I chose to read and review a free ARC of The Box but that has in no way influenced my review.

Ed Truman's family is falling apart and his life is unravelling.  His sixteen year old daughter, Ally, publicly provoked the leader of a powerful alt-right misogynistic men's group, Men Together, and in retaliation all of Ally's personal details, including her bank account and passwords, have been published on their website. Ed, a successful lawyer, fights back the only way he knows how - by requesting an injunction to have the website taken down. Now a group of protestors are picketing outside Ed's house in an attempt to sully the lawyer's good name. But their tactics go way beyond a few leaflets to the neighbours. Before long Ally is missing and Ed knows in his gut that Men Together are responsible. When Ed's DNA is found on the body of a murdered woman he takes flight. Hunted by both the police and Men Together, can Ed find Ally in time and save her from The Box...?

This high octane thriller is a thoroughly gripping read which held my attention from the first word to the final page. This is the first book I've read by this author but I can absolutely guarantee it won't be the last.

Malakin really knows how to write excellent characters who evoke a reaction in the reader. There are three absolutely standout characters for me in this book. The first being Ed Truman who is a pretty normal guy. A family man but in all honesty does he really devote enough of his time and attention to his wife, daughter and son? No, not really. He's made mistakes and he continues to make them. At times I liked Ed, at others I wanted to shake my head at him and give him my disappointed look! The next character that definitely deserves a mention is DCI Jackie Rose who is the kick-ass, 'don't care much for the rules' detective tasked with hunting Ed down for the murder of the young woman. Oh my gosh! I loved her. She's a bit obnoxious, totally driven and very hot headed. Sure, there are rules but they can be broken as and when needed! Alongside her new 'by the book' DS, clashing heads along the way, they lead the search for Ed. The final character I need to mention, who made me so cross I nearly threw the book across the room, is Benedict Silver. Right-hand man to the head honcho of Men Together, this arrogant, chauvinistic, misogynistic psychopath made my blood boil at frequent points throughout the book and I loved it! I'm a strong believer that books should make you feel 'something', evoke an emotion of some sort and Silver did just that. I loved the scenes featuring both DCI Rose and Silver. Both strong characters, staring each other down, waiting to see which of the two would break eye contact first. Marvellous!

The plot is paced well with lots of thrills and spills along the way. Before picking this book up I expected the titular 'Box' to drive the characters forward towards an end goal but no one other than Phoenix, a girl Ed goes on the run with, knows anything about it! She has the footage to prove what's been going on. Now all she needs is for the nation to believe her. 'The Box' is key to the storyline and plays a pivotal part but I was surprised to discover it wasn't the driving force. Ed's sole motivation is evading the police long enough to rescue his daughter. No matter how you look at it though, what 'the box' definitely is, without a shadow of a doubt, is darn right horrific. The stuff nightmares are made of. But gosh, it felt uncomfortably believable. What a terrifying thought!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Box is a chilling, edge of your seat modern day thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The writing is punchy with short chapters which pull the reader into the story, keeping them hooked until the final heart breaking reveal. There are some big surprises along the way but I had my suspicions as to how things were going to pan out, which were confirmed. However, what I didn't see coming was the events of the epilogue which felt right and just to me and, following everything that had come before, a perfect way to end this thrilling novel. Malakin has delivered a powerful, high concept thriller which deserves to fly off the shelves and I look forward to reading more of his work soon. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free ARC of The Box. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

Very Uncomfortable reading in parts.

A bit of a “curate’s egg” here. On balance I enjoyed the story but there were moments when I just had to laugh out load at some of the most unlikely events : the preening arch-villain, the middle-aged dad turned super-hero and the rather enigmatic Phoenix character who I felt was rather underwritten.

But I was entertained and was keen to see the resolution and I would hesitantly recommend “The Box” as an interesting thriller.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Having loved the author’s first book, I was excited to read The Box.

While it started out slower than I had expected, it quickly gathered pace and before I knew it, I was hooked! The story is well-written and the dual timeline keeps your mind puzzling out who did what…

I found myself invested in the characters. Their traits, good or bad, were written in such a way that I felt as if I really knew them.

The ending was completely unexpected and added the perfect twist to a fabulous book.

After reading the blurb this book I could not wait to start reading. I was so disappointed and I must admit it was a real struggle to finish it. Nothing was happening. Where was the spine tingling tension and suspense I was promised. I hope other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was my first book by this author and I was completely blown away by how excellent it was and I will not hesitate to read his earlier novel The Regret.
The story we have here is a chilling and topical tale that was very intense and once I started to read I found it impossible to put down and if I hadn’t had life happening around me dragging me away I think I would have read the whole book at one sitting it was that good.
The plot was very clever with twists I never saw coming and told in short chapters and from different characters it really did work well. I liked the characters they all felt believable with some of them being very nasty pieces of work and I thing that added to just how enjoyable the book was.
Plenty of action, a gripping plot and not at all predictable this was an excellent read and can highly recommend it, many thanks to Dan Malakin for keeping me hooked !
My thanks also to NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail / Viper / Profile Books for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ed Trumans family are falling apart.Ally his daughter is mixed up with a Alt-Right incel organisation,his house is being picketed,his son won't talk to him and his clients think his involved in a sexual assault.
When Ally disappears he is frantic,then his DNA is found on a dead girl.
What follows is a race against time to save is daughter and prove his innocence.
Plenty of action keeps you gripped throughout,a good read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Serpents Tail/Viper/ProfileBooks for the ARC.

I really struggled to get this finished. It sounded like such an amazing premise for the story but for me it just fell flat from the start. I dont know where it went wrong for me but it just didn't hold my attention at all. And I did really really want to love it!!! I actually took a few breaks whilst reading and went back to it with fresh eyes but i still struggled. I just felt like nothing was actually happening and it was all dragging on a bit. Hopefully it's better suited to other readers than it was to me

To save your child you must open The Box... Ed Truman's family is falling apart. His daughter Ally is being targeted by an alt-right incel organisation, Men Together. His house is being picketed, former clients are accusing him of sexual assault, his son won't speak to him. And then Ally disappears……. I was on the edge of my seat… 5 stars all the way. WOW! What a rollercoaster ride this book was!… Totally gripped from the beginning… Grab yourself a copy of this book!

I am truly, thoroughly, deeply, conflicted about what to say about this book. I finished it almost a week ago today and have been navigating the feelings since then, trying to reach a kind of consensus with myself in order to be able to sit in front of the computer and write some words.
The very first day I got this ARC, I read about eighty per cent of it and I am sure I would have been able to reach its ending if not for this little thing happening around us called life. I love to read, and I love when I feel that I cannot escape the grasp of a book, but this was something else: I was not able to put it down, to stop reading. I kept telling myself ‘Just one more chapter, just one’ and then there was another twist coming, and a revelation, and another twist, and I was thriving on them. Excuse the lazy metaphor, but I drank this book as if it was the first oasis after years of drought. I truly believe it found its way to me when I needed it most.
However, as I said before, I feel conflicted, because once it ended, once I reached the ending and put the book away… it sort of vanished from my mind as it was never there in the first place. I do remember the characters, I do still like poor Ed Truman and I love Phoenix, but only a few of the twists remain, the spell somehow broken.
Does this mean it is a bad book? No, not at all. I think the prose is brilliant and the use of rhythm impeccable, a 3,5 rounded up to a 4. But, at the same time, I will say that once the first layers are peeled, once the dust and the adrenaline is settled, the heart of the novel is not as articulate as it first seemed and the topics touched, as well as the dystopian tone, are not blown to its full potential.
Nevertheless, I will definitely recommend this book to a reader looking for a fast, page-turner thriller if their main focus is not the presented topic or possible critique, but the idea of an adrenaline shot in the form of a book.

This book was well written with a chilling storyline and well developed characters. It was a gripping read that had me on the edge of my seat and I read it in one sitting. Twisty, unpredictable and dark i didn't know what to expect or what would happen next. A great read.

Rounding up to three stars

Reading other reviews, I wonder if I had hold of a different book.
Whilst this was very readable, I didn't feel it offered anything new that I'd not read before.

A few times I almost gave up, but I'm glad I made it to the end.

We are all different, and this one just didn't work brilliantly for me.

The Box
Oh what a page turner! Carefully crafted characters alongside a unique storyline, what more can you want? How about a pulse-throbbing read, wicked humour, action, thrills and spills.
I read this book in a single day, truly unputdownable.
Nudging the edges of dystopia, a chilling, riveting read. I’ll definitely be recommending The Box.