Having never read any of the Maggie Costello books I was worried that I'd be walking in to an incredibly established series that I would struggle to follow as a result. However, this was really not the case, and although there were hints and flashes of parts of Maggie's history that I didn't understand it in no way detracted from the book. So for those worried about reading this book as a standalone, don't be, it's worth it.

I, met Maggie Costello as an out of work Washington trouble solver. She's being lured in by the prime candidate Tom Harrison as she decides what direction she next wants to take her life. And then by a twist of fate, whatever way you look at it, she meets Natasha. A hotshot, upcoming lawyer, who may just be able to turn the tides and win the Presidential election, even though she repreatedly claims that she has no intention of standing.

What follows is a story with twists and turns and that is a compelling read. As a reader we're lead to question what does justice mean, and what would we do to achieve it. It's a really interesting premise and the book is filled with twists and turns. I really enjoyed this book and would be really interested to see where it heads next!

This isn't my usual type of book, but I was utterly hooked.

A great combination of high octane thriller and true to life politics. Bourne knows both his subject and his audience and both get a great deal here

This is not my usual genre and I would have not chosen to read it had I not been sent it by the publisher due to me having reviewed another one of their books.
I did find the politics chapters a bit boring and skimmed through those, but the underlying story is gripping and full of twists so I still really enjoyed this book.
I am still giving a five star!!
Thank you to NetGalley and to Quercis for letting me review this book.

Glad I kept this one for lockdown reading, because I could hardly put it down! Like many I have been following Trumpian politics. This made me feel like I was right there in the White House, the way Veep and West Wing do. Perfect reading for these strange times and thought-provoking too

I really struggled to get into To Kill a Man, I tried to persevere but unfortunately I gave up on it. Sorry not for me.

Natasha Winthrop is a human rights lawyer widely regarded as a possible candidate for President of the USA. The novel opens with Natasha being attacked in her home. She defends herself against the intruder and kills him. The police are not entirely convinced by her version of events and whether the assault was as random as she claims. In tandem, leaks about Natasha’s personal life begin to emerge and she hires Maggie Costello, a political trouble shooter, to investigate who might be targeting her.

This is a very topical thriller which plays close attention to the #Me Too movement and demonstrates the multiple ways in which women are violated by men who feel they have the right, through their power and control, to take just what they want. The cunning plot twists and real insights into the very murky world of American politics make for a thoroughly engrossing and very clever read. I would recommend it very highly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good legal thriller. Gripping and graphic in places, which could be disturbing for some readers. Certainly a page turner. My thanks to Net galley. the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, I hate having to write reviews like this but sometimes it is needed. As always these are my own personal opinions, you might enjoy this book and if you do then that is awesome !

So the description of this book sounded like it was going to be a detective,mystery story surrounding a trial. It was not.

The book starts off following Natasha Winthrop , who I assumed was going to be a badass main character. She very quickly seemed to fade into the background and only came back right at the end in what felt like a very rushed way to tie off the loose ends

Mostly the story seems to follow a woman called Maggie Costello who pretty much is a ' fixer' for senators, politicians and a previous president .Maggie's story seemed to jump from one element to another link by a confusing inner monologue that went off on a tangent at every opportunity.

I struggled to grasp what the actual plot of this story was. I didn't care for for any of the characters and I feel that the way victims of sexual assault were portrayed within this book was honestly awful.

Sexual assault and rape are one of the main features of this book. Almost every chapter has a case of sexual assault and/or rape, it is not an light read.

These are my biggest issue with this book:
1. Natasha Winthrop was arrested for killing a man who broke into her home and attempted to rape her. The treatment she received from the police was unacceptable which unfortunately does happen in real life. Natasha was a victim and at the end of the book there is no apology or statement from the police and we are meant to just accept that Natasha is fine with it. I for one am not.

2.Natasha was quickly becoming a national favorite and it was assumed that she would start her own political campaign. The opposing candidate's ( who was a senator) campaign team were using a secret IT firm to arrange for sexual assaults to happen to Maggie Costello with virtually no repercussions!!!

3.The book mentions an " evidence gap " when it comes to sexual assault and rape cases and it gives the shocking statistics of how many of those cases goes to trial. It is good that the book mentions those things but the story itself goes in that direction! Only at the end of the book very quickly mention at the very end that the extra cases that are mention in the book are going to trial in a rushed and what felt like a brushed under the carpet way.

I don't have anything positive to say about this book and I am really disappointed that things were handled so poorly .

Thankyou to Netgalley and Quercus books for my copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This review will be posted on my blog ( thetwoquills.wordpress.com ) on may 15th 2020

I think it was a good legal thriller. I'm more a psychological thriller kind of girl but it was enjoyable. It has quite graphic details of rape so it is not for the faint of heart,

For me, this was a slow starter and not the kind of book I would normally read. However, as I got further into it, I began to enjoy the story more and it actually turned into a very interesting and well written tale, with frightening statistics about rape and sexual offences and conviction rates. I thought it was cleverly written and had a great conclusion - recommended.

Political thrillers aren't my usual genre so I probably wouldn't have picked this book off the shelf but when I was offered the chance to read it and learned that the author was journalist Jonathan Freedland, my curiosity was piqued. I found it a compelling though uncomfortable read. When Natasha Winthrop, a top lawyer and potential presidential candidate, is attacked in her home she fights back and accidentally kills her assailant. Although public opinion is initially behind her, it swings against her as more details emerge. Who is Natasha really and how did she know her attacker? The story highlights the very topical issue of attitudes to rape and shockingly low conviction rates in the US and elsewhere. There are some descriptions which are graphic but not sensationalist. Natasha's back story, the twists and revelations, made it a page-turner for me. I didn't realise it was part of a series but found it read perfectly well as a standalone. I'd recommend it to people who have enjoyed He Said, She Said by Erin Kelly or Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan.
Thanks to Quercus and NetGalley for a review copy of this book

I have been fortunate enough to never having been raped nor abused as a child – but too many of my friends were not so lucky, and I know only too well how much their trauma has continued to blight their lives. This book – possibly sparked by the Me-Too movement – shows the myriad of ways in which women and girls have their spirits crushed and their free will violated, by men who feel they have the right to take what they want, when they want it.
Thankfully, only a small minority of men are rapists – but even that minority is too large, and has too much influence on the well-being of their victims and – through ever-present fear – on those who dread becoming victims.
By definition, NO-ONE asks to be raped. An absence of ‘fighting-back’ or not screaming NO!, is not implicit consent. Each situation is different: “The woman was wary, but did not feel she could say no.”.
When someone breaks into Natasha Winthrop’s home and rapes her – she manages to kill him. I do not condone killing another human being, but as I read this, I could not help cheering. When the rape (and the murder) is publicised, the public cheer too. Natasha Winthrop becomes a heroine to millions of women, and not too few men – on all sides of the political spectrum. Natasha is attractive, intelligent, a high-profile lawyer and an advocate for women’s rights – she might also run for the US presidency. You cannot help but admire everything about her, and really want her to succeed.
But is she telling the whole truth about the rape? And about her past?
Political trouble-shooter Maggie is brought in to ‘manage’ the situation. Maggie, herself, has had to deal with the misogynist tendencies of political life, perpetually being side-lined (except when her expertise is essential) because of her gender. She – like the reader – hopes so much that Natasha will be the one to shake up the political system, and does everything in her power to make it happen.
As much as a book about the violation of women, this is also a book about the democratic political system. About how we all (whatever our political persuasion) want to believe in someone, someone who will make not only our lives, but everyone else’s lives better. Someone who believes in what is important to us, and will make everything ‘great again’. Once we have that belief, almost nothing will change our minds. Natasha could be that someone.
But to succeed politically, you first need the backing of an arch-manipulator of voter’s minds: “It wasn’t the weakness of your rival you needed to target. It was the weakness of your voters. It was their insecurity, paranoia or lack of self-esteem you had to home in on, ruthlessly."
There are so many twists and turns in this book. Natasha is perfect. One small flaw. Another flaw. Who cares – she is still perfect! What is the alternative?
And the ending – although extremely worrying – was faultless.
Highly recommended.

I was already a massive Sam Bourne fan before I read this book but now he is firmly in my top 5 authors. This book is an absolute gripper, although it was very graphic in places which some readers may find disturbing, however, to evoke such emotion in his writing, this just confirms what a brilliant author Sam Bourne is

This is the first book i have read by this author ....
One unsuspecting night Natasha Winthorp was attacked in her home killing the man who did it but the police have other ideas and do not believe her story.....The dead man is wanted for rapes and murders but the media are saying that she knew the man which doesnt look good.....
She calls in Maggie Costello to help her but what maggie finds leads her to have some questions about Natasha .....A fast paced book great reading ....

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review

Did presidential hopeful Natasha Winthrop intend to kill her rapist attacker or was it self defence ?.
This book is a political thriller based on her attempt for the presidential nomination in the USA. Maggie is a hardened political trouble shooter who is hired to untangle the complicated life of Natasha Winthrop. The story is also an indictment of the court processes in America that statically often fails to both prosecute or jail sexual offenders.

This is a thought provoking story fast paced but sometimes too politically complicated. The story also jumped around too much , however my advice is to read this book especially if you enjoy political thrillers with all its twists and turns you will not be disappointed.

Natasha Winthrop is a high flying lawyer when she suffers a sexual assault in her home, and ends up killing her attacker in self-defense.. She hires top trouble shooter Maggie Costello to investigate and see if she can make it possible for Natasha to run for President. A really gripping political thriller, very dark and very intelligent. This book has a lot to say about the occurrence of sexual assault in the USA and the world, and makes some very pertinent and topical observations. Highly recommended.

A thought-provoking book!

I thought this book was going to be about an American political scandal but it was about so much more!

Having only a very basic understanding of the American political system some parts seemed a little slow or confusing but mostly it was easy to read and kept me wanting to know more.

This book is an ethical dilemma and leaves you thinking. Sexual violence against women seems a straight forward choice of right and wrong, but when this moves onto what you should do when the justice system is not doing what it should the issue becomes far more complex.

A gripping novel based on the very scary facts and statistics around rape and sexual assault.

As a big fan of Sam Bourne, I jumped at Netgalley’s invitation to read his new offering in return for a review and it absolutely did not disappoint. A page-turning blockbuster packed with drama, twists and turns, you are immediately drawn into the nightmare that lawyer (and potential Presidential candidate)Natasha is immersed in when she kills an intruder. Although there are lots of political references and nuances, this adds to the pace of the book rather than giving you pages of filler and at no point did I feel that there was any downtime as Maggie Costello (troubleshooter) tries to make sense of what happened. The plot kept me guessing and I raced to finish in order to find out how it was all resolved. My only suggestion would be to include a warning in the description that there is a very graphic assault that may be a trigger to some readers

I hadn’t read any of this author’s books before this one but Sam Bourne – you have a new fan!

The book centres around lawyer, Natasha Winthrop, who is quoted as a potential candidate in the next presidential election. She is violently assaulted in her home by an unknown man and while defending herself from assault and rape, she kills the perpetrator. In the media they are calling her a heroine – the dead man was wanted for multiple murders and rapes. That soon changes when media leaks arise which do not reflect too well on Natasha which suggested that she knew the man.

The police also seem to find inconsistencies in her story and she is taken into custody. At this point she calls on “trouble-shooter” and ex-White House official, Maggie Costello. Natasha gives Maggie access to everything, passwords etc. All is not as it seems….what Maggie finds leads her to have questions about Natasha.

There were no dips or loss of interest for me in this book with its riveting, fast-paced narrative whilst also highlighting the abuse that many women face in everyday life. The author’s depiction of the characters is excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus and the author for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

An absolute belter of a page turner. Brilliant story that kept me guessing all the way through. I didn't want to turn it put it down. Fab read.