This book took me by surprise. It kept me interested throughout the story and I needed to see what was going to happen. I truly enjoyed the pacing of the story and the well written characters. I would recommend this story to all.

It’s been eight years since Jenny Nilsen saw her former psychiatrist Phillip Walton and it suits her. After all, she doesn’t want her husband or friends to know the reasons why she was in a secure unit, Hillside, when she was younger. But with the police wanting answers – ie, what’s her involvement in this cruel, calculated death – Jenny has to return to her past, a past she’s understandably not entirely comfortable with, to find out the truth. Can you separate the fact from fiction in this twisty turny read? The idea of keeping secrets is paramount throughout the read and it’s creepy, dark, and puts you on edge. Brilliant!

Overall, I enjoyed this. It gripped me straight away but then I lost the thread of the story and the characters and timeframes so I struggled towards the end. I think this will be enjoyed by many though!

4-5 stars! This was an original book ti me, but seemed realistic, which I find very important in my books! ;). I found it to be quite chilling, absolutely thrilling, and shocking! It was very well written, with suburb character development! The twists & turns, shocks, thrills, and chills are sure to give even the most veteran thriller lover what they seek! Highly, highly recommend!
Will make sure ti buzz it up and use low Amazon reviewer number on release!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the arc of Cracked by Louise McCreesh.❤️

Thank you to Louise McCreesh for writing such a suspenseful novel which had be hooked and intrigued right from the start right to the end. ❤️

It is set within a Psychiatric hospital, which is called Hillside. This involves Jenny who was a patient here at Hillside 9 years ago to be in fact and her psychiatrist gets brutally murdered by someone but who? The story is based of when Jenny was at the hospital, with the alternates of past and present whilst it being portrayed in Jenny's POV, you get to understand that everyone has a secret... you get to know and feel the other characters mental health states like Schizophrenia etc, with their accounts of what actually happened but is unreliable. Jenny must reunite with her former room-mates to find out who the killer may be?... but question of it all why is the person sending them very threatening messages telling them to keep quiet...

I really did like this book it had be hooked and engulfed right from the start, i was very shocked to know this was her debut novel as the writing was so intense and it was very well written! I read this within a day it was that gripping and the portraying of mental health was on point and can clearly seen a lot of work has gone into this so well done Louise McCreesh.

I definitely recommend
5 Stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘Cracked’ is an engaging thriller from debut author, Louise McCreesh. Indeed, there is much to recommend about this book to lovers of crime fiction. It is a compact story - not extensively long, that is also tightly plotted. The central thrust of the story revolves around the murder of a psychiatrist, Phillip Waltham. Initially, we know little more other than the fact that Waltham helped cover up a death at the psychiatric facility where he worked. Jenny Nilsen is at the forefront of this thread of the story-arc and the main protagonist going forward in the search for Waltham’s killer. There are seven potential suspects for the crime, and in the resolution of the motives behind the murder, McCreesh has written an eminently satisfying mystery. There are a number of flaws with the book, however. My reservations mainly centre on the authenticity of certain aspects of the novel. It appears that the story is set in the UK, but the narrative, including some of the dialogue between the characters, are peppered with Americanisms. Moreover, the places in the novel do not feel well known to the author. It feels like the book was written by someone unfamiliar with the geography of the UK. Then there is the description of the psychiatric facility at the heart of ‘Cracked’. The portrayal of the workings of the psychiatric facility, including issues around accessibility of different categories of patients to various parts of the facility, do not resemble the true workings of a psychiatric hospital of this type. Well, in the UK at least. There are other issues with the drugs prescribed to patients - Sertraline to someone who has attempted suicide, for instance, does not seem likely. The lack of attempts by healthcare professionals to review medication before committal to a psychiatric facility, for another instance, are other erroneous examples of how mental health strategies are pursued in the UK. The book needs more thorough research by the author, in other words. A sense of time and place in any novel is an intrinsic part of its authenticity, and thus believability to any reader. Sadly, this book lacked the attention to detail that would elevate ‘Cracked’ from a good reading experience to a great one.

“Seven patients. One dark secret. Phillip Walton was murdered. Jenny hasn’t seen him since she left Hillside Psychiatric Unit eight years ago. She wanted to forget everything about her time there, so she kept her secrets buried deep. But now the police are knocking at her door with evidence of her involvement in Phillip's death. Jenny desperately needs to speak to old friends and old enemies, from those dark years at Hillside to clear her name before more of her past is unearthed and her new life is destroyed. Because they are the only ones who know what really happened at Hillside. About the secret that Phillip kept for them all. “

I couldn’t put this book down. It surprised me to find out this was a debut novel. I was engulfed in this story from the first chapter and find it really hard to stop reading it until the end of the book. But before anything else I just wanted to say that this book may be a trigger for people with mental health problems.

The plot is really interesting and the setting of a psychiatric hospital was hugely captivating.
The story narrates past and present events and each chapter just makes you want to keep reading.

The portrayal of different psychological problems was spot on and you always questions the reliability of the characters. The descriptions were spot on and the feelings of the characters were really well portrayed throughout the story.

I could absolutely empathise with Jenny and just wanted to keep reading to find out more about her. I really loved Alicia too and really enjoyed her story too. I couldn’t warm up to James and really didn’t like one of the detectives but that’s probably because I was too invested in Jenny and hated the way he would speak to her.

I just wanted to read more and know more about all the characters and I didn’t even guess how it would all wrap up in the end. I also really enjoyed how it ended.
There were some tiny details that I didn’t particularly like but overall they didn’t make any difference to the plot so I can say that I really loved this read.

There are certain triggers in this book so I would advise anyone who are more sensitive to mental health problems to be careful if they decide to read it but overall I found Cracked to be a fantastically written and compelling book and would highly recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Louise McCreesh for an advanced copy of Cracked in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading more novels by this debut author!

When Philip Waltham is viciously murdered it opens huge cracks in Jenny Neilson's life. Jenny had been through very dark times and was admitted to Hillside Psychiatric Hospital and Walton has been her psychiatrist. It’s clear from the start that Jenny is covering something up, something that she hides from husband James who is one of the detectives investigating the murder. The story is told in alternating timelines from 2007 when Jenny is resident at Hillside and 2016 following the murder.

This is a really good debut novel that is well written, with a plausible plot and the alternating timelines blend seamlessly. The setting partly in the psychiatric hospital lends itself or feelings of tension and suspense between patients and patients and staff. It’s not always easy reading as of course these characters have sad backstories and their varying emotions come across powerfully, especially Jenny and how she often feels inside. It adds an extra dimension too because they are all hiding things and it’s hard to know who is truthful and who is the liar. It’s evident that all the patients that Jenny had the closest contact with are covering up a big secret and that includes Walton which is intriguing. I like the power play between Jenny and fellow patient Heidi who is very damaged physically and mentally by her experiences. My feelings about her change though as I read on which is unexpected and she demonstrates how resourceful she is. All the characters are portrayed well and there’s a good mix of those that are likeable and those who are not and some of those create fear and loathing. I like the portrayal of James’ feelings as he does not know Jenny’s history and so initially there’s betrayal and suspicion but the shows clearly that he cares. The story evokes a range of feelings from confusion about who could have murdered Walton and why, there’s an aura of mystery about events at the hospital in 2007, trying to separate fact from fiction and there’s also questioning if it centres around events in 2007 why doesn’t it stay buried?

My only negative is the pace flattens off as a lot of time is spent on a missing staff security key fob from 2007 and I feel that goes on too long so some focus is lost. However, thankfully the pace quickens again as a new revelation is made.

Overall, a good mystery, suspense thriller that I enjoyed reading.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the arc.

Oh my goodness this one really surprised me! I was impressed with the writing style and the characters were fantastic. Very suspenseful!

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was a bit predictable and formulaic but it’s very engaging and the characters are like able and fun enough that it keeps you sucked in and turning pages through the plot. Solid 3.

The ending was not what I expected! I enjoyed this book, it was an easy read and quite gripping! A great 1st book for this author,

When Jennifer hears that her former psychiatrist Phillip Walton has been murdered, her past comes back to haunt her. Phillip knew all of Jennifer's secrets and she did something back then at Hillside Psychiatric Hospital that may be connected to the murder. She is forced to track down the others who she knew from her days at Hillside, who also knew her biggest secret. However, Jennifer isn't sure who she can trust as it seems that someone is trying to keep things quiet, while the police seem to think she might have had something to do with the murder...

The story moves between the past at Hillside and the present day, and keeps you guessing. A thrilling read that I enjoyed and would recommend.

Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest review.

This was an excellent thriller that kept me on my toes the whole time. Exquisite character development and tons of surprises make it an entertaining and insightful read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Seven patients. One dark secret.
Jennifer Nielsen has her life on track. Until she gets news that her former psychiatrist, Phillip Walton, has been brutally murdered, and she is implicated.
Phil knew her darkest secrets. And circumstances of his murder suggest that someone else out there knows them too.
Jenny needs to speak to old friends, and old enemies, from her dark years spent at Hillside Psychiatric Hospital. Because they are the only ones who know what really happened at Hillside, about the secret that Phil kept for them all, and that this is not the first murder.

With a synopsis like that how can you nor want to read this!

Jenny Nilsen hasn't seen Philip, her former psychiatrist, since she left the Hillside Psychiatric Hospital eight years ago. She wanted to forget everything about her time in there, and she kept her secrets buried deep. Even from her husband! Now the police are knocking at her door with evidence that she was involved in Phil's death and everything she has kept hidden is coming to light. Jenny desperately needs to speak to people she knew from those dark years at Hillside to clear her name before her new life is destroyed.

#Cracked #NetGalley
A good read.
I was completely drowned in this book and it's characters. I didn't read such a book before. Jenny Nilsen hasn't seen her former psychiatrist Phillip since she left the Hillside Psychiatric Unit eight years ago. She wanted to forget everything about her time there, so she kept her secrets buried deep. Especially from her new husband.But now the police are knocking at her door with evidence of her involvement in Phillip's death and everything she's kept hidden is starting to spill out. Jenny desperately needs to speak to old friends, and old enemies, from those dark years at Hillside to clear her name before more of her past is unearthed and her new life is destroyed.
What happens next is intriguing and sinister so I don't talk much about it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straighten for giving me an advanced copy.