A first-rate thriller where the focus is on escape and self-preservation.

Tom and Rachel Sullivan are mourning the loss of their teenage son, Michael, who died in a joyriding accident, along with his girlfriend. When their daughter Holly is subsequently mugged, the family are keen to take some time out to concentrate on reconnecting as a family. When Tom's boss, Lionel, offers them the use of his luxury lodge in a remote part of Scotland, the family jump at the chance. On their first night away, Rachel is certain she has heard the shattering of glass downstairs. Suddenly, the Sullivan's are caught up in a fight for survival...

As a devotee of a well-written thriller, A Window Breaks deserves full marks. In the first part of the book, CM Ewan cleverly lures the reader into a false sense of security, with admirable skill. The action moves to the luxurious lodge in the Scottish wilderness and then it's a nail-biting, nerve-racking read as the family fights for their lives. Chris Ewan is a dab hand at ratcheting up the tension to a maximum level, as I found myself trapped in the pockets of Tom and his family. I was desperate for everyone to escape.

With a pace that is relentless and tension in abundance, the story hurtles through the many twists and red herrings towards an outstanding denouement. In less able hands, this may have been an all-action-no-plot kind of story, but the author adeptly manages the undiluted pace throughout while using a split narrative for some time out and the backstory, so there were absolutely no disappointments here!

This is one of the most rambunctious thrillers I've ever read and now I'm off to check out another of Chris Ewan's novels - Safe House.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Pan Macmillan via NetGalley at my request. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this novel as I didn't really take to the main characters (apart from the dog!). The plot was so compelling that I kept going. I'm glad I did - it's a real page-turner! The plot had me checking that the doors and windows were locked and that my curtains were fully closed!

I shall say no more about the plot. Apart from the fact that for once, I didn't guess the twist. Which alone deserves a gold star from me :)

I will look out for more work by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

What a heart-stopping read! This certainly kept me on the edge of my seat and the pages turning full of drama and suspense. I will be looking for more by this author.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What an outstanding thriller that had me hooked from the beginning. A worthy 5 star read

I enjoyed this bok very much. A couple having probems, a friend with a remote lodge in Scotland....it all sounds like a dream come true for a reconciliation after months of distress following the death of their son.
The lodge sounds fantastic and the family enjoy a few hours of delight there, before everything turns into their worst nightmare.
All is not what is seems and this is a riveting read. Enjoy it.

A disturbingly different, action packed psychological thriller.
The plot was fast paced and contained enough twists to leave me dizzy. There was action aplenty, almost from the beginning, all the way to the end. This was a whole new kind of thriller.
The characters were well thought out and engaging. They were surprisingly and refreshingly different from the norm. These are the characters you always want to see but never usually do!
The book was well written, drawing me in and carrying me along at breakneck speed.
Nothing and nobody in this book are what they seem!
An amazingly good read.

I chose to read this book because i had heard so many good things about it. Those readers were not wrong. From the very beginning of this book the writing was compelling. A Window Breaks is a stand out action thriller that is genuinely thrilling and the pace and tension that the writer creates takes physical form in the body as you feel your heart race a bit faster and your breath rise and fall sharply as your chest constricts with the tension.

Rachel and Tom have been struggling badly since the death of their teenage son, Michael. Then their daughter, Holly, is mugged as they wait for a car to take them home.

Realising that they have to pull themselves together for Holly’s sake, the couple and their daughter head off to a remote but luxurious Scottish lodge owned by Tom’s boss. The idea is that they will rest and recuperate and see if they can find their way back to rebuild their marriage.

Of course, it was never going to be as simple as that and the three central characters find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of catastrophic events that challenge everything they know, or thought they knew.

It is, as I have said, Chris Ewan’s writing that makes this book stand out. One of the things I really liked about it was the way that the story was gradually revealed to us through a peeling back of the layers and the addition of a narrative timeline that takes in Michael’s accident.

This paves the way for a book that is certainly tense and action packed, but also surprising and revealing, as the fabulously plotted layers to this story are peeled away and the final truth is unveiled.

Verdict: A dynamic, fascinating and enthralling read. Highly recommended.

Oh my goodness, imagine its the middle of the night you are asleep only to be awakened by glass breaking and then noise and then crunching glass underfoot. Oh and did I mention you are staying on a break away from home in a lodge practically in the middle of nowhere. When Tom creeps out of the bedroom to take a look he can see armed men with saws, guns and three plastic sheets and they are dressed in what looks like masks and forensic gear. e.g. plastic clothing so they don't leave any evidence. So not your normally burglary eh? Heart beating, mine was.

Tom Sullivan and his wife Rachel are grieving for their teenage son Michael who died crashing their car into a tree. When their daughter is viscously attacked they decide to go to a Scottish lodge and get away from things and reconnect as a family. (Four stars as I thought the beginning was a little slow)

Tension in the bucket loads, creepy as hell and the family are put through hell to battle to survive.
C M Ewan begins the story with the grief of the family and the character building gently lulling you into a gentle ambiance until it all comes crashing down.

Family fighting, tension building and lots of twists with a few red herrings thrown in for good measure.
Tom, Rachel, Holly and the Labrador dog have to fight tooth and nail to get out of the house with no car, no phone signal, gates that are locked and the sea crashing in. The lodge intended to keep intruders out becomes a prison fortress.
A thriller more than a psychological thriller and I can see it being made into a film.

Maybe don't read this if your home alone!

Thank you for the ARC.

Stomach churning, eyes bulging, prickles of fear up your spine
This book achieves all this and more I have never felt so much as I did reading this book. Having said all that it's a fantastic, fast paced and thrilling read
The author keeps giving you a little taste of what has happened and you don't understand why?
You are kept in suspense all the way to the very very end and if you can put this book down until you get there you have stronger will power than I have
1 family is about to have their world tipped upside down and then thrown 360 degrees the other way
Superbly written book one of my favourite this year

This book is one of those you just can't put down. There is a slow and careful build up before the rollercoaster goes hurtling off and you just have to cling on for the ride. The drama just keeps on piling up and you end up feeling like you have gone 12 rounds in a boxing ring with 10 falls and no submission. There are passages of this book that are so taut you can hear them twang and the writing is really very good. Did I expect the book to conclude in the way that it did - no, the rug is pulled from beneath you in the most unexpected way. The author has also gone to the trouble to wrap the book up fully.

I have read Chris Ewan books in the past but this really is another level. It is to be hoped that the gaps between books is not so long as the last as this one was a blast. I can easily see this book being made into a film as it has a cinematic quality.

#AwindowBreaks #NetGalley

A tense thriller. Superb imagery and first-class characterisation. You are kept guessing until the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers.

A good page turner that will have you on the edge of your seat.

I enjoyed this read good story and kept me turning the pages well written, it is creepy and you can feel the tension while reading. Good characters I can't wait to read more from this author.

Your worst nightmare...you wake in the night and hear footsteps downstairs....

This book is absolutely incredible! I have never read a book that has made my heart race and my palms sweat! From the first to the last page I was completely hooked. The author plays on your worst fears and takes you on a journey with this this family whilst you’re willing them to survive.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this eARC. All views and opinions discussed here are my own.

I honestly was quite torn on this one because on one hand I enjoyed the thriller aspect of this book and enjoyed the fact that it happened across one day because it did hype up the tension, but overall I thought the plot was quit weak and a bit OTT for the most of the book. I obviously get that it's a work of fiction and so it's not necessarily true to life but it honestly just had me rolling my eyes at times.

I just found myself so frustrated with the MC; they were both just irritating throughout, Rachel was clearly hiding secrets but Tom literally never asks her. He clearly knows she is hiding something and that she is more involved in what is happening than what she is saying but never does he pull her up on it; despite her accusing him early on of having caused it (which, considering what we learn later literally makes no sense for the plot). Tom himself was just annoying because he constantly constantly overthinks things; given that we follow his perspective the whole time we get to watch his constant back and forth and inner monologue drag on, and it became repetitive at times.

I don't think the chapters from Michael's perspective really helped the flow of the story. I'm not sure if it's just the design of the ebook that caused this because they just suddenly popped up and there was no clear distinction until Tom and Michael until you were part way through.

The "twists" in the story honestly felt so random and bizarre and it just made the story a bit bonkers. Not a fan of this one sadly.

Tom and Rachel have taken their daughter, Holly, and their dog, Buster, to a remote lodge in Scotland. The lodge belongs to Tom’s boss. They are recovering from the loss of their son, Michael and a mugging on Rachel and holly. The family need time. Until in the middle of a night Rachel wakens Tom as she has heard a noise!
Oh my god where to begin with this. It’s such a thrill a moment and such a fabulous read! I couldn’t read it fast enough.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A good thriller with several twists, quite an enjoyable read
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

A Window Breaks is a really good thriller. Full of action and a very good plot.
Tom and Rachel were so different in the way they mourned their son Michael, who died in a car accident. Micheal stole Tom's car, drove it too fast and had an accident that killed him and his girlfriend.
Tom was ashamed. Because he thought that he wasn't a good father. Because his son was so recless. Because Michael killed not only himself but also his girlfriend. Tom couldn't forgive him that.
Rachel loved and missed her son. She couldn't believe that Michael would just steal the car for no reason.
Tom, Rachel and their daughter Holly left London for a couple of days to stay in a secure cottage in Scotland. And just first night it turned out that it wasn't that secure.
Tom and his family had to fight for their lives.
I really liked that they tried they best all the time, but sometimes they just failed. That they suddenly didn't turn into some superheros.
I am not sure if I liked the whole plot twist about Lionel. I think it was a bit too much.
But I enjoyed the book and I think it was a really good read.

It's 2am.

You are safely asleep in bed.

A noise wakes you.

You stir, unsure why, and turn to your partner.

Then you hear it. Glass. Crunching underfoot.

Someone is inside your home.

You can stay and fight. Or run.

What would you do?

****
Wow wow wow!!! This is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time! I was literally sweating from head to toe! I was skipping pages as I just couldn't read fast enough and in the end up, I had to have a word with myself to slow down and take the information in)!

In short, this book ticks every single box on how a good thriller should be. Absolutely loved it and haven't stopped recommending it since I finished it!

Just brilliant!

Told from the viewpoint of Tom over the space of one evening, this is a fast paced thriller that involves a family hiding from some very bad men who have broken into the isolated house they are staying in. Interspersed with the viewpoint of Micheal, the son who died a year earlier, who's evening is told in reverse order, we begin to understand who is attacking the family and why.
It's a quick read, there's lots of action, a build up of tension and plenty of twists and turns before the shocking ending. There were a few niggles with the book that lowered my rating. The characters were mostly a means to drive the plot forward. Only Tom seemed to have any agency, and I found him a little irritating with the way his thoughts seemed somewhat analytical and even reflective, which didn't fit with adrenaline fuelled nightmare he was in the middle of. The ending of the book ties together all the loose ends, even if some of the twists that lead up to the conclusion stretched the bounds of credibility.

It's a good holiday read, and I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

A page turner. Tom, Rachel and their daughter Holly have to fight for their lives when intruders break into their remote house in the middle of the night. Tom and his family fight back but the intruders keep coming and will not give up but why.? Is there an ulterior motive.? A good start and brilliant finish but the middle, for me, was very fast moving with lots of blood, gore and violence.