Cover Image: Don't Even Breathe

Don't Even Breathe

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Member Reviews

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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!

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A relatively decent police-procedural by Keith Houghton. The prologue is gripping and succinctly draws the reader in from line one. However, the pace of plot slows dramatically going into the first few chapters as more focus is placed on detailing police work and internal dialog. The characters are decently developed but lack a natural cohesion with one another. It feels as if the character’s description versus their actual portrayal is in conflict with one another. In addition, veteran readers of this genre may find Houghton’s foreshadowing presumptuous, leading to an easy depiction of the plot twist. Overall an okay read. 3 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #DontEvenBreathe in exchange for an honest review.

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Whoa! 5 stars for this one that really had me floored.
Nothing like a brilliant thriller with spine-chilling events!
There's nothing like a detective with shadowy past and a point to prove. Maggie Novak is one kick-ass detective! All characters in this book are so damn interesting, I couldn't keep this one down!
It has all the salient points of a solid good thriller:
Murder, check.
Nail-biting suspense, check.
An extraordinary detective, check.
A remarkable partner, check.
A good mix of freaky & adorable characters, check
A well-written, twisted plot, check.
A you-didn't-see-it-coming ending, check!
I eagerly look forward to more of Ms Novak. Hands down one of the best I've picked from Netgalley. This book has definitely piqued my interest in Keith Houghton's other books and sure as hell I'll be reading them as soon as I can get my hands on them. I'm very happy I picked this up. Very unique of the book to have chapter headings!

Thanks to Netgalley, Keith Houghton & the publishers for an arc.

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Whether an unpopular opinion or no, I feel that Don't Even Breathe could have been much better than it is. The author relied heavily on a confession from Maggie late in the final act but instead of being drawn into the alluded mystery I grew irritated and eventually bored by all the clunky mentions of what had happened years ago. The reveal was too little too late and the expected twist too nonsensical to take seriously. I prefer at least a reasonable amount of believability in police procedural novels. This killer would have needed supernaturally good luck for this series of events to work, as well as a terribly inept police force and medical professionals working the case. None of these options makes for gripping reading.

I did find my immersion broken often, and wish that the more natural relationships between characters, such as Loomis and Maggie, had been allowed to shine. While I'm sure there is a market for it and others will surely love this book, I found it all a little too far fetched to be really enjoyable.

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Great book will be reading other books by this author.
Will also recommend this book to others.
Great read! 5***

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