Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC of The Trial by S.R. Masters.

A trial of an unknown drug with a luxury trip to the Canary Islands and a twenty thousand dollar bonus at the end seems to good to be true, doesn't it? To Elle, this is the break she needs in life to finally be able to break free from living with her conniving mother and start living for herself. But soon upon arriving, she starts to suspect all is not as it seems and the drug itself may just have deadly consequences.

What an interestingly real and scary concept this book was. I was in such a reading slump when starting this but it was just what I needed to pull me out. I couldn't put this one down and it kept me so engrossed throughout that I didn't want it to end. The only reason I couldn't give this a perfect five star was that I wanted a little more from the end. The publisher definitely lived up to the name of One More Chapter because that is exactly what I felt it needed. A little more closure.

The Trial | S.R. Masters
Genre: psychological thriller, suspense, mystery

The Trial is a standalone book by author S.R. Masters.
Perfect for fans of locked room mysteries, complex characters, and thrilling and unique suspense.

The story follows main character, Elle as she signs up for a medical trial promising a trip of a lifetime and a large sum of money, all she has to do is take an unknown drug with unknown side effects. Sounds too good to be true. As things turn deadly, trapped on an isolated island, not sure who she can trust, she realizes she might have more to fear than just a drug.

This book was an interesting study in human behavior. If you enjoy books about people’s motivations and what they would do for money this might appeal to you. The drug itself makes an interesting take on the unreliable narrator concept. What happens when you are not sure if you can trust yourself and your own memory of events and behavior.

The last part of the book built to an ending you won’t see coming. The final unveiling was shock worthy and unexpected.

Overall the book reminded me of Lucy Foley or Ruth Ware.
• Large cast of characters
• Interesting and captivating concept
• Human psychology
• Easy to read
• Twist ending
• Suspenseful

I have posted on Goodreads and will post on Amazon and my Instagram closer to the release date.

Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book.

The Trial by S. R. Masters gripped me from the very first page.
I was invested and I didn't put my Kindle down for hours.
The way he writes is so captivating.
A very intriguing read with lots of suspense.
The writing was very detailed and gripping.
The characters were so well written and believable.
The explosive climax of the book had my heart racing while I tried to read as quickly as possible.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

One More Chapter,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

“The Trial” by S. R. Masters follows out main character, Elle. Elle is just going through life when she happens to stumble upon an advertisement for a clinical trial. The advertisement doesn’t really go into what the trial is for but the perks? A month long vacation to an island and 20,000 tax free dollars is enough to make anyone consider it. Elle and the other participants enjoy their time in the island, soaking up some sun and taking advantage of the free bar. But then some participants start developing headaches which seem to get worse by the day-to the point where it seems to really affect their decisions. On an island full of strangers, who can you trust?

First off, the premise of this book is amazing. I love anything that has any kind of trial situation where the characters are trying to figure out what is going on. Immediately upon arrival at the island, some characters are questioning exactly what is going on which gives the reader so much to think about. I love books that mess with your perspective throughout the story and this did really well. I think all the characters had very clear personal agendas which became more apparent the further into the book you are. There are a lot of discussions surrounding morality and all it’s facets that I found so interesting to read about.

While I didn’t really love the end of this book, I can appreciate what it was doing. The way we figure stuff out just seemed to be a lot more of telling and not showing which was a sharp tonal change from the first half of the book where you were just dropped the smallest tidbits of information. I can see this working for a lot of readers but I like a little bit more of a twisty ending.

There is a huge cast of characters in this book so if you are someone who has a hard time keeping up with characters, making a little character map would probably be very beneficial just to make it easier.

All in all, I would recommend this book to people who are interested in the concept and want a thriller that really explores human psychology but isn’t necessarily the most crazy, twisted thriller to exist.

Buckle Up…
A month long holiday in the Canary Islands. Sun, sea and sand. Not to mention twenty thousand pounds for the privilege. There’s a catch. You have to agree to a medical drug trial. Would you agree? Elle does. Circumstances and situations conspire to the extent that Elle agrees to take part, although she’s been less than truthful on her application assessment. Once there, things begin to take a dramatic downward spiral. With a tantalising premise, this wholly engaging suspense delivers in droves. A Lord of the Flies situation that escalates out of all control, the reader will be unable to tear their eyes away from the action. Characters are well crafted and leap from the page and the plot sufficiently complex and with unforeseen twists aplenty. A first class thrill ride - Buckle up.