Turn the Other Way by Stuart James
Independently Published
Publication Date: 9 February 2019
Genre: Thriller
419 pages
Book Description:
Sometimes revenge is the deadliest game of all.
A derelict farmhouse in the Essex countryside.
A deranged family.
Innocent victims picked at random.
Simon Bairstow is a top London surgeon. He's performed dozens of life-saving operations. But something goes horribly wrong. The machine Eve Johnson is attached to flatlines, and suddenly her parent's world has collapsed.
They're hellbent on revenge, someone to answer for the horrific error that's been made.
Noah and Jess are driving home on a busy dual carriageway and stuck in traffic. They hear thumping coming from the back doors of the transit van in front of them. When Noah steps out onto the road, he hears muffled screams.
He opens the back doors and what he sees shocks him to the core.
The van pulls off, spilling Noah onto the road.
Ignoring his wife's plea to leave it, he hits the accelerator in pursuit of the van.
Chloe's parents are missing. She hasn't seen them since they left the party in Hampstead on Friday night. She needs answers, deciding to take matters into her own hands.
A serial killer is stalking the streets of Islington in North London late at night leaving his victims in a horrific way.
The press have dubbed him the Angel Attacker.
A terrifying tale of revenge with a twist that will hit you like a sledgehammer.
A derelict farmhouse in the Essex countryside.
A deranged family.
Innocent victims picked at random.
If you're chosen, Turn The Other Way.
They're hellbent on revenge, someone to answer for the horrific error that's been made.
Noah and Jess are driving home on a busy dual carriageway and stuck in traffic. They hear thumping coming from the back doors of the transit van in front of them. When Noah steps out onto the road, he hears muffled screams.
He opens the back doors and what he sees shocks him to the core.
The van pulls off, spilling Noah onto the road.
Ignoring his wife's plea to leave it, he hits the accelerator in pursuit of the van.
Chloe's parents are missing. She hasn't seen them since they left the party in Hampstead on Friday night. She needs answers, deciding to take matters into her own hands.
A serial killer is stalking the streets of Islington in North London late at night leaving his victims in a horrific way.
The press have dubbed him the Angel Attacker.
A terrifying tale of revenge with a twist that will hit you like a sledgehammer.
My Review:
First of all I must give my thanks to Sarah Hardy of Book on the Bright Side Publicity for the opportunity to read and review this book here on my page as part of Stuart's promotional blog tour.
The book is split into chapters headed 'Past' and 'Present' so the story is easily tracked time-wise between the time frames. On reading the first chapter I wondered if this was going to be the usual revenge story of parents who tragically lose their child and seek vengeance on those who they feel are responsible for their loss. This is the point that I have to tell you that there is absolutely nothing run-of-the-mill about this book whatsoever. I stayed up way beyond my regular bedtime to read just one more chapter (or five!), totally absorbed in the story. I HAD to carry on as each chapter left unanswered questions as to (a) what was going on and (b) what was going to happen next.
A word of warning: there are some pretty graphic scenes throughout the book, moreso than in a lot of books in the thriller genre which may put off some readers but I felt added to the horror of the events which were going on. The people driving the van gave me chills: they just do not care. Whether they are seen, followed - anything. They just have one thing in mind, and that is whatever twisted plan they have and how they can make sure it is carried out. Anyone gets in their way, they either make them part of the plan or 'remove' them from proceedings. But what is their connection to that tragic first chapter? I had no definite theory as to where the two timeframes linked - lots of possibilities presented themselves to me but each of them was quickly dismissed with another twist in the tale.
My heart broke for poor young Chloe, whose parents have mysteriously vanished into the night after leaving her birthday party. She searches desperately for them with the help of her boyfriend but it quickly becomes clear to her that someone doesn't want her to know what happened that night when they cross paths with the men in the van. Many people seem to clam up when she starts asking questions yet the help the odd few are offering doesn't seem to be getting her any answers. What is going on??
After a good old cat and mouse chase, the answers to decades old mysteries eventually come spilling out bringing with them explanations for the modern side of the story. I guarantee you will be shocked by the truth of the tale. The 'how, why and who' all fitted together in devastatingly horrific ways which hadn't even been options in my mind along the way and I stayed awake way, way longer than I had planned in order to finish this book.
A belter of a book which will have you glued to the plot whilst hiding behind your cushion with dread as you read. Once you're involved there is no escape.
About the Author:
I’m 45, married and have two beautiful children. Currently, I’m a full-time plumber but would love nothing more than to make a living from my writing.
I hope I write stories and people continue to enjoy them for years to come. That would be completely amazing and a dream come true.
I have always loved scary stories, especially ones that shocked me, left me terrified, looking under my bed or in the wardrobe before going to sleep.
There was just a fantastic buzz whenever I watched or read something that took my breathe away.
I remember going to my nan’s house in Ireland as a youngster with my mother and sister, on the West Coast, staying in a cottage, surrounded by miles of fields and my family sitting around the table in the kitchen at night telling ghost stories. Going out and exploring derelict farmhouses in the middle of nowhere. I remember clearly the field at the end of the road was supposed to be haunted by headless nuns.
My cousins often remind me of the great times we had, frightening each other and running for our lives whenever we’d see something that didn’t look right.
This is why I love nothing more than to tell a story.
I started writing two years ago, penning The House On Rectory Lane.
I got the idea from something that has often seemed scary to me. I know that a terrifying story has to be something that you’re frightened of doing, something that makes the hairs stand on the back of your neck, something that fills you with dread, yet also with excitement.
To me, the thought of going to a house in the middle of nowhere, upping and leaving a busy town and moving to the country is something that scares lots of people and me: the seclusion, the quiet, the darkness.
That’s what inspired me to write my first novel.
My second thriller is called Turn The Other Way.
I have multiple stories running, past and present. A family who want answers from the surgeon responsible for their daughter’s death.
A young woman looking for her parents after they go missing from a party.
A couple driving home and hearing screams for help from the back of the van in front of them.
A serial killer on the loose in North London, dragging victims off the street.
I’m so grateful when people not only read my thrillers but also take the time to get in touch and leave a review. To me, that is the greatest feeling, hearing from people that have enjoyed my work. I know then that I’m doing something right.
I’m currently working on my new thriller, Apartment Six, which should be released later this year.
Social Media:
Instagram: StuartJamesAuthor
Twitter: @StuartJames73
Follow the Tour:
Thanks so much for being part of the blog tour today and for the great review x
ReplyDeleteIt's been a great tour to be part of, I've enjoyed it from the first page of the book, right to the end of the tour - thanks Sarah
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