This was a twisted tale of obsession that had me hooked early on. The story is told entirely from Mike's point of view and to begin with it seems perfectly clear what's happening. However as the story progresses to the courtroom doubt starts to creep in, and you see how easily words and behaviour can be manipulated to fit a narrative. By the end of the book the whole story had been twisted in a terrifying way leaving you with an uneasy, sinister feeling.
I felt the story did drag on in some parts, but overall it was cleverly written, and worryingly believable. I would also recommend reading the author's afterword for further insight into the story.
Thankyou to netgalley and randomhouse uk for my ARC in exchange for my honest review

Our Kind of Cruelty is a courtroom drama and psychological thriller that focusses on a man's compulsive obsession for the woman he loves. Dark and sexy this is written by an author whose work I will read again

A true psychological thriller written solely from Mike's point of view, and reflecting on his version of his relationship with Verity. A chilling tale of obsession, dysfunction and deviance. Twisted!

When I read the blurb I couldn't resist grabbing this book, it's not my normal genre . I also liked the idea of the story coming from Mike alone. Unfortunately it didn't hold my attention after a while.

I did get to the end and not sure if it was a good ending or not. I'm sure Mike was a disturbed individual, but V liked games so who knows if she was in on it for sure.

Going back to my romance reads.

I couldn't stop reading this and by the end of the night my head was melted with it. The ultimate portrayal of dysfunction and obsession, “Our Kind Of Cruelty” is a fine example of the psychological thriller genre. The author's afterword was the icing on the cake for me.

The book is comprised of three parts, the first outlining Mike’s relationship with Verity ( his ex-partner), and ultimately receiving an invitation to her wedding to another man. As a couple, they had enjoyed playing sophisticated games, called the Crave, which cruelly exploited other people to get their kicks. The book is told from Mike’s viewpoint, the main characters seem like a couple of deviants for whom I could feel little empathy.

The first part of the story explores Mike’s obsessive love for Verity. Although she has moved on from their relationship, Mike is deluded into thinking that her uncaring attitude is part of the sophisticated games that they used to enjoy playing when they were a couple. He is totally obsessed with her, unable to move on, sinking into depression and deviant behaviour which is becoming noticed by family and work colleagues who try to help.

Mike has suffered an abusive childhood, and the main characters are complex and well drawn, but I found the book to be quite slow moving, and feeling little empathy for Mike, who seems arrogant, authoritarian and aggressive, wanted the story to move on. However, tension graphically increases as the story gradually moves to a gripping, dramatic conclusion. The book is well written and researched, and explores how people can become obsessed with others, and become out of control.

Reviewed at Amazon

I thought I would love this book but couldn’t get into it at all I had to give up in the end it wasn’t for me it was too slow and didn’t like the characters at all.

Written from the male POV Mike's reality is that although Verity has planned to marry someone else this is merely an extension of the game their game of Crave they used to play. This game was to reinforce their need for each other. To confirm that they are soul mates and need no one else. All through this read, it's clear Mike's error of judgement while working in New York, has destroyed their relationship as far as Verity is concerned. But Mike sees things differently. In fact he goes to some really extreme situations in his belief they will eventually be together again. A fantasist of the first order, he weaves his own interpretation into every action Verity takes. It's a chilling tale which makes compulsive reading right to the last page.

This is an excellent book if you like being scared, my heart was pounding at times. It’s a psychological thriller, one of the best of its genre. It’s a easy read, a page turner and is chilling in its telling. The book is told from the perspective of Mike and his relationship with Verity. It keeps you guessing until the end

Well written, a good plot and intense. Verity has moved on with her life while Mike has been in America. Hasn't she?

A really good book that started by making me feel uncomfortable and finished by me hating it.

Overall this is a good read. Mike is obsessed with Verity and is really upset when she marries someone else. He can twist any situation to make himself think that Verity will come back to him. The plot was good But I thought that it took too long to get to the end. I was disappointed with the ending as well.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A seriously disturbing look into the minds and relationship of two people, at least one of whom is very disturbed.
Mike is set to win back V, she keeps giving him the right signals that she is ready to rekindle their relationship- or does she? V thinks it is all over, she is marrying Angus, the polar opposite to Mike in every way...or does she?
The relationship and the circumstances surrounding Mike killnig someone are all told from his point of view and it is easy to beliee that V is a more than willing participant and that he may not be so far from reality. However, as the story unfurls it becomes more and then very much less clear what is a gmae, what is real and who is really in control. The pages virtually turn themselves as you desperately seek redemption for Mike, for V, for Angus, for anyone! The final chapters dealing with the court case are eye opening both by the way the truth (or the part truth at least) finally reveals itself but also in the dealings of the lawyers, clients and the judge and the perception Mike has of how the judge Mikes perception of what is really happening.
Chilling.

A brilliantly disturbing book about obsession and the way in which we can never totally trust a person's view of events. Mike is a creepily believable character, and, since we see the entire story from his point of view, it is difficult not to become swept up in his version of the truth about his relationship with Verity. We know from the beginning that Mike has killed someone, so a sense of dread hangs over the first two chapters of the book. The third and final chapter is a complete page-turner and deals with the court case. Araminta Hall displays very clearly the different way in which men and women are judged by society, and the legal system, and the ending of the book is entirely satisfying as a result, albeit depressing. This book kept me up for hours, desperate to know how it would end, and I would thoroughly recommend it to any fan of psychological thrillers.

This is a much-discussed crime novel and many avid fans of the genre were awaiting its publication date. I often tend to dislike such books as I always set the expectations a bit higher than I should, but ''Our Kind of Cruelty'' proved to be an exciting, compelling read, a grim story about obsession and its devastating consequences to human beings. Throughout the whole novel, any loyal crime fiction fan will detect the similarities, in both plotline and characterization, with the great ''Godmother of Crime Fiction'', Patricia Highsmith. Specifically, this new book by Araminta Hall bears strong resemblances to one of P. Highsmith's most popular novels, titled ''This Sweet Sickness'', In both novels the main theme is the obsession of male anti-heroes with women who don't love them.
Mike is the name of our protagonist who narrates in first person his disturbing mental anguish revolving his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Verity. The couple broke up recently, but Mike doesn't seem able to comprehend this fact as he continues living under the delusion that Verity is playing some kind of game with him (he calls it ''The Crave'') and she will soon abandon her husband in order to come and live with him. As the days go by, Mike becomes more and more frustrated as he is constantly persecuted by his own intrusive and disturbing thoughts.
Even though the plot is tight and keeps the reader engaged and turning the pages, what I enjoyed more in ''Our Kind of Cruelty'' is the quality and flow of Araminta Hall's prose which offers some great descriptive parts regarding Mike's disorganized thought process, illustrating the protagonist's inner monologues and depicting his mental anguish. It was nice to see that there are still crime fiction writers who care about their writing/narrative style and not emphasize solely on the story and the plot. I would recommend the books to the fans of the psychological thriller genre and especially to those who love Patricia Highsmith's work

I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free ARC of this title.

This is a story about a damaged but bright obsessive character who cannot cope with anything conflicting with his own need and opinions.
He is obsessed with the girl he loves and cannot comprehend that she has moved on. His ability to turn any moment or happening round to his own way of thinking is staggering. The first and larger half of the book describes his difficulty in coping with the fact that the girl is with someone else. I found that it was irritatingly repetitive at this stage.
As the story moves on to the court case, it becomes more interesting but still focusses on the twists that the main character can make to suit his own needs.
It is different which I find attractive but I was disappointed that it was so repetitive and one dimensional.

# Our Kind Of Cruelty # Netgalley
Addictive obsessive and controlling, Mike and versity. Disturbing. In many ways, because they both seem to enjoy the kind of relationship they have.. as time goes on varsity’s begins to question the normality. Eventually she gets away meets and plans to marry, it’s all sounding like a happy ending. But is it. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No spoilers you will have to definitely read the book. I personally, thought this book made you take a good look at your own relationship. Over the years. Definitely a book to read, it’s a deep emotional book

Wow, this book was so gripping.
When I first started reading, I thought the style of writing was peculiar. It felt very much like we were just getting one side of the story. I was waiting for it to switch over, but it never does. After reading the author’s note at the end, her intention was for us to be left unsure who was telling the truth as we have only really had one side of the story. I soon got used to the style and settled in very quickly. The final chapter does start to give other people’s points of view, but they couldn’t necessarily be relied on as they were given in court. Anyone would twist the truth to stay out of prison, so who could we believe? Even the witnesses were left in some doubt as their account of events were different from what Mike had been telling us all along. However, even he couldn’t be entirely believed due to the fabrication he built up in his mind and to others.
We know right from the beginning there can’t be a truly happy ever after as Mike is already in Prison (within the first few pages), so all we can hope for is the story to unfold and to tell us how it got to that point. The blurb says that ‘someone has to die…’; however, it isn’t obvious who that someone is from reading Mike’s retelling of what has happened. This really adds to the suspense of the story.
Mike’s story is extremely disturbing; he misinterprets things that are said or written and twists it to what he wants to hear. The number of times I shouted at the book that he was delusional was ridiculous!
This was brilliantly written, and I read it so fast as I needed to know what had happened and did Verity really love Mike? Was everything he was telling us in his account really what was happening?
This is the first book by Araminta Hall that I have read and I will certainly be adding her backlist to my TBR!

Araminta Hall's character driven psychological thriller is not a love story. It is a chilling, claustrophobic, dark and disturbing crawl below the surface into the no ordinary, distinctly uncomfortable, intense and twisted relationship between Mike Hayes and Verity 'V' Metcalf. Narrated primarily from the perspective of Mike, a man with a troubling and brutal childhood, the reader is taken into and privy to his interior life. These insights provide the groundwork to what happens later, culminating in the courtroom drama that is to follow. It all began when Mike and the bright and beautiful Verity met at university, for Mike he was discovering love, and he would do anything for V. She smoothes his socially awkward edges, he is willing to shape himself and his life to provide the perfect man and lifestyle for V, they are meant to be with each other.

Banker Mike and AI researcher V's long term relationship lasts eight years, in which Mike works in New York, where he makes an error of judgement that is to lead to the break up their relationship. However, is their relationship really over? Mike and V used to indulge in secret sex games that injected sky high levels of excitement into their lives, games in which V used to give him signs. This break up is surely the same game between the two of them? This is what Mike convinces himself of as his obsession and stalking grows, he really cannot bear to hear anything that contradicts this. Even though V has another man, Angus, a man she is getting married to. But wait, V has sent him a wedding invite, she loves him without a doubt. Just where will it all end?

Araminta Hall writes a story of sex, obsession, lies, and mental health issues that is definitely not the easiest of reads. However, it is skilfully and intelligently plotted and written to provide a thought provoking novel on how women are judged by society, and how their actions are perceived so differently from those of men. We have an emotionally damaged character in Mike whose obsessive delusions are flying beyond any concept of reality. This is not going to be a book for everyone, but it does provide insights into the psyche of a man and a relationship, the seeds of obsession, stalking and the possibilities of where it just might all end up. Many thanks to Random House Cornerstone for an ARC.

A story so full of spine chilling obsession there were times I didn't want to turn the page, and others were I wanted to step in the book and warn the characters. I'm also a real fan of books that end with a courtroom drama and this was particularly well played out
Both the central protagonists were flawed, but the author's highlighting of the different ways they were judged was very interesting To me as a woman, the female author writing as Mike worked well but I'm looking forward to reading reviews by men.
Thank you to netgalley and Random house for an advance copy of this book.