaper run by two people who have run away from their lives, one American and one British, to a small island. There's an explosion out of nowhere and a disappearance shortly after and the two need to find out what was behind both. Well, they don't have to and they don't do a very good job of it. The title is accurate. They run in circles. They occasionally have things fall into their laps or they find out when everyone else in the world (who hasn't been running around making stupid choices and almost killing themselves) does.

Lucy had her strengths and I tried to get to know her. The characters all seemed to have almost the same voice, though (even though they all came from different parts of the world to meet on this island), and I never really connected with any of them. I was interested in the beginning, but all of the running around in the middle became distracting. I just had the hope that it would all come together in the end. It just never felt like it did for me. So many things just ended, carne out of left field, or dropped in front of the main characters at the very end and there was no sense of closure or connection to the story that had been all over the place.

Not a bad debut. The author may come up with more compelling characters or stories in the future, but this one did not grab me.

I'd like to thank the author and publisher for giving me a copy of this book to review.

Perfect psychological thriller! It moved at a fast pace with twists and turns throughout! I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend!

Running In Circles, Claire Gray's debut thriller and the first novel in the Lucy Lewis series, is an exciting and addictive read from start to finish and certainly exceeded my initial expectations. On the Thai island paradise known as Koh Star, journalist Lucy and her superior, editor Steve, have switched into investigative mode to discover the details behind a bombing and the suspicious death of a well-respected local. But are the two connected in any way, or are they both separate incidents?

This was a beautifully plotted, well written and thoroughly gripping tale. The character development is very well done, and I found it easy to warm to Lucy, as well as Steve, from the get-go. You begin to think you know where it is heading and then you're hit with twist after twist which slowly but surely changes significantly the direction the book ends up travelling in. The suspense is much more intense the deeper into the novel you get and it came to the point when I knew I had to finish the rest of it in a single sitting just to find out what would happen. I look forward to reading more from Gray as she has a lot of talent and potential.

Many thanks to Sapere Books for an ARC.

This was a pretty tense read throughout.the story got going straight away and kept me swiping the pages eager to find out more. The locations and characters were interesting and realistic. I felt the ending was a little bit anti climactic but overall I enjoyed it very much

Lucy Lewis, a reporter living on a Thai Island and working on a small newspaper, is living the life she wants. She landed here to escape an unhappy event and until today everything has been fine.

Today, a bomb went off outside the hostel where she lives. She manages to escape relatively unhurt, but there is devastation all around. Bodies seem to be everywhere... lots of injuries .. lots of death.

Together with her editor, Steve Boyd, they investigate. And things become more complicated when the dead body of someone connected to the paper washes up on the shore.

Was this a terrorist attack? Are the bombing and the missing man connected?

Lucy finds herself running in circles as she desperately searches for the key to the mystery…

There is lots of action to follow, the mystery of 'who' not disclosed until almost the last page. I liked the characters of Lucy and Steve, they are both flawed and have issues ... and it's nice to see an honest friendship develop between them. The secondary players are also well defined and bring a touch of credibility to the story line.

Many thanks to the author / Sapere Books / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

3.5 STARS