I really, really enjoyed this book! Very easy to follow, very gripping and downright intense at time! Would definitely recommend!

Wow -what a page turner !
Tom ,Alice and baby Jo are a happy little family . But the baby starts to get the odd unexplained bruise on her body . Alice thinks it may be Tom -Tom thinks it may be his brother -just who is harming the baby -and why ?
I devoured this over the weekend - Think I've discovered a new author -yayyy!!

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

Alex Lake is easily one of my favourite authors. I discovered him by a massive netgalley request binge and have never regretted it since.

I have now read every book by him him anxiously anticipate his next release.

Ready or Not, is just quite simply brilliant. The writing style is so well rounded that I never get bored. The pace is perfect, enough of a back story to help you get to know the characters like people you live with, but quick enough to throw clues and suspicions your way you continue to turn the pages.

The characters within this book were really relatable as new parents and characters that you really connect with. Alex Lake has made all of the characters in this book likeable. I found myself just enjoying the story and trying to work it out when doing other things around the house.

I cannot wait for the next release. Just hope the wait isn't long.

Oh WOW, what an excellent story. So many twists and a truly evil character.. And the ending .......😲 I loved this book.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed this book - short, snappy chapters told from different points of view and different time periods.

The story and characters are slowly unpicked and unravelled, leading to a twisty end. Hard to say much more without spoilers!

I found this story gripping. Alice is a journalist who is about to work on the biggest case of her career but things start to go wrong and everyone starts searching for the person to blame. A number of twists and unexpected turns in the story but remains believable. It was a story you couldn't stop reading.

I have loved Alex Lake's previous books. They have been really gripping, and real page-turners.
However, I just couldn't connect with this one.

I enjoyed reading, but I wasn't as hooked or intrigued as I have been reading Lake's other books. I felt really disappointed by this book (based on the anticipation from the other books by the author) I can't put my finger on why I didn't really enjoy this book, but It did feel very slow at times.
It was a very slow burn, and took a long time to get going. I feel like this book was a good 100 pages too long!

I will definitely read an Alex Lake book again, but this particular thriller/mystery book wasn't for me!

New parents Alice and Tom seem to have it all. A loving relationship. A new born baby, Joanne, who is the apple of their eye. But as Tom returns to work from his parental leave things start to fall apart. The baby is not sleeping through the night at all, leaving him physically and emotionally shattered. His wife, Alice, is equally as shattered, but is on the cusp of a huge career breakthrough as a reporter, thanks to a series of murders in their village. It soon becomes clear the murders are the work of a serial killer. The killer soon turns their focus on Tom and his family. As if that is not enough, a series of bruises are appearing on baby Joanne. Who is responsible? Tom and Alice suspect the child minder, Tom’s ex junkie brother, one another….

This story starts out as a new family, happy in the countryside, life is wonderful story. It quickly changes pace, and develops a darker undertone, and keeps the reader guessing where it is going next. There was great use of stepping back in time at the right point in the story to build the characters up as required. At the end it was not quite as much a plot twist, as a lot could be deduced along the way, but it was still a very enjoyable read, with a really interesting and engaging story.

*I received this book from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

I think this is the first book I have read by this author - but it will not be my last. What a clever, clever plot - I didn't have a clue.
Cannot recommend it enough if you like psychological thrillers, a plot with lots of twists that you did not see coming.

Alice and Tom seem to have the perfect life. Alice gets a real career breakthrough, covering a murder case as a journalist but suddenly things take a turn for the worse. The baby becomes restless, they can’t stop arguing and the killer turns his attention to Alice.
This was a really solid and exciting thriller. The mixed perspectives and slow trickle of information builds the tension really well.
The twists keep you reading and guessing, I was really challenged to guess the plot.
The characters seem incredibly real, relatable and believable. The everyday struggles of new parents and the tests they face just add to the turmoil making things seem more desperate.
When the killer gets really personal with Alice, the vulnerability of her young family really ramps up that suspense.
All in all, a great, twisty and fast paced read. I really enjoyed it and found myself snatching a few pages whenever I could to find out what is coming next!
Thank you to Alex Lake, Harper Collins and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this cracking thriller.

I love this authors work! Though they are based in the little village where I live, which occasionally freaks me out! A believable story based on a journalist reporting on a serial killer which starts to affect her, her husband and child! A fast paced page turner that as always kept me gripped!

Wow! A slow but necessary build up to a crescendo of devastation that has the reader holding their breath. A serial killer is at large and local journalist Alice Sark has the scoop that all the national newspapers want. However, it becomes personal when it appears the killer doesn’t appreciate the attention Alice is getting. Her husband Tom and baby daughter Jo are now also at risk. A stunning psychological thriller with several unnerving twists and a shocking ending that has more questions than answers. It’s difficult to review further without spoilers but this is a brilliantly written book that will satisfy any reader of this genre.

Alex Lake is a fantastic thriller writer and I’ve enjoyed all books that I have read so far (pretty sure I have read all of them now).

She does not disappoint with this one.

I started reading this on my lazy Saturday morning yesterday and I only put it down to go to the gym. I was hooked.

There is a serial killer on the loose - there is no pattern to who they are killing, no one is safe!

Alice, a journalist, is writing about the serial killer’s movements and warning the public, but she starts getting letters warning her off the case!

The book is set over a dual timeline, the present day and summer 2013, in the Lake District.

The book is so clever and twisted. Around 80% of the book, I knew where it was going, but it didn’t take away the excitement of reading the book.

I thought the author brought the book together perfect and created a perfect psychological thriller.

Any fans of thrillers will love this book!

Ready Or Not - Alex Lake

The first book I've read by this author, I've seen great reviews for his previous books so picked it up with high hopes.

Tom and Alice are a young couple, sleep-deprived parents to baby Joanna.

Alice is a journalist, just getting back to work when a series of local murders, a possible serial killer, could be the biggest story she's ever been involved with.

There are some unexpected original twists, and it really picks up in the final third. For much of the book I found it fairly standard, it held my interest but I wasn't thrilled.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK

This is a superbly well contrived story offering surprises all the way. Alice and Tom Sark have a new and demanding baby, Joanna. Alice is a freelance journalist so when there seems to be a serial killer operating locally, she is on the story. Having a friend in the local police force helps too. Being the lead writer on the case makes her a target for the killer and it is no surprise when she receives threatening letters from him- or could it be her? Tom, but not Alice, has an extended family locally which includes his drug addict brother Roland. The approach of the police to tracking down the killer is well explained and forms an interesting part of the story. The book is well written and a real attention catcher. If you guess the outcome early on, very well done! I recommend this book.

A great read. Full of twists and turns. A young couple with a new baby who seem to have it all. But someone has set their sights on them. Who is it? Loved this

Ready or not…here I come

Alice and Tom Sark seem to have it all. The perfect marriage, the perfect baby, the perfect life. And now Alice, an up-and-coming journalist, starts investigating a story which could make her career – a serial killer operating in her hometown.
 
But soon, the case starts to hit a little too close to home. Alice and Tom begin fighting all the time. Their beautiful baby daughter, normally so calm, just won’t stop crying.
 
Then the serial killer turns their attention to Alice. And the nightmare truly starts…

Alice and Tom are happy, they have a great marriage and a beautiful baby girl. Alice is a journalist and starts working on a story about a serial killer in her hometown, which could just give her career the boost it needs, but this causes problems in her home life, Joanna won't stop crying, neither Alice or Tom are sleeping that well and the serial killer is not happy about what Alice is writing about them, so turn their attention to her, then the nightmare begins...

Ready or Not is narrated across dual timelines and from various characters perspectives, with a great plot, parts of it are a bit far fetched but on the whole, believeable, with great characters and lots of twists along the way. It's an intriguing read that captures the readers attention from the first page and keeps you guessing throughout. I was excited when I saw that this author was releasing a new book and, whilst it's a great read and doesn't disappoint, I have to say I loved Seven Days and The Choice more.

I'd like to thank HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Ready or not by Alex Lake.
A happy family…
Alice and Tom Sark seem to have it all – a wonderful marriage, a gorgeous baby, a beautiful home. And now Alice, a journalist, starts investigating a story which could make her career – a serial killer in their town.
A murderer lurking in the shadows… 
Very quickly though, the murder case takes its toll. Alice and Tom begin fighting all the time. Their baby daughter just won’t stop crying. And sometimes it feels almost as if they’re being followed…
Not everyone will live to tell the tale… 
The killer has found a new family to target. And the clock is ticking for Alice and Tom to stop their worlds being destroyed forever.
A very good read with good characters. Great story. 4*.

This is my second Alex Lake novel, and after getting totally absorbed by the absolutely brilliant ‘Seven Days’ I must say I’m left feeling a little disappointed with ‘Ready or Not’.

When Tom and Alice’s lives are thrown into turmoil, first by the arrival of a baby that seems to have a sleep allergy, and secondly by an active serial killing psychopath that infiltrates their lives, the stage is set for an epic psychological thriller. Unfortunately (at least for me), everything unravelled in a bit of a predictable fashion.
Although I enjoyed the great use of multiple timelines to build a backstory and character development, it all seemed a little too convenient. And considering the assumption that the serial killer has some intelligence (and they certainly believe they do, which is par for the course as far as sociopathic behaviour is concerned) their interaction with Alice through letters (and Alice’s news articles for that matter) seemed to me to be very amateurish (in style that is).

Having said that, some of the plot was really great, and a lot of the psychopathic behaviour and related thought process was portrayed in an extremely realistic (presumably) and eerie manner that made for great (and disturbing) reading. Additionally some of the side plots (for example Roland’s part) were really great.

For me though, the novel fell short of my (possibly unfair) expectations.

Thanks you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a Review Copy.

I’d like to thank HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Ready Or Not’ by Alex Lake in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

There’s a serial killer on the loose who’s already killed two women and has now killed a man. Alice Sark is a self-employed journalist with a new baby daughter Jo who won’t stop crying and Tom her exhausted husband. Alice needs to keep working and with help from her friend DS Nadia Alexander reports the story of the killer who she names the ‘Crucifix Killer’ knowing that this could put her name in all the top newspapers. The killer sends Alice letters and seems to know everything about her family. Is she putting their lives at risk?

‘Ready Or Not’ is a tense and chilling psychological thriller with a chilling and dramatic plot, lots of suspense, intrigue, twists and turns and red herrings thrown in to confuse. The story starts in July 2021, goes back to 2013 when Alice visits the Lake District with her boyfriend Ned, before reverting back to the present time as the ‘Crucifix Killer’ is claiming more victims. I tried hard to identify the killer and failed and there were so many disturbing events that came to light that by the time I reached the final few chapters I wasn’t prepared for the shocking and explosive ending. This is a well-written and twisty thriller that had me guessing to the end and I can recommend it to anyone who wants a thoroughly entertaining read.