Cover Image: Don't Even Breathe

Don't Even Breathe

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Detective Maggie Novak sees a burnt body on a beach who looks exactly like Rita, her best friend when they were kids. Rita, along with her entire family, died in a house fire 20 years ago. They had all been identified, so how could this be Rita? Did Rita somehow survive the fire? If so, why has she been hiding all these years? If not, who is this person? Follow along as Maggie uncovers the truth about the body on the beach.

Was this review helpful?

The start of a new series I am anticipating with Det Maggie Novak and colleagues. I have not read this author before but reading this book would prompt me to seek out other books he has written. Maggie in particular is a great character and there is a well formed supporting cast with enough misdirection to keep you guessing. This is a book where past and present firmly collide (with a bang! and I was certainly left hooked from the very first page to last.

Was this review helpful?

I have read all of Keith Houghton’s books and they just get better and better.
I could not put this down and sometimes had to purposely put it away from me so I could get on with things like life and sleep.
The story is brilliantly written from start to finish ( I hate finishing a good book ).
If you want a really good thriller this is a must READ.

Was this review helpful?

Loved this book!

The good
I loved the story and The twists
I loved that it touched on high school bullying from an adult perspective. Don't we all have things from that time that make us sad, or affect our behavior now?
I thought the characters were 3 dimensional and I was rooting for them.

The bad
The surfer bum psychiatrist boyfriend confused me. Why even bring him in? And I felt like there was more to that story that I was missing..like in a previous book?

I debated between 4 and 5 stars. But since I had trouble putting it down, I rounded up.

Thanks to net gallery for an advance copy to read.

Was this review helpful?

One of the better murder mysteries that are being released at the moment. A real page turner, got my heart racing and in places sat on the edge of my seat and holding my breath. Tapping my kindle faster and faster. I read this book in one sitting, I HAD TO KNOW. Hence I was reading late into the night. This book is full of cliches but in a good way and it certainly did not spoil my reading pleasure. Almost five stars and highly recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Don't Even Breathe was addictive from the beginning to the end. Full of Suspense and twists that kept me reading long into the night!

Was this review helpful?

Don't Even Breathe is a great thriller with lots of twists. This is the first I have read by this author and I will be reading much more. I enjoyed the writing and the characters.

Was this review helpful?

Enjoyable thriller with good characters,a fast paced plot and some surprising twists. Bitchy young girls and what happens when they grow up.

Was this review helpful?

I was very excited to read this book as I have read others by Keith Houghton and loved them but unfortunately this one fell short for me. The beginning started out great and I was super excited but then the book slowed down until a little more than half way it picked up again and was a page turner. I know from previous books by this author there a twist at the end and usually you can't see it coming but in this book the twist and ending was predictable. Character development was okay but I didn't fall in love for the main character, Maggie but I did enjoy her partner Loomis. Because I've liked other books by this author, I would give this series another try.

Was this review helpful?

The story is about Maggie a Florida homicide detective trying to figure out who really killed Rita? The trouble is that Rita her high school friend had died twenty years ago in a fire. So it’s Maggies job to figure out what really happened?

It is a great book with twists and turns and a surprising ending. Definitely grabs you and does not let go until the end.

I highly recommend this addictive book - Don’t Even Breathe!

Was this review helpful?

This is definitely a 'you can't put this book down until it's finished' type of read. From the start I loved the whitty characters, comic relief and gripping mystery that was unfolding. There was something about the style of writing that really drew me in, Keith Houghton has an amazing tone that had me gobbling up page after page to get to the end. I loved the story line and the character development of Maggie - but the only fault I can find was small loose ends of her interactions with her personal life (steve, her sister, etc) or the story line of other characters like Tyler and Lindy. If this becomes a series, I think that leaves it open wide for more development in those areas. It definitely was an awesome read, and i recommend it for anyone looking for a thrilling mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley and Keith Houghton for this awesome read!

Was this review helpful?

From the first sentence! I was hooked from the first page. I love this book. My criteria for a 5 star book is not arbitrary. The book has to grab me right away, getting to know the main characters, plot building with surprising twists and end with a complete ending. It does not leave me hanging. This book meets everyone! I had to know how a murder was going to happen. The characters developed with the plot. Every time it seemed that I was being lead in the direction of "who," another twist occurred. This continued to the end. Twists dropping like watching dominoes fall.
When I was given this book to read and review, I was excited to read another book by Keith Houghton. I have read all books by him. All 5 stars for these books from my Goodreads page, starting in 2016. I expected another and was not disappointed. Usually I would have finished this book in a day. ,i was not able to do that with this book. During the time I received the book and just finished, my husband's mother died and 2 weeks later my mother died. At times when my brain and heart where on overload, i needed some alone time. I picked up this book and read. It drew me in and I could be transported away for awhile.

Was this review helpful?

A classic crime suspense novel. I always enjoy a good crime book with a strong female lead character. The author did a great job describing Maggie’s fight scenes. I could completely envision them. I struggled a little bit with the criminal and why it actually happened. Seemed a bit unbelievable. The reasoning and the crimes just didn’t seem to match. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This thriller starts thrilling with a gripping prologue that draws you in. The mysteries of the past make for some interesting possible motives, but ultimately the solution is too far-fetched, Maggie's guilt-trip not as believable as it should be. It seems as if the author was trying to put some much discussed issues like bullying and bias against homosexuals into a story that ultimately has nothing to do with these issues.

Was this review helpful?

This was the only book by Keith Houghton I had not read and it did not disappoint. The story is interesting and the characters have depth. I did work out the twist half way through but still was quite a good read.

Was this review helpful?

Don’t Even Breathe is a pacy, addictive thriller with an intriguing mystery at the heart of it that draws you in immediately.

The prologue in which a murder is planned was enough to engage me then the author backs that up with a tense and beautifully plotted novel with little twists and turns leading you to a heart stopping finale.

Maggie is a great character and there is a well formed supporting cast with enough misdirection to keep you guessing. Past and present collide and you are hooked in first page to last.

A great crime read. I would not be disappointed if this were to be a series.

Was this review helpful?

2.5 stars

I'm not quite sure about how to feel about this book. I enjoyed the whole mystery-solving thing and that first chapter certainly hooked me right in, but ultimately there were some thing that bugged me.

Firstly, I don't think the writing was bad, per se, but I don't believe it was for me. Although, it surprised me at some parts and I actually was enjoying it for those said parts, at times it felt too choppy for me and, although I can see where the author was headed with that, I don't think I liked that. Some parts were convenient and the ending kind of felt rushed and mediocre if you think about all the set up that was going on.

The thing that I didn't like most, though, was the main character, Maggie. Not only did I not like her as a person, but I felt that if she were such a good cop we would have been shown that? To me she was alright at best and I kept getting put off this book because of her towards the end of the story.

Was this review helpful?

Don't even breathe is a fast paced crime thriller from Keith Houghton. The characters are funny and well thought out. The reader is engrossed from the first line itself and The mystery and pace of the narrative keeps the pages of the first half flowing even though the second half was a bit predictable and repetitive.
Maggie Novak is an experienced detective who is known to cover all her bases and keep her focus in the worst of times, but when she finds a dead body of her long lost friend who was supposed to be dead 20 years ago, her past comes tumbling down. While trying to untangle this particularly gruesome case, can Maggie keep herself safe from her past.!?
Predictable yet enjoyable, Dont even breathe was an interesting read which had both dark intricacies and humorous dialogues.
My rating : 3/5

Was this review helpful?

I don't know what it was, but this cover just drew me in. I found the main protagonist really likeable with her sassy attitude.
The writing was easy to read, it flowed well. I found myself just reading on without a second thought.

Great book, will be looking out for more.

Thanks to NetGalley, Keith Houghton and the publishers.

Was this review helpful?

A fairly enjoyable read. The writing could be a little clunky at times, and I had the ending figured out at about 75% through, but prior to that it was nice and twisty. Looooots of exposition after the climax that I could have done without-sometimes less is more, and I prefer not to have my explanations spoon-fed. But overall, a solid and easy read. I wouldn’t say no to another Maggie Novak novel!

Was this review helpful?