The story is told over different times lines - present and the past. In the past, we are introduced to characters who meet in school and soon, one of the number will be dead. Fast forward to the present, Ben Knot is not living his best life, when he finds out the murderer will be free and able to return to live in the village. Ben learns that a film will be made in the village and both his children will be appearing. What Ben doesn't know is that some of the past will be brought into the present day. It was dark, disturbing, gripping, gritty and terrifying to read. It led to a dramatic ending.

The Cut is a tense and gripping thriller that weaves together past tragedy and present danger with chilling effect. Set in the quiet village of Barton Mallet, the story follows Ben Knot, once a teenager caught in a summer of bullying, fractured friendships and devastating loss. Thirty years later, Ben is an award-winning architect who has returned to his childhood home with his family, but the events of 1994 still haunt him. When the murderer from that long-ago summer is about to be released, the past resurfaces in ways Ben could never have imagined.

The book blends mystery, psychological tension and family drama with a creeping sense of dread. Ben’s attempts to hold on to his carefully built life begin to crumble under the pressure of financial ruin, his son’s budding acting career and the eerie arrival of a film crew in the village. The atmosphere is unsettling throughout, and the shadow of Blackstone Mill adds a haunting backdrop to the unfolding events.

Richard Armitage has crafted a story that keeps readers on edge, with layers of secrets, suspicion and betrayal. The narrative moves seamlessly between past and present, showing how choices and consequences never truly fade. The twists are well-paced and the blend of horror elements with a thriller structure makes the book both unpredictable and absorbing.

This is a chilling and compelling read that explores how the wounds of the past can cut deep into the present.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Geneva by Richard Armitage was one of my favourite reads from last year, so I was excited to get an advance copy of The Cut. This is a very different book. For starters, there are so many characters set across different time periods which for the first half of the book, I found really confusing. Around the midpoint I realised what was going on and the tension ramped up. Although there were no surprises as to who had done what, Armitage writes beautifully; particularly the multiple descriptive paragraphs. The characters were unlikeable, so it was hard to feel empathy. The childhood bullying - and particularly the grooming of the children in the current day - was particularly difficult to read. This is a well-written novel, but for me, it doesn't have the elements of a thriller that I gravitate towards or the breathtaking originality of Geneva.

Thank you to Richard Armitage, Faber & Faber and Netgalley for my advance copy.

I found the jumping back and forth between characters and timelines confusing and the story overly long. It just did not live up to Geneva which is a much better read.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

"The Cut" Richard Armitage ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A complex novel set in rotating past and present segments, Ben Knot is a village golden boy turned almost bankrupt architectural CEO.
The past is set in his final year of high-school, where we get to know Ben and his group of friends. How one action leads to another in a spiralling decent of darkness.
Present time shows how a film crew is piecing together a horror film with his own children as the main cast.
As the novel progresses, Ben finds too many coincidences between the film his children are in and the worst night of his teenage life. Stress is a common friend of his, and it keeps getting closer.

Keeping an eye on the dates in the chapter titles is vital to not get lost, I had to reread the first 50 pages as I forgot where in the timeline I was. The scene setting and descriptions are so vivid. The ending had me so enthralled with the colliding time lines. One of those types of books where you can't put it down in the second half as revelations keep happening.

Thank you to Richard Armitage and Faber and Faber for providing this book for review consideration via @NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is a story about the consequences of friendships made during teenage years coming back to haunt you in adulthood. A girl died thirty years ago, someone went to prison and just about to be released. A filmmaker wants to showcase the events leading up to the death. Will the film throw up new evidence or confirm the guilt of the imprisoned man? Told in two timelines which merge towards the end, sometimes confusing but a good read!

Ben Knott is an architect whose life was changed by an incident 30 years ago, which is coming back to haunt him. At the same time, his business is failing and he is under tremendous pressure.
And then a film company involve his children in a film concerning the incident.
Told in two time frames the story moves quickly and dramatically to a compelling climax.
I only gave this 3 stars because I was very uncomfortable with the way Ben's children were groomed and exploited into taking part in the film - they were innocent parties to the events 30 years ago - surely these days there must be some safeguarding. I know it’s only a book, but I would be unlikely to recommend it because of this.

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for the opportunity to read this book.

I was so excited to read this second book written by Richard Armitage. He is an excellent actor and portrays many characters who are totally believable in any genre. He has put this ability into this book which spans two timelines 30 years apart. The reader enters into the lives, emotions, fears and hopes of the characters who are sensitively written. The story is dark and the storms and fierce weather add to the atmosphere. I found it both intense and gripping right to its conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher, Faber and Faber for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#netgalley #faberandfaber

Really interesting novel to delve into. Dual timelines, complex characters and a brilliant storyline to keep you hooked.

Really impressed with this one.

2/5 ⭐

Thank you to Faber and Faber and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review, so... let's be honest.

I had several issues with this book - it reads as if it's been written for TV (not surprising given the author), however the transition between characters and timelines is clunky. I was 40-50% through the book and still didn't realise who the main characters were - and why new people kept coming in. Usually I'd start my review with a few lines about the narrative - but I can't even describe it. What *actually* went on?

There's also a way to write teenagers in the 90s without being consistently derogatory. It works if you get the story right, otherwise it's just uncomfortable and doesn't add to the plot at all.

I think this would be fine as a series on Netflix that you could lazily watch on a Sunday afternoon. The book doesn't capture - not at first, and definitely not as it goes on. It's impressive that it's slow but also so many things are happening all at once.

Quite a lot of characters which was very confusing. It jumped around a lot as well which didn't add to my reading experience. Very slow but it picked me pace and the ending was good. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher's for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Loved this! A really good read, with well developed characters, brilliant plot twists and good, well paced writing.

Richard Armitage has drawn on all of his stage and screen experience to write a truly exhilarating thriller. Flicking between the past and present, we meet Ben Knot, top dog at school and now a successful architect. But Ben's world is about to come crashing down, not once but twice. Ben's school girlfriend is murdered and his friend Dave is convicted of the crime. Fast forward thirty years and Dave is released from prison, making Ben confront his past. There's also the small matter of facing bankruptcy, and some angry Russians.

Ben's son Nate however, is living his best life after being cast as the lead in a film. Things are not all as they seem though, and soon turn nasty for Nate and his sister Lily.

I absolutely loved The Cut and couldn't wait to read the whole thing. The tone is pitched just right, and it's a classy edition to the thriller genre.

This is my first read by Richard Armitage and proved to be an exciting, darkly layered plot.

It took me a while to get to grips with the multitude of characters, who appear in both timelines, sometimes with a slightly different name, it was a bit confusing. The first timeline was set in the schooldays with Ben and his friends, before the tragic death of one of them; the second being present day, back in the same village. Sometimes the jumps between timelines is not always clear, narrative jumping between action in both, and that can hinder the pace of the story.

Told from multiple viewpoints, as well as a few locations: Ben working abroad; Hollywood and the village, school or the surrounding areas. I felt some detracted from the focus on the main plot. The intention or main theme was quite easy to pick up, personally I would have preferred more focus there, rather than Ben’s business dealings, although they did contribute to his mental anguish and state of mind.

An enjoyable read which may have benefited from some dedicated focus on areas like the school bullying. The ending, whilst conclusive, felt rushed and left areas that could have been developed further, adding to the quality of the story.

Am in two minds about this one but to be fair it’s probably more 3.5⭐️ than 3. I enjoyed the premise and the story was good but at times it seemed too slow and I just wanted to get to the end reveal. The characters were well portrayed, easy to imagine and like or dislike but I felt it jumped between the dual times too much-just as I was enjoying the unfolding of the story or new developments it would change and leave me hanging.
Overall probably worth a read but not a book that will stay with me.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

The Cut … Richard Armitage’s second novel and he’s really excelled himself. This was such a gripping story spanning two timelines set 30 years apart. The plot was magnificent with no deviations or distractions. The story centres heavily on the characters, their lives, their feelings, their fears. With extremely powerful descriptive narrative Richard takes us back to the days of 1993 and then to the present day, almost alternatively through each chapter, adding to the feeling of something ominous bubbling. Taking us into The Mouth of Hell. A terrifying journey back and forth. Reaching a crescendo in the final twists and turns.. The final chapters, coming to the boil, do not disappoint and are beautifully written and had me completely mesmerized.
It's sensitively written and doesn’t glamourise the heartache of those who, during this period, didn’t fit in, were different or came from different backgrounds.
I loved the references to music. It certainly felt like at times that I was at musical event, with the sounds of the cello and piano pulling me in, spinning me round, the high notes, the low notes, the build up to a final heart stopping finale.
I also loved the dark, atmospheric setting. The descriptions of the raging storms and unpredictable weather that featured in this book perfectly mirrored the intensity of the plot and the chilling revelations about the characters and their lives. Making you head spin as rain lashed, lightening flashed and everything unraveled before our very eyes.
Wonderful.

I listened to the audiobook (released August 2024) as I read the ARC and spotted a few small changes to the text, either to correct a minor error or a sentence rephrasing or adjustment within a paragraph.


It took me a while to get into the story and the two different timelines - mainly 1994 and 2024. I think what made it confusing was the various names some of the characters were given e.g. Dreyesh was David or Patel, Mark was Mark Cherry or Marcello and later Max. Other characters were called by their full name, Christian name, or nickname. It took me a while to sort out who was who.


The story was told from various characters’ POVs in third person. The present day story was narrated in past tense, whereas the 1994 story was told in present tense. Not sure why, but it was noticeable.


I didn’t particularly like many of the characters, especially the main character - Ben - both his younger and older versions. Nor did I feel I got to know much about any of the characters. It’s a mostly action-led story, with vivid descriptions of the various settings.


I had a few issues with certain details. For example, if the pupils were celebrating leaving secondary/senior school they would have been in Year 11 rather than Year 9, and not be called middle school pupils. The boy in the prologue should have been at least 15, if not sixteen rather than fourteen, if he was about to leave school. And I doubt if the school would have had pupils aged from infants as well, unless it was an independent school that went through from primary to secondary. Minor points, but it shows the text needed a further edit.


I don’t know much about filming, but the idea of filming a scene in one shot, without rehearsals, and only one or two ‘technicians’ seemed implausible. As did the speed in which the filming began - and without a contract.


These are just a few issues that spring to mind.


That being said, I’m glad I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated well by Richard Armitage and Jacob Dudman. Overall, I liked the idea of the story and the narrative is compelling - if somewhat unbelievable at times - once you work out what’s going on. I don’t want to give too much away.


I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thirty years after a teenager was murdered, her killer is about to be released from prison. By coincidence, a production company is shooting a film which bears a striking resemblance to the events surrounding the murder. Is someone out for revenge or trying to reframe the past?

The Cut by Richard Armitage opens in 1994 with a nightmarish scene of a young woman being chased through a storm. From a high vantage point, someone is watching the events as they unfold. The story then jumps to 2023, and we meet architect Ben Knott, a school friend of the victim at the time of her death. Ben is on his second marriage and has two teenage children, Lily and Nate.

The story alternates between 1994 and 2023. In the past, we meet Ben and his circle of friends. The group is a strange mixture of mainly unpleasant characters held together by Ben. Ben's intelligence, physique and home background have allowed him to get away with some unsavory behaviour. In 2023, we meet a very different character, a successful family man who is haunted by past events.

As the storyline alternates between the two time periods, we see everything leading up to the night of the murder. We discover that the bonds of friendship are tenuous, mainly because of the cruel nature of teenagers. In the present, Ben's fourteen-year-old son, Nate, is chosen to star in a "found footage" film. The nature in which Nate is encouraged to audition is creepy, reinforcing the message that you never know who is at the other end of an online conversation. The two sets of events slowly begin to merge, and Ben realises that someone knows more about the murder than the police uncovered.

The terrifying opening and the tense conclusion keep your heart racing. I did find the middle section a little slow and confusing, however, I was determined to read on to find answers. The reader is kept in suspense for the majority of the novel as to the identity of the victim and her murderer, the Mill Killer. Shocks are in store when all is revealed, including the identity of the person manipulating the modern-day events and the reader eventually learns about what really happened on that stormy night in 1994.

This is a dark, atmospheric mystery told from multiple POVs. I found the large cast of characters and the dual timelines confusing at times. The book deals with some unsettling issues - homophobia, racism and bullying. Overall I found this to be an enjoyable read but not quite as gripping as expected.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A book that felt like it took me right in to the centre of it all. And I felt the darkness and atmospheric unease right from the start. This built throughout and so did the tension. Were we falling into the trap of paranoid with our main character or was there sinister dealings going on?
I felt like I could see the old mill,feel the quiet ess of the streets and big houses.
I was fully immersed in what was happening in the present and then how it was linked to the past if that was indeed the case. Both timelines were written just as well as the other and love the switch and learning more from both.
Some of it felt so real and sometimes hard. The bullying aspect held a knot in my stomach. And then trying to guess of any revenge or just guilt? Grudges and moving on?
There was so many layers that added much richness to the book and the characters involved. And all of them were handled really well.
I was hooked. And gladly read this from beginning to end.