This is a dark book, the author has drawn on his experiences from when he was a police officer and a child protection social worker.
Anthony was 7 when he was taken to dr. Gallbraiths basement. He is now a journalist and needs answers. His marriage is failing, he has to uncover the truth, but will he like what he finds?

This book hits at the heart strings. So powerful.
Covers all aspects of this brutal case involving kids..(trigger warning)
Well written in the first..him telling the story in his own words. So many maddening and sad moments that captures your heart in so many different ways.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Dr David Galbraith Book 3

Thirty years ago, Anthony Mailer was a seven-year-old boy trapped in Dr Galbraith's basement. Now he's a journalist, a husband and a father. But no matter how far he's come at times he's still that scared little boy. In order to save his marriage, he has to stop hiding from what happened and deal with it once and for all. But digging into the past hold's dangers Anthony never imagined....

This book was inspired by true events. John Nicholl used to be a police officer and a child protection social worker. The story is told from Anthony's point of view. Anthony is now married to Cynthia, and they have a young daughter, but he can't escape his past. He is a journalist, so he decides to write a book based on his story. I highly recommend that you read the previous two books in the Galbraith series before you read this one.

This emotional read will pull at your heartstrings. It's a compelling story that tells us how a man struggles with his past. Not a story for everyone but the subject matter is dealt with sensitively. This story highlights the long-term effects that victims have to suffer. I was horrified and disgusted at some of the content, how can anyone do these things to children.? When Anthony completed his book, he dedicated it to survivors everywhere which I thought was a lovely thing to do.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #JohnNicholl for my ARC of #TheFather in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW

Review for 'The Father' by John Nicholl.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for John Nicholl and Boldwood Books

Publication date 20th September 2022

This is the fourth book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'Killing Evil' and 'The Doctor' (First book in the 'Dr David Galbraith' series) and 'The Wife' (Second book in the Dr Galbraith series) which I would also highly recommend. This book is the third book in the 'Dr David Galbraith' series but can be read as a standalone.

I was originally drawn to this book by its unique eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. I am a huge fan of true stories and although this book is fiction it is based in a true story. I loved John's other books called 'Killing Evil' and 'The Doctor' (which is the first book in the Dr Galbraith series) and 'The Wife' (which is the second book in the Dr Galbraith series) if this is half as good as they are it's bound to be a page turner. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Boldwood Books. I have yet to read a book published by Boldwood Books that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 29 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 , UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. The fact that I live in Wales and only live a few miles from the authour is amazing as I'm hoping to recognise a few local places.

This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Anthony Mailer. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.

'The Father' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book John discusses/includes child abuse, strong language and domestic abuse.

OMG!!!! Yet another fantastic success by John!! What a read!! Just Wow!!! This is one of the best psychological thrillers and series I have read in a long time,in fact that I have ever read!!!

The book is written perfectly and with such vivid descriptions it really feels that Anthony is sitting next to you telling you what is happening while he is doing it or was doing it. I absolutely LOVED that Anthiny is talking directly to me as a reader. It really immerses the reader into the storyline. This is very hard to achieve correctly but John absolutely smashed it!!!

Clear your schedules before picking this up because you won't be able to put it down!!

This is the third and last book in the 'Doctor Galbraith' series and wraps up the series perfectly. It can be read as a standalone but for those who wish to go back and read it in order these are the books you want to look out for:

Book 1. The Doctor. This was previously published as White Is The Coldest Colour. In this book we first meet Doctor Galbraith, Cynthia and Anthony along with several other characters we come across throughout the series. This book is written through the eyes of Doctor Galbraith and I would say is the most chilling and disturbing of the three. Doctor Galbraith is a consultant child psychiatrist, a pedophile, sexual predator and murderer.

Book 2. The Wife. This was previously published as When Evil Calls Your Name. In this book we see through Cynthia's (Doctor Galbraith's wife) eyes and what she suffered through the hands of The Doctor including how she met him and what she thought was going on. This book contains alot of domestic abuse which I personally think will help others see the signs for themselves and for others.

Book 3. The Father which is what I will discuss in this review.

In this book we are 'spoken to' by Anthony who was the little boy that Doctor Galbraith set his eyes on in The Doctor. Anthony is now an adult who works as a journalist and has a family of his own. Anthony has decided to write a book about what happened to him and what he went through and wants questions answered. To do this he must delve into his past and interviews several of the characters who was involved when he was a child. These include Molly (his mother), Mike (his father) , Sian (his sister) , Cynthia, Gary Davies (a paedophile who was in the same ring as Doctor Galbraith), Mel Nicholson (ex-child protection social work manager) , Pam Forsyth (police officer), Sharon Breen (Galbraith’s former secretary), an anonymous senior female officer, Phillip Beringer (child care team manager) , Detective Sergeant Pam Forsyth and former Police Constable Bethan Williams.

It was fascinating to see Anthony's story told from the perspective of the majority of the team involved in his case and it wrapped the whole trilogy up perfectly. An absolutely fantastic conclusion to one of the best series I've ever read!! This book is fiction but the author John Nicholl is an ex police officer and child protection worker. John's experiences and expertise provides a great depth to this series and gets the reader thinking how much is really fiction and if some is sadly based on fact. This book is dedicated to survivors across the world.

The storyline is absolutely addictive and gripping. I seriously WOULD NOT even start this book unless you have cleared your schedule because you will not be able to put it down!!! I absolutely blew through it in one sitting and it genuinely was unputdownable!!! A true page turner absolutely rammed with suspense, tension and everything you want when you read a psychological thriller. This would be absolutely amazing if turned into a movie, if done right of course!!! Not only is this a gripping and addictive storyline but it is immensely thought provoking. Without revealing too much of the storyline it is hard to say what I want without exposing the story too much and spoiling it for other readers.

This whole series has been thought provoking and has ended in a twist I would have never seen coming. While each of the books can easily be read as standalones I would, personally, recommend reading them in order for the full 'experience'. However, on saying that this book perfectly wraps up every moment in Anthony's life from childhood to adulthood and is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture. This series is poignant, heartbreaking and sadly extremely realistic. What happens in this series is something that should shock the reader but as most have come to discover is something that goes on throughout the world and has done through history. It is disgusting and sadly this series also shows what happens behind the scenes and how much work has to go in to ensure these monsters are arrested and put in prison which sadly takes time. While all the evidence is being collected the abuse continues and many other children are harmed. This leads to frustration, anger, damage, abuse and much more. It shows and makes the reader understand how difficult it must be for people that work in this sector and how frustrating their job can be at times This series really does make you think. How far would you go to protect your loved ones? Would you do anything different from Cynthia and Anthony? Who is right and wrong? Is justice ever served? So many questions that will stay with the reader long after they close this book. As always with John's novels and this series it is one that really grasps the reader's attention and will be one that never fully leaves you. It is a chilling, harrowing and unsettling story that readers won’t be able to put down!


Although this is the third book in the series I had would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
I really cannot compliment and recommend this book more. It is a heart racing, nail biting, suspense packed psychological thriller that will stay with you for one hell of a long time.

Congratulations John on yet another absolutely addictive nail biting edge of your seat novel. This is exactly why you are on my favourite author list!!! As always I'm looking forward to reading your next page turner!!!

Overall a unputdownable, heart racing, nail biting and addictive psychological thriller

Genres covered in this novel include Thriller, Hardboiled Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Fiction Mash-ups, Mystery and Crime Thriller amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as Charlie Gallagher, Mark Edwards and anyone looking for a page turning series.

235 pages.

This book is just £1.89 to purchase on kindle which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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This is the third book in the Dr Galbraith series but can easily be read on its own but better if you have read the others first.

This book is told from the viewpoint of Anthony who is the boy who was abducted in the first book. He is now an adult, married with a young doctor but his past is haunting him and it is affecting his marriage, he is relying on alcohol and he wants answers. He is a journalist so he decides to write a book about his story so he meets up with family and former police officers and people who were involved in his case to try and get some answers and material for his book.

Will he get the answers he wants and get out of the dark place or will he end up in an even darker place?

This book has been released previously under a different title and different publishers.I

This book is a bit intense, I couldnt put it down and read it in one day! It is the third book in the Galbarith series, but i havent yet read the  first two.

The Father tells the story of Tony, a 30 something Dad who is struggling with memories of traumatic events from his past and has turned to alcohol, which is starting to seriously affect his relationship with his family.

Knowing that he is in danger of losing his wife and daughter, Olivia, he decides to investigate the harrowing events of his childhood and write them down so he can try to make sense of them.

At the  age of  7,  Anthony, as he is then known, is referred for therapy following the breakdown of his parents' marriage. His therapist is the eminent Dr David Galbraith, well known for his work "supporting" vulnerable children. Unfortunately Dr Galbraith is actually a sadisitic child abuser and preys on the weaknesses of these families, who trusted him to help.

Anthony was abducted from his home and a couple days later found imprisoned in the cellar of Galbraith's house, unconscious. As an adult he remembers little of what happened but the trauma affected him deeply, so he tries to piece  together the sequence of events, by interviewing  family and the adult professionals involved in his rescue.

This is a disturbing and intense thriller, with some harrowing details.

This is the third in a trilogy and I do recommend reading the first two to get the full impact. Please note the authors warning about the books content. The whole series has been so well written and you can clearly see that the author has drawn on person knowledge gained from his personal experience as a police officer and child protection social worker. This book is written more in the form of a memoir, but from interviews and research, rather than the protagonists memories, which are flawed, and there are many emotional, possibly upsetting scenes.

Briefly, as a 7 year old Anthony Mailer was abused by child psychologist Dr Galbraith, a convicted paedophile. Now 30 years old and a father himself journalist Anthony realises that he needs to face his past, in order to save his faltering marriage. He starts searching for and interviewing people involved with the Galbraith case. What he finds out is both surprising and shocking.

Another compelling read highlighting the long term effects on the victims and those involved with abusive crimes of this nature. You can’t but feel disgusted and horrified by the perpetrators of these dreadful crimes. As for Anthony his story is just heartbreaking. A good, thought provoking but harrowing read.

This is the final book in a trilogy and I’d recommend reading the first two books to get the most out of this book.
This is the story of Anthony who was one of Dr Galbraith’s victims and now as an adult he’s trying to deal with the abuse he suffered.
This book won’t be for everybody as child abuse is the main theme, but it’s also about Anthony trying to deal with it and write a book about his ordeal.
He speaks to several people linked to Dr Galbraith and also his family to see it from their perspective.
Even with writing the book and trying to put the past behind him, Anthony finds alcohol is the only thing he can rely on to deal with some of the memories.
His wife struggles with the way Anthony is becoming more and more distant and soon it gets too much for her.
This is a compelling story about a man trying to deal with his past.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I was asked by international bestselling author, John Nicholl, if I would be interested in reading this third novel, called THE FATHER, a dark psychological suspense thriller, the sequel to WHEN EVIL CALLS YOUR NAME aka THE WIFE. I jumped at the chance having loved his previous books in the series. While this can be read as a standalone novel, I strongly recommend you read the first two books first, to get the full effect.

Novels in the Dr. David Galbraith Series Include:
1. White Is the Coldest Colour (2015)
aka The Doctor
2. When Evil Calls Your Name (2016)
aka The Wife
3. The Father (2022)

This dark psychological suspense thriller based on true facts is written by ex-police officer and child protection social worker, John Nicholl. This novel, while is a piece of fiction, draws on the author’s expertise and experiences to provide greater depth to the novel, and is dedicated to the survivors everywhere.

This is my review of The Father.

In Book 1, The Doctor, we are introduced to Dr. Galbraith, a consultant child psychiatrist who lived a double life…was also a pedophile a sexual predator and killer. He had already murdered one child in the soundproofed cellar below his town-house he shares with his wife and two young daughters.

The book contains material some may find upsetting, and is not for the faint-hearted, but is not excessive in nature.

The Mailer’s seven-year-old son, Anthony was referred to the child guidance center, to Dr. Galbraith, following the breakdown of his parents’ marriage. Anthony blamed himself for his parent’s break up, and suffered from behavioral problems.

In Book 2, The Wife, narrated by Cynthia Galbraith, the wife of the doctor. explains how she ended up in prison, as lifer, and her personal journal that led up to her life in prison.

Now in Book 3, The Father, thirty years later we touch base with Anthony Mailer, the seven-year-old boy trapped in Dr Galbraith’s basement. Now he’s a journalist, a husband to wife, Nicola and a father of a beautiful daughter, Olivia. But he will never forget his tormented past.

In order to save his marriage, Anthony has to stop hiding and face his past demons head on, and deal with it once and for all…but that comes with dangers for Anthony.

This was a well-written dark and disturbing powerful and heartbreaking story, that some readers may find upsetting. Details are released on a need-to-know basis. I like the twists and turns in this story, especially the surprise ending that I didn’t see coming. This is a thought-provoking novel that will remain with me for a long time to come.

Many thanks to the author, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for my digital copy.

The Father is the third book in the Galbraith Series - something that I didn't realise until I had actually finished reading it!

It's well written, and feels quite formal - the narrator, Anthony, is writing a book about his past experiences in order to come to terms with something that happened when he was younger. A series of interesting interviews with family members, officers and workers involved in the case from his childhood are interspersed with Anthony's perspective of his home life, as well as his belief that in order to face his future he needs to face his past first - something which is often done while he's having a tipple, or two, or a bottle of them for that matter.

I must admit, I felt Anthony came across as very self-centered and I believe this was probably intentional on part of the author which is why the tone of some chapters seemed almost out of place. Anthony seemed to lack any sort of empathy for the other people involved in his case and how it had affected them as well as him. I'd go so far as to say that even at the end, his intentions were self serving, although Anthony doesn't believe that, of course.

Another thing I struggled with was the pacing - if I had read the earlier books in the series I may have fared better with this one. It seemed to drag and I understand why - we went through the process as Anthony did but his view of events, and what actually happened seemed few and far between. Again, this is probably because I had no prior knowledge of the circumstances.

I want to make it abundantly clear here: trauma affects everyone differently, and I am in no way minimising that. But I didn't really understand why Anthony was so traumatised... only that he was. The situation that happened in his childhood seemed to be much worse than it actually was, particularly given what we learn about Dr Galbraith from interview-ees and Anthony himself.

I didn't really like any of the characters, which isn't surprising given that most of them, save Anthony himself, were fleeting. There simply wasn't time for me to like them, or feel anything for them, they just moved the story forward a little at a time. Of all the characters, I didn't even particularly like Anthony either, as I've said above he comes through as very self-centered and I didn't find him endearing at all, although I did empathise with him.

Well, you win some and you lose some, and while I didn't enjoy this book, I can appreciate it for what it is, I just didn't get it.

The Father publishes on 20th September 2022.


Star Rating: 3

CAWPILE Rating: 5.3/10

Characters: 4/10
Atmosphere: 5/10
Writing: 7/10
Plot: 6/10
Intrigue: 5/10
Logic: 6/10
Enjoyment: 4/10

Many thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc! I’m a series girl so I had to go back and read books 1 and 2 first. This trilogy was not an easy one. This topic is a hard read. I have to say, I never wanted to kill a character more than I wanted to reach beyond the pages and grab David Galbraith. Reading these books were redundant because it is the same story, just from different perspectives and it was in deed worth it! Anthony’s story and all the interviews tied it all together. I will say while I enjoyed the ending of this one, something about Cynthia’s ((David’s wife)) story just captured me. A hard read but a good one!

The Father is the third book in this trilogy and I would recommend you reading the series in order for maximum effect.
This series has left me reeling and I think John Nicholl clearly put his hearty and soul into this series. With his knowedge - gained during his time as a police officer and social worker - of these sorts of abuses and the rippling and far reaching repercussions of them, this is has a really authentic feel to it.

The Father tells the story of Anthony Mailer a young child who suffered severe abuse as a child. It is a realistic portrayal of the challenges faved by Anthony as he struggles to come to terms with his past in order to move on with his future and to be a good dad to his daughter.
Poignant, heartbreaking and well written, this is a novel thatwill remain with me for a long time to come.

I have read all books from this author and this is an exceptional fictional account from a father's view, which has been well researched but you need to read the previous two books in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and John Nicholl for this ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

A fictional account from a man’s point of view of his own abuse, incredibly well written, if a little patronising towards his mother - I can understand he doesn’t want to paint his mum in a bad light, however it does come off as being a bit self serving and patronising. The story shows the impact of abuse from everyone’s perspective including social workers, police, parents and even the perpetrators wife. Sad but maybe inevitable ending, proving that child abuse effects many.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Book 3 in this series. I recommend reading them in order for the whole story to make sense.
This book was written from the perspective of Anthony. The book does rehash the previous 2 books but I felt enough was from a different perspective to make this worthwhile to read. The ending was a surprise but I did like what happened. I don't want to give any spoilers.

Riveting. Hooked me from start. An excellent first book to a great trilogy. Creepy, spooky, haunting, disturbing, real life crime. So, so good.

I love this author. I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again, awesome!
This author has a real knack for setting that scene of fear and suspense.
Such a depth of writing that really grabs you from the start and draws you in.
This is really a stand out novel in this genre.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my arc.

This is the first John Nicholl book that I’ve read and although third in the series it is a standalone. A physiological thriller that has twists and turns. Tony is abducted at the age of seven and thirty years later researches and writes a book about his experiences. He interviews key people linked to what he went through and the main parts of the book is made up of these interviews. I found the main character Tony irritating at times but those times were linked to what he’d been through and you couldn’t blame him for his actions. Very believable characters though.and I must admit that at times I thought this was a true story. A warning though that this book covers the very emotive, sensitive subject of child abuse. There is violence and any abuse is described well but not too graphically, leaving some to your imagination. I struggled to put this down and will definitely be reading more John Nicholl’s books. Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for the opportunity to read this.

Another one I could not put down and devoured in one sitting. I absolutely recommend this book. Be ready for an afternoon or evening of completely neglecting any chores as this one will have you hooked within the first chapter. I live for books that leave me speechless and this book did just that. I actually feel quite sorry for the next book that I read because there is no way it be able to compete with this twisty gem.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

This is the third and final book in The Dr Galbraith series. The story focuses on Anthony Mailer who was abducted when he was 7 years old and 30 years later decides to write a book on the events and investigations that took place at that time as a kind of therapy. I thought that this was a good read, although I wasn’t too keen on the main character, I felt he came across as very self centred and quite unlikeable although I did have a little empathy for him. The story covers most of the events in the first book with Anthony interviewing people involved at that time and is ‘fleshed out’ more. This book didn’t wow me, I think this was mainly because the story was retold again, albeit from a different character perspective. I liked that Anthony becomes more aware of how the events affected his family and others and eventually gets some much needed help himself. The book was written well, I thought it was very realistically told and is a true reflection of the far reaching thoughts, feelings, emotions and consequences of those affected by child abuse. I don’t think the author could have created certain characters I loathed more, and the ending of the book was unsurprising yet still very sad.

3.5 stars