Well written, addictive and unpredictable. This is a book I have really enjoyed and devoured. i definitely want to read more from this author. Full Review to follow.

Dark thriller that had you hooked from the off. The book was very well written. Great plot. Very exciting. Fast paced to get your heart racing. Loved this book

This was a great story, albeit a little predictable. A slow burner to a point with tension being built, then the final third it really ramps up and is difficult to put down.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Death of Me by Michelle Davies is an unputdownable thriller about the music industry. The story revolves around Natalie, a music journalist who gets a tip one day on a gossip website. It turns out that Isaac Naylor, who died by drowning years ago, may actually be alive and producing music. But Isaac's suicide was related to the fallout of a scandal, the death of a teenage girl who slept with him. What really happened that night?

Here is a gripping excerpt from the Prologue:

"Kick, Natalie, kick.
Then, he's next to me. I can't see him in the murky darkness but I know he's there. He's grabbing at me and I'm trying to swim away but he's too strong.
...
My lungs are burning now and I feel dizzy and sick and my arms are heavy and everything hurts, everything really hurts..."

Overall, The Death of Me is a rock music-inspired thriller that will appeal to fans of celebrity culture. One highlight of this book was the interesting premise, which hooked me from the beginning. I couldn't stop flipping the pages to see what happened next. I did take off 1 star, because I found the constant chapters of newspaper articles and police interviews to be jarring. I just wanted to see what would happen next with the story. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, you can check out this book, which is available now.

A dark gossipy delve into the music industry. The opening chapter is tense and attention grabbing as you find yourself immersed alongside Natalie, a music journalist, as she seeks the truth behind a famous musicians alleged suicide.
The plot weaves between the first person narrative of Natalie and transcripts of interviews and articles.
As the book builds to its final chapters its gripping and addictive.

A tense, fast paced novel that takes you on a twist fill gripping ride from the get go. The author has packed the book with plenty of clues yet manages to totally misdirect the reader so that the ending is a revelation. Utilising her experience as a journalist adds authenticity to the character of Natalie and one I enjoyed reading about. A character that struggles with keeping her job, co-parenting her son and making sure she can live from month to month on the little money she has currently coming in. Which is why such a scoop means so much to her and her bank balance. Yet it quickly becomes apparent that as a character she wants the truth more than the money regardless of the consequences. Selfish maybe but a trait that readers will empathise with and understand. A book I binge read yet one that might have passed me by but for an email from Tracy Fenton asking for reviews. I’m glad I answered said email for I got to enjoy a knuckle biting thriller from a new to me author. So go on take the plunge too and discover a new name to add to you TBR pile.

Close your eyes. Picture wading through waist deep mud. Not the runny mud that your kids make mud pies out of… but the sticky, thick, smelly mud you’d find in a swamp. Are you with me?
So imagine that and now add some overgrown mangroves that you have to hack through to GET TO THE POINT.
Because listen… I’m a pretty easy reader. I like stuff I don’t have to think too much about. But I also like there to be a plot that engages me. Keeps me wanting more. A plot that doesn’t meander and writing that SHOWS me things.
Safe to say this book had none of the showing and all of the mud.
I’m sorry. I feel like a right cow even writing this, but I cannot find anything good to say about this book.
The subplot was pointless and didn’t add to the MC’s development AT ALL. In fact it made me not like her more than I already did. If you have a subplot PLEASE let it have something connected to the main plot… give it a reason for existing. Just… give me something to hang my hat on!
The pacing in this book was at a STANDSTILL. Yes. It crawled.
I guessed the villain. I guessed the twist. I guessed the ending. And I know some may say ‘Oh, but sometimes that’s what the authors want.’ Yes… But in the first act? Probs not.
Oh and a character died that didn’t need to. It was pointless. I saw WHY the author did it. But it didn’t work. Stupid.
Some other reviewer said this book was gripping. No. The only gripping I did was at my hair as I pulled it to give me something else more painful to worry about as I read.
I could go on. I shouldn’t.
Okay, I’ve just read over what I have written. I feel awful. If I was an author I would DIE if someone wrote this about my book. But also… I would learn from it. So maybe in my convoluted way… I’m helping? Please don’t hate me. I rescue kittens and help old people cross the street. I promise.

I’ve really enjoyed Michelle Davies’s writing in the past, so I bumped her latest novel, The Death of Me, straight to the top of my TBR pile. Michelle Davies delves into the music industry in her latest book, following music journalist, Natalie Glass. Natalie is obsessed with the story of Isaac Naylor, a disgraced music star who died several years earlier, following claims he was involved in the murder of a young fan. But Natalie thinks something else happened the night Isaac died. She thinks he is still alive, and she is determined to prove it.

Michelle Davies opens this book with an intense opening chapter that immediately propels you into the story. I wanted to know what was going on here, and what had led up to this moment. As Michelle peels back the layers and works her way up to this scene, we begin to follow Natalie’s journey and a tense story begins.

I really connected to Natalie. You can see how desperate she is to get the breakthrough in the story that she is after, and how frightened she becomes when she feels as though she is being targeted. Someone sets out to stop her from reaching a successful conclusion, but all this does is fuel her speculation that she is on the right path. I felt sorry for Natalie as well, especially as she doesn’t see her son all the time, who lives with his father. You can see in Michelle’s writing just how much this pains her that she can’t be with him all the time, and how much she yearns to be a full time mum to him.

Michelle Davies continues to keep the tension ticking up a notch and she made the plot even more intriguing. I felt that the deeper Natalie was sinking was sinking into this story, that she was putting herself closer and closer to danger.

What Michelle Davies also highlights in this book is the power that celebrities hold over their fans. You get the sense, sometimes, that people will do absolutely anything for a celebrity they really like, even though they only know them from media reports and have never met them personally.

I thought Isaac Naylor’s story was really interesting and I wanted to learn more about his character. Like Natalie, I wanted to find out if he was still alive, and what prompted him to go undercover if he was, especially, as Natalie thinks, he is still writing songs. He was one of the biggest stars in the world, why would he want to hide away in the shadows?

The Death of Me is a riveting thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. If you’re looking for an engaging read packed with suspense, then I highly recommend it.

Natalie Glass is a music journalist. She is a freelancer and hugely respected in the industry but in The Death of Me we find her at a low ebb. Her marriage is over, her young son is living with his father who can provide a more stable home life than Natalie who keeps irregular hours and has inconsistent income. She is desperate to get some stability in her life to allow her a better chance at being allowed more access to her son but until the family home is sold she is living in fear of bills arriving and relying upon the kindness of friends.

While browsing online gossip sites for potential stories she stumbles upon a story which suggests Issac Naylor, once the biggest name in music, may be writing songs anonymously for other artists to record. This in its-self would be big news but Naylor died eight years ago under the scandal of facilitating the death of a fan and there is absolutely no possibility he is helping new artists record successful songs.

Natalie is on the phone to her best friend and remembers the story about Naylor. As she relays the story her friend, who works at a recording studio, has an unusual reaction. Rather than laugh it off she seems started, edgy and implores Natalie not to repeat the story or to look into it further. She makes Natalie promise to ignore the gossip but Natalie is confused by the reaction, there couldn’t be any truth in this could there?

With no other projects demanding her time Natalie does start to look into Naylor’s story and his past and she begins to question whether there may have been any truth behind the gossip column’s claims. When she logs back onto the site to read the story again she discovers that post has been taken down; but why? More outrageous gossip has been allowed to run unchecked but the Isaac Naylor story has been removed.

Following her instincts there is a story to be found Natalie starts asking questions but her interest doesn’t go unnoticed and it isn’t long before her home and her friends are coming under attack. With her world collapsing around her Natalie is convinced she is getting closer to the most explosive story of the year but what would be the cost of uncovering the truth?

I blasted through The Death of Me in just a couple of days. I haven’t read any of the previous books by Michelle Davies but I found this to be a brilliantly told story which flowed and rewarded the reader with unexpected twists and shocks. This is exactly what I look for in a story, a tightly plotted drama with characters which I found engaging and wanted to keep reading about.

No better feeling for a reader than finding a gem on the bookshelves. Seek this one out!

Tackling the thorny subject of public obsession with household names, and the way in which the clamour for the most vice riddled gossip, or the picture drives journalists to compete with paparazzi's to hit the payday motherload , this twisting and intriguing story had me completely hooked.

Struggling single mother tropes are thrown on their head and given a very relatable sense of nuance where a casual reply to an innocent question by her husband, taken out of context, has led to journalist Natalie living in a borrowed flat, on borrowed time, calling in favours in order to make enough money to pay her bills, as well as treat her young son , Daniel, on their scheduled visitation days.

Daniel lives with her odious ex, a man who has raked her over the coals and is stalling on selling the marital house, leaving Natalie in penury sending emails on spec to editors, for stories she does not really care about.

And then, one day, a blind vice item brings back the legend that was Isaac Naylor, record breaking frontman for a legendary Brit Pop band, The Ospreys, who died in ignominy several years earlier.

Except did he?

Was it the most elaborately staged publicity stunt in recent memory?

One thing is for sure, the opportunities for the journalist who breaks this story will be endless.

Unless, of course, that blind vice disappears within minutes of showing your best friend, who also works in the music industry. And when she starts digging, the messages for her to stop and back away from Isaac's story become more close to home, and life threatening.

Beginning with a jaw dropping seat of your pants  scene, the story rewinds to the first spotting of the blind vice and the ensuing chase to prove what actually happened the night that a supposedly sober Naylor, was found in bed, clearly intoxicated, with the dead body of a teen fan next to him.

You begin to care about Natalie very deeply as the book goes on, she is a vulnerable woman with a core of steel that she has forgotten she has, so deep is it buried. Life has dealt her some awful knocks and she is merely looking for a way to connect with her child, pay her legal bills, and start a new life

But what about the cost?

Is her journalistic integrity really so far removed from those who hounded Isaac to his death?

It really made you think about the way in which those in the public eye are portrayed, and what we demand of them-complete honesty at all times but don't ever break the illusion of the life you are projecting to us from every magazine cover.

Watching a programme last night, about 'When TV goes Horribly Wrong', the interviews with celebrities who I have never heard of, for events I hadn't seen (apologies, I am not the most up to date tv watcher and don't know many reality stars), I began to question what was I watching it for?

Well a) it was because I lost the tv buttons and was too lazy to pull the settee apart to find them, and b) I got sucked into the discussion they were having about being a celebrity. Commenting on the paparazzi who had surrounded the car of a Hollywood A-Lister who was unable to move away from the area safely, resulting in him getting angry and shouting at the mob, one of the celebs stated that that was the price of fame, they shouldn't be in movies if they weren't prepared to put up with it.

And it really hit home, this man was just trying to drive away from a hotel and was unable to do so safely, because of the crowd of people flashing lights in his face. I think that was probably a very mild incident compared to many the programme probably went on to show, but that wasn't tv going wrong, that was purely poor behaviour that would have made anybody rightfully angry.

Is the price of fame a waiving of you and your family's anonymity, a waiving of your right to behave like a human and have opinions on things in case you cause offence (a VERY broad topic these days as people's rights to be offended seems to precede any claim to common sense!) because there are people in business who are invested in you ?

How far do we go before the tragedies we demand to fill the columns of magazines and newspapers aren't enough to satiate a lust for more?

In this thriller, a rabbit hole to the darker side of the music business is written about with a wry humour, style and grace, wrapped in an intriguing mystery that will satisfy any fans of psychological thrillers. It kept me on my toes and guessing to the very last page!

It has been a long time since I last read a thriller and this has made me wonder why, that chase, the who dunnit, the twists, the suspicion, hook, line and sinker, this book has it all.

I found myself just needing to know what was going to happen next in this book and I didn’t see the big twist coming - although looking back maybe I should have done but wow. The ending of this was just spectacular and I actually nearly shed a tear as I got to the last page and I don’t think that’s ever happened when reading a thriller before.

This is my first book by Michelle Davies but she’s actually got a few out so I’m going to be heading straight down to the library to see what they’ve got ready for my next read!

Natalie is drowning. In debt, in her ex’s bad attitude, and… in the sea.

Rewind 4 months. While trawling through her favourite music gossip site, she finds a curious post regarding a once famous and idolised pop star, whose fall from Grace was both spectacular and bizarre. It ended in suicide. Or did it?

I loved this book! Didn’t want to put it down. Although the genre was roughly what I usually read, it was different from a lot of other books I’ve read recently. Good writing, a few twists and a solid ending. My first 5 star read of 2022.

When Isaac Naylor committed suicide after a teenage fan was found dead in his hotel room, the world thought it had lost one of the greatest rock stars of a generation. Naylor, lead singer of The Ospreys, had been arrested for causing the girl's death and was on police bail when he drowned himself in the sea off the Devon coast.

Now, eight years on, music journalist Natalie Glass stumbles across a blind item on a US gossip website that suggests Naylor's death wasn't quite what it seemed - and he might in fact still be alive.

But as she delves deeper into what happened, Natalie finds she has a stark choice: give up trying to find out what happened to Naylor or risk her own obituary ending up in print.

A gripping read and easy five stars. The story was fascinating and totally kept my interest. Thank you so much for a great read. I will be looking out for future books by this author.

Oh I really enjoyed The Death of Me and literally couldn't put it down - I read it over a 24 hour period and would have read it in one sitting if I didn't have to eat or sleep! I have never read any of Michelle Davies' books before but after reading this one, I want to read them all.

Rock band The Ospreys are at the height of their fame when lead singer Isaac Naylor is accused of murder. Isaac Naylor is never convicted as he committed suicide by drowning in the sea off the coast of Devon. His body was never found which led his fans to speculate (and hope) that he was still alive...living with Elvis no doubt.

Natalie is a music journalist and when she discovers an article online that claims Isaac Naylor is very much alive and earning a living as a mystery songwriter, she sniffs a huge story. The article disappears quickly but Natalie has already got the bit between her teeth, however, there's more to Isaac Naylor's story than Natalie expected and she soon finds herself in danger. Who wants to silence her and why?

I squealed with delight when my little hometown of Jarrow not only got a mention in the book but featured quite prominently as it was where Isaac Naylor grew up. I even knew the street he grew up in (yes, I know he's not real) but I always get a kick out of seeing places I know in a book, especially when it comes as such a surprise as this one did.

The breathtaking prologue completely hooked me and made me put on my virtual running shoes to read the book as quickly as I could. Interspersed between the gripping prose are various news articles that really brought the story to life. I loved this element and marvelled at the talent of Michelle Davies to write in such a vast number of varied voices.

Filled with mystery, intrigue and danger, The Death of Me is so fast-paced, gripping and addictive that I couldn't put it down. An easy five stars, it's absolutely brilliant from start to finish and I'll definitely be picking up more of Michelle Davies' books.

I received a digital ARC via NetGalley and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My Thoughts: this book is a slow burn thriller, whilst reading i fluctuated on what my rating would be, but the last quarter of this book was so fast paced that it couldn’t possibly be any less than 5 penguins (if I could give it more I definitely would!)

We’re following Natalie, who is a recently divorced woman and is totally down on her luck, she’s maxed out all her credit cards and as a music journalist is struggling to get any work – as a result of all of this she only gets visitation with her 9 year old a couple of days a week, because her husband says he can provide him with more stability.

One night whilst looking at a music gossip website where people can post anonymously, she sees something that makes her look twice.. Isaac Naylor is writing music again, except he’s can’t be, he committed suicide a few years ago.. didn’t he?

After a phone call to her best friend Bronwyn who just so happens to be a music producer, she is warned to leave it alone after all Isaac is dead so it can’t be true, Natalie is left feeling like Bronwyn is hiding something.. if Natalie can get to the bottom of it it would be the making of her career and all her money problems would be solved.

The story that follows is told in mixed formats, there’s emails and texts as well as newspaper/magazine articles and podcasts too. The mixed media really helped break the story up and stop it getting too heavy.

I was so immersed in this story that in certain parts I was left feeling like I couldn’t breath!

The best part about that is that Michelle wrote all of the characters so well that you’re left not knowing who you can trust. i personally didn’t work out the big twist before it was revealed!

If you trust my judgement at all when it comes to books, please pick this one up I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Oh I do love a good, twisty, thriller and this one is certainly full of mystery and misdirection, with a story that hooked. me right off the bat and kept me riveted to the very last page. Drawing on the author's own experience as a journalist, Michelle Davies takes us right in the believably messy world of rock icon Isaac Naylor, and his band The Ospreys. Naylor's career was rocked, and ultimately ended, by a shocking scandal, one which saw not one but two tragedies unfold. A dead groupie, Naylor missing, presumed dead - a story that legend and infamy are built on. Now if this was just about examining a case and a potential injustice from the past, it would be an entirely different kind of novel. The facts are well documented, the story a part of music history. But not everything is as it seems, and when freelance music journalist Natalie Gass gets wind of a potential scoop, she unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events with potential deadly consequences.

I really like the way in which Michelle Davies has developed the character of Natalie. She's a character I grew to like really quickly, someone I felt a good deal of empathy towards and someone whose fate I was completely invested in from the start of the novel. She's a mother, living from pay cheque to pay cheque, locked in bitter custody battle with her ex, and stuck in a never ending cycle of chasing potential commissions in the ever reducing field of journalism. Her chosen field, music journalism, in theory should provide a wealth of opportunity for new articles - the world is hardly bereft of music stars after all - but with the constant influx of pod-casts, vlogs and TikTok, she feels the pinch every bit as much anyone else working in traditional print media. It made her someone I rooted for, someone you wanted to catch a break. It also made her fascination with the Isaac Naylor story very believable, even her determination to see the story through to the bitter end when it was clear that the repercussions could be of the most dire kind.

From the very beginning of the book you have that immediate hook. That sense of threat and fear is rife from the off, a strong prologue capturing my attention and making me wonder quite what our protagonist could have done to put herself in such a precarious position. That sense of unease continues to bubble throughout, some moments where the threat is move overt and quite literally on occasion, in her face. Then there are other scenes where there is just a sense of enduring unease, little tricks designed to unsettle Natalie which only serve to heighten my interest and increase the mystery.

The back story - a musician living to excess whose lifestyle ends in the ultimate kind of tragedy - really rings true. We've all seen the reports, the explosive revelations about the lifestyles of the rich and famous who use their power and fame to use and abuse, and the people who are all too willing to play along with it. The question really is over whether that was the case with Isaac Naylor. Some say yes, others no. And that polarisation of the public - the die hard fans who defend the star to the end v the masses equally intent on condemnation - has a real ring of truth to it. It's a mystery within a mystery that really keeps readers guessing.

This is the kind of story where, aside from Natalie, I struggled to really trust anyone that she met. Everyone seemed to have an agenda, or at the very least to be holding back on the truth. There were so many moments of misdirection that the suspense was heightened and this was part of what kept me so glued to the page. I did kind of guess one element of the book, but there are so many secrets to uncover that it only made me enjoy the book more that my guess turned out to be correct. The author really sets the scene perfectly, from the

With a brilliant blend of authentic storytelling and dialogue, a mystery that just drew me in and that ongoing tension which builds from the start to a fast paced and almost shocking conclusion. So many chilling moment, subtle scenes and simple but effective acts of intimidation that get the hackles rising far more than some over the top action scene might. This is yet another winning tale from an author whose work I am coming to enjoying more and more with every book. Definitely recommended.

I wanted to like this book and to a point I did. But it was slow, I felt like I was wading through a very long story that was going nowhere fast. The excitement came at the end but it was a little late for me. I think I’m used to a faster paced style of book but anyone who likes a slow and steady build up will love this book.

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

I love reading books by Michelle Davies and she is now one of those authors I will preorder without even knowing what the book is about! Shadow of a Doubt and the DC Maggie Neville series are all huge favourites of mine and can now be joined on that list by The Death of Me! It’s a brilliant, breathtaking idea for a plot and Michelle Davies has executed it perfectly with a well written, shocking storyline that totally blew my socks off!! It’s gripping, twisty and hard to put down! In fact I think it’s the best book she’s written so far! And one of the reasons for that is the authors background as a journalist-she seemed to have so much fun building up her characters and setting due to that love and knowledge of her craft, that at no point did this story feel contrived. I raced through this desperate for answers but when they came along….WHAT A SHOCKER!! It doesn’t bother me if I guess where a book is heading but I do love it when a plot twist comes along and bites me on the backside!!
Highly recommended!

I have read and loved some of Michelle Davies's previous novels including one from her DC Maggie Neville series so I was looking forward to reading this, The Death of Me. Natalie Glass is a music journalist who spots an item on a gossip website that suggests Isaac Naylor, a famous rockstar and frontman of The Ospreys didn't commit suicide eight years ago and is still alive.

The Death of Me began with an enticing prologue and I was gripped from the first few pages. The clever writing of Michelle Davies - the creepiness, the tension she created and the suspicion made for an engrossing read. A chilling examination into the darker side of fame and infamy this story oscillates between subtlety and wild action and leaves the reader excitedly waiting for the next occurrence. Although I found Natalie a rather odd character she really started to grow on me as the tale progressed and Began to understand her motivation a little more. Brimming with backstabbing moments, deception and betrayal, I thoroughly relished reading The Death of Me.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Orion Publishing via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

A rockstar missing in the middle of the ocean, was it suicide following one too many scandals? A few years later, a music journalist finds clues to suggest it might not have been as it seems.
I read a lot of thrillers and this was well plotted and written but didnt entirely grab me and some of the twists were a bit too guessable.