‘The Friend’ drew me in with a tantalising synopsis alluding to a deadly game and 2 devastated parents trying to find out why their daughter made an attempt on her own life. A mysterious stranger comes along promising the answers they crave.

This audiobook is a very worthy addition to contemporary crime fiction, and I feel fans of this genre won’t be disappointed. DI Joel Norris is a likeable character, who, I’m sure will have a long and lucrative career spanning a series of novels.

This book doesn’t scrimp on guts and gore! The narrator carries this off very well, being clearly talented and easy to listen to.

The plot is very intricate but written very well so I didn’t get confused at any point!

My thanks to Net Galley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Danny Evans is approached by a stranger claiming to know who’s behind her teenage daughter’s attempted suicide, and he definitely can’t turn this opportunity down, especially not now knowing that the police hasn’t been doing enough. Unfortunately he doesn’t realise that this is only a new game for the “new friend” and that is only the beginning of a series of lies and murders.

First time reading a Charlie Gallagher’s book and it was a really enjoyable journey full of twists and suspence. Compared to many other books I’ve read I’ve found the first part much more fast paced and likeable than the second one, but overall the storyline was compelling and intriguing.

It’s a novel about grief, corrosive anger that evokes in some men the need to blame someone, but mostly it’s about manipulation. It’s quite scary to see how “the friend” using the right arguments can actually push the characters to act in a advantageous way for his game.

Definitely a dark read and highly recommended if you have read the Shadow Man by Helen Fields and enjoyed it.

Thank you Avon Books & NetGalley for the free audiobook in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins audio and Charlie Gallagher for my audio arc of The Friend in exchange for an honest review. 

Published: 1st April 2021 

When a stranger approaches Danny Evans after his daughter tries to take her own life offering the answers Danny and his wife Sharon have so badly needed, Danny is sorely tempted but the guy could be a prankster. But when the stranger offers him a chance at revenge, how can Danny say no? But little does Danny know he's part of a wider game. He's not the only one being promised revenge and this game won't just change lives it will end them.
The Friend is a compulsive thriller that kept me up listening well past my bedtime each night until it was finished. It's very twisty and hard to work out. Fast paced and enjoyable it definitely keeps the reader guessing and I would highly recommend the audio book. The narrator was great at giving each character their own voice and in putting across emotions. Really enjoyed it.

Wow, that was a roller coaster ride and a half! I found myself talking out loud to the characters!!
Firstly I have to say the narrator did a stellar job. He created so much atmosphere and drama with his voice that it was a very enjoyable experience listening to this audiobook.
A girl tries to kill herself after cyberbullying and her parents, especially her father, are in pieces. Then he gets the chance to take revenge. But this is only the beginning. Soon more bodies are turning up.
DI Joe Norris is just back from extended leave and is thrown in at the deep end. Will this case make or break him.
This is a story about choices; about how far you will go to protect your family and about revenge.

A brilliant listen with some great twists that I can highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio for the early access to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

The premise of this book sounded amazing, but sadly I just could not get into it. There where a few too many characters and I couldn't keep track of them especially with this particular narrator. Due to it being under 3 stars im not going to be leaving a rewind on any social media platforms as I did not pay for this book

When Danny Evans is approached by a stranger claiming that he knows why Danny's teenage daughter attempted suicide, Danny grasps desperately at the chance to find answers he's been long searching for. Unfortunately, he doesn't know that what he is committing to isn't a solution to his problems but a thrilling new game for the so-called "friend". And thus begins a long series of lies, deceptions, and murders.

The book has a great storyline and many twists. Unfortunately, not all the twists serve well to keep the tempo maintained, something so crucial in a thriller. I was engrossed in the book till about 22% because until then, it kept the momentum going. After that point, there were just periodic thrills and lulls in the reading experience. Towards the end, I was just waiting for the book to be over because the climax really dragged a lot. At 400 pages and 62 chapters (leading to a 12.5 hours long audiobook), the book becomes quite clunky in its plot and could have worked better if the narrative had been tightened a bit more.

I loved the police procedural parts of the story. The author is a long-serving UK police officer, and his knowledge of being in the frontline of crime serves him well. All the crime-related and police-related segments of the book are quite interesting. DI Joel Norris, the main police character in the book, seems much like an actual police officer and I liked that character portrayal a lot. He showed the human side of the police force.

The narrator, Alexis Rodney, does his best to liven up the characters and keep us invested throughout the long listening journey. However, I couldn’t connect much with his narration, especially after the halfway mark. A narrator can boost a lengthy book only to a certain extent; beyond that, it is entirely dependent on the plot to sustain the listener. On the other hand, if this were an e-book, I might just have DNFed it. So I guess Rodney’s narration did benefit the book.

On an aside, I had loved the cover of the book when I had requested the ARC but now I feel that it doesn’t represent the book accurately.

I would give “The Friend” 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio, for the Advanced Audio Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The narrator’s voice lends itself to this book in a perfect combination of compassion and fierceness in equal measure!
The story is so perfectly woven, it draws you in, the characters make you want to know exactly how they are feeling at any given point within the book.
I guessed a little before it was revealed “whodunnit “ but that did not detract from the excellent way the tale unfolded .
I would definitely buy this book for my fellow readers. Look forward to reading more from this author

Really enjoyed this book, kept me on the edge of my seat to the end. Two family groups are involved but don’t know how they are connected. One is a modern family, the father has lost his way and living away from his family but trying to protect them, the mum trying to keep the family together, kids doing their own thing. The other is a widowed man who has a strained relationship with his adult son. Gripping drama unfolds involving the horrific murder of a police officer. Excellent narration, thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook.

**listened to audiobook**

This book took a long time to get into. I found it very slow paced and I don't think I ever truly got submerged into the plot due to its slow beginning.
The premise seemed right up my street, but there was just too many characters and the plot seemed to be all over the place I just couldn't connect.
I also wasn't too keen on the audiobook narrator. I didn't think he changed up his voice enough for the different characters - and this could have been the reason I struggled with the multiple characters and knowing what was going on.

Didn't enjoy this one!

This is by far the best audiobook I've ever listened to!
The plot is gripping, the characters are strong and well depicted, it's an unsettling/disturbing thriller, about revenge and wrong decisions that keeps you engaged until the very end.
A creepy page-turner with a great narrator, definitely reccomended!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Audio version of this book 📚by one of my favourite authors! And he doesn’t disappoint with this new addition! The plot was gripping and unusual and had you guessing to the end ! My only criticism is that the narrators voice was rather monotonous and ruined it a little for me but the storyline was that good I just had to keep listening!!

Just finished listening to this book. All about revenge. It shows how revenge can go wrong and how people make the wrong decisions. I generally enjoyed this story, found myself clapping the father of the young girl. I did get confused in places but it all came together at the end. Thank you for my review copy, I will definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

When Danny Evans is approached by a stranger in his hotel bar he thinks it is a fan who wants his autograph but new friend claims to have information that Danny needs. There is a growing sense of unease as the friend helps him, they enter into deadly game but does anyone know the rules?

This was a clever, creepy and disturbing thriller! With no early plot reveals, intense characters and unsettling murders it maintained its page-turning quality throughout.

I started reading this book at the start of the month, but had trouble getting into the story. I didn't care for Danny Evans, despite the horrors his family was facing after his daughter had tried to commit suicide.

I was fortunate enough to have received both an ARC for the book and the audiobook, so I decided to switch to the audio book and I am glad I did. This way I was able to finish the story and the narration by Alexis Rodney was really good.

I have read other Charlie Gallagher books that I enjoyed more than this one. For some reason I could not get that into this story and found there were really quite a lot of characters to keep track of. It was enjoyable enough, just not great for me and I didn't guess the outcome, so in that sense it was good.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon/Harper Collins UK Audio for the chance to read and review this ARC.

Creepy, thrilling, unbelievably good!

I listened to this as an audiobook that was narrated by Alexis Rodney and he did a phenomenal job. This suspenseful mystery thriller was written well with lots of tension. Everything happening kept me guessing and on edge.
How does someone deal with tragedy? Can they get passed it? Feel better? And if they can find something to help will it really help?
This is going to be a favorite of mine for 2021. I highly recommend it.
Thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio via Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Charlie Gallagher is a new-.to-me-author and I was gripped by the mystery of the disappearance of Sharon and Danny's daughter. Why would someone who is aparently happy go missing? I was listening to this eager to find answers to that question. The plot was twisty, sometimes dark and the pacing kept me interested.

Thanks to Charlie Gallagher and publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars

DI Joel Norris has two brand new murders in just a few days. They don’t appear to be connected, at least not at first glance. Danny and Sharon Evans are in shock, drowning in grief after the apparent suicide of their daughter. When a stranger approaches them with information that he says will lead them to the person responsible for her death, and a way to get revenge, Danny can’t refuse. A clever, twisted story of the lengths people will go to to avenge a loved one