Took me a little while to get into as I wasn’t sure if I’d missed a preceding book but I soon got entangled in the story. Fast paced and good narrative

Dark, violent and hugely disturbing. It worked for me with Enter The Dark but somehow not quite with this one, Not for me.

I've had this book for years, I still haven't, unfortunately, got to it, so this is a placeholder review to reduce my shelf for my own sanity, but will replace this if I ever get to the book

This is the first book by this author I've read, and it was a nice dark and disturbing book from beginning to end... just the way I love it! Recommended.

Thrilling story with a plot that kept me turning the pages, really well written with great characters. Highly recommend to everyone who is a fan of this genre.

Maybe it's me, but this book just didn't do it for me. I think there's a great story in there somewhere but it got too confusing and at certain places too extremely ridiculous. The whole character of the Professor and the talking in rhyme was too irritating for words. There didn't seem to be one character with a single redeeming feature who I could care about. How does one take a hacksaw to an eye? The book seemed to get completely out of hand rather like a 3 year old who's had too many red smarties. It needed a thorough editing, not just to get rid of the outrageous parts but to ensure there were no mistakes, (hostages sitting in their filthy clothes and 2 sentences later in pristine white vests and shorts to name but one). It was confused, confusing and meandering. It seemed to take an age to get nowhere. But I feel the author, Chris Thomas, has been done an injustice. With the right editor and publisher this could be a good book.

Edge of Sanity follows on from Chris Thomas's debut - Enter the Dark - where he delves into the dark web with the Cyber Crimes Unit. It would certainly help to read the books in order if you have little knowledge of such matters, but also to grasp the complexity of the characters and organisations. This time around our hero Pete Harris, a former CCU cop gets dragged back into the murky world of organised cybercrime. The opening where a new designer drug is tested is particularly grim - for those who are not hardened crime fans. But those who are will relish the disturbingly modern, horror film feel that Thomas creates in the novel.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Bloodhound Books and the author, Chris Thomas, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Edge Of Sanity in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I found the storyline to be well thought out and fast paced. It was a gripping read that kept me hooked right from the start.
Definitely well worth a read

Very much a 21st century crime novel with its references to bitcoin and the Dark Web. this is a well-written and cleverly thought-out story but the wealth of characters and uncertainty as to who was who and what was what left me ultimately unsatisfied.

This is the sequel to "Enter the Dark" although they are not linked as such on GoodReads. I recommend reading that one first, as the plot does follow on, and a lot of the character's motivations would make a lot more sense. This is another dark and twisted story about bad people doing horrendous things to other bad people, although in this one some of the victims were guilty only of being hopeless drug addicts, and did not deserve what happened to them, unlike the first book, where the victims were often way worse monsters than the perpetrators.

Set a year or so after the first book, Pete Harris has left the Cyber Crimes Unit and is living a secluded existence with his daughter, 11 year old Olivia, on the Isle of Wight, running a B&B, when Grace, whom we know to be the mole of the Brotherhood, comes to visit. Unfortunately her identity has been released to psychopathic evil drug kingpin Curtis Slater, and he arranges her kidnap to teach the Brotherhood a lesson, taking Olivia too as leverage.
Curtis has a plan to join a mysterious syndicate run by The Smart Man, who are developing drugs so extreme they turn users into flesh-eating zombies, with live demonstrations on the dark web for those who are able to solve the techno-puzzles they set to restrict entry. Pete must team up with his former quarry to untangle the clues and save his daughter.

This was another great thriller, although I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first one, as the IT aspects went on a bit, and parts of the plot just didn't make sense - why would drug dealers want to release something that killed their users - and their friends- so quickly? The new bad guys made the Brotherhood seem positively benign, and their motivations, once finally revealed, didn't make a whole lot of sense. I enjoyed the twists as criminals betray each other so that you are never quite sure who will prevail, and there were some great new characters like the vapid Paris and her dim witted boyfriend Roach. The return of Daisy in her new role was brilliant. It's unclear whether this is the end or not, I would certainly like to know what happens next.

My thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for a voluntary honest review, and my apologies for it being late.
The Edge of Sanity is available now.

I have not read Enter the Dark, the book that precedes this in the story, but I enjoyed The Edge of Sanity in its own right as a standalone.
Not for the faint-hearted and the Edge of Sanity had me on the edge of my seat.
Slater, a very powerful mobster for me was the most convincing character of the book although it has to be said that all of Chris Thomas's characters had a lot of substance to them.
It was an interesting story and I was not disappointed with the ending.

I really enjoyed the author’s previous book so I was delighted when I saw that this one was being released – I had read it within hours of downloading it to my Kindle – couldn’t resist!!

I loved the plot line, but just a warning it was quite gruesome and graphic in a few places and that won’t be liked by everyone, but for me I loved it!

The characters were great and I loved their interaction and the suspense that built up, it was certainly a gripping story and I read it in an afternoon as I couldn’t wait to see how it ended!!

Five stars from me – a brilliant thriller that really had me guessing!!

Wow! What an amazing follow up to Enter the Dark. I didn't think it was possible, but The Edge of Sanity is even more gruesome in places and Chris Thomas made my stomach clench yet again. You could definitely read The Edge of Sanity as a standalone but it's well worth reading Enter the Dark to understand the background of some of the characters and to fully experience 'The Red Room' that is touched upon in this book.

There is a lot going on in this book which really helped to hold my interest; from kidnapping to human guinea pigs and a huge dollop of revenge that really upped the ante in the anything-could-happen stakes. Chris Thomas has an amazing ability to describe his scenes of torture and brutality in just the right level of detail to get my stomach heaving. That sounds bad but it's a good thing; it shows how invested I was in the book that I felt every kick, punch, bite and cut. If it was a film I would have closed my eyes in horror but I really couldn't tear my eyes away from this wonderfully dark book.

The Edge of Sanity is so realistic that I can totally imagine it happening in real life as junkies look for a bigger and better fix. As they search for their next fix, they have no idea that someone has invented a drug that will rid humanity of drug users whilst at the same time giving these drug users not only the best, but the last, high of their life. Complete the trials to enter the dark web and place your bid now to buy this genocidal wonder-drug.

Fast-paced, gruesome and very dark, The Edge of Sanity is so scarily realistic that it both sickens and thrills.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Chris Thomas has written another fantastic psychological thriller The Edge of Sanity, a follow up to Enter the Dark, and damn does Chris do his newest psychological thriller justice, hell yeah!

The Edge of Sanity is a cold, calculating psychological thriller, where the darkness begins to engulf you from the first page, the demise of socially deprived unknowns, opens up the first stages of the puzzle, a new drug with an intense purpose and a high price to pay. Chris takes us back to the Dark Web, where we become embroiled in Bitcoins, dirty money, drugs, death and torture. Watching the scenario’s unfold, almost to the point we physically become one with the book, playing our part, the unintentional guest in which we have no control over every turn of the page.

Certain characters Chris brings to life in my imagination, have a quality that drives home the stark, depravity of societies pariahs, the downright ugliness brought about by dirty money and the urge to be Top Drug Lord in a world of the socially inept. There was one character who stood out, Pete Harris a former Detective from Cyber Crimes, he has a solid head on his shoulders even when things hit the wall, when his daughter and Grace are snatched, he is methodical in his mind set, picking away at the clues, choosing his alliances well and ultimately doing anything to save the life of his daughter. Can he save his daughter, can he save Grace…….only time and the turning of the pages will tell.

Reading The Edge of Sanity felt like pure ice running through my veins, the drip, drip as the cold darkness hits every chord and mechanism of my imagination, magnifying the chills and enhancing the purest of psychological thrills. Chris doesn’t hold back if you like a horrifying, dark, violent and gruesome thriller then The Edge of Sanity is a must for you.

There is only one question that sits in the fore front of my mind….
How can a man of Chris’s calibre write such a dark, disturbingly gruesome psychological thriller, but his Author Pic tells a different story…

Thanks go to Bloodhound Books, Chris Thomas and Sarah Hardy for an advanced readers copy of The Edge of Sanity to read and review in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. Also thanks go to Sarah for allowing me to be part of this amazing Blog Blitz .

The Brotherhood of the Righteous is back!!! But not as you know it! If you’ve not read Enter The Dark, I highly recommend it but you can read The Edge Of Sanity as a stand alone as Mr Thomas feeds you enough through the book to catch up.

This novel kicks off with a couple of shocking chapters which set the scene for the rest of the book. The drug the Smart Man is testing has extreme effects right from the start and as the Professor varies the tests on his “pigs” the effects change in a scary way. It’s surprising how life imitates art as only a few days after I finished The Edge of Sanity, I read a couple of articles on Sky News (other news outlets are available) about this new drug called Monkey Dust which bizarrely mirrors Brainfood!

Despite being a creepy character, I loved the Professor talking in rhyme like the oompah lompahs in the Roald Dahl classic. He’s quite a psychotic character….all the chemical fumes he inhales can’t be good for him! He’s the sort of man that I’d step away from slowly before legging it once out of sight.

I loved Olivia. She is one sassy 11 year old. I love her music taste (even if it’s heavily influenced by her dad) and her gaming opinion is echoes what my geeky husband says! Mr Thomas put this young lady though a lot during the course of the story and I’d dread to think how it would affect her long term!

Slater is a dangerous man. He’s got a high opinion of himself and throws his weigh around. Will this be his downfall?! I didn’t like him from the start and my opinion don’t waiver at all.

Yet again Chris Thomas has written a hard hitting crime thriller. I thought Enter The Dark was brutal and would be a hard act to follow but The Edge of Sanity has lived up to expectations and is equally brutal in its delivery.

The Edge of Sanity by Chris Thomas
This book is described as “a dark psychological thriller.” It is not. It’s more like a science fiction/cyber punk novel.
There are fans of this book and author out there, so let me make this clear. This review is merely one person’s opinions. It was not my cup of tea. Indeed, about one third through I nearly gave up on it. I must admit I continued because I was intrigued as to how it would end.
I did not like the book at all. The characters were implausible and unlikeable with the one exception of Pete, the former Cyber Crime Unit detective. The plot was implausible as were many of the Majestic Road scenes. The Professor and the Smart Man characters reminded me of some of the “joker” scenes in Batman movies. They were a joke. As was the tough-guy drug dealer, Slater.
Maybe it’s me? I do like thrillers/crime fiction to have a grounding in reality. Stretch credulity once or twice is okay, but please do not stretch it to breaking point as did this author with this plot.
I also didn’t like much of the writing. For example, “not-so-gentle,” is a sloppy, lazy way to describe a violent act. There were many other examples and this habit of writing dialogue as, “I.Did.Not.Like.It,” is so annoying. If the “owner” of that dialogue is emphasising something, then use your writing skills to inform the reader.
The author references a book titled ‘Agrippa’ in this book. He is clearly influenced by the “weird and wonderful.” He also seems to be heavily influenced by Reddit judging by the number of references to Reddit and sub-Reddits. That may be a good thing for some readers but not this one.
In many ways, this book is a “geeky” read. Who knows? It could become a cult book? I still wouldn’t like it. Not for me, sorry.

In The Edge of Sanity we return to the dark net. The Smart Man and Professor has created a new drug and are testing it out on the dark net to get people interested. But buyers have to pass a series of puzzles to be able to get to the drug.

Then you have Pete Harris. He has retired and living with his daughter and working on a relationship with Grace Brooks. That is until he is drug back to the dark web when Olivia and Grace are kidnapped and he has to play the game to get them back.

This is a dark and twisted ride into the darker corners of human behavior based on real life. Although the story is about drugs being created and sold to cartels it also involves the evils committed on the dark web. There are some dark and brutal things you will find here but if that is what you are looking for you have come to the right place.

Along with the drugs we find Peter has returned and how he has to jump back into the dark web to save his own daughter and girlfriend. I’m sad to see him back but if anyone has to tackle those in the dark web he has the experience.

This is a great continuation of Enter the Dark. You can read The Edge of Sanity as a standalone book but you will get more buy reading both books. I loved The Edge of Sanity as much as I did Enter the Dark. If you like your thrillers dark and bloody you need to check these books out. Now I can’t wait to see what Chris Thomas is going to come up with next.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

Happy Publication Day! WOW! What a dark, brutal, disturbing and gorey story. The Edge of Sanity will have your stomach turning in parts. This story is action packed with drugs, money, torture and death.

I love the cover of this book! I enjoyed the story, a real page turner that you won’t want to put down. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

A look into the dark side of the drug trading community. The story is written well, easy to read and contains short chapters. I awarded a well deserved four stars and would highly recommend this story to you all.

I would say to anyone that is going to read this book please start with Enter the Dark, Chris Thomas’s first novel. So many characters have carried over into this story from the first book so you will have a greater understanding of who belonged to which group and what they actually did. Besides which it is a belting read too. The original cast of characters had disbanded and settled into new lives but there is someone who has been well and truly festering away because of the outcome of the last story and now he has the means to get revenge.
Oh boy this really opens at high-speed gruesome with a new designer drug and its effects on a couple of drug addicts being filmed to be shown on the darknet. The willing stars of the show were eager to take part after being deprived of a fix for a couple of days and then been offered the ultimate high. Whoever controls this drug will be top dog to be feared.
There are some rather distinctive characters in the story and some are seen in a bit of a different light than in the last book. The story becomes very personal and literally new alliances have to be made with people being pushed past their limits. Whoa how I squirmed when the Professor went hands on. It was as if he had four test tubes in front of him not four victims. Each one held a fascination for him as I could almost hear the cogs clicking in his head while he was mentally making adjustments to improve the next test. Gees he was one crazy genius that had gone over to the other side to become just one crazy!
There became a real urgency in the pace that I was reading in the last few chapters. This is one of those stories where I thought this must be the last chapter and it would take another turn and another. Super end!

Synopsis/blurb.....

In a derelict squat, the Smart Man watches as the new narcotic developed by his shadowy organisation wreaks havoc on it, unsuspecting victims. The drug is now ready for sale on their exclusive darknet marketplace.

Elsewhere, DCI Robert Smith, the retired head of the Cyber Crimes Unit, seeks out crime boss Curtis Slater at his remote farm. He offers to provide Slater with information in exchange for money. But what information is he offering?

Meanwhile, former detective Pete Harris had started a new life, away from the Cyber Crimes Unit, with his daughter and begins to rekindle his relationship with old colleague Grace Brooks.

With his life seemingly complete, Pete’s world comes crashing down as he is drawn into Slater’s game with fatal consequences. He must join forces with his old enemies in a race against time. But can Pete save his daughter and Grace from the clutches of Slater, the Smart Man, and the sinister ringmaster, the Professor?

The Edge of Sanity is a dark and twisty psychological thriller. It can be read as the sequel to the critically acclaimed Enter The Dark or as a thrilling stand-alone. It will appeal to fans of authors like JP Delaney, Mark Edwards and James Swallow.
------------
My take........

The second novel from Chris Thomas throws up more nefarious going-ons on the dark side of the internet. A shady group are developing and offering for sale, to a limited criminal elite only, a new designer drug that will change the marketplace forever. Criminal king-pin, Curtis Slater wants in and a major piece of the action, as well as revenge on the do-gooder vigilantes - the Brotherhood of the Righteous.

The Edge of Sanity sees all three organisations set on a collision course, with a young kidnapped child a bargaining chip in the high stakes game. A fair few of the combatants and participants appeared in the earlier book from Thomas, Enter the Dark.

Initially I was slightly puzzled by the involvement of one of the groups, the Brotherhood of the Righteous in the goings on, but it eventually became a little bit clearer as we went along. Similarly, the drug manufacturers, the Smart Man and the Professor, who were calling the shots somewhat bizarrely set puzzles and riddles that needed to be solved before entertaining would be clients into the customer base. I was a little unconvinced about this aspect as well, but went with the flow.

The story worked for me on a more personal level, with the involvement of former cyber crimes cop, Pete Harris working desperately with his former nemesis the Brotherhood of the Righteous, to free his daughter Olivia and less importantly from my POV, his former colleague and nearly girlfriend, Grace (sister to BotR head honcho, Alistair).

Pete and somewhat ironically Curtis were the most interesting characters in the book for me. Curtis is cruel, manipulative and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Often prone to irrational violence and with a sharp, derisory tongue to boot, I enjoyed the scenes involving him the most. Pete is a single father, struggling with his business and would do anything to secure his daughter's safety.

The rest of the bunch, in particular Alistair were less than sympathetic. A couple of the minor characters, Daisy and Danny were interesting and worthy of mention. Daisy, was a victim in the earlier book and is under Alistair's tutelage. Danny is a former cyber crimes cop, now rather unfortunately working as Slater's IT guru.

Overall, I enjoyed this one after a hesitant start. There a fair few twists and turns before we get where we are going. At least one of them, I failed to see coming which was hats-off to the author.

Plenty of action, plenty of violence, a fair pace and all loose ends wrapped up at the conclusion.

4 from 5

Thoughts on the author's earlier book, Enter the Dark here.
https://col2910.blogspot.com/2017/07/chris-thomas-enter-dark-2017.html

Chris Thomas is on Twitter - @cthomasauthor1

Read in August, 2018
Published - 2018
Page count - 302
Source - review copy from Net Galley courtesy of publisher Bloodhound Books
Format - ePub

https://col2910.blogspot.com/2018/08/chris-thomas-edge-of-sanity-2018.html