“We all have crosses to bear.”

Something about Bookouture books that NEVER fails to amaze me is their bait-and-hook technique. Every single thriller under the company will grab your attention from the first page.

The novel deals with many heavy themes. Domestic violence, abuse, loss and its effects, substance use et cetera were discussed in the story. Lessons regarding these were also presented in a way that will resonate with everyone. The idea that our pasts don't define us, it's our choices that do really stood out to me. Ten Days revolves around this issue in a way. The villain has had a disastrous and tragic past, which marred her whole being particularly in the psychological aspect. I was honestly in a like-hate relationship with said persona because everyone has individual reasons --- “we all have crosses” as the novel says. In the end, however, our choices must always be aligned to what is rightful --- no matter our circumstances.

I was so intrigued by this novel the first time I heard of it --- and it lived up to all my preconceived expectations. The author is just so good!

Ten Days will not bore you. It is very fast paced and exciting! You won't know what to expect and when to expect. Plot twists will come at you out of nowhere!

This novel is an enigma. Even after all the expositions, Mel Sheratt still left us with questions. Brutal, twisted, explosive and powerful.

When I read the blurb it sounded really interesting. It’s a slow dark psychological thriller that will keep you guessing and wondering. The story is told from mostly the captives and kidnappers perspectives. It’s not as fast paced as I would normally like but I still enjoyed it and getting into the inner thoughts of the characters. The flow of the storyline works well and Sherratt really portrays how being held captive might feel along with what inner thoughts someone may have and you feel like your experiencing it yourself. Really liked the main character, she was a very strong character. Enjoyable read and would definitely recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this ARC that was published on the 28th of June.

Eva Farmer is a journalist who has been working on a piece about the victims of a kidnapper who holds their victims for 10 days and then lets them go. Four women have so far been taken, only 3 have been released after 10 days. The fourth is still missing. The victims are drugged and have no idea where they have been held or who had kept them captive.
Then Eva finds herself in a cellar with only a mattress and a bucket in the corner and no idea how she got there. She is now the 5th victim.
Eva needs to try and make a connection with the kidnapper in the hope that she will also be set free on the 10th day but in making that connection it could cost Eva the peace of mind she has worked so hard to achieve.
Told mainly from the point of view of Eva and the kidnapper, with segments of the articles Eva wrote about the other victims for context, this is a fast paced, gripping, read. It is dark at times but you won’t want to stop reading.
I honestly can’t tell you how good this book is. I was totally gripped from the start. The discussions between Eva and her captor were engrossing.

How can a woman vanish into thin air only to return ten days later with little memory, battered, bruised and nutritionally deprived? How?? Because there is a psycho on the loose that’s how!!! But it doesn’t stop at one woman, no siree!! Four go missing before it’s Eva’s “turn” to play this sick individual’s game. Question is will Eva survive her ten day incarceration and will she find out who is at the centre of all this trauma?!

The antagonist, Alex, seriously confused me. I thought I had it sussed but the more of the chapters I read and got in to their mindset, the less sussed I became. As the book went on, my insight to their logic got more unnerved and I feared for Eva! But Alex really intrigued me. So calm and collected but so twisted. What was the real motive to the abductions?

The narrative jumps around a little on timelines which took a bit of getting used to but once I did, I saw the pattern and settled into the story. This way of writing packs the story with tension but gave me glimmers of the twisted logic at play.

Yet again Sherratt has written a gritty and twisted thriller that kept my attention from beginning to end. I sat in fear for Eva’s safety as Alex slowly unraveled and the story hit its chilling climax. In this novel, nothing is quite what it seems and I was kept on my literary toes throughout. Cracking standalone read from the Queen of the Potteries Grit Lit!

BOOKWORMS REVIEW:
Set in Stoke on Trent in current day,well 2019,the book is a sometimes dark and pacy read. 4 women have been abducted in recent weeks.. all held for Ten Days by a kidnapper who doesn't speak...and none seem to have anything in common. The 4th victim,a policewoman is still missing after 4 weeks. Eva is an investigative journalist looking into who's responsible and getting the survivors stories. Until Eva becomes girl number 5.
The book alternates between Eva's perspective and the kidnappers,and is a great psychological thriller. Enjoyable read.

With thanks to Mel Sheratt,Bookouture and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my review.
My Rating 📘📘📘📘

Mel Sherratt is back with one hell of a psychological thriller which I couldn’t get enough of. One more chapter I kept telling myself then before I knew it I had devoured it in one sitting! It is Fan-flipping-tastic.

Like all of Mel’s books she makes you feel the emotion and tension the characters go through. In this story we meet journalist Eva,who is covering a story of women who get abducted and get released on the tenth day without any explanation. Things take a turn when Eva is abducted and faces the terror those women went through.

Wow…. wow… wow what a story. I loved everything about it, each page leaving me wanting more. This book is dark, gritty and utterly addictive with some rather comfortable moments. The whole time I wanted to know has much has Eva what is her connection in all this. I have read all of Mel’s books and I love this darker story telling by her.

Invisible Victim will blow your mind, because it did me. I cannot recommend it enough giving it all the stars.

This book is full of twists and turns so I am going to be very careful in what I say here so as not to spoil anything.

Eva is a reporter who is known for writing human interest pieces. People trust her to tell their stories and not exploit them, so when women are being kidnapped and released after a ten day period, they agree to give her interviews. All of their stories are the same. An unknown abductor took them, kept them drugged in a cellar or basement room, and then dumped them somewhere where they awoke nude, with their hair cut off and a number tattooed to the back of their neck. None of the women know why this has happened to them. There is no known connection between any of them.

Then one day Eva wakes up, drugged and in a cellar. She doesn't know how she got there but she knows she is another one of the victims. Only this time her abductor wants to talk to her, They have a story to tell and they want Eva to write it.

This story is told in multiple points of view, but primarily from that of the abductor's and Eva's. It's a real nail-biter and the abductor is quite a complex character. There is a clear cut resolution to this book but it would not surprise me to see a follow-up/sequel in the future. Thrilling read.

*Warning-this book does describe domestic abuse & violence against children, as well as the death of a child.

An interesting book though I did find that it dragged in places but was still a very solid read. The main character was fun to read.

Eva wakes up in a dark cellar, in different clothes. She looks around the room and knows she is the fifth victims. Eva is a journalist and has interviewed the surviving woman who were kidnapped, kept in a dark cellar then released 10 days later. Each time the kidnapper never spoke a word. However, Eva grabs the kidnappers arm when delivering food and is surprised when she hears the voice. The kidnapper wants Eva to write her story in exchange for food. Eva is determined to make it out alive.
A great psychological thriller with plenty of unexpected twists. I really enjoyed the fast pace and suspense, never let down by a book by Mel Sherratt, another winner here.

Invisible Victim is Mel Sherratt's tense and twisty psychological thriller set in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Eva Farmer is an investigative journalist and senior features editor for Stoke News. Three women were abducted by an unidentified individual though they were released after ten days; they were Stephanie Harvey, a mother of twin boys, 66-year-old Maxine Stallington, and 39-year-old Alison Green. Eva is working on an article about the three. A fourth victim, policewoman Jillian Bradshaw, was also abducted four weeks ago but has yet to be seen again. Eva interviews these women but none of them knows who took them. When Eva finds herself in a cellar she knows she is in the same place the surviving victims have described to her and realises she's the fifth victim.

Gritty and compulsive, this thought-provoking thriller contains several interesting twists. It focuses on the relationship between abductors and abductees, the story moves along at a nimble pace and the characters are superbly drawn by the author. I liked Mel Sherratt's flowing writing and the tale was told in alternating chapters from Eva and abductor, Alex’s viewpoints. The suspense and drama are maximised to full effect and it's also heavy on emotion giving the novel an alternative dimension. This is definitely a book to add to your reading list!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bookouture via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

A brilliant standalone crime/psychological thriller
What could be worse than being kidnapped, held hostage, beaten, and mentally abused for 10 days.
Being a reporter who had interviewed previous victims, and then being kidnapped. Knowing what the other women went through, and what was going to happen to you during those 10 days. Would you survive the ten days, or would it break you.
Eva, is the journalist, but she has more in common with the previous victims than she knows, in fact she’s got more in common with her kidnapped than she has with those previous victims
An absolute cracker.

Although I did like the book, I thought it was long and a little drawn out. There were places in the story that were repetitive and superfluous.
All in all, story was original and I did enjoy reading the book.

This is a standalone thriller from Mel Sherratt,having read all of Mel’s books I sadly found Invisible Victim a bit to repetitive don’t get me wrong it is still a very good read but compared to her other books I just felt it lacked something.Written in short shape chapters which I like,it involves Eva a reporter for her local newspaper and someone who is kidnapping women and harming them and then releasing them,Eva interviews all the women but then things take a dramatic turn when Eva herself is snatched and held captive,Eva tries desperately to interact with her kidnapper but to no avail and while the search for her is ongoing we learn all about how the kidnappers life and what they through as a child through a series of flashbacks told throughout the book from different characters and in the end you may find yourself feeling sorry for the kidnapper or not,I am a huge fan of Mel Sherratt especially The Estate series of books and by the ending of this book maybe there may be a follow up book? A solid 4 star read for me and I recommend anyone who enjoys this genre to read all of Mel Sherratt’s books and enjoy.

This was my first read of Mel’s books and I’m kicking myself for not reading her books sooner. With short chapters that are full of gut punches you follow two narrators and two timelines.

Eva is a reporter who has recently covered strange abduction cases, where women have been taken and held for ten days before being released with no apparent motive. Never spoken to and having been drugged they can give no information on their captor. The last victim to be abducted is different though as the ten days have passed and she is still missing. Then Eva is taken….

Then we have the captor the mysterious Alex, we know from the past timeline that they have suffered and felt invisible. They are also learning from their mistakes with each abduction so this gives added tension and unpredictability.

There’s not many books that give you the opportunity to feel for the “ bad guy” as well as the victims but this one pulls it off with aplomb. It raises a lot of questions and it’s one of those books that gets under your skin as you think of actions and their long term consequences.

This had a nice little twist that I hadn’t even realised was happening until it became glaringly obvious and I kicked myself for missing that too. I’m going to be covered in bruises at this rate.

So if you fancy a clever little thriller that you will race through, while trying to work out both who and why, I highly recommend you give this a read.

"Let me out! Please!" I shouted, banging on the door. How had I got here? What day was it? I couldn't remember anything. But I knew I had become the fifth woman to be abducted. Just days before, I had interviewed the third victim for the local paper. She couldn't stop shaking. Her story was the same as the ones before her: an ordinary woman, locked away for ten days then released with no explanation. Throughout her ordeal, their abductor stayed eerily silent.

This is a dark. suspenseful novel about abducting women, holding them captive for ten days then releasing them. It also tells of the effects that domestic abuse can have on the children who were also abused as well. Eva, the journalist who had interviewed the women after their release, now finds herself locked up, with no memory of how she got there. The abductor never speaks to the victims.

The story is told from the abductor and Eva's perspectives and intersperses with the story from the women who were held captive, then set free. This is a well written, twist filled read, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I couldn't pit it down. I was hooked from the beginning. This is an intriguing page turner.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #MelSherratt for my ARC of #InvisableVictim in exchange for an honest review.

The Invisible Victim gripped me immediately. There was so much action going on that I didn't want to put it down and I read it extremely quickly with all the twists and turns keeping my attention until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

A fantastic story with many twists which explores everyone view of what happened. Once I started reading I was gripped I couldn't put it down.

Invisible Victim is a tense and twisty psychological thriller in which the hunter becomes the hunted. In Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Eva Farmer, an investigative journalist and senior news reporter for Stoke News is working on an article about three women who were abducted by an unidentified man but were released after ten days and a fourth, policewoman Jillian Bradshaw, who was then but never seen again. The first abduction took place on 10 January 2019 when 36-year-old Stephanie Harvey, a mother of two twin 7-year-old boys, went missing from a college car park where she had been attending a seminar. She was kept in a dark room with a narrow chink of light being the only view of the outside world. She was beaten, given little food or drink and given a bucket in the corner to relieve herself. The kidnapper never spoke a word to her while she was in captivity and there was no rhyme or reason as to why she had been targeted or why she was released and dropped in the middle of a street with limited CCTV during the night.

Next to be abducted was 66-year-old Maxine Stallington followed by 39-year-old Alison Green. Eva interviews these women but none of them know who took them. And then Eva finds herself in the cellar she has heard the description of from the survivors many times and instantly knows she's the fifth victim. This is a compulsive, gritty and thought-provoking thriller with several interesting twists and red herrings to throw you off the scent. It focuses on the relationship between abductors and abductees and raises questions as to whether you are born evil or become evil through your environment - nature v nurture. It's a palpably tense read told in alternating chapters from Eva and abductor Alex’s perspectives. Sherratt has a superb, flowing writing style and this allows you to become immersed easily and be completely gripped. There's all the suspense, drama and excitement needed to create a thoroughly entertaining thriller but it also features emotional parts which elevate this story from normal, run of the mill crime fiction. Highly recommended.

Invisible Victim by Mel Sherratt is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Journalist Eva Farmer finds herself the 5th victim of a kidnapper.  She has written about each victim, and she knows exactly what is in store for her unless she can escape.  The first three were released on day ten, but none will ever be the same.  The fourth victim has not been seen since her abduction.  Eva is now concerned about her own fate.

She is being held in a small room in a basement.  She has a mattress and a bucket, and not much else.  A narrow window provides her only light.  Her jewelry, shoes, and clothing have been taken, and she is now wearing someone else's sweatshirt and pants.

The police have no clues.  None of the victims ever saw the person who took them, and their jailer never spoke to them the entire time they were held in captivity.  There seems to be no connection between them.  They were released in the middle of the night, and have no recollection of when they were taken, or when they were let go.

Eva is in the fight of her life.


My Opinions:   
This was really good.  I can't believe this is the first book I have read by Mel Sherratt.  I have a lot of catching up to do.

The book centers on child abuse, on mental illness,  on the relationship between captor and captive, on nature vs nurture, on what can set a person "off".

The book is told from multiple points of view, but mostly Eva and Alex.  It becomes evident that truth and lies get mixed together.  Although there was a major twist, it was rather predictable, and I had already come to the conclusion it delivered.  However, it was still really good.

Definitely enjoyed this one, and will be searching for more books by this author.

Eva Farmer is an investigative journalist who has been covering the story of four women who have each been abducted on separate occasions, three of them have been released after ten days, the fourth is still missing, then Eva wakes up in the very room described by the previous abductees, each time their abductor stayed silent throughout. Eva cannot understand what the link is between the victims, and where does she fit into all of this? Then her abductor speaks out and Eva realises that to escape from this nightmare she must revisit a time from her childhood that she's been trying to keep buried for a long time.

Invisible Victim is set in Stoke, mainly around August 2019, with flashbacks to 2006/2007 and from various points of view. I sympathised with both Eva and her abductor, both had endured traumatic childhoods, but each had chosen to deal with their ordeals differently in their adult life, never once considering the consequences that would arise from their decisions. This is a fast paced read, with the author covering some very delicate subjects making it a very dark read at times. I've loved all books that I've read so far, written by Mel and Marcie and I raced through this one in a couple of days. Well done Mel, another fab read!

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.