The characters are interesting and unique. It is a slow burn but I advise that you bare with it. There weren’t enough twists but the big one was good.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

A nice easy read despite being a thriller and moves along at a nice pace. It took me a little while to get into it, hence the four stars rather than five but overall, a good exciting read.

Doctor Luke Forde lives a happy life in a gorgeous house in County Clare - but when he wakes up one morning with the word 'guilty' spray-painted onto his boathouse, it's clear that his dark secret is no longer a secret. Desperate to keep his daughter Nina safe, he does everything he can to cover up the threatening notes and anonymous packages, but is he doing enough to keep his past hidden and his secret safely locked away?

While the premise of Guilty is an intriguing one, it doesn't quite reach the levels of dark or thrilling that I've become accustomed to in recent years. The plot is so easy to figure out that it's guessable from the first few chapters, with no real twists or shocks at any point during the story. Although the characters are fully fleshed out and well developed, none of them are particularly likable and don't stand out as being unique or interesting. It's a very slow burn, with lots of predictable, repetitive events occurring right up until the culmination, which due to the slow crawl to get there, is void of any real suspense or tension. Unfortunately, it's quite a forgettable story - too similar to many other competitors, without enough stamps of originality from Siobhan MacDonald to set it apart.

The conclusion is easily the best part of this book, while the first two thirds are very slow, the end quickly picks up the pace and ties up all the last few loose ends to a satisfying finish. Another thing I liked was that it had a few flashes from the past mixed in throughout the rest of the present day narrative. They quickly established personality traits for each character and provided the ever important backstory. The contrast between present and past was well written and easily to understand, strengthening the main story slightly by adding the extra depth.

Overall, although I wouldn't personally recommend - it is a nice easy read, that doesn't require too much thought behind it. A simple, straightforward thriller that would work well for fans of slower paced narratives and easy to understand story-arcs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for my advanced reader copy! 💕

This book was everything I look for in a book. It was so exciting. The plot was fantastic. It really had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart racing. It was very well written and flowed well.

This thriller / drama was really good although it took me a little while to get into it. It is worth sticking with it as it soon becomes a page turner. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. I will definitely be adding this author to my list of favourites.

I've read and enjoyed this authors previous books so I was delighted to discover a new book by her. The plot builds up slowly with the tension and intrigue increasing with each chapter as I was curious to learn of Luke's secret.

The story was told from the POV of Luke, a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, with a high-flying aspiring politician wife Allison and daughter Nina, who was closer to him. Someone knew Luke’s secret and was targeting him, determined to prove him GUILTY

My second book by author Siobhan MacDonald, I found the initial part quite slow. Then the story picked up. It was entertaining but easily guessable. Luke was well etched as a doc who had PTSD. It scared me when he froze in the middle of surgery when he was tying up the bleeding arteries.

His wife played the uncaring wife pretty well. I liked how her section made me sizzle with anger as she was brash and ambitious. Nina as the rebel daughter was quite realistic and endearing.

The story was all about Luke trying to find out who was stalking him along with the help of his therapist. There was only a single plot twist which captivated me. I would say that was the one that kept me going.

Overall, an entertaining slow-burn thriller.

Luke is a respected cardiologist and his wife, Alison is a politician. They have a rebellious daughter, Nina.

Much of the story is told as Luke relays his troubled history and secret to Terence, his therapist.

Someone else knows the secret and begins sending threats to Luke.

The book was well plotted with little clues peppered throughout.

Thanks indeed to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

With Thanks to Siobhan MacDonald and Little Brown Books for an advanced readers copy of this book.

4*

Guilty, is a well chosen title because this is my guilty pleasure. I am a sucker for well paced, sinister psychological thriller and MacDonald delivers that and much more. I took barely a chapter to become hooked, and immersed in this world of hidden secrets.

I'm new to Siobhan MacDonald, and this certainly wont be my last read from her, she blends a beautiful descriptive Irish settling with the intrigue of a well built cast no one you can trust.

I challenge you to read the first chapter of this book and not instantly be hooked in wanting a whole variety of answers, and a burning desire to read more. Guilty was my guilty pleasure right up to the end! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A good strong psychological thriller that after a few chapters had my attention and kept me there throughout ,lots of twists and turns and kept me guessing,well told and altogether a great read

My first novel from this author but I hope not my last!

Luke is a respected doctor with a secret. This novel is told from his perspective whilst in therapy after two terrifying things happen, an obituary for his very alive daughter in the newspaper and the word “guilty” scrawled all over his boat house.

Excellent psychological thriller, with complicated family dynamics in the background and an awful secret and it’s it consequences bubbling over.

Excellent

A vortex of malevolence that sucks the reader in on a spiralling descent into darkness. Doctor Luke Forde and his politician wife Alison ,seemingly have the perfect life , ambitious,successful, philanthropic. They have a bright, sparky adopted daughter, chosen from a grim Russian orphanage. However, nothing is as it seems and when disturbing nightmares start affecting his work, Luke seeks the help of a therapist. A series of menacing events culminates in an explosive ending that had me literally holding my breath! Highly recommend

Respectable Facades....
Respectable facades hide an array of secrets. Compelling psychological suspense with a clever plot, a credible cast of characters and a good dose of mounting tension.

A good read but for me personally I didn't find it to be a page turner but there again I am sure I will be in the minority.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Little Brown B.G. for giving me the opportunity to read this book but personally it wasn't to my taste.

This is Siobhan MacDonald’s third novel. Guilty is a story about a secret – one that has huge potential repercussions for the Forde family of Luke, his wife Alison and their adopted teenage daughter Nina. It is also a story about retribution and the lengths to which people will go. Luke is a successful pediatric surgeon in a local hospital. Alison comes from a prominent local family, (the people in the big house) and is a rising star in politics. Her father Cornelius, is a former Government Minister and a bit of a rogue who controls a lot of what happens in his locality.

The story is narrated from the POV of Luke who is seeing a therapist after a traumatic event, pivotal to the novel. The story switches from the present to the past He returns home one night to see the words GUILTY scrawled on the side of his boat house and an obituary notice in the local newspaper for his daughter who is very much alive. Someone wants to send him a message that they know what happened and they want revenge.

I really enjoyed this book. Luke’s therapy sessions in particular had me racing on to the next page as he gradually filled in the gaps to his past and the secret slowly revealed itself. I love a good ending ad this one did not disappoint with a great twist right at the end. If you have not read this author before, then I would also recommend her 2 earlier novels Twisted River and The Blue Pool. 4 Stars from me.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @littlebrownbookgroup for this ebook in return for my honest review and well done to @siobhan.m.macdonald on this excellent read.

Really enjoyed 'Guilty' by Siobhan MacDonald. I have not read any other books by this author, and thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
The story is told from Luke's point of view and it flits between past and present which I really liked. We gradually learn more and more snippets of information about Luke's past and delve into what he could be 'guilty' of.
A great psychological thriller which has many twists and lots of suspense. Some of the characters are not very likeable initially, but the more you find out about their pasts, the more empathy you feel towards them.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, it took a few chapters for me to become gripped but a very clever and entertaining book.

I must admit that it took me a few pages to really get into this book, as I was a bit confused at first (but that’s me – it might be straightforward for everyone else!), but once I got going I was absolutely hooked.

Set in Ireland, Dr Luke Forde – a highly respected cardiothoracic surgeon – and his wife, Alison Thompson, live a charmed life. Alison’s wealthy father is a curmudgeon who dotes on his only daughter.

Luke comes home to find the word ‘Guilty’ painted in huge letters on the side of his boathouse and a newspaper obituary for his daughter, who is very much alive. Someone knows what happened all those years ago, or they think they do, and they’re out to prove Luke guilty. But is he?

Loads of unexpected twists and turns kept me gripped, and I’ll definitely be looking for more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.