How Far We Fall is an intriguing, dark and twisty thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. I always like a revenge story, particularly when I feel it’s justified, so I found this book to be very entertaining.

It is a bit of a slow burner but after the first couple of pages soon picks up. The author slowly increases the tension and intrigue which along with a few surprise twists in the plot make this a hard book to put down.

There is a bit of information about neurological procedures which I found quite fascinating, as I’ve always been intrigued by the subject. Some of it might not be to everyone’s taste though as it is quite detailed in places. There is also a mention of animal testing which was a bit of an eye opener for me and which I can see leading to a lot of discussions. For this reason it might be quite a good book club book as there would definitely be a lot to discuss.

I wasn’t really sure what to make of Beth, the main character. On one hand I felt quite sirso for her as I felt she deserved her new start with Albie and I can imagine her horror at discovering Albie’s new boss was her ex. However on the other hand she seemed quite cold, calculating and emotionless which sent a shiver down my spine.

This is Jane’s third book and I definetly look forward to reading more from her in the future. If you like intriguing, dark thrillers with some great twists then you’ll love this book.

Huge thanks to Jenny Platt and Michael St Joseph for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.

i started to read this book and found myself totally confused by what the story was about. i decided to continue reading after researching other reviewers opinions.

the story is incredibly slow to develop but is worth persevering with. the characters, apart from gita and billy, are not likeable in any way all being driven by monetary greed or revenge and by the end of the book i was desperate for
karma to rear it’s head.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book. Powerful stuff. Strong story line with strong believable characters. Fab subject with loads of twists to keep you hooked.

An interesting premise. Would have been good to introduce separate narrators within the story to explore a different point of view throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book as an arc.
This book is certainly beautifully written and I loved the scenes set in the Scottish Isles, these were extremely atmospheric and evocative. I recognised the allusions to Macbeth and the themes of ambition, revenge and guilt were very cleverly explored. However, I did find the book slightly hard going and felt I was skim reading at some parts. I am still not too sure of the motivations for some of the characters' actions, I didn't feel we were given enough background information, but I have since discovered some of the characters feature in the author's book Daughter and I would liked to have read that one first.
This will probably sound ridiculous, but I have a dreadful fear of rats and there were far too many references to them for my liking, at times it was like a horror story to me!
A good book, well written, but a bit of a slow burner for me.

I read Jane's first book, Daughter, and loved it. This one I liked but not as much as I felt it took a little longer to get to the good bits. I felt the medical aspect was well told. While it started out slow it really took off once the "relaxing" get-a-way began an it kept me turning the pages with both dread and glee. I would recommend this book to others.

It's very tricky to write a review for this one without giving too much away! I absolutely loved all the nods to Macbeth and found the gradual unravelling of characters thoroughly convincing, although painful to witness. Shemilt is a master of character development. Great stuff.

This novel started very slowly but becomes interesting and deep after a while, however some scenes were upsetting for me as I find animal testing very vile and disgusting.
You can tell that Shemilt is coming from a medical profession as her writing has a full grasp of the subject. I liked that...
Apparently the same characters were also around in Shemilt's first book but this information is nowhere to be seen on the book, some other fellow reviewers mentioned this so I know. Had I known they were in her first book I'd read that before this one although it doesn't feel like a sequel - I like reading books in an order.
This is an OK book, however there are too many thrillers and I am afraid it's not special eough to be remembered for years. Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't know this book contained some characters from her previous book: Daughter. I wish I knew because then I would read that one first.
In any way, I found the beginning of the book hard to engage and enter into the story. It was quite slow and confusing. It comes together afterwards. There were some parts quite graphic for my taste, I didn't enjoy those parts about animal testing. So, if you're sensitive like me, watch out.
Eventually, it was an OK read after the first bits.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting a copy in exchange for an honest review.

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

I have read Jane Shemilt's last 2 books which I enjoyed. So I was interested when I discovered How We Fall would have characters from Jane's debut novel Daughter.

Beth was a theatre nurse who had been having an affair with the eminent Professor Ted Malcolm for seven years. The relationship broke down after his daughter Naomi went missing. Beth was pregnant at the time but the baby died shortly after the birth, ever since she hated Ted. A few years later Beth attended a party for Ted at the hospital, there she met his prodigy Neuro surgeon Dr Albie Mccalister. Beth never told Albie about the affair, in the end it was too late to tell him. Albie and Beth got married and hoped to start a family. Ted had always said that Albie would take over his job when he retired. However Albie's friendship with Ted soured when he found out that his had got the job. Upset Beth devises a way so they can punish Ted together.

You can tell Jane was a GP shone through with her medical knowledge of surgery and laboratory testing. How Far We Fall was an interesting book about lies, manipulation and deceit. The desolation of the Island of Jura was perfect for the uncomfortable getaway for Beth, Albie, Ted and his sons.

Initially I found this book slow going and difficult to get in to. Once the story picked up however I was hooked. You cut the tension with a knife when Beth, Albie, Ted and his sons went on a weekend away to Jura. The bleak desolation of the island made me scared for all the characters. I did not like Beth for reasons you will found out but I enjoyed reading about her.

I recommend this book, it was a slow read but I encourage you to persevere with the story.

"Tomorrow. It doesn't matter that he doesn't know when or how, he will have his revenge tomorrow."

This truly is a modern Macbeth.

The novel opens with weird sisters plotting on the (Hampstead) Heath and then we go with the story from there which is largely set in a theatre, albeit a medical one. One of the main characters is a Dr McAlister and his wife's name is Beth. That will give you a pretty big hint about who these two are within the story and the roles they will play. And then we have Professor Malcolm, who might as easily have been called Professor Duncan. There are many more parallels in the story, particularly thematically. The novel explores fate and destiny, as well as ambition and revenge.

You'll need a strong constitution for some of the medical scenes within the book - there was an almost sickening level of detail regarding the operations on lab rats - all entirely intentional to discombobulate the reader. It's also apparent within these sections that Shemilt has a medical past.

The sections of the book placed on the island of Jura are beautiful - the description of the place are vivid and the sense of danger and foreboding is ever-present.

It is interesting that there have been so many productions and books about the Scottish play this year, with Jo Nesbo's book Macbeth, as well as the National Theatre, RSC and several other big houses undertaking productions, it made me wonder... why now. Perhaps it's a re-exploration of womens' roles of power or the seeming political climate of ambition. Whatever the reason, Shemilt has clearly tapped into this with a wonderfully-written and tightly-plotted book.

It did make speculate as to what would have happened if the author had allowed a variation from the conclusion to this well-know tale.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and Jane Shemilt for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Struggled with this book. Quite graphic in places but I'm glad that I persevered. Not sure that it would be one of my top reads of the summer but I would recommend it.

This isn't my usual style of book but i am so glad i read it. There are some parts within the story that are not for the squeamish as it deals with testing on lab rats. I admit i struggled to get into the book at first, but i put this down to the fact that i usually opt for lighter stories and this certainly isn't one of them. Overall, i am glad i stuck with it. Its a captivating read.

I had just finished reading Jane Shemilt's first novel, Daughter, when I was give the opportunity to read this one. Daughter was a best seller about a woman, a GP, whose daughter goes missing and the repercussions on her family. She found out that her husband Ted was having an affair with one of his colleagues, Beth and that her son, Ed was a drug addict. In How Far We Fall we meet some of these characters again. Ed is now a doctor, Ted has continued his brilliant career as a neurological surgeon but his affair with Beth has concluded and he is now back with his wife again. We are introduced to Albie, his acolyte, an ambitions young surgeon from the Isle of Jura who has discovered a virus that could cure brain cancer in children. Albie meets and marries Beth and a modern day Macbeth is forged. I suspect this will be a 'marmite' book. At the beginning I was unsure of it, the stage directions at the beginning of chapters, the portentousness of much of the writing, the references to Macbeth and other things like Selkies, I found to be a little pretentious at times but halfway through I found myself completely gripped and thinking about it all the time. It raises really important questions about scientific research and the lengths some people will go to to succeed and there are enough questions about medical ethics to keep book groups going for months. It is a true tragedy and I absolutely loved it. Yes, there are unbelievable things in it - the main one being the possibility of Ted's son Ed becoming the leader of a research lab. I'm not sure he even has his first medical degree yet, let alone the research record and funding brought by this, that you would need for such a post but I don't care. I loved this book.

I had to skip over parts of this book as I found the animal testing a bit too graphic (I am quite squeamish!).

How Far We Fall is Shemilt’s third novel. Set between London and the Scottish island of Jura, it tells the story of Beth, Albie and Ted who are caught in both the past and the present in a web of lies, betrayal and loss.

Focusing on the medical careers of Albie and Ted, Shemilt weaves the story of a battle that rages between the two men as their ambitions are jeopardised. As neurosurgeons, they are pushed to their limits; an ongoing battle of power continuing between them until the desire to win pushes Albie to make a disastrous decision. Beth adds further complexity to the situation, and her presence in Albie’s life adds fuel to his fire.

Almost at the height of his career, Albie is close to achieving his life’s ambition. One by one, the threads of his career begin to come undone, until he is spiralling uncontrollably. In an attempt to stop the chaos he finds himself in, he makes further immoral decisions to try to cover his tracks. Despite being bound to Beth by the secrets they share, she has plenty of her own secrets that she has chosen to keep from him.

The Scottish coastal landscape provides a perfect backdrop for this book, and the wild, rugged imagery runs throughout the story. There is a satisfyingly stormy darkness to the themes of secrets, betrayal and long-lasting grudges, and the isolation of the island fits well with this. The characters are well developed and I felt I got to know them well.

The book took some perseverance to get into. A large number of characters were introduced within the first chapter or two, and I needed to pay close attention to understand what was happening. Once I had grasped this, How Far We Fall was a joy to read. I found myself completely immersed in the story and the characters, and gripped by Albie’s runaway train that refused to stop. How far we will go to protect ourselves, and to feel that justice has been done, is something to be feared.

A Macbethian novel with a modern twist, How Far We Fall is set in the world of neurosurgery and explores themes of revenge, betrayal and ambition.

Beth finds a fresh start and a safe haven in Albie, a talented, ambitious neurosurgeon. But Albie doesn’t know that Beth was previously entwined in a passionate affair that ended badly with Albie’s boss, Ted. (We last saw Ted in Shemilt’s novel The Daughter). When Albie’s ambition begins to get in the way of his relationship with Ted, and Ted’s patronage begins to sour, Beth sees a way to exact her revenge.

Shemilt is absolutely masterful at two things: her setting descriptions and her character development. How Far We Fall is no different. I could practically feel the island location settling around me as I read and the characters were wonderfully flawed with very real motivations. It is certainly a slower pace than Shemilt’s previous two novels – think of a thoughtful thriller rather than a fast-paced thriller – but How Far We Fall is altogether enjoyable, especially once you get past the first few chapters and see how the story and the characters begin knitting together.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for letting me read How Far We Fall by Jane Shemilt in exchange for my honest review.

How Far We Fall is a story of manipulation, betrayal and jealousy. When Beth meets Albie she believes her life is finally good again after her previous disastrous secret relationship with married top consultant Ted. However keeping secrets from her husband Ablie isn’t a good start to a happy marriage and soon lies and deceit Muddy’s not only their lives but also others with horrifying consequences.

This book for me had a slow start and a little difficult to follow at first, which was a bit disappointing as I have thoroughly enjoyed this author’s previous two books, but as I progressed everything knitted together and I became more interested in the plot.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC - these are my own thoughts of How Far We Fall.

I enjoyed 'Daughter' but didn't enjoy this story as much. That's not to say it wasn't well written. In fact the descriptions were perfect, truly putting you in the room with the characters. I think this story just wasn't for me, which can happen. I will still look out for more books by this author though, because her writing style is sublime.

Another great book!

I have a thing for psychological thrillers with a slow build. I love it when in the end everything comes together into an exciting conclusion and that was exactly what happened here. Can highly recommend!