Cover Image: The Sacrificial Man

The Sacrificial Man

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Member Reviews

Alice has been accused of assisting 'Smith's suicide. There is another rather disturbing element in his death, Probation officer Cate Austin has to submit a report suggesting how she ought to be judged. Is Alice of sound mind? Is prison the best place for her? A Community order? A psychiatric facility? Cate probes further into trying to discover why this successful lecturer would risk everything to help this man die & what did she gain from it?

The story is partly told by Alice, who hadn't had the greatest of childhoods, but I found it almost hard to sympathise with her- let alone like her!

This was a fast paced read. Although it is the second in the series it is a perfect stand alone- the fact that Cate Austin features so little in the book is why I couldn't give it five stars. Thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for letting me read & review this book.

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A great thriller. Disturbing at times but a great level of suspense - had me hooked! Would recommend.

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3 for neutral, will update at a later date if able to read the first book and get into this one. I could not get into this book, I tried on multiple occasions, but never grabbed me. Found out it was a sequel, which may be the issue or it could be my mood, but will update if able to read and finish at a later date!

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DNF @ 40%.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, so I was a bit disappointed to see that it wasn't actually a new release but! I started it anyway and honestly, it just wasn't grabbing me. The story was intriguing - not only did this woman assist in a suicide, but she then ate the guy - and I was interested to hear more of the reasoning behind her choices but it got weird quickly. Also, Cate was boring and didn't feel like she had any dimension.

Will be scrolling for spoilers, but I don't plan to come back to this one!

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Loved this. Not for the weak hearted and best read during the day. This is a sequel but I found it stood on its own.
Highly recommend.

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This was a great psychological thriller. Some of it was disturbing as well which made it more enjoyable. It's definitely a book that is not for the faint of heart. Pretty amazing.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Sadly this book just wasn’t for me which is unusual as it sounds both dark and rather warped which is right up my street.

I wasn’t able to engage with the characters. Also given the subject I didn’t even feel disgusted by the gruesome scenes.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this.

2.5 stars

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This has got to be one of the most fast paced books I have ever read.

Being a huge fan of 'The Woman Before Me' i was so excited to be give the chance to read this book.

Going 0-60 within minutes, this is a proper suck you in and spit you out novel.

The characters are flawlessly written with such detail it is so easy to picture them. The setting is so well thought about as is the whole storyline.

Dark, gripping, unputdownable, unpredictable, twisted, original, disturbing... absolutely everything you could want from a psychological thriller.

I honestly can't credit this book enough! Easiest 5* I've given in a long time.

The biggest thanks to netgalley and Legend Press for the ARC.

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This is one of those gory thrillers which I love. Creepy and disturbing a d wonderful lol. A definite must read and I think it'll be one of the big books everyone is talking about

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This book will sink its teeth into you within the first chapter and does not relent until the last page. We're often treated to the detectives' point of view in novels, so having the insight of another part of the justice system is a unique lens on criminality and psychology. The plot and twists will intrigue any fan of suspense novels, and will leave us all anxiously awaiting her next offering.

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This is well written and original book by Ruth Dugdall. The story is quite disturbing, especially the ending but this makes it even more intriguing.
It’s a great psychological thriller that will stay with you long after you’ve finished it.

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Working for the Probation Service I am always intrigued to read Ruth Dugdall's books. This was certainly one with an interesting premise. I probably enjoyed Alice's back story more than the present day and would have been interested to hear more about this but overall a good read.

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What I want to say is that suicide is my choice. No-one else is to blame. Man seeks beautiful woman for the journey of a lifetime: Will you help me to die?
Overall I did enjoy this book, but it definitely wasn’t an easy read, it felt heavy and a little bit laboured at times. That said, it was a good storyline and certainly unique to anything else I have read.
At first I thought that Cate Austin was too full and disengaged as a character, but on second thoughts, realised that as a probation officer she would have seen some strange things in her career. I do still think she should have been more affected by what she discovered though.
The sting in the tail of this story was interesting and testament to the human condition fostered by some of not wanting to suffer alone. I definitely didn’t see that one coming.
My thanks to Ruth Dugdall, Legend Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

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I did not realise how cruel the story was until I finished the book. It is very well written with stories that make up a person and lead a person to destroy a human life. However the story doesn't end there.

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Probation worker Cate has a tough job ahead of her - she has to recommend a sentence for Alice, who has just been convicted of assisted suicide. But all is not as it seems, and Cate will soon realise how thin of a line there is between euthanasia and murder...

I'm going to come right out and say it - this one wasn't for me. It's weird, as on paper, it is exactly my sort of book. But the reality was just incredibly underwhelming. Alice was unbearably pretentious, Cate was dull as dishwater, and the whole mystery element of the novel just didn't live up to its potential. Granted, I didn't know this was a sequel when I requested it, so maybe it's better if you've read the first novel? I don't know, I just didn't enjoy it, and it took me ages to read as I kept getting distracted and putting it down to do something else. So for me, not one I would recommend, but I do seem to be alone in that view, so maybe it's just me being difficult!

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Wow! A great read, not for the faint hearted. The story begins with Cate, a probation officer being handed another odd case, a woman who has been charged with assisted suicide, all Cate has to do is provide the sentencing report. Not a straight forward case though, this is why Cate's boss handed it to her, he knew she was thorough, and would get to the bottom of this odd situation.
Alice tells the story from her point of view, of how 'Smith' has decided to die and has requested her help. She keeps her identity hidden so he only knows her as 'Robin' the woman who will save him from a lonely death.
Alice tells of the relationship between her and Smith up until his death, she also looks back to help give Cate all the information she needs to keep her from a prison sentence but will it be enough?
It's a very fast paced novel always reaching forward for the next instalment. The characters are well described and I felt empathy towards them, even when I didn't like them, which is often hard to do. I wouldn't call it a twisty novel, but if you read if fast there are plenty of hard hitting moments.
I'm off to find Ruth's other work, her writing style has me hooked!
Thanks to NetGalley and legend press for the ARC

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An absolute whirl-win of shock, awe, and creepy reveals. Ruth Dugdall may have just set a new standard for this genre. Everything about this narrative, including the characters is chilling and unexpected. This is one of those books that impacts the reader on multiple levels based on the brutality and clever manifestation of words put forth by the author. Absolutely loved it. Kudos for originality and brilliance. 5 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley and @LegendPress for the ARC of #TheSacrificalMan. It was read and reviewed voluntarily by Tarrah Marie (@wayward_readers).

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From the author of the Woman Before me, Cate Austin is back and in full effect. Alice has been convicted the assisted suicide of David Jenkins aka Smith. The story is told from Cate and Alice's point of views with plenty of flashbacks so we can learn the story of Alice. This touches on the ethics of the right to die which is one that I am fully into and supportive of, so I liked the legal touches and the research that was done in this book. As the truth to what really happened comes out, we face some gruesome truths with Alice and some changes within Cate. It is deeply disturbing and touches more than just the surface of what the synopsis suggests. I recommend reading the first novel in this series and then moving to this one. You won't be disappointed. I am awaiting the next book in this series.

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Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In “The Sacrificial Man”, Ruth Dugdall has written a wonderfully taut, intriguing mystery that lives long in the memory after the last page has been turned. To weave the difficult, highly contested subject of assisted suicide into the conventional narrative of a psychological thriller is no mean feat. Dugdall seemingly achieves the impossible of treating the subject with great sensitivity without losing the edge that one expects from a novel of this genre. From page one I was captivated and intrigued by how Dugdall would handle the no-mans land between murder and suicide, and the result, as I read on, was delightfully unpredictable and deeply satisfying. The main protagonists - Cate and Alice, our ‘Trojan horses’ into the subject of assisted suicide (or murder?), are wonderfully realised by Dugdall, with a dialogue as crisp and crackling as grass underneath foot on a winters day. The question that Cate, as a probation officer, has to answer, is whether Alice acted out of compassion in assisting her lovers’ death or whether there were more insidious, darker motives at play in her actions. Alice as we soon learn, may not be the most reliable of narrator’s.... Sorry but you must read this book to find out more...

An intelligent, controversial thriller written with style and verve by the talented Ruth Dugdall.

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This was a very dark read that poses the question of whether nature or nurture have more of an impact on us. I found the twists to be plentiful and highly recommend this psychological thriller!

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