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 a slow and steady read, and once it grips you, it doesn't let you go until the very end. I enjoyed the book and will read some more by this author in future. 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.

A bit slow in some places but I'm so pleased I stuck with this book, the ending was so good!
Will look out for more books by Pat Young
Thank you netgalley.

Thank you #NetGalley for a copy of #ThePerfectWitness!

Ughhh I hate giving any type of bad review but this book just wasn’t for me. I gave it a good 25% and had to call it quits. The three main male characters just seemed dull and the plot didn’t seem suspenseful at all. Obviously since I didn’t finish the book I don’t know exactly how it ends but I have a pretty good prediction just based on the first few chapters. I also found it a little difficult to follow with all of the Scottish words and phrases. If you are a reader who doesn’t mind a slow-paced thriller maybe this book is for you but unfortunately not for me!

I loved the setting for this book, it was very atmospheric and really added to the story. I love books based in Scotland so this one immediately caught my attention!

I thought that the plot was great and the main characters worked really well within it. I was trying to guess how the book would end for most of the book, I loved the twists and the suspense the author created as the book progressed. It was all very well crafted and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

4.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 5 stars for Amazon and Goodreads – very highly recommended!!

Thanks Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Slow start, good finish.

This story took me awhile to get into but I am glad I stuck with it. Once it hooked me, I didn't want to stop reading to see how it all played out.

Definitely will add the author's other books to my To Read list.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
One Perfect Witness was a book about three young men , who all went along three separate paths and then merged together. One ended up dead, one doesn’t speak and the third takes on the dead young man’s identity. The ending was very clever.

One Perfct Witness by Pat Youngis an amazing psychological thriller. We have three boys, all of whom the author does a great job with allowing the reader to understand their lives though young they have a particular aspect about them that makes them complex and well drawn out with great descriptive powers. They each have a gun and once the shot rings out one is dead. That would leave two, one being the killer. This story takes place in Scotland and although I have never had the privilege to visit, I was able to see through the writers eyes as she described the surroundings beautifully. We meet Charlie who was part of that traumatic event that he never wanted to speak about. The story has him as the protagonist so what we lear about comes from him. There are many characters that play some part in this novel and each has their own flaws and attributes. Does Charlie ever speak about what happened? Who pulled the trigger that day? You certainly must read this engrossing story that will have your emotions going wild from anger to claustrophobia. I HIGHLY recommend this book.


Thank you to netgalley as well as the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had a little hard time getting started, but once I got into the story, really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the writing style and characters

This was a very good standalone suspense thriller, by an author I had not previously heard of, and set in the beautiful, but meteorologically challenged West Coast of Scotland. It's best not to know too much about the plot, as the layers of the story peel off to reveal the truth. This is an under the radar kind of book that deserves more attention.

Told from various points of view, this is really about Charlie, a lonely 11 year old only child whose parents have set up a glamping site in rural Ayrshire. Desperate for attention, he "borrows" his father's shotgun from the safe, and heads off into the woods, where he encounters burly South African rugby player Gus, (I kept getting the Spitting Image song, "I never met a nice South African" in my head - it isn't true, but it fits here...) and sensitive French backpacker Seb, who is on his way to work at the camp. There ensues a terrible accident, and Charlie is forced to keep a secret which could destroy his family.

The clever thing here was the way your sympathies for all the characters keep shifting. Gus the narcissist switches swiftly from charmer to brutal thug to guilt-ridden immature youngster, every time you think he's about to redeem himself, he does something awful again. Charlie inadvertently causes all his own problems, but he's still dealing with a past trauma, and his selfish parents are of no use, then there's Seb's mother, Catherine, full of regret and longing for her boy. The suspense is in how the story will turn out, and while it didn't go as I hoped, the ending was actually perfect.

My thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a voluntary honest review. One Perfect Witness is available now.

Pat Young is such a talented writer and I am pleased to say that I have read all three of her excellent books. One Perfect Witness is her latest book and I have to say that it completely tugged on my heartstrings, often bringing tears to my eyes, as Charlie struggled to be noticed by his parents.

Charlie totally stole the show as the main character and you can't help but take this young lad to your heart. Now twelve years old, he stopped talking when he was younger and nobody knows why. He is tired of going unnoticed by his parents and he makes a rash decision to steal his father's gun that will have explosive consequences. All of this happens in chapter 1 and with such an amazing jaw dropping ending to an opening chapter, I just had to read on.

Sebastien, meanwhile, is going on an adventure. Swapping sunny Paris for a summer job in wet and windy Scotland, but his mother has a bad feeling about him leaving. A mother's instinct is never wrong and my heart was breaking for Catherine as she tried to locate her son. With someone now assuming Sebastien's identity, Catherine's emotions were put through the wringer as she went from worrying about her son's safety to elation that he was safe but too busy to call her.

Unfortunately, Charlie and Sebastien's paths were destined to cross, albeit briefly, which will change both of their lives forever. Can Charlie ever speak the words that will take Sebastien home?

With an absolutely killer first chapter, One Perfect Witness hooked me from the start. I was willing Charlie to find the strength to speak and put an end to the campaign of terror he was being subjected to. There was a strong sense of family running through the story and I couldn't help but compare Charlie and Sebastien. The love that Sebastien's family had for him was plain for all to see but Charlie felt like he was invisible and that absolutely broke my heart.

One Perfect Witness is another unforgettable book by Pat Young; it's a book that will simultaneously get your heart racing and breaking with the fast paced dysfunctional family storyline.

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

Thankyou to NetGalley, Bloodhound Books and the author, Pat Young, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of One Perfect Witness in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I was drawn to this book by the plot of the story. I thought the premise sounded very intriguing.
Although the storyline was slow to start, it certainly does not stay that way. I thought it was rich in descriptive atmosphere and I found myself longing to be there. 3.5 stars
Well worth a read.

I never hesitate when I hear Pat Young has a new book coming. I have never been disappointed by her novels. Her name appears and I’m in.

Did it work this time?

One Perfect Witness only secured Pat’s place on my ‘go-to authors’ list. You can read my reviews of Till The Dust Settles and I Know Where You Live to get a sense of why I truly enjoy her books.

The first thing that made me fall for this new piece of fiction is the amazing sense of place that Pat Young creates in One Perfect Witness. The timing for my reading of the book was perfect as I was at Gatwick airport, coming back from my first trip to Scotland. I could feel the northern wind, picture the beautiful views, and hear the – is there a word for that Scottish language/accent? Haha! Oh my, I was just there, with the characters. Then, one chapter later, I was in my home country. Paris, Carcassonne, historical, famous, so French I could smell the croissants and baguettes! Pat has a special way of taking you wherever she wants you to be to witness her crime and print the atmosphere in your head and on your body, turning another dead body or psychological scene into a strong memory that you can revisit with all your senses.

But the places would have felt hollow without the right characters to inhabit them. Authenticity is the word that best describes this book. Places and people, You need them to create a realistic world, to make sure the readers connect with the events, get hooked by the story you want to tell.

A body in a remote hill of Scotland, a kid, a guy from nowhere. A gun. Slow-paced but terrifyingly chilling, One Perfect Witness plays with appearances, secrets, and ‘normal’ people trying to live their lives. I immersed myself in this read as if I was immersing my body in a bathtub of muddy waters. Every character is flawed in some way. My heart was broken for Charlie, mute and desperate for attention. I felt the excitement of Sebastien, out in a foreign country. I recognized myself in him, seeking adventure and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve what is mind is on. I felt for his mother, knowing mine would have been quite the same. I loved to hate a certain character. We only got a glimpse of the rest of the world as this novel focuses on very few voices, creating a sense of foreboding, of closeness, of claustrophobia! You can live with people and feeling so far from them. You can meet strangers and bear scars of their path in your life. I won’t say anything more. One Perfect Witness is a book you visit.

Once again, Pat Young surprised me with an engrossing novel, satisfying on so many levels, psychologically criminal, exceptionally good.

This story hooks you right from the beginning. A young boy who has found himself witnessing a murder, but cannot find his voice to tell anyone about it. The murderer ends up at his parent's campsite and the boy spends a summer in fear. The author does a great job tying all the characters together and adding enough suspense to keep you reading. If you like stories with plot twists...this one is for you!

I have to start by saying that the beginning of this book easily grabbed hold of me, now it wasn't necessarily with a bang but it was the way that Pat Young introduced her characters to me. It was easy to picture them but also you know that something big is about to happen. The story also has a dark underlying tension which constantly had me wondering what would happen next.

I have to admit that I'm trying to be as vague as I can regarding the plot but what I will say is that this book is full of surprises and I was definitely kept on my toes! Throughout there is a steady pace and the characters easily kept me invested in the story especially Charlie's character, I found him so engaging. As we see him cope with the consequences of what happened that day.

The setting of the story was a hit for me, I haven't been to that part of Scotland but it was described in a way that I could see it clearly and it really helps to set the scene. This story made me think about coincidences, being in the wrong place at the wrong time and also the way our actions can set us on a very different path.

A compelling story that will grab hold until the very last page!

With thanks to Bloodhound Books for my copy.

I’ve not read this authors previous books but I’ll certainly be looking into them as I really enjoyed this story.

I found this to be a slow burn start but it’s so worth sticking with it. At the start of the story we are introduced to Charlie. This is his story. One you need to read yourself so no spoilers here from me.

Great praise to the author on the great description of the area. I really wanna go visit there after reading this descriptive story. The storyline was brilliant and I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

One Perfect Witness by Pat Young

Three young men
One day in Scotland
Lives changed forever

Seb:
Young Frenchman wanting a summer away from home so heads out with backpack and walking stick to see some of the world before taking a job at a camping spot.

Gus:
Wannabe soccer/football star in Scotland to take on a new job but has anger issues that seem to land him in trouble.

Charlie:
Younger than the above young men and silent for five years after a traumatic event – an event that he has told nobody about since he went silent.

This is a story of bullying, abuse, death, family, priorities, lies and overcoming issues that hold a person back. It is also a story of choices made that can impact a person for years. It is about love and what one might be willing to do for a person loved…or a person feared. It is a slow building story with an ending that was unexpected and yet a finale that made me think Karma is indeed something to be reckoned with.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more books by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

This book did start a bit slowly, but once it got going it was brilliant. Beautiful descriptive writing. I was completely immersed in their world. The ending was well done. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for the ARC.

This is a really good read. It starts off slowly and turns into a great story. The ending ties everything together brilliantly. I liked the writing style and I thought the characters were believable and well thought out. The plot is very clever.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.