Wowee what a ride - full of twists and turns, just whe. You thought you’d figured out the ending it kept you guessing.

I enjoyed this pacy thriller about a man whose past catches up with him when a film production company decides to make a semi-scripted docu-drama about the death of a teenager in the 1990s and his son is cast in a lead role.

I opted into the Tandem Readalong because the author’s previous novel, Geneva, is one of my favourites, and The Cut has many of the same hallmarks - a central character facing a life crisis, unsure whom they (or we as readers) can trust, and a narrative with a clear ticking clock that drives us forward page after page.

This was a four-star rather than a five-star read for me only because I found the main character, Ben, quite disengaging. I was far more interested in film producer Max and his story.

In short, this is an excellent thriller whose pace builds and builds. A definite second novel HIT from Richard Armitage.

Trigger warnings for coercion, assault and bullying.

I was excited by the premise of this book and I loved the idea of the making of a horror film bringing back the past, but unfortunately the execution just didn’t grip me and I found it hard to get through at times, particularly in the first half.

There is a dual timeline, with some chapters set in 1994 and some in the present day. However, with this switch also involving lots of characters in 3rd person perspective, it was hard to keep track of who everyone was and how the two timelines connected until much later in the book.

I definitely found the story more enjoyable once I could see the relevance of the ‘past’ chapters, and there was some exciting action towards the end as answers were revealed and it became harder to put down. I also really enjoyed the ending and how it was wrapped up. I can’t say I was surprised by any twists or outcomes though.

I wanted to love this book and there were great parts to it, but sadly it just wasn’t a thriller that had me hooked.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this more than I did but it felt a little predictable. Initially I thought we were being led in that direction, with a twist to come but alas. The other thing I struggled with here was the lack of likeable characters. Teenaged Ben and adult Ben are both very self-centred. Of course teenaged Ben is struggling to care for his dying father so there's a level of sympathy, but his own behaviour - bullying others and gaslighting Annie his girlfriend - means that sympathy is limited.

It also seemed unrealistic that a parent would sign a child up for a film without knowing what it was about, or worry about the fact that the director was kinda making it up as she went along. It felt obvious from the get-go that it was about the community's infamous murder, timed for the release of the man imprisoned for it.

The dual timeline works here and Armitage does 'time' the reveals well - in the past and present - but by the time we got to them I found myself quite uninvested in the outcome.

I’d been meaning to take a look at Geneva, Richard Armitage’s debut thriller, but when I came across this on NetGalley, I thought I’d jump into book two – the books are standalones, after all. Given that Armitage seems to be a permanent fixture in any Netflix Harlan Coben adaptation, I was curious to see if Coben was his inspiration or whether this was something altogether.

There’s certainly a similarity to Coben’s work, but it has its own voice. There’s a parallel narrative, the events in 1994 that led to Annabel’s death and the present day events of the film being made. The stories keep pace with each other, as we only discover the sequence of events that lead to Annabel’s death at the same time as events come to a head in the present day.

The characters are strong, with the two time periods having distinct feels to them. While it takes a little while for the story to take shape, there’s no confusion as to what is happening when, which can be a problem with multiple timeframe narratives.

It’s not perfect – I had trouble with the character of Ben’s wife, willing to turn so many blind eyes to what is happening to her stepchildren. Also, at the end of the day, the story sacrifices the out-of-the-blue last minute twist in order for the story to deliver the emotional wallop that it has been building to. It provides a solid and satisfying denouement, but I could have done with a little more of a surprise to put this up there with the very best.

Nonetheless, the pacing of the plot and the writing are spot on. I’ll definitely be taking a look at Geneva soon.

Set in two different timelines thirty years apart the timeline follows a group of kids whose schoolfriend was murdered in 1994 and now in present day the killer is about to get parole.

Alongside, there is the production of a thriller/horror film in the village the murder happened which seems to be having parallels to the events in the past.

Due to the timelines and the amount of characters I found it difficult to keep up with this at first and to get the story straight in my head. Around 25% in it all clicked into place and I started to enjoy both the writing and plot. The ending also was a little confusing for me but overall I enjoyed the book.

It’s definitely a slow burn but one worth persevering with.

The Cut by Richard Armitage was a book I really wanted to read and enjoy. . . . . But. . . . . . . . it was a very slow-burn thriller, I was hoping something would happen and become a fast paced thriller in the end. Nope it became Slower, I even fell a sleep reading it on my kindle! then woke up to find I had only read a chapter. . . . . I even started to listen to the audiobook version, the narrators Richard Armitage and Jacob Dudman were excellent. . . . .But, Yeap the audiobook was still slow paced and boring! Sorry. . . .

I can not recommend it - as I did not like it. But I will give the narrators 3 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ for the entertainment! and the book cover, as it did catch my eye . . . You know the saying "Don't judge the book by it's cover!" I did!! and the author I though would have been better on who he is!!! - No ⭐️' for the Story None.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I read the blurb of this book and I was intrigued because it isn't like my usual picks. However I found it hard to follow and I couldn't really connect with the characters.

The Cut is a slow-burn thriller that for me, is a little too slow-burn.

It relates the story of a killing 30 years previously, with the book switching throughout from present day to the original events, not just from chapter to chapter but within the chapters too. Curiously, the events of 1994 are written in present tense, with the current day in past tense. This slight change in style is odd but I guess gives a different feel for the two timelines.

Armitage is good at description, setting scenes well, but I felt the book could have done with more action and less switching back and forth. This also lead me to not feeling invested in the characters, which for a thriller is a bit of a miss.

The village of Barton Mallet has tried to move on from events 30 years ago when a local girl was killed and her schoolfriend sent away for murder. Ben has tried to move on becoming a successful architect but financial mismanagement means his world is collapsing and now the killer is to be set free. His son and daughter have been cast in a horror film but as shooting goes on, Ben feels that it is becoming close to the truth of what really happened.
I quite enjoyed Armitage's first novel, this less so. There's a good idea here but it becomes very, very confusing as the dual timelines continue. There's lots of repetition which could have been more tightly edited and sometimes too much technical language about film-making. I'm glad I finished it, it does have a decent (if unbelievable) plot but none of the characters are particularly engaging.

You are gripped from the start by the dramatic prologue full of tension, taking you straight into this dark at times story with a sense of malice and ominous brooding foreboding.
I wasn't sure I wanted to continue reading if it was going to be a scary brutal horror fest involving children, BUT I felt sure that that nice, Richard Armitage would not do that to us readers!
Their are two timelines,alternating between the present and 1994 where the adults from now are still children finishing Year 11 with their whole lives ahead of them, except for Annie who is murdered at the end of the Prologue.
The descriptive narrative brought the characters to life before my eyes and showed how the characters and their lives have changed or not - Mr Branch, the PE teacher, is still there after 30 years, very true to life!
I loved the Year 11 rivalry between Annie and Lynnette especially how it played out on the hockey pitch it was so real, as was the portrayal of how nasty and vindictive children can be, as we see in the gang of 5 bullying and tormenting their victims.
With the plots' plentiful twists and turns and red herrings, you are constantly questioning what you "know." So far, are "people" who they seem to be? (Is Freckles, Nathans online new friend really a girl his age?) "Who" killed Annie? (I wasn't expecting the person accused who is being released from prison to be the murderer!)
Discovering the true culprit and reason behind Annie's death revealed at the end is quite heartbreakingly sad and totally unexpected.

Thirty years ago a community was devastated by the murder of a young girl, now with the convicted murderer up for parole there's a film crew reawakening the past. Ben was the victim's girlfriend at the time, and now he's just trying to raise his own family but the past is never far behind.

I was so excited to be approved for this one and it didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed the 90's nostalgia in the flashback chapters. It was really clever of the author to lean into his film experience, and it added a unique layer to the story. I wouldn't call the ending a plot twist as such, but it's really dramatic and I flew through the book in a few sittings.

Unlikely scenario to say the least. The plot sort of hinges on one person doing something no one would ever do! Hard to say more without a total spoiler but it was t for me.

The cut was a thriller, flipping between two timelines, past and present. Great suspense and a storyline that kept me turning those pages. The writing brought out the atmospheric suspense with lots of twists and turns. The name calling and bullying seemed a central part of setting up the past’s storyline and how that develops later on in the present. I do think the characters, particularly in the past, were believable but whether they were likeable I am still not quite sure. The storyline kept those pages turning for me, always a good sign. A very intriguing and dark read.

Thank you to the publishers, the author and Netgalley for this ARC copy

This story has two timelines, the present and back in 1994.

Ben Knott witnessed his schoolfriend die back in 1994, he lost another friend to prison for the murder.

In the present, the killer has been released and returns to the village.

With a lot on his plate, Ben’s home life is not great. When his son, Nathan is picked to star in a film, Ben realises the film is about his past.

I was looking forward to reading this book, as I had enjoyed the author’s debut.

Unfortunately, I didn’t really get on with this story. For me, there were too many characters, I had to keep referring back as I couldn’t keep on top of who was who. I didn’t find any of the characters likeable, which also made it difficult for me to enjoy the story.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Totally gripping, uncomfortable storylines with loads of unseen unexpected twists, just brilliant reading!
The story is set on two timelines of 1994 and now.
It’s the summer of 1994 and the class have quite some history together. Group dynamics, friendships and love have played a part as has the incessant bullying and cruelty.
In 2024 Ben Knot is struggling with the past, brought back by night terrors and the fact his business is imploding, he could lose everything and he can’t do a thing to stop it. Ben’s two children have been cast in a horror film through his girlfriend Dani with dreams of Hollywood, which is horrifyingly close to the truth of what happened 30 years ago.
Complicated relationships and twisted characters form this compelling story of revenge.
A brilliant thriller and well told story! Dark and complex, haunting and captivating.
What a fantastic read! For lovers of Geneva and Harlan Coben’s books.
Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the early read, this one is still haunting me!

I really enjoyed Geneva when I read/listened to it a while back so I was quite excited to get my hands on this, the author's second book, which I also read/listened to, as I found it already out on audiobook!
This time we have a dual narrative - set in the present and also flashing back to 1994.
In the past, we follow Ben and his friends as they complete their last year of school and are all looking forward to the summer and the future. Ben isn't really a nice person though and his gang are wont to torment the weak, Mark Cherry being one of his main targets. But things change when the bullying escalates and someone loses their life. Even though the perpetrator is caught and convicted, it still scars the village.
Back in the present and we catch up with Ben and his family, girlfriend Dani who is step-mum to his children Nate and Lily. Despite being a successful, award-winning architect, he is still haunted by the tragedy that happened. More so now as the perpetrator is due for release from prison...
But he has to go on for his kids. Lily is bossing it the football team and Nate has just landed the star role in a new horror movie which is being shot in the village.
So... things should be ticking alone nicely, until Ben realises that the film's story is a little too close to home...
I think the parts I listened to were better than those I read. Probably cos I found the story to be a wee bit on the implausible side, but also a wee bit predictable. I was also easy to work out when you were with the audiobook as each timeline has a different narrator, and they both excelled at bringing it to life.
The characters were on the whole good, although a few did only just stop short of being caricatures, some of the decision making being a bit spurious. That said, it did fit with the narrative and made for a good story, so...
And although the ending was a bit predictable, it was well worked up to and the final denouement well executed.
All in all, it kept me occupied and entertained for a while and left me mostly satisfied at the end. If you do audiobooks then I would definitely recommend this as a listen. Notsomuch a read.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The Cut by Richard Armitage had an intriguing premise, a past crime resurfacing through a film production, but unfortunately, the execution felt boring and slow. The pacing dragged, and I wish I would have liked it more as the author is a very gifted actor. I received a copy from Faber and Faber Ltd via Netgalley.

The characters felt too distant, and the plot often relied on turns that took me out of the story. Even the emotional themes around trauma and memory were undercut by the slow narrative flow. It took me a long time to finish.

I wanted to like it more, but, unfortunately, it's one of these thrillers that just didn't grab me at all.

2,5/5 ⭐️

Interesting storyline going between a time thirty years ago when one of their friends was murdered and current day when someone is producing a movie. But, it seems as if the movie isn’t fiction but based on the past. I did enjoy the book but found myself more interested in the happenings of the past than the present day. However, it was interesting seeing the difference in the characters between what they were like as teenagers and their adult persona.

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy of this book

I loved reading and listening to Geneva on audible so was looking forward to Richard’s new book the cut. A lot of books usually either have a super good beginning or an amazing end. It's pretty rare for me to find one that has both but this defiantly had such a great beginning and all the way through pace that kept me wanting to keep reading like crazy and it also had an unforgettable ending. Five stars.