Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I had never heard of this author but the blurb sounds very interesting, Started the book and I was hooked from the first chapter. A chilling and creepy read which I really liked. I will look forward to reading more by this author.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Halfway but that has in no way influenced my review.

If you're a regular visitor to the blog you may be aware that one of my favourite books from last year was the absolutely outstanding Wilderness by B.E. Jones (it's amazing, you need to get hold of a copy!). Jones has written a number of other books though, all of which look very intriguing, but there was something about Halfway which sang to me. The blurb, the cover, and the idea really appealed. And now, of course, I'm kicking myself that I haven't read Halfway sooner because once again, it's another absolutely outstanding novel. I LOVED it!

On a snowy December day near the isolated Welsh town of Pont, hitchhiker Lee is trying to find her way out. She's cold, the weather is getting worse and she just wants to get as far away from Pont as possible. Desperate times call for desperate measures so she steps out in front of a car, the driver slams on the brakes and Lee invites herself into the warmth of local nurse, Becca's, vehicle. But the car won't start and both women know they need to find shelter from the snowstorm. So they head back the way Becca had come from, to a dilapidated pub further down the road. The landlord greets them less than enthusiastically, there's a strange air about him. And why is his hand bleeding? As the day progresses, it becomes clear to Lee and Becca that not everything is as it seems at The Halfway...

In a similar vein to Wilderness, Halfway is as much about the setting as it is about the characters. The atmospheric descriptions of the vast Welsh countryside, with the added smothering effect of the snowstorm, the knowledge that one wrong turn could have you lost forever, made me feel quite claustrophobic, and I loved it. It's really beautifully done and Jones is a master of making you feel as though you're living the story along with the characters.

The characters are well-drawn and I made my mind up about them pretty quickly. But this is a crime thriller and nothing is ever as straight forward as it initially seems. The book has a wonderful darkness to it and I absolutely lapped it up. From start to finish, you know there's something very wrong here and I found myself on the edge of my seat, loving the ominous feeling Jones' writing was giving me. I did have a few suspicions about where the story was going and despite being able to spot one big twist (because I'm Mrs Super Suspicious!) it didn't detract from the story at all.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely, yes! Without a moment's hesitation. I loved Halfway and I'm so glad I read it. I loved the entire book but I really enjoyed the ending, which was blood-soaked and so very satisfying. I think one of the most impressive things for me though was how the author managed to completely change my opinion of two of the main characters as the end of the book approached. Beautifully written, utterly compelling and really quite addictive. Highly recommended and an author to watch.

I chose to read and review an eARC of Halfway. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Super creepy! I had to read it with the lights on! Very well written and I love a good plot twist. Can't wait to read more from this author!

This book has the makings of a good horror movie. See the scene... you car breaks down. Its dark and a secluded area. Your only refuge is a halfway inn. You will be safe, won't you..... This sets the tone for a very entertaining read, and I can't wait to read some more by this talented author.
Recommended.

Very well written. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Cannot wait to read more form this author.

A slow burn of a book, but a decent enough thriller. The only problem for me was that I didn't care for any of the characters in the story.

I must admit that I wasn’t sure in the earliest stages of this novel as to whether I was going to enjoy. Set in a rural welsh village and with various characters and plots playing out it seemed a little puzzling and possibly a bit slow. I kept going, however, and that was down to the underlying sense of unease cleverly wound in to all the various scenarios as each story started to unfold. I am so pleased I did as it turned out to be a great read with the different storylines brilliantly converging and the sense of disquiet constantly increasing. I don’t want to give away anything about the plot other than saying that people are not always what they seem! To anyone who enjoys an unnerving thriller with great twists I’d most certainly say to give this book a go!

My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of #Halfway in return for an honest review.

This certainly was one of the creepiest novels I have ever read it actually made the hairs on my arms stand up .
You can feel the tension buildup , it really does what a thriller sets out to do and that is hook you in and put you on the edge of your seat.
I am most definitely putting B.E. Jones on my list of authors to look out for.

It was nearly Christmas, it was snowing and it was the middle of nowhere in Wales, and strange things were afoot. There had been a murder, a killer was on the loose and things were starting to look decidedly dodgy.

A great premise for a novel and one that was both chilling and suspenseful.

The dark murky weather immediately set the tone, the danger levels heightened, the tension at times unbearable.

Jones characters were thrown into this murk and were a disparate bunch, all with pasts that you were not quite aware of at the beginning but which slowly unravelled the more I read.

You knew that one of them was guilty of murder but what Jones did brilliantly was to keep me guessing as she wove a tangled web of mystery and intrigue.

It is very difficult to talk about the characters without giving too much away, but what I did like was their differing backgrounds which markedly shaped their actions and choices, often with grim consequences.

What I didn’t know was how or if they would all be connected and this is where Jones excelled telling each of the characters stories in alternating chapters, so that we got a real sense of their thinking and reasoning.

I did wonder if they would eventually all come together, and what the outcome would be, but I just knew that whatever it was it would be tense and very dramatic.

Halfway was not like your average thriller, fast paced with police and sirens everywhere, instead Jones slowly set the scene of the landscape, setting and the characters.

I loved her descriptions of the old Halfway Pub, with its broken furniture and eerie atmosphere, the old landlord, bedridden upstairs, full of secrets but unable to communicate or warn anyone.

I have to admit to racing through Halfway, largely due to its addictive nature and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a character driven and compelliung thriller.

Wowzers. I am still trying to process what I have just read. Halfway is one twisted novel. It's set just before Christmas in the midst of a snow storm, so with the weather in Yorkshire being rather wintry at the moment, I came to it at the perfect time. Everyone is snowed in, and Jones creates the claustrophobic feeling this generates really well. The atmosphere immediately felt incredibly tense, and even though it is uncomfortable to read, I felt compelled to do so.
The chapters are written (mostly) from three different perspectives: the hitchhiker, the old man and the "law". I didn't particularly warm to any of them, but I loved the way that Jones created unique voices for them, which made me fascinated by their stories. At first, it is difficult to see how everyone is connected, and even when I thought it was getting clearer, Jones threw me a curveball.
There are several almighty twists at the end of Halfway. I obviously don't want to reveal any spoilers, so all I can say is that it made me question everything I thought I knew. I don't think I will be answering my door when the snow comes!

I was halfway with this novel.
A good psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns, set in a eerie, claustrophobic small town, a run down bar and a snowstorm.
The Characters were well described but I ever warmed to any of them, however as soon as you thought you knew one of them, something changed your perceptive, very clever.
Well written but with a slow pace that only just kept my interest, it could have been a little better, a little faster but all in all a solid read.

This thriller managed to catch me off-guard a couple of times with plot twists I did not see coming and therefore enjoyed very much. Also, throughout the story the author reveals some weird connections between the remarkable characters, which she seemed to have spun with a wicked sense of humor... However, despite the interesting plot the writing did not instantly pull me in, and it took some time to get in the flow. Still, I had a really good time with this one were, in the end, nothing was as it seemed and everything was different.

On a snow blizzard night two women meet when one of of them is hitchhiking, but when the car breaks down they find themselves seeking shelter at Halfway a closed down Inn. But why doesn’t the landlord want them there?

Police are on the scene of a burglary gone wrong ,two people were involved but one has ran off.

Whilst reading this wonderful thriller it was like doing a jigsaw puzzle without the picture, you know the characters will link together but you are not sure how!! Loved that although this book starts slow there are loads of twists and it is definitely worth reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I started this but didn't feel like continuing on further into the story. It felt as though it was moving too slowly for me and I didn't particularly like the characters. I didn't feel motivated at all to continue.

I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller which is set in a small town in Wales during a snowstorm.

The chapters have different narrators- a local policewoman, an old man and a hitchhiker. It wasn’t clear at first how they were linked and how the story would come together. But as it went on the stories of the 3 characters became apparent and it was a satisfying ending. I liked how this book kept me guessing and I didn’t see it coming who the killer was! Lots of twists and turns and a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for an advance copy in return for my own honest opinion. I have shared this review on Goodreads.

After a particularly slow start, this slow burn of a thriller unfolds really well and turned into a good read.

I read the synopsis for ‘Halfway’ and it certainly sounded like the perfect kind of read for a dark winter’s evening. I was curious to find out which direction the story was going to take and I couldn’t wait to start reading. I have to say that I did enjoy ‘Halfway’ but more about that in a bit.
Each of the four main characters got on my nerves a bit and as a result I can’t say that I took to any of them. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though because it meant I could keep more of a distance between me and them. I got the impression that each of the characters were hiding their own little secrets and on occasion, I did think that they wouldn’t be able to tell the truth if their lives depended on it.
I must admit that it took me a little while to get into this book. Initially it confused me as I couldn’t see how the main characters could possibly be connected to each other. With a little patience and a little time, it all became clear as the saying goes. I read this book in a couple of bursts rather than on a reading binge. I had to take a little time after putting the book down, to remind myself what I had just read and how that affected the story. That has more to do with fact that I was tired rather than the book was overly complicated.
I think that ‘Halfway’ is well written. I love the way in which the author sets the scene. She uses such powerful descriptions that I could literally picture the scene in my head as it were. The characters seemed to come alive and jump off the page. I found that I felt every emotion that the various characters felt and to say that it was an emotional rollercoaster of a read is an understatement. I literally felt as though I was part of the story myself.
Reading ‘Halfway’ is very much like going on a very scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with twists and turns aplenty. There were also several unexpected surprises along the way that had the same effect on me as would a punch to the gut. I felt that I had had the stuffing knocked out of me and I was actually lost for words, which doesn’t happen all that often I can tell you.
In short, I did eventually enjoy reading ‘Halfway’ and I would certainly recommend it to other readers, but particularly to those readers who like more of a slow burn sort of book. I can’t wait to read what B. E. Jones comes up with next. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 4* out of 5*.

The prologue opens on 22nd December 2017, we are aware of an armed and frightened female. Then the novel cuts away to the present moment, of a hitchhiker stranded in a snowy isolated Welsh scene…

‘There will be noise and fury. There will be damage. There will be casualties’

The novel spans around various characters and their current circumstances. Which includes the local law enforcement. We become aware there is a crime scene at a farmhouse and the majority of the police have dispatched there. Leaving PC Lisa Lloyd (6 months out of probation) and soon to be retired Jim Price.

There are little snippets of information cleverly woven into the plot. Such as, we know the hitchhiker is making their way home and to a farmhouse. We also get the scene of an old man caring for his son Brian and bed bound wife Rose. The three main perspectives are from the old man, local cops and the hitchhiker, who has now been picked up by a district nurse.

As the plot develops, I never felt I could trust any of the individual characters. But when all the characters collide at a closed pub The Star, nicknamed Halfway… ALL will be revealed!!!! This title is a psychological thriller, perfect for the winter months! 4*

Good book and good story. I didn’t know what was coming next all the way through the book. Was shocked at the brutal beginning and was waitin for the killer to be caught all the way through the book. Was sad at how families can be driven apart by lies and rumour. Especially sad if it doesn’t come right. I would read books by this author again