Skip to main content

Member Reviews

Thank you Netgalley for this arc!

Wow - I had so many guesses about the outcome of this and I was wrong! This had so many twists and turns I did not expect which I love in a thriller.

This definitely had some slow parts to it that lost me for a little, but the ending really brought it all together! I loved the tape aspect and how it kickstarted it all. I wish they used it a little more to reveal some more clues from Eve’s mother, but I understand how it was executed the way it was.

If you are a fan of Freida McFadden or Riley Sager, this is a great, quick thriller for you! It will have you guessing who done it, and just when you think you have it, you will want to think again.

Overall a very enjoyable thriller!

Was this review helpful?

This was a really interesting thriller/mystery! At first, I wasn’t quite sure about whether I’d enjoy it. It was a little bit slow at first and was focusing more on the mystery aspect. Although I started to get more and more into it with each chapter, it is still a bit slower-paced for a thriller novel.
There were a lot of characters introduced. I think the purpose of this was to throw readers off and make you question literally everybody (which I definitely did). If that was the purpose, I think that was well done. I wish there were maybe a little less characters mentioned so that more clues were accumulated towards the identity of the earring killer, instead of bits and pieces from many different people.
I thought the actual plot was interesting and original! I liked the use of tapes to solve a murder mystery (kind of like 13RW as a thriller), as well as the excerpts from the earring killer book.
I wish we got more insight as to why the murders started in the first place.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!!

I requested this book immediately when I read the synopsis. I hadn’t read anything from this author before, but I did like their writing style! I liked the chapters ended on a slight cliffhanger and kept you interested to keep going. The twists at the end were also very surprising.

Was this review helpful?

After Eve's father dies, she's cleaning out his house when she comes across a box of cassette tapes labeled with her name. Imagine her surprise when she begins to listen to them, hearing the voice of her mother, who disappeared 13 years ago. If that wasn't enough of a shock, her mother claims to have been murdered. We follow Eve throughout this gripping thriller full of twists and turns, as she sets out to discover just what happened to her mom. This book leaves you second guessing, is a quick read, and is full of suspense. It did get slow at some parts, and although the characters were enjoyable, there wasn't much depth to them. I enjoyed the story line, but it did feel a bit rushed at the end and I wish the author spent more time expanding on the idea of the tapes, instead of just giving us the same lines over and over. Overall, I would recommend this book and thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me receive this ARC!

Was this review helpful?

I am glad I got to read this book as an arc as some of my friends have come across this book and mentioned they wanted to read it. However, I am not sure I read this at the right time. The book was interesting but I dont feel like it kept me super hooked like most thrillers do. I found myself getting irritated with the narrator of the book and just wanting to skip to the end. The book was not bad, I just dont think it was the right time for me to read this book.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for in ARC of this book. The idea around this story sounded really good. Eve’s mum went missing 13 years ago, her dad just died and was going through his things, this is where she finds cassette tapes her mum had recorded confessing she wasn’t missing but had been murdered. Sadly I struggled getting through this one. It was a slog to finish and really fell flat. Nothing seemed to really happen until the end and even then it was disappointing. Although we kind of find out what happened to eve’s mum, nothing was ever mentioned about where she was, what had Nicola done to her body? It seemed a little unfinished for me.

Was this review helpful?

This is my first book I have read by Kerry Wilkinson, and as a thorough fan of thrillers i decided to pick this up. The initial vibe I got from this book was similar to Freida McFadden - Never Lie with the concept of cassette tapes. I did enjoy the character building for Eve and her daughter Faith, but overall I felt there was just something missing, perhaps emotional depth. I would definitely consider reading this author again though, as perhaps this specific book just wasn’t to my liking.

This book has not yet been added to goodreads, but once it has i will post this review on that platform.

Was this review helpful?

Excellent read. So good I read it in one go without breaks. Gripping, mysterious, everything you want in a psychological thriller.

Was this review helpful?

The sign of a really good book is that you feel irritated whenever anyone tries to distract you from reading it! Not only did I finish this in 48 hours despite multiple distractions, but I felt intense irritation whenever I had to do anything else. I love the clever layers of unreliability created and the gripping premise, hearing a voice of the past that makes you question everything you thought you knew. I was utterly convinced we would finish with a totally different ending!

This a fantastic thriller- one of the best I’ve read since Girl on The Train - that also packs an emotional punch, reminding you that none of us know when the last time we see someone might be. I will be recording my own
voice messages for my daughters in the future!

Was this review helpful?

I remember recording cassette tapes when I was younger and thought the concept of this book sounded interesting because of the tapes. Eve found a tape with her name on it while cleaning out her father's house. That tape had a message from her mother saying she was going to be killed. Her mother disappeared 13 years ago, and this starts off the twists and turns that is this book. Eve continues to listen to the tapes, and her mom has more hidden messages on them. I found this book easy to read and kept me captivated the whole time. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

I couldn't put this book down! From the very first page, I was hooked, eager to uncover if the mother was murdered and if so, who was responsible. The Tapes is a captivating thriller that kept me guessing til the very end.

What made the story especially eerie was Eve's journey through the tapes left by her mother. Trying to decipher what was real and what was lies created a tense, unsettling atmosphere that kept me on edge. It's a haunting experience to sift through these recordings and question the words that are being said, not knowing what to trust. I found myself questioning whether the narrator was losing her mind or if the disturbing truths were truly emerging. The way the author portrayed her growing doubts and self-questions added an extra layer of suspense and depth to the story.

Although I'm usually pretty good at catching plot twists, this one completely caught me off guard. Overall, I highly recommend The Tapes for anyone who loves a gripping, unpredictable thriller that keeps you questioning everything until the final reveal.

Was this review helpful?

📼ARC REVIEW📼

Coming Aug 11th

This is a solid domestic thriller. I love the cover and I always enjoy a kind of “found footage” vibe. Definitely predictable but I still enjoyed the unfolding of this mystery. Would recommend for a quick and easy read 🖤

Thank you @netgalley @bookouture

#gifted #netgalley #thetapes #domesticthriller #domesticthrillerbooks #thrillerlover #thrillerbooksaddict

Was this review helpful?

This book had me locked in since the first page, since it already begins in a mysterious way. It has all the thriller, suspense and drama in a good balance for it to be a story that grabs you until the end.
I recommend this book to all the thriller lovers, and for someone that is starting on this genre.

Was this review helpful?

Rating: ★★★

Having never read a book by this author, I was excited to start this thriller with an open mind....especially being one of my most loved genres.

Whilst I liked the book overall, I felt there was a fair bit that went unexplored. Eve finding the tapes left behind by her mother is exciting and spooky, but it felt like a hefty chunk of the book was repetition without delving into the actual murders or more deeply into Angela's history or relationship with her mother.

The pacing felt a bit off sometimes, almost a bit too slow, but then the ending felt quite abrupt .... yet it still managed to tie it all up nicely. That being said, I was still aching for a bit more on the "why."

I enjoyed Faith's character and her relationship with her mum and the article/book snippets about the victims and murders was an interesting break in the story, but they still left me wanting a liiiittle bit more.

All in all, I didn't see the twist coming (quite a shock!) and the book held my interest from start to finish. It's a nice, short read and I appreciated the author's succinct writing style. I'd definitely be open to reading more of Kerry's work in the future!

Big thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC

Was this review helpful?

The premise of this really intruiged me and whilst I did enjoy it on the whole, it wasn't a true thriller in the sense I'm used to. That said, it was enjoyable and well written and it kept my attention throughout.

Was this review helpful?

The front cover of this book initially drew me in, the cassette reminiscent of my teenage years recording and listening to music. The second draw was the author, who has written books that I have hugely enjoyed in the past.

In this novel we meet Eve, who is clearing out her father’s house after his death and finds a box of cassettes, one of which has her name on, in her mother’s handwriting. Her mother has not been seen in 13 years.

The book follows Eve as she listens to the tapes and hears her mother speak to her with a story she is not sure is the truth. The trouble is the track is a re-recording and some of the words are indecipherable.
The issue is also that her mother was a self confessed liar and kleptomaniac.

What follows is the haunting story of what happened in the past and the aftermath of a serial killer. Eve as a character is a complex one, she has a chequered history with alcohol and previous violence which led her to having a police mentor. I enjoyed the way she tells the story and the characters are vividly described and some quite disturbing. I had no idea who the villain would be and there are certainly many red herrings along the way.

The novel within a novel idea works well, with an author telling the story of the earring serial killer within the book. It helped shape and enhance the reader’s imagination and need to solve the case.

Definitely one I will be recommending.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Overall I did enjoy the story and I happily kept reading on, intrigued to find the answers. For me, there were no shock moments and the thrills were few and mellow, and the repetition felt excessive. The chapters referencing the victims were a nice addition and different, but I was left wanting more description of the killings. It was an easy read but lacked the punch.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

The "If you're listening to this I've been murdered" had me hooked!! It's why I added the book to my pile and I am so glad I did. I absolutely loved the premise and setup of this book. I went through it so fast to figure who knew what. I loved that extra surprise twist also, did not see that one coming!! This was my first book by this author and I will be adding more of their books to my list. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for letting me read this in advance for an honest review!!

Was this review helpful?

The Tapes follows Eve after her father had just died, when clearing out his house she finds cassette tapes recorded by her mother. Eve's mother had disappeared years ago and in one of the tapes her mother says if Eve is listening to this tape she's been murdered...Hence begins Eve's investigation into what really happened to her mother.

I was pretty engaged with the story and the way things unfolded. It wasn't too fast or slow paced for me. I was pleasantly surprised by the serial killer subplot and I liked the book excerpt as a way to introduce and get to know the multiple victims. I liked that it wasn't dramatic or exaggerated like most thrillers for the most part. I don't know really how to feel about the reveal of the killer. I think I wanted something more than what it was.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy to review.

Was this review helpful?

Kerry Wilkinson’s The Tapes starts with a compelling premise of cassette tapes unearthed from the past, sharing secrets that could change lives forever. It’s a nice setup that promises intrigue and nostalgia, especially for those of us who remember the delicate art of recording songs off the radio, fingers poised to stop just before the DJ’s voice cut in and shouting to the void when they spoke before the song was over (me!!).

Unfortunately, while the concept is rich with potential, the execution falls short of greatness. The story feels like it’s missing a few puzzle pieces and moments that should connect more tightly or characters who could use a bit more depth. It felt a little jumpy, with a LOT going on that I think could have been expanded on to add more to the eerie vibe. I also thought some of the choices Eve made was just plain dumb. The reveal, while good, lacks the punch you’d hope for in a mystery. I guessed it early on, which isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker, but the journey there didn’t offer enough twists or emotional stakes to make the resolution feel earned or surprising.

That said, I can imagine The Tapes working well as a dramatized audiobook, with different narrators voicing key characters.

In the end, The Tapes is good…but wasn't great for me. It’s a quick read with a nostalgic hook, but it left me wanting more from its mystery and emotional payoff.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC!!

Was this review helpful?