This is an action packed thriller but I did find it a bit difficult to follow at times. However, I did really like the characters. The pacing was a bit off for me but I feel like anyone who likes really fast paced twisty thrillers will love this book.

This was a good solid read by a very talented author. I have read a few of Simon's books, and once again wasn't disappointed.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. The writing was not good, the plot was quite silly and the characters... well, you could tell they were written. The internal monologue about their thought process and trying so hard to be "detectives" was so weird. And who reacts like that to a dead body?!!

This one was intriguing with twists and turns aplenty a psychological thriller that kept you guessing throughout. Matt is a struggling actor when jobs dry up he finds himself travelling and in Sri Lanka, he meets hotel owner Kate the two fall in love planning a life together.

With Kate pregnant, they return to the UK but after a night out Matt returns home to find his fiancé missing and a dead woman in their bed. This starts a journey of instructions from a mysterious kidnapper that if Matt ignores or informs the police will mean a tragic end for Kate and their unborn child.

Racing against the clock Matt goes all out to save Kate but as further facts are revealed he realises how little he actually knows about his future wife. There are secrets in Kates past big ones but Matt himself is also far from squeaky clean. With so many players involved the paranoia and suspicion soon takes hold and nobody here is entirely innocent or can be trusted fully.

This is told from a few POV’s mostly Matt and Kate but also Kates dad and a detective. I did kind of guess who the main instigator was here but was also shocked at the eventual fallout. This was a good read it was well written and engrossing it was slightly predictable in as much that it was kind of obvious well at least to me who the main villain was but I enjoyed it all the same. I voluntary reviewed a copy of Kill a Stranger.

There was so much going on in this book and some of it so far fetched that it just didn’t read well for me. I usually enjoy books by this author but this wasn’t what I’m used to.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

This was a good fast paced thriller, with all the right elements; multiple POVS, secrets, lies and the ultimate moral dilemma that makes you think what you would do in this situation. There are well written multilayered characters who are definitely not all that they seem! I enjoyed this, the short snappy chapters made me fly through it and I was keen to see what was happening. It reminded me of something you would see on a tv drama like 24. This was the first book I have read by this author and when I looked there is a massive back catalogue I will be looking at in the future.

To Kill A Stranger by Simon Kernick is the very first book that I have read from him5. It won't be the last let me tell you! I am going to start this review with the synopsis so you can get an idea of just why I think this.

To save a life, could you take another?
How far would you go for the one you love?
And how well do you really know them?
They took your fiancée.
They framed you for murder.
You have one chance to save her. To clear your name.
You must kill someone for them.
They give you the time. The location.
The target.
You have less than 24 hours.
You must make an impossible choice.

After reading that I was raring to go! The start of the book began as the synopsis seemed to promise me. I was thrown in the middle of the action already. There was no leaving this book alone for me let me tell you.
Matt Walters is a tv actor who suddenly finds himself in a situation that noone could ever imagine. Kate, his girlfriend has gone missing and he receives a letter stating that if he wishes to save her life he must take someone else's life. Faced with this impossible situation he has to find a way to deal with the demand and save Kate.
We are privy to the story unfolding through various perspectives so we learn a lot about everything and one. The one fact that becomes apparent is that everybody is withholding something and none of them are even telling the truth. This made for an enthralling and totally immersive read being surrounded by surreptitious people.
A plot that keeps the action fast and the reader on the edge of their seat throughoit this thrilling story. As the story carries on unfolding we discover exactly why it is Matt that has been targeted in this horrific scenario.Simon Kernick's twists and turns increase the pace even more creating a story that you need to finish...and soon.
I was so eager to find out who was behind everything that it was non-stop reading from me. A book that has everything for a reader who loves a story that is truly different from the usual thriller and loves a high action, immersive book.
Thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours, Headline Books and Simon Kernick for the copy of this book and my place on the tour.

When Matt returns home from a night out he's expecting to creep in, trying not to disturb his pregnant fiancee Kate. But she's gone and in her place the body of a stranger. Then the phone call. Kate has been kidnapped. And if he wants her back he'll have to kill someone....

Argh I was a bit disappointed in this. I rely on Kernick novels to be full of action and this was a bit slower than his usual offerings. This is more of a a thriller with twists than an action thriller. That said there are some good plot points in this but ultimately it was a bit predictable.

Set in London, this is a crime thriller with a brilliant psychological edge. We come across abduction, fear, control, questions – OMG the questions, secrets, the past and so much more. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

💥BOOM💥 what an epic prologue! The immediacy present, the clock … time is of the essence – it was bloody marvellous. Yes, reader – I was totally hooked! But it didn’t end there… 💥Boom after friggin BOOM💥 – I had goose bumps but also this really odd feeling of excitement – the adrenaline was coursing through my veins. I just had to KNOW everything. The sense of jeopardy created was immense. I like to read to escape – fiction gives readers the opportunity to suspend their disbelief and immerse themselves in a story – and that’s what happens here.

Told from multiple POV’s – which I LOVE by the way – you get an inside glimpse into how each of the main players experienced what was happening. Who do you believe? Who do you trust? Nothing was as it seemed and my heart raced as I turned the pages. If you haven’t read a book by Simon Kernick you are missing something truly special. The man is a friggin genius when it comes to pulling the reader in and keeping them glued to the pages in my opinion. The concept was clever and told in a way unlike any other I have come across before.

I can’t end my review without mentioning the expertly delivered 😱OMFG😱 moment – it was like the OMFG’s were raining from the sky – seriously… prepare yourself.

Would I recommend this book? You bet your sweet ass I would – over and over again! Compulsive, vivid, chilling and unputdownable, what are you waiting for… buy this book today!!

This is the kind of lazy book I really don’t like. An engaging (almost exploitative) premise that sucks the reader in and then goes nowhere.. Combine that with a multiple first person style and you have a recipe for a book so filled with current crime fiction tropes it’s dull as ditchwater.

A fast-paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns that I read in one sitting! I thought the high stakes and non-stop action made for an addictive reading but the plot does get a little convoluted towards the end. There are a few point of views and the story jumps arounds quickly so it was dizzying at times. I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable so I couldn't really root for anyone. I did like how I couldn't predict where the story was going! The ending is dark and I liked that the book doesn't just wrap everything neatly with a bow. If you like thrillers that keeps you guessing you will enjoy this.

Kill A Stranger is a fast paced thriller that will have you turning the pages quicker than you can read. Full of so many unexcepted but gripping turns, it's a fantastic and unpredictable read.

My first book by this author and WOW, what a story!

Full of twists, turns, developments and surprises. I was guessing the whole way through at what was going on but there was no way I could have predicted the ending. A perfectly tied up and satisfying ending.

It was written so cleverly that I kept on feeling sorry for certain characters and then changing my mind and then going back, kept me on my toes from the beginning.

If you want a fast paced mystery/thriller, look no further.

I am now going to go and buy everything else by this author!

What a fantastic fast-paced page-Turner this is! I was hooked from the first page and every moment not spent reading was a moment wasted.
In this book we meet engaged couple, Kate and Matt. They are a loving couple with their lives ahead of them. Until Matt returns home and instead of Kate in their bed, he finds a dead body. And his day just gets worse from there.
Chapter by chapter we hear from the different characters, sometimes from Kate, sometimes from the detective. The chapters are short and pacy, keeping the reader gripped. Definitely a must read.

I received this as a review copy so firstly many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher. I have read many of Simon Kernick's book and have to be honest and say this was not at the level of what I have read previously. The suspense was just not there and the characters were simply not that believable. Saying that I read to the finish and there was a subtle twist at the end, no spoilers. I found there were a number of contradictions within the book that did not help my reading. I would strongly recommend that if you intend reading the authors books please go to his earlier novels and work your way through if it is edge of the seat suspense you are after.

A fast paced story with plenty of plot twists and change of direction. The characters were selfish and didn't lend themselves to sympathy but the book kept me engaged to the end even though there was not much depth to the characters.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Simon Kernick/Headline for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A fast-paced psychological thriller. Told from the different points of view of three suspects, but who is lying?
Matt comes home to find his pregnant fiancee Kate has been kidnapped and a dead body in their bed. To save Kate, he must kill someone.
Although the plot is a little far-fetched, this is still an enjoyable action romp with lots of twists and turns.

I’ve read many of this author’s books and have found them all to be gripping, and sometimes gruesome, with this one being no exception! Your loved one has been kidnapped and the only way to get them back is to ‘kill a stranger’ – what would you do? TV actor, Matt Walters finds himself in this very situation. His girlfriend, Kate has gone missing and the instructions he’s had is that to save her life, he must take someone else’s…

This book was straight into the action right from the very first page, with that action keeping up a fast pace all the way through. Told from different characters perspectives, as the story moves on you begin to realise that everybody has something to hide, and no one is telling the truth! I did find this book different to other books by this author, but I still loved the suspense, tension and bloodied dead bodies that we’ve come to expect!

The storyline was well written, and I loved how the chapters switched between the different characters – from Matt to Kate to DCI Cameron Doyle to Sir Hugh Roper. Each of them were very different characters, yet each of them had their own different part to play in the storyline. You are kept very much in the dark with who is behind everything, and there are so many twists and turns thrown into the story along the way to keep you on your toes in working it all out.

Ending with a very unexpected twist, this book left me wondering what the hell had just happened!! The storyline was so cleverly written that that I just didn’t work out who was behind it until it happened! Thrilling, nerve-wracking and very unsettling, it proves that you shouldn’t trust anyone!! Full of double crosses, secrets and lies – this book has it all!! I would definitely recommend!!!

What we have here is a gripping and twisty plot of secrets and lies which is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing to the very end. Written at a strong pace, this book will have you turning the pages and your head spinning trying to work out just what the heck is going on ... in the way good thrillers do!

I read this in two days, it kept me guessing from the start, however I did guess who the culprit was quite early only, just intuition, mind.

It grips you from the start, no messing, straight into the action, a fast paced psychological thriller, which keeps you wanting to turn the pages.

Matt finds a dead woman in his bed, which fortunately isn’t his fiancé, he’s never set eyes on this woman before, however he has to get rid of her body and some.

‘She was lying on her front, fully clothed, her head turned sideways towards me, pale blue eyes staring blankly into space. I’d never seen a corpse before, but straight away I knew the woman in front of me was dead. But the thing was, it wasn’t Kate.’

Would you kill someone to save the person you loved? It’s a great plot, but not that realistic and becomes a tad more unbelievable when reading the second half, however it’s fiction and doesn’t have to be. I didn’t warm to any of the characters, not a nice one among them, everyone was out for themselves and I wouldn’t want any of them to be my friend. 😂😂😂Who do you trust? Is it just all about the money? So many lies and deceit.

There’s lots of twists and turns and the end of every chapter leaves you in suspense as to what is going to happen next. Cliffhangers everywhere.

Kate, Matt’s fiancé, isn’t as innocent as she makes out to be either. Matt doesn’t really know that much about her and death, murder and deceit just simply follows her around.

There’s a race against time factor, which adds a little more suspense.

Matt stumbles from one chain of events to another which are quite catastrophic. I did find them quite humorous in parts (dark comedy sprang to mind) and without giving too much away Matt ends up being the fall guy in more ways than one. However the ending serves up its just deserts.

If you love a good crime thriller I would recommend this. I have only given it 4🌟 as I did find a comment quite offensive and not necessary. I’m not sure why Kernick felt the need to stoop so low in what is a really good psychological thriller. However this is just a personal reaction of mine.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Headline for this ARC provided in exchange for this unbiased review.