The Hunted read just like I was watching some of my favourite horror movies, it brings all the vibes and made me curious, nervous and on my toes throughout. I was definitely creeped out and some bits of the book made my skin crawl in anticipation.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A quick and grim horror read. I persevered with it but must admit it was not one of my favourite reads unfortunately.

This was such a good read! It was Absolutely full of twists and turns! It was great! It was not my favourite book I've ever read recently but if you're a fan of slashers I'd recommend it!

When Frank buys his Australian outback petrol station he is hoping for solitude and some time to piece his life together. He was not banking on his Granddaughter moving in with him and both having to face an unfolding horror that lands on their doorstep in the shape of a severely beaten and mutilated girl. What follows is a blood soaked game of cat and mouse when 'The Hunters' arrive to claim back their prey.
First off I would say this is a solid book. The first half is full of tension and anxiety inducing mystery. We flit between a then and now timeframe which explains how Maggie (our mystery girl) comes across The Hunters and what leads her to Frank's door. I was thoroughly intrigued and I had no idea where the story was going. However, the second half didn't carry this same level of high stakes tension and even some big set piece, gore filled scenes were not enough to keep the momentum going. I sadly cared very little for any of the characters so I didn't feel invested enough to be worried for their safety. The character development was lacking for me, but this is a short book so perhaps with another 100 pages that would have enabled more of a connection. Also, and this probably says more about me than the book itself, I wanted more gore. A story like this that is relying heavily on horror movie human hunting tropes should have delivered more on the nastiness front. There were a few scenes that did impress me, especially towards the end but I felt there were a lot of missed opportunities.
A fast paced, trope filled horror novel that didn't quite deliver but was enjoyable enough.

This was such a quick read! I flew through it. Absolutely full of twists and turns! It was great! It was not my favourite book I've ever read but if you're a fan of slashers I'd recommend it!

Whilst I appreciate receiving an ARC of this book, unfortunately, it was not one for me. I found that I was unable to get into the story or care about the characters and ultimately this was a DNF. However, we do all have different tastes and I'm sure there are people who will enjoy this book.

A fantastic grim horror that is a fast paced, gross out read. It'd make a fantastic movie. Try it, it's a quick read.

Melbourne author Gabriel Bergmoser hits the ground running in his high-octane horror thriller, The Hunted. We've only just been introduced to Frank and his granddaughter Allie, along with a couple of customers at Frank's refueling station off the side of a long, desolate stretch of road in the Australian Outback, when an injured woman named Maggie pulls up to the pumps, deliriously begs them not to call the police, and promptly passes out from blood loss. Hot on her heels are a group of men seeking to reclaim her. When Frank refuses to hand over the stranger, so begins a long night of violence as these hunters lay siege to Frank's business and home.

The first half of The Hunted is split into two parts, Then and Now. In the present-day, Bergmoser walks us through the siege and the victim's responses. Those chapters devoted to Then detail why, exactly, these outdoorsmen are after Maggie and why they're so hot to reclaim her. By the second-half, Maggie's timeline has synched up with Frank's, and it's a furious assault to the finish.

The Australian magazine Canberra Weekly likened this book to a Jack Reacher title, but good lord, is that ever a soft and weak comparison. Maggie is one hell of smart and resourceful heroine, more akin to Sharni Vinson's protagonist in the 2011 horror film, You're Next. I'm not sure if it's a deliberate ode, but at one point in The Hunted Bergmoser even makes a neat little riff on the 'masked predator' trope that's an inverse kin to that of You're Next's storyline. If so, then bravo to Bergmoser!

The Hunted also feels like an ode to Jack Ketchum, particularly Off Season. While Bergmoser doesn't quite reach the level of detailed, unrelenting graphic violence Ketchum churned stomachs with, The Hunted can be awfully vicious and the action scenes here are potent and heady. Bergmoser shows a keen knack at scripting various cat-and-mouse games, and the tension is more than enough to get the blood pumping and keep readers worried over the fates of those involved.

While there's plenty of senses-rattling carnage, Bergmoser is smart enough to put his characters first. We worry about them because he's subtly built them into real people. In addition to be an inspired heroine, Maggie has an objective we can understand and feel empathetic toward. Frank and his relationship to his family, particularly Allie, feels natural and relatable, and we warm to him by degrees as Bergmoser shades in his history amidst all the bloodshed. The Hunted, in fact, is built around a Family First mentality, and we see how this belief plays out against various mentalities and points of view. These characters, both good and bad, are motivated by their families, for better or worse. It's family that fuels these characters fights for survival, and drives the unrepentant savagery.

The Hunted is a hard-hitting horror siege book, one that's as rugged as the Australian Outback it's set in.

What an action-packed read this was I was on the edge of my seat throughout this tense horror/thriller and this was definitely one that had me biting my nails and perched right on the edge of my seat throughout.

This story takes place in the Australian outback and it’s told from a few different sources.
Each individual here having a purpose and adding their own piece to the unfolding story.

So Frank owns a run down roadhouse and house in the middle of nowhere.
He finds himself agreeing to take his teenage granddaughter Allie in for a few weeks for his estranged son.
When an injured girl turns up at the roadhouse bleeding and in a mess trouble is not far behind.
Frank, Allie, some innocent bystanders along with the mysterious girl all find themselves fighting for there lives in a night filled with bloodshed and terror.

The girl in trouble is Maggie and we get to relive her back story and just how she ended up in this situation through a series of flashbacks.
We are taken through each step of her journey.
Along with all the whys and what-ifs.

So this was tense and gripping and I couldn’t put it down.
Be prepared for some dark and graphic stuff as this story definitely doesn’t pull its punches.
This was bloody and intense and I managed to read this in one sitting.
It’s well written and one I will not forget in a hurry.
I enjoyed this one much more than I was expecting and I do recommend especially if you like edge of your seat thrillers meshed with vicious horror.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The Hunted.

3.5 stars
This book had so much promise for me but sadly it just didn't live up to my expectations.
I was initially drawn in by the blurb, being a big fan of a good horror movie or a book that has you on the edge of your seat. And that's what I hoped Hunted would be.
It definitely has Wrong Turn/The Hills Have Eyes vibes but I feel like the pacing was a bit off, especially when it is a book of this type/genre.
The premise had so much potential that I would be interested in seeing what the author does next.
And if you are a fan of horror, I would still recommend checking this out.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Frank is the proprietor of a service station in the middle of nowhere and he’s expecting his teenaged granddaughter Allie to spend the summer with him. Simon is a Melbourne boy desperate to ‘experience real Australia’. Nomad Maggie is running from something. Set on the long, empty roads of rural Australia, this incredibly gory and disturbing horror is a fast, tense, compelling read that just keeps running, slashing down absolutely everything in its path. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.

The Hunted

Wow this book was terrifying...what a ride!  The whole narrative allowed your imagination to run wild.

I could picture that roadhouse..I could smell it and taste the air...this book is so incredibly written and so horrifying.

I literally could not put it down.  It is so fast paced and every page is hard hitting and something major happens constantly...it is a breathtaking horror journey and although it's not the kind of thing I usually read...i loved it!

I would have liked another chapter at the end but that's just personal preference.

This is a really violent book and quite terrifying so beware anyone who wouldn't like that but otherwise its quite a journey!

Thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic book to read. Once I started I literally could not put it down. It was scary. Dark and thrilling. My heart was racing, I could feel chills going up my spine. Very well written. Great book

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

Frank’s granddaughter is sent to stay with him at his out of the way roadhouse on a little-used stretch of highway. They don’t really talk much, but their quiet life turns upside down when a strange woman turns up, injured, insisting on no police involvement and no hospitals. Maggie is on the run, escaping from violent men determined to complete their hunt.

The Hunted is tense, action-packed, and gory. It flies, drawing us straight in and keeping at a fast pace throughout. Even the slow moments feel quick, the brief periods when we get to know more about these characters and why, exactly, this is happening to them.

And it’s a compliment that we actually care about these people. There are a lot of names to remember in this one, but Bergmoser lets us see at least a little of them all, lets us get under their skin so we’re not indifferent to their lives. The book starts with us meeting Frank and Allie, Allie being a teenage girl sent to stay with her quiet, reserved grandfather. Neither know how to interact with the other, with Frank making small attempts to care for the granddaughter he doesn’t really know.

The focus shifts to Simon, a young man trying to find the ‘real Australia’ by travelling in the rural areas. He meets Maggie, and the pair travel together, ending up in a strange, run-down town with the type of people who see Simon as a pathetic city boy.

The people here are creepy and unnerving, but that’s largely because we see them through Simon’s eyes. Are they really leering at Maggie, or is Simon perhaps a little possessive? Are they truly a threat, or is Simon a touch out of his depth when confronted with the ‘real Australia’ he so desperately wanted to find?

One thing that struck me, and which I appreciated, was that with young, female characters, the book could have gone in a slightly different direction. A lesser author would have used sexual assault to propel at least one woman into ‘revenge’ mode, but that doesn’t happen here. Instead, it truly feels like the events could have happened to anyone, and the strength of the characters doesn’t come from being sexually assaulted, although they are characters with dark pasts. Maggie is strong and determined, desperate to find any sign of the mother who left her years before. And it’s that connection between characters which keeps them going, whether it’s Maggie to her mother, or Frank to his granddaughter,

Perception is used really well throughout. I usually dislike head hopping in novels, but I’ve found if it can be used anywhere, it’s horror. And it’s used really well here. We see things through the eyes of the characters, and purely through their eyes, but in such a way the reader can understand what is actually happening, without it being spelled out, and without the POV being broken.

This was a solid read for me, but not quite top tier. Mainly due to my own personal preference. But this is the kind of book easy to visualise, and one I think would honestly make a fantastic film. Beneath the action, there is a valuable message about the sort of communities left behind in this modern world, and the sort of toxicity – especially toxic masculinity – that can breed when left unchecked.

The Hunted is the perfect read for Halloween. If you're a horror fan, look no further. The story builds slowly as we meet Frank who owns a gas station on a pretty remote highway, Simon who dreams of adventure and embarks on a road trip, and Maggie with a mysterious past who Simon invites to join. And this is where are story really begins. Things get wild! Prepare for plenty of tension, horror, and everything in between. True horror fans will want to get their hands on Hunted. Be sure to check it out today!

I really enjoyed this action-packed, relentless battle of good versus evil. A fantastic plot with some really great characters made this a book I couldn't put down from start to finish.

The Hunted is the first book I've read by Gabriel Bergmoser and I was really impressed with his writing. The plot and character development is cleverly done with great timing and pace.

The Hunted runs like an action-packed Hollywood blockbuster or a high-budget HBO TV series. Character introductions and developments are timed perfectly as the situation escalates and every escape attempt is blocked or thwarted. I had no idea how this book would end, whether good or evil would win, but I really enjoyed the ending and felt it fit perfectly with the rest of the story.

I can't recommend The Hunted highly enough. I know it won't be to everyone's taste but for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely go on to recommend to friends and family. I'll definitely be looking to read more of Bergmoser's work in future!


Thank you to NetGalley, Gabriel Bergmoser and Faber for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Hunted by Gabriel Bergmoser started off slowly and then it went in hard. This is the definition of an unputdownable thriller, that grabs your attention from near the get go and keeps you until the very end! Its chaotic and busy with it’s writing style, emulating what’s happening within the story itself, which is something that I really liked about this book and something that really gripped me. It was confusing at times, but I think that’s how I was supposed to feel, ready for those relieving moments where everything came together and made sense.

The location of this story was perfect for this type of book, creating an isolated atmosphere in the great expanse of land. It has everything I love and hate mixed together to create this perfect concoction, which gave me an addictive read that genuinely had me on the edge of my seat. This book is action packed and doesn’t let up with the gore, playing a little too much like a film within my head while reading, with my imagination on full. A brilliant survival read!

The characters may be my only down side when it comes to this book. Amongst all the action and story, some of the characters seemed to either blend together a little or I just didn’t care about. Although, those that I did, I really did care about, or I really hated with every ounce of me. I wanted more character depth, more development and more background and not just have them there for the sake of it. I wanted to feel it.

This was a really fast paced and gripping horror/thriller. Immediately thrown into the action, meant there was no time to hang around getting to know the characters too much.

The main characters were likeable and interesting. Frank was an intriguing character, who really kept himself to himself and was then thrown into the midst of a bad situation. I liked how we got the perspectives of "then" and "now". Dual timelines like this work well with thriller/horrors as it gives you the perspectives and helps you to be one step ahead of the action.

The writing style was good, the writing flowed well and kept me gripped. The only criticism would be the use of foul language, this is something I am not keen on in writing, as sometimes it can feel rather unnecessary.

Overall, this was a really well thought our thriller/horror with a storyline that felt unique that I hadn't read before, so I enjoyed the new aspect to it.