Wow, this book pulled me in from the start and didn't let me go till the very end. A wonderfully intense, psychological thriller.

A cracking psychological thriller. Very well written and the use of a real life scenario and use of social media in the plot make you sink straight into the plot.

It’s one of those books that when you put down you keep thinking what would I have done. How would I have played that part.

A stranger has you cornered. They call themselves The Host. You are forced to play their game. n it one person must live and the other must die. You are the nest player. You have a choice to make. This is a game where nobody wins.

The population of Peterborough is under threat from a man who calls himself The Host. He carefully picks two members of the public to fight against each other - to the death. If they refuse - The Host threatens to kill someone close to them. The Host posts the fights on social media - then it starts all over again.

DI Karen Holt is currently suspended but she has been called upon by her friend and partner DS Howard Carlson to secretly assist him. This is a thrilling, gripping, terrifying and page turning read. I could not not it down. Thera's a lot of thought went into writing this story and it's been executed perfectly. This is a roller coaster read that's filled with twists. I was often on the edge of my seat while reading this book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #HQ and the author #DarrenOSullivan for my ARC of #ThePlayers in exchange for an honest review.

The Players from the outset sounded like the perfect book for me – a crime thriller with a deadly game at the heart of it? Yes please! I loved the psychological elements of the book – a mysterious host with an obsession with the trolley problem and showing people that they really will do whatever it takes to survive. I enjoyed the ideas of the games – they were gory and interesting and kept me hooked to find out how they would escalate and what would happen next. I also liked that the book pulled no punches with who it would target or what would happen to certain characters. I thought the split perspectives between the Host and DI Karen Holt kept the book at a good pace throughout.

My main criticism with the book was the insinuation that the entire Police force was completely inept, and that Karen was the only one able to get into the mindset of the killer despite having no previous experiences or special training to back this fact up. Once I’d perhaps understand – some different perspective to help break the case open, but every member of the police force seemed unable to make a decision or find a clue without the help of someone not assigned to the case and without all of their resources. This felt really unrealistic and made me roll my eyes on occasion. I did like the character of Karen though, her flaws and panic attacks as well as the fact she is currently off-duty pending an investigation made her a really interesting main character. I also liked that she is gay but there was no fanfare or big deal made out of this - Sam her wife was just treated as any other partner in a crime thriller and I appreciated that.

I did find the ‘reveal’ of the perpetrator to be a little disappointing and I wished we’d had a few encounters with them unbeknownst to our main characters earlier in the plot. This would have made the reveal hit a little harder whereas it just felt a little convenient with a tenuous link in the end.

Overall, The Players is a gruesome crime thriller which is well paced and keeps you hooked. Thank you to NetGalley & HQ Stories for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Move over Saw The Players are in town! There are a fair few crime thrillers on the market now that focus on the public being forced to play a game and if they fail there will be dire consequences, so I wasn’t sure if the author had anything new to offer. I thought it was a good read although it did take me a while to get into the storyline, but overall it was a well written book which once I got into it held my interest throughout.

I have read and loved every book this author has written so I had high hopes going into this book. And I wasn't disappointed. It hit the ground running, sucked me in immediately, held me tight throughout, spitting me out at the end knackered from the ride, but wholly satisfied. I did have a few niggles along the way and the MC was a tad annoying but these paled into insignificance when compared with the rest of what was on offer.
It stars DI Karen Holt, currently suspended but desperate to get back to work. Which means that it has the feel of a police procedural about it rather than a psychological thriller but that's not a bad thing at all! She managed to inveigle herself into a rather heinous and generally weird spate of crimes that are being committed. Good thing too as the rest of the police are floundering due to the strangeness of what is happening.
Throughout the book we also have Social Media reaction to what is going on. These take place in a forum setting with several frequent flyers commenting and are pretty accurate reflections of what actually happens in the real world in these settings.
And then we come to the crimes - and you really need to see these played out as the author intends rather than me spoil them here but, suffice to say, the author's dark imagination has gone into overdrive as there are some really nasty and violent things happening - but, not only this, it's the way these crimes are set up that's key to the matter. That makes it all the more heinous. The way the Host brings his victims together and just watches the fun ensue...
And Karen, we must speak of her. I hated her and I really don't believe that she would have got away with what she did all the way through the book. But, at the same time, it is fiction and all made for a cracking compelling read so who am I to judge. If you want realism and are a stickler for that then maybe this will touch a few nerves but if you are like me and happy to take one for the team in the name of a compelling story which ticks every other box then, yeah, dive on in!
All that's left to add is that I am now left champing at the bit for the author's next offering. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The Players by Darren O’Sullivan is a gripping psychological suspense that will hook you in from the start.
This is a terrifying read because it could be real. As Darren O’Sullivan ramps up the action, the reader’s heart-rate rises. The Players is shockingly good. I immersed myself so deeply in the action that I literally yelled out ‘No!’ at one point.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I liked the main characters even though I thought the main cop had left her cape some where I couldn't help but think she had a superhero complex as she seemed to think she had to solve everything and save everyone. I think she could have been toned down a bit, but that is not as big a criticism as it might sound. I still really thought it was a great book, and well worth a read, and I would definitely like to read more books with her as the main character, I loved the pace of the book, and the story and writing was good.

The Players by Darren O’Sullivan is a gripping psychological suspense that will hook you in from the start.
This is a terrifying read because it could be real. As Darren O’Sullivan ramps up the action, the reader’s heart-rate rises. The Players is shockingly good. I immersed myself so deeply in the action that I literally yelled out ‘No!’ at one point.
There is a monster running amok in Peterborough who holds all the cards with the police seemingly powerless. “He was a monster hiding in plain sight, a monster that looked just like them, that sounded just like them.” Evil does have a face but it is a face just like you or me. It is a face that blends in and that is a terrifying thought.
All the characters were well drawn. The leading lady was realistically flawed and easy to relate to.
Part of the novel is written in the first person through her eyes. And part is through the eyes of evil in the third person. The reader hears his voice, but like the police, we are clueless and powerless to stop him.
The Players was an amazingly terrifying read, not one to be read alone. It consumed me so much that as I woke up, the morning after I finished the book, I believed it was real!
The Players was utterly brilliant, well thought out and executed. Darren O’Sullivan is a masterful story teller.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I loved “The Players, I don’t want to give anything away but it will make you consider what would you do ? if you were asked to play, and I’ve noticed a few authors now writing scenes where people are using social media and Twitter to discuss what the public feel in exactly the same way we do in real life, it is quite dark in places and comparisons must be made to the “Saw” franchise but it was great novel at keeping up the suspense right up to the end and it is definitely worth reading.

Well, what can I say! Darren O’Sullivans style of writing is gripping, suspenseful, thrilling, dark, twisty and i was enthralled in the pages from the start! Absolutely LOVED this book.

From the moment I spotted the cover, it piqued my interest, then upon reading the description I knew this book was a book that I had to read! It was action packed from the start and I was immediately gripped, unable to put my kindle down. It was a pleasant surprise when I realised the story was set in Peterborough. Living in the Fens myself, I’ve never come across a story set so close to home before.

The twists and turns continued to surprise me throughout. I found myself holding my breath in parts as I read through the words on the pages, eagerly anticipating what was going to happen next. I think at about 80% into the book I was shocked to my core at what was happening. I won’t go into detail as I don’t want to spoil it for potential readers but I just couldn’t believe it. I thought I’d got it sussed who ‘The Host’ was and when it was revealed who was behind the helmet, well, I wasn’t suspecting that at all and how it all came together.

For me, this is a definite and well-earned 5 Star review. This is a must read for book readers who enjoy the twists, turns and surprises in a psychological thriller. You will not be disappointed!

From the first page I was hooked. This is quite simply one of the best books I have read so far this year.
If you enjoy Psychological Thriller and Detective/Crime books then this is an absolute must buy.
Just the whole concept is a brilliant, yet seriously scary idea that kept me constantly on edge and turning the pages.
The writing, the characters, the plot I cannot fault one thing.
Make sure you clear your diary before reading though - I literally did not put this book down from start to finish.
Anyone who enjoys this genre really will be missing out if they don’t buy this book and I rated it a very strong 5 stars - each one solid gold!

You know a book is going to be good when you get a shiver down your spine in the first couple of pages. I loved the concept of this book as it isn’t like anything I’ve read before with the perfect balance between psychological thriller and police procedural. This is definitely a dark and twisted read, made all the more creepy as it felt intensely real.

There is a host, two random players who are forced to play a game but only one of them will survive...On the case is DI Holt who is a troubled police officer renowned for being effective but doing things her own way. Definitely a really read for fans of fast paced thrillers.

A good read although it did take me a while to get into the storyline but overall it was a well written book which once I got into it held my interest throughout.

The characters were good and well described and I can definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

When I started reading this, all I could think was that it was a poorly concealed attempt to mimic M J Arlidge's Helen Grace series. It also reminded me of The Art of Death by David Fennell with the killer making a point of being anonymous and the use of a graffiti tag, even though both books were/are released this year so that's most likely just a coincidence. Oh, and the Saw franchise of films - there are a lot of obvious influences here. But this is definitely a novel in it's own right. We have a female DI, just like the other books mentioned, but where Arlidge took several books to immerse the reader in Helen Grace's private life which made it harder to warm to her, Darren O'Sullivan dives right in. I was invested in this character quite early and though she's another DI that doesn't play by the book (which is a plot device that I feel is overused), I was rooting for her. There were some interesting twists and turns, I enjoyed the reveal of the anonymous Host and overall, think that if this is to become a series, I'll probably read them all. My only criticism is that the pacing felt off. Maybe I'm used to Arlidge's short chapters that always end with a cliffhanger and this didn't quite reach those adrenaline highs but this was still a very good read which would translate to screen well. But are police really as inept as often as books like this would have us believe?

This was my first foray into the mind of Darren O'Sullivan and what a twisted mind {I mean this in a good way} he has to come up with a shocking, gripping and unforgettable story. The Host will stay in my mind for a very long time, he's a great, creepy, frightening character with guts and he takes mind games to a whole new level. I was glued to this book the whole weekend and I could not turn the pages fast enough. It sent shivers through me when the Host was watching his players, I felt like it was me watching people and I was the one playing the games. It's a very clever book with twists you don't expect. Their was one part which bought a lump to my throat and that was when Howard took the place of this wife and killed himself to save his family, I really didn't want him to die, so that was a bit upsetting but hey that's fiction for you. I loved the parts where the conversations took place over social media and it's true when it states you can be anybody online and you really can't trust anybody when they are typing on a keyboard and you can't actually see them. The whole storyline was cleverly plotted, the characters all intermingled well and I just loved the whole book. It certainly deserves more than five stars because it's an awesome read.
I will definitely be buying Darren's other books after reading this one, I can't wait to get my head stuck in one.

This is a real rollercoaster of a read. The Host directs you to play a game. Two of you play. Only one of you can survive. Either you or your opponent end up dead. It’s a really intense thriller and very,very dark. I loved the police character too. My first Darren O’Sullivan and I instantly want to go and read everything he’s ever written. He’s now on the list of the authors I automatically go to.

Right from the first few pages I just knew that this was a book I was going to enjoy and I wasn’t disappointed it was a fabulous read. So we have one very twisted protagonist in the “host” who likes to play some extremely sick games pitting people against each other and seeing how far they will go, will they kill or be killed that’s the question and my oh my my it was stomach churning stuff!
I liked all the characters i thought they were well written especially DI Karen Hart who is at the time suspended from duty but she cannot keep away from this case and is like a dog with a bone and she is determined to find the Host and stop him from playing his twisted games.
A well thought out an clever plot line kept me gripped and I was surprised by the ending it’s a book that thriller lovers will really enjoy and one I can highly recommend.
My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

‘The Players’ -Darren O’Sullivan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“There are no good people, only those who have yet to do wrong.”

Typically when you pick a thriller novel, you are pertaining to just that; an embodiment of sweat drenched, nail biting, breath-holding suspense that leaves you animatedly turning pages to find out what happens next (springs hope eternal). Undoubtedly, this book ticked all of the aforementioned boxes for me.

DI Karen Holt, becomes embroiled in a cat and mouse game whereby ‘The Host’ is reeking utter carnage on the town of Peterborough through his Gladiatorial type games; mercilessly forced upon unwilling participants. Based on the psychological mission statement of ‘kill one life and save five’, chosen members of the public have to decide: kill or be killed.

This book was packed with so many twists and turns, it left me shouting at the pages in horror. It’s certainly not one to miss if you have a penchant for this particular genre. I was so pleased to receive an ARC of O’Sullivans latest masterpiece; thank you NetGalley and HQ.

Her whizz what a ride, a serious MUST READ book right here, loved it, so twisted in the plot itself and it had me gripped from the first chapter, what a great premise for a novel and it worked fantastically, it’s sick, dark, twisted and full of great characters, loved Holt and thought she was a brilliant character and hope to read more books with her at the helm!

Fantastic a must read book for anyone who wants to totally lose a few hours in no time!