One thing I will say for The Interview: it did keep me guessing, though that was mostly because I assumed the main mystery--<spoiler>the stuff with Marshjet</spoiler>--was going to be a red herring. (It was not.) The mystery plot is exactly what you actually think it will be. It is also a book that has multiple POVs, mixing first person (Kate) with third person (pretty much every other character gets a POV, including very minor ones like <spoiler>Officer Harris</spoiler>). I'm personally not a fan of this kind of storytelling; it makes it feel like the book is intended to be a TV show, or trying to emulate one. I'm sure that works for other folks but personally I am not a fan.

The pacing overall was technically fast, but I really didn't find myself actually wanting to read more until the last hundred pages or so. Up until that point it was interesting enough to keep me from abandoning it but the characters and prose weren't exactly gripping. Interesting, good enough to keep the story going, but not anything I hadn't seen before elsewhere.

I did like Kate--she was a bit bland beyond her past, but I did like how much of a fighter she was and the clever ways she used to try and escape. <spoiler>Joel was interesting but not really all that stand-out as a character and the final reveal of his motivation was just... kind of boring. Especially in the manner that it was done, with the voicemail. It just didn't work for me at all.</spoiler>

The deaths were what really made the book just not work for me. <spoiler>The first two to die are side characters who are, essentially, there to show off that Joel is fully capable of murder. The narrative does try to make their deaths emotionally impactful by having the fact they had families harped upon, but for me it was ineffective and somewhat cheap. The two deaths that would have been emotionally impactful--and that would have been far more interesting to describe and watch--would have been Joel and Luke's deaths. But neither are really 'on-screen' and thus pretty much completely lose any emotional impact they could have had. </spoiler>

The story also suffers from how the final confrontation <spoiler> in the parking garage. </spoiler> was handled. <spoiler>Because Kate is largely out of commission, pretty much all of it is skipped over, which made me feel robbed as a reader, especially when it came to Joel's death. I was expecting a showdown between him and Maggie, and was actually looking forward to it a lot, but it never came. </spoiler>

None of that is to say that the writing, plot, or characterization is bad. It's just not what I look for in a thrillers. The emotions weren't as intense or as stressful as, say, something like No Exit by Taylor Adams, which uses the 'trapped in an area with no ability to call for help' setup far more effectively (in my opinion. If you're looking for a thriller that's more akin to an escape room experience with a body count, this one is for you.

(The above was posted to my Storygraph. An edited, spoiler-free version was posted on my Instagram and TikTok. I rated it 3/5 but that was rounded up from a 2.5 )

A Premise That Delivers….
Tense, edge of seat suspense with a premise that delivers. Called for an interview which becomes increasingly disturbing, the office seemingly empty of other staff. An impossible question. How will you get out? Gripping from the off with a storyline that becomes increasingly more menacing and dramatic as it continues to an adrenaline fuelled denouement. Superb reading.

Kate goes for an interview for her dream job in an attempt to move her life on following the reported death of her husband in a plane crash. Then it turns out not to be an interview but a kidnapping to try to force from her information about what really happened to her husband. The first part of the book has too much time spent on the detail of where she is held and what her kidnapper Joel puts her through but if you get through that, there is a well contrived story to wait for. There are many dead bodies and a dramatic ending. The book makes a good if, at some points, too detailed a read. It is well worth a try.

I enjoyed this book. Kate Harding is called to an interview for her dream job. The interview takes place at 5pm on a Friday evening on a high up floor of a luxurious office block. She is interviewed by one man, Joel, and it soon becomes clear that this no ordinary interview and Joel seems determined to extract certain information from her. Things get nasty and this turns into a cat and mouse game in an office block where most people have gone home for the weekend. This is an edge of your seat, fast moving story which will keep you on tenterhooks til the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Kate Harding is recovering from a personal tragedy, as part of the healing process she feels the time is right to go for her dream job. The interview is to take place late on a Friday in a newly built office block in central London. The company Kate hopes to work for is cutting edge, so while the interview initially seems strange Kate was aware that it could involve unusual elements. After a while Kate realises the interview process has taken a turn for the worse and she is trapped.

This is an adrenaline fuelled story that you simply cannot put down. Imagine an escape room in book form and you begin to understand the tension. As Kate reels from one scenario to the next you are willing her to succeed, and at times close to shouting at her to try different things. Short chapters mean that the pace never lets up and you can feel the rising panic.

Normally I love novels like this but for some reason I couldn’t get into it. I picked it up and put it down so many times that it left me frustrated.

The synopsis was well written and had me excited for get cracking but it was a slog to the plot twist and then once that happened I was left a little deflated. Was that really it? Just that.

A tense and exciting cat and mouse thriller with a premise that keeps you on your toes, I was just as confused as Kate was throughout the majority of the plot although I liked that she was also somewhat of an unreliable narrator so it was difficult to know who to trust. I really enjoyed that the The Interview was set over a short period of time as this helped to build the pace of the plot but I do think there was quite a bit of repetition and the middle dragged for me as a result so I was pleased when it picked up towards the end.

A fast-paced psychological thriller that is tense and exciting from start to finish. An interview for a dream job inside a glass box on the 13th floor gets more sinister with each question until full-on panic sets in and a deadly game of cat and mouse commences.
This really does deliver what it says on the jacket plus some great twists and turns towards the end. Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

The strap lines do not lie- this is an incredibly tense read from start to finish from the oddness of the location, the strange glass box interview office and the slightly off characters employed at the firm so when things start to go so very badly wrong it is unsurprising but horrific.
The panic felt by Kate when she realises things are not as they seem leaps off the page into your brain and you can feel your pulse accelerating alongside hers as she fights for her freedom and then for her life.
An edge-of-your-seat thriller indeed!

I really wasn't sure how qn entire book could revolve around an interview but this really is just so so well done!! It is so sinister and really does just have you feeling that something is very wrong even though you can't actually pin point what. It definitely gets under your skin and won't let you go until you turn that last page. Such an original story, I loved every second of jt

Brilliant read from start to finish. I wondered how a book could be based on an interview throughout but it is so well written with a compelling plot that keeps you reading. Well written, great character development and a great ending would recommend

A really good thriller,couldn't put it down.Only fault was it was a bit drawn out in the middle,but I did enjoy it.
A solid thriller I'll look forward to reading more by this author in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillian for the ARC.

An excellent read. At first I wasn't sure on the storyline on solely an interview that the main character was going to for a dream job. As the interview gradually became more sinister it became clear to Kate that this had to be more than just for a position in the coming. A great psychological thriller.

Had heard a lot about this upcoming book so was intrigued to read the advanced readers copy received of this title.

When Kate is invited for an interview for her dream job, she thinks this could be the turning point for her after what has been an eventful 18 months of unexpected trials and tribulations. Obviously there is the normal interview nerves and these don’t settle when she is shown round the glamorous 13th floor offices of The Edge, the company everyone wants to work for. But when the interview process takes a very different turn when everyone else seems to have left for the weekend Kate begins to feel that something is wrong, and then she is presented with a question that is impossible to answer…

This is a fast-paced book with lots of descriptive elements to keep up with all the events taking place, however at times I feel it might have been a bit overdone and long-winded as you do begin to lose track of what is going on at times due to the very descriptive prose. Some of the story is also a little far-fetched at times, not completely sure how realistic all that happens would be without any indication to observers and therefore pushes the realism aspect slightly. Still a captivating read though which keeps you intrigued to the end.

This book was so compelling and so gripping, I was hooked from the very first page and I couldn't put it down. It was so tense and so creepy i literally thought my chest was going to beat out of my chest or pop out of my mouth at parts. So twisty and unpredictable, possibly one of the best books that I have read this year.

A brilliant page-turner that is hard to put down.

This started so well. I was intrigued by the premise and wasn't disappointed for the first half of the book. It had lots of tension and was difficult to put down at the end of a chapter. Unfortunately, it began to get too repetitive and I also think that it would have been a much better book if it had stuck to the more psychological thriller angle rather than turning violent. It didn't need that in my opinion, psychological games would have been a much more effective tool. I had to ignore some plot holes too.

That said, it was a really enjoyable ride of a book which I sped through. 3.5 stars.

The first half of this novel was brilliant – clever, intriguing, tense and gripping. The writing was great and I was totally engrossed. I was desperate to find out what happened at the end of the story but, sadly, I was disappointed in the second half. There was lots of tension, but the middle part seemed to drag and the remainder went way beyond belief in my humble opinion. There was far too much tiresome repetition of similar scenarios in the office. I won’t expand on this as it’s best to read this book knowing little about it. It is definitely worth a read, especially for those who don’t mind if a plot is way beyond the realms of possibility and believability. For them, this will be worth 5 stars – and it would have been for me too if only it had been toned down somewhat.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read the ARC in return for an honest review.

Kate is called to an interview at 5pm on a Friday and despite the slightly odd time, eagerly attends as it is for her dream job. As the interview goes on, Kate realises that something isn't quite right and things keep getting more disturbing... What is really going on and is Kate in danger...?

A tense and thrilling story that keeps you turning the pages and wondering what is going on. Even though it is mostly set in the one place, the plot keeps you thrilled and engrossed. A good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

Kate gets called for an interview for a dream job, only thing is the interview does not go as expected. For a start she finds that she is locked in, but I shall not reveal anything more about the plot, for fear of spoiling it. All I can say is that this is the best thriller that I have read for some time, and I have read some good ones lately. A tense readable thriller, I had to finish it in one go. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kate is called for an interview for a dream job in her dream company. It is in a modern building thirteen storeys up. Her nerves are made worse when it is revealed just before the interview that she is not being interviewed by the lady that she had done extensive research on but a man who has flown in from New York especially to interview her. The interview starts well enough but things soon take a turn.

I enjoyed this book but I have to warn you that it is a heart stopping thriller. I tend to read before bed and found that my heart would be pounding whilst reading this book which is not conducive for sleep so I ended up reading it in the daytime instead. I thought that there were a few plot holes that were never fully explained and I also guessed all the twists. This is a really good read for those who enjoy a good thriller.