This has an interesting and pacy plot.
Filled with well developed characters.
A great debut. Can’t wait to see what other books this author brings out

Compelling and full of action. Good twists towards the end. I believe this is my first introduction to the author and I will be looking out for more for sure.

Really enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It was a bit slow burn at first but soon picked up. Will read more by this author in the future

I enjoyed reading this book very much and I will definitely be looking out for more by this author. It was suspenseful, and kept me reading until the very end. Will read more by her in future. Recommended.

I really enjoyed this story, gripped me from the start and kept me intrigued all the way through. Twisty, turny, suspenseful and genera9a really good read.

Belle and Summer are best friends so when Summer invites Belle to spend a week on a fabulous boat owned by her very wealthy boyfriend, it’s an offer she can’t refuse, after all what could possibly go wrong? This story was so annoying that I could hardly bring myself to finish it. The few days on that boat seemed endless! The last few chapters were the best when all was revealed. Vacuous and shallow characters, selfish to the core, with obvious good and bad guys. Overly long for what actually happened and the “before” sections were tedious, so easily skim read. A brilliant plot but think it was too “chic lit” for me - sorry!

Two and a half star rating.

Ooh I did enjoy this deliciously entertaining, gripping read which would be perfect for enjoying on the beach or, more likely, your back garden this summer!

The author does a fantastic job of setting the scene in this novel and I soon found myself completely drawn into the story and the interesting situation Bella finds herself in. There is definitely some strange things happening onboard the yacht which helps create a rather dark and sinister atmosphere which I found hugely enjoyable as well as rather gripping.

I really liked Bella who came across as a really nice, normal girl. I loved her sense of humour and that she didn’t have any huge flaws which made her behave questionably. I did wonder why on earth she was on the yacht with everyone though as they didn’t seem to have much in common.

Overall I found this a really entertaining and enjoyable read which was a perfect blend of thriller and women’s fiction which also made it a fairly easy read as it had a great flow to it. The way the story is told by alternating the past and present was very clever as was the final conclusion. I would definitely like to read more from this author in the future.

Huge thanks to Emily from Headline for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

I have to admit hat the heroine of this story really annoyed me at first, I wanted to shake her and say "stop being such a wimp". But when it becamse clear what she was about I started to really enjoy the story. It was exciting, mysterious and riveting with a great twist.

A wonderfully written book with a totally captivating story. Exactly what you want from a thriller. The characterisation was perfect, and the story felt well paced and kept me needing to read more.

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

This is the perfect summer read for those looking for a little escapism. Actually, make that a lot of escapism. If you can sense a big BUT, then you can read my mind. It could be that the author has pitched this book to a rather more niche, millennial audience, but for an elderly Gen-X like me it did not quite hit the spot. I avoid celebrity, reality tv culture like the bubonic plague, so a novel that capitalises on the zeitgeist of such vapidity Is anathema to me. This is all subjective however. Others, quite rightly, will enjoy this for its immense entertainment value. It is fast-paced, full of depravity, oozing with characters you will love to hate. Then there are some imaginative twists, deftly executed by the author. In short, this will appeal to a younger audience, or those still enmeshed in contemporary culture. Just not for me I’m afraid.

This book was everything the description said it would be. It was an exciting read good fun to read. Well written. It was so many emotions rolled into one. You will not be disappointed with this one

This enjoyable and gripping debut thriller from Katherine St. John has an interesting and pacy plot, which uses different time periods to build it's story.

Told by our main protagonist, Belle, it is a mix of thriller, women's fiction with a dash of psychological suspense. 

Belle is invited by her old friend Summer, on an all expenses paid holiday aboard the luxury yacht The Lion's Den, owned by Summer's much older millionaire boyfriend John.  Also invited are 2 other female friends, Summer's sister plus guest and Summer's mother.  All except one, known to Belle, and all seemingly happy to tow the line for a piece of indulgent luxury, putting aside any current feelings for Summer for a week sailing around the Italian and French Rivieras. 

The moment Belle boards The Lion's Den , however, there is an uncomfortable dynamics between the people onboard and odd things are soon noted. Cabin doors locked from the outside at night, no wi-fi or photos to be uploaded, instructions and itinerary given out each morning by John and Summer.  Soon Belle starts to wonder why she ever excepted this invitation and discovers that things are about to become a whole lot more serious than she could ever imagine.

I really liked the way the author used the different time strands leading up to the trip to go back cleverly and slowly revealing another piece of the puzzle in this story, allowing the reader to see what is behind the possible goings on, on board the yacht.  The character's of Eric and his brother are well thought out and used within the book and the images of the yacht and all the different ports it stops at are vivid and wonderfully evoked.

With the high possibility of very little summer travel taking place this year, it's a great book to escape with to imagine a bit of Mediterranean heat, sea and sun soaked towns, even within this thriller setting.  The story kept me hooked throughout and offers a number of twists and turn with a satisfying ending to top it all off!

A great debut and will look out for more from this author in the future.




A big thank you to Emily Patience at Headline for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley.  The Lion's Den is available now on EBook and out in paperback March 2021.

This book is absolutely incredible. I am completely blown away by the fact that it is a debut. It is a great page turner and thrilller. The plot and characters were complex and intriguing, but the style and narrative was easy to follow. I loved the use of the two timelines, and the way they were seamlessly brought together at the end. I am really struggling to find the words to sum up how amazing this book is. It is creepy, clever and captivating. It is up there with T M Logan's "The Holiday" as one of my favourite thriller reads of 2020. I cannot WAIT to read more by this author.

Well I did not see that ending coming, in fact the whole last quarter of the book took my breath away.

Ok... before that I was wondering about why it was a thriller when I came across as lovely yacht trip amongst some mutual acquaintances in the Med, but with some slightly unusual behaviour.

But as the story progresses and you get the history of Summer and Belle's friendship, as well as events in the immediate run up to the yacht trip, you realise that there is so much going on beneath the surface that I kept gasping as new pieces of information were revealed to the readers.

I was definitely drawn to the story due to the yacht setting but this is no gentle read, there is surveillance all over the yacht, no wifi and you are locked into your cabin at night. It is clear there may just be a darker side to this seemingly idyllic trip.

Everything to the build up to this finale was so so vital for scene setting, and for it to all mean a whole lot more, and thankfully although it took a while to get to the unputdownable thrilling bit, the rest is a very enjoyable story too, and I was eager at all times to find out just what would happen next.

This is a very accomplished debut novel and I'll be very interested to see what the author does next.

Thank you to Headline and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

The Lion’s Den by Katherine St John. Published by @headlinebooks 🛥
What a great debut book from Katherine.
A dark, mysterious thriller that is full of intrigue and gives you the opportunity to play detective. ( which I love 🤣🤣)
🛥
Your offered the opportunity to go on a billionaires yacht on the Riviera all expenses paid. You’d be mad to decline the offer? Or would you?
🛥
Summer and 6 other girls did just that. What could go wrong?
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But things are not all that it seems- maybe it isn’t going to be the dream get away that they think it is. 🛥
Plus somebody has a very dark secret. But who???
🛥
Twists and turns are on every page.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Headline books for gifting me this book in exchange for my review
It’s gripping from page 1 and it carries you right through to the end.
🛥
Great plot, fab characters.
🛥
Out Now

This was a great read and kept me gripped until the end.
When Belle is invited with five others to join her best friend on a dream vacation on a luxury yacht.. From the day she arrives nothing seems to be quite as it seems and Summers boyfriend, who owns the yacht, is in charge of everything they do. Summer and Belle’s friendship is not quite what it seems. The chapters go between the present and their past friendship with the mystery of what caused it to change.
I wasn’t sure where this novel was going but I loved the journey and conclusion.
I will definitely read this author again.
Thanks to Headline and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #TheLionsDenTheimpossibletoputdownmustreadgrippingthrillerof2020

What an addictive page turner of a book! Couldn't stop reading and read it in one day!

This follows the story of friendships between ladies, whom have been invited on one of the girls birthday treats aboard her new much older weathy boyfriend yacht.

It especially follows the friendship of one of the girls to her host, who's relationship seems particularly strained and distant.

We are taken back to their friendship in the past, and especially to events leading up to the trip.

Many twists and eye opening moments and how you can discover how someone you thought you knew, could change due to money and status.

I highly recommend this book.

Copy kindly obtained via Netgalley

Bella is invited to spend a week on her friend Summers new boyfriends mega yacht, in the French Rivera but it isn’t the luxury girls trip she was thinking of. When Bella boards the boat with the rest of the girls they are told they need to sign NDAs, hand over their passports and they will not have access to WiFi instead they will need to use the computers onboard what secrets are they trying to hide and will everyone make it off the boat unscathed?

What A highly addictive thriller with some fantastic twists, a great holiday read or in this years case a lockdown read.

A highly addictive and compulsive début that I didn't want to put down!

When Isabelle Carter (Belle) is offered the chance of a dream trip on board a luxurious yacht owned by her old friend, Summer Sanderson's billionaire boyfriend she readily accepts, of course. But the girls-only Mediterranean holiday on the lavish Lion's Den descends into a horror show as Belle and the six other guests are treated like inmates. As it dawns on Belle that someone is hiding something very dark, she realises that she must be on her guard if she hopes to leave the yacht alive...

Katherine St. John writes a clever novel full of betrayal, secrets, intrigue and jealousy. Packed to the brim with both savoury and decidedly unpalatable characters, there was certainly a few bad apples! The story was narrated by Belle using varying timelines from the past and present, the chapters from the past detailing Belle's and Summer's time growing up.

As the author weaved this wicked tale I was impressed by the smart plotline and the artful storytelling. Although I had a hard time understanding why Belle decided to take the trip, as her friendship with Summer had waned considerably over the years, and they didn't seem to enjoy each other's company as buddies any more, this did not detract from my enjoyment of the story. Katherine St. John managed to perfectly portray the tenseness and uneasiness of Belle's situation, as well as the wonderful scenery at the ports that The Lion's Den visited. The grandiose setting of the yacht sailing the Riviera was the perfect backdrop for the twisting occurrences and incidences that unfolded and I particularly appreciated the author's masterful conclusion.

The Lion's Den is wonderfully written, pure escapism so make sure you get your copy! I will certainly be looking out for this author's next novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Headline via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Plenty of twists and turns, this book is sure to draw you in and excite you right from the start. This book kept me on the very edge of my seat and I can't wait to read the next one.