Clever tale of mental abuse and manipulation but it all felt a bit too "been there and done that" and ultimately, for me, massively predictable since I had the whole thing pretty much figured out in the first part of the book despite the red herring(s). Nevertheless, I'm a fan of Hill's writing and I'll gladly give his books another go in the future.

Oh what a tangled web we weave... And the web weaved by Hannah Godley is a bit of a doozy! She's an agony aunt on a radio show and is quite a hit with the listeners. But then, one show, a woman calls in and spills the tragic tale of her brother who was the victim of a prank and who later took his own life. This story chills Hannah to the bone as it is not only one she is familiar with, it is one she took part in. Could the two really be connected. Her bad deed and this woman's story. She has to know. And, more importantly, she has to know what the woman wants from her. But Hannah wasn't in it alone, so she turns to the only person she can for help...
Well... this hit the ground running from the off and didn't really let up until the very end. Delivering punch after shock all the way through. The characters were great, even if I really didn't like Hannah very much, which did mar my enjoyment a tad as I pretty much didn't care what happened to her.
The premise was really good but the execution lacked that certain something, that "wow factor" that would tip it from a good book to a great read. I can't quite put my finger in what that was though so I'm not much help there. I guess it also didn't help that I guessed some things a bit early so the punches were a bit pulled for me.
That said, it did hold my attention nicely throughout and left me satisfied at the end.
All in all, although not his best, a worth addition to what is shaping up to be a solid back catalogue. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Hannah is an agony aunt known as the Queen of Hearts who works on a radio programme, but she’s just been offered her dream job working on a morning TV show. During her last radio broadcast, a caller (Diane) rings in with a tragic story about how her brother committed suicide because two people did something to him years before that he could never quite move on from. Hannah’s blood runs cold as the story seems very familiar to her, as she knows only too well what happened on that night.

Is Diane just sad, or a lonely woman looking for a friend, or does want revenge?

I should start this review by saying that I know MK Hill when we worked together “back in the day” but this is an honest and open review.

This is the first book of MK Hill’s that I’ve read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are several WTF moments, and when I got to the first one, I squealed with delight as I wasn’t expecting it at all – it was a complete surprise!
There are loads of twists and turns and just when you think you know what’s going on, the story flips again and another bombshell is thrown into the mix.

I initially really like Hannah (the agony aunt, wife and mother version) but I really didn’t like the younger, university and Cam version – she was a true Mean Girl!

I would definitely recommend this to all fans of psychological thrillers, and I have to say I’m extremely proud of my former colleague!

The latest book by M K Hill, One Bad Thing, is an enjoyable read with a number of twists and turns, however, the main characters were not that engaging and the middle part of the book seemed to lack some pacing which was a shame as the first part of the story was excellent and the ending good albeit a bit rushed in parts.

Overall an ok read

One Bad Thing - MK Hill

‘𝕀’𝕧𝕖 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕪 𝕔𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕓𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕚𝕕.’

𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜; 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫. 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐩𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬: 𝐁𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤, 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥. 𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠...
𝐈𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞? 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝 – 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞…

Well, this review should be subtitled ‘Just one more chapter’, I really got into this book and had to keep reading. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you gasping. Little niggling clues for you to think about and trip up on.
My perception of the characters kept being reframed throughout, I disliked Hannah, then loved her, I felt sorry for Diane and was then scared of her. I didn’t trust any of the men in this book and my opinion flip flopped as I read. I was simply glued to this one from start to finish!

As I raced to the finish, I just couldn’t decide what was going to happen. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish as I HAD to know what was going to happen. This book is so satisfying - a gripping, compelling, heart thumping domestic thriller not to be missed!
MK Hill is rapidly becoming one of my auto- buy authors!

✩✩✩✩✰

You know she's done something wrong, and you know she'll pay for it. In this psychological thriller, the what and how are wonderfully executed. You believe the tale is going one way, and suddenly it turns completely upside down. Hannah did commit one blunder, but it's not the one you're thinking about. With a fantastic ensemble of characters, this is sure to stick with you. It was fantastic.

I've read one of this author's prior books and I adore his writing style; it's fresh and draws me into the world of the characters. For me, he's an auto-buy author.

I’d like to thank Head of Zeus and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘One Bad Thing’ written by M K Hill in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Hannah is an agony aunt on local radio and is making her final programme before moving to television. Her final call is from a woman named Diane who’s phoning about her brother Martin who was bullied by a man and woman and says she’s going to make these people pay for the death of her brother. Hannah is shocked as the woman she describes is herself and the man is her university boyfriend Cam. Feeling guilty, Hannah arranges to meet with Diane but doesn’t realise at the time how much this woman will infiltrate her life before attempting to destroy it.

‘One Bad Thing’ is a well-written and extremely chilling thriller packed full of drama, intrigue, suspense and twists and turns. The characters are believable, the plot mesmerising, and I was gripped by the story from the first page to the last, unable to stop reading as I needed to know what was going to happen next. As I reached the last few pages the final twist is scarily chilling and totally unexpected. This is an exciting thriller that I’ve enjoyed reading and can definitely recommend.

One Bad Thing is the latest thriller from author M.K. Hill and what a twisted tale it is too. Full of intrigue, mystery and tension, and with pitch perfect pacing, it kept me glued to the page right to the very last moment. I always know I am going to be entertained when I pick up a book by this author, that I will meet characters I love and also love to hate, and I was not disappointed. Murder, obsession, revenge ... this book has it all, as well as a healthy dose of emotion and regret. If you like a really good mystery, one in which the tension slowly builds a steady pulse to heart pounding conclusion, then this could be the book for you as Mr Hill has done it again.

In this book we are introduced to Hannah Godley, an agony aunt on local radio who is just about to embark upon the next phase of her career, a move to a really high profile TV show. The problem with being high profile is that your whole life is effectively laid out for the public and it turns out there may be moments from Hannah's past that she is not too keen on being brought out into the open. That openymous one bad thing that will turn Hannah from well loved personality to social pariah overnight. She knows exactly what, and who, Diane is talking about when she calls into the radio show about her brother, but what could possibly be so bad that it turns Hannah's whole world upside down? That is exactly what we are all about to find out.

I like the way in which the author has carefully woven Hannah's history into the story, choosing when to reveal pivotal moments to the reader in a way which maximises suspense. By bringing Diane into Hannah's world really early doors it sets up that suspense, gets you wondering just what can have happened that is so devastating. And clearly was devastating given what Diane reveals to Hannah about her brother. But the story is about more than just this moment in the past and there is a clear sense from the start that Diane is a troubled soul. There is an edge to her that makes you just marginally uncomfortable, an intensity of character that sets the alarm bells ringing.

Hannah was a character I was never quite sure about. One the surface and in the present day she seems to be a dedicated wife and mother, but with that cloud hanging over her past it took a while to trust her. That said, there was a clear feeling of regret and an attempt to distance herself from her rebellious past, one which helped to redeem her as a character. I could sympathise with her position, maybe feel a touch of empathy as who hasn't done something in the past that they ultimately come to regret? Maybe not that bad, but in the grand scheme of fictional faux pas, I didn't think what Hannah did was so bad as to deserve what came to pass. And the more we learn about Hannah, about her past, the easier I found it to understand what drove her behaviour, if not to completely forgive it.

But then there are lots of motivations in play in this novel, not all of them easy to see, and Hannah's personal mistakes are perhaps the least of them. This really is a tale of deception, obsession and misdirection. Not everyone in the book is who they appear to be, and MK Hill casts doubt upon the trustworthiness of pretty much every single one of them in turn. There is an unsettling undercurrent throughout the book, that kind of certainty that I knew what was happening to Hannah, even if she couldn't see it for herself. That she is in far more danger than she realised and that some of the strange happenings and feelings she experiences have a far darker, and more obvious root cause. She is forced to confront her past but as any good crime fiction fan knows, looking backward is never a good idea. It's akin to saying 'I'll be back' in a horror novel. Not going to end well. Definitely the case here and serves to amplify the conflict.

This is classic psychological thriller fiction, full of uncertainty, secrets and misdirection, all used to perfect effect. Pacing is perfect, and towards the end as the truth of what is happening is clear and the level of threat against Hannah and her family is at its greatest, you can really feel it picking up. Just when you think you have a handle on what is happening, where the story is going, the author manages to pull a blinder, delivering those final few shocks to keep you on edge. And it is tense to the last, those final pulse pounding scenes driving us, almost literally, to a very satisfying ending. Another fabulous read from one of my go to authors. Definitely recommended.

I've read Mark Hill's other books which have been more like police procedurals. So, as a psychological thriller, One Bad Thing is quite different. Hannah Godley's career is on the up. As a radio agony aunt, she's about to move to morning prime time TV. But a disturbing call in her final radio show threatens to topple her reputation.
On the surface it looks as though Hannah has it all - a successful career, a good marriage and a beautiful daughter. So she has a lot to lose when Diane infiltrates her life.

I really enjoyed this story. Mark Hill has a great knack of creating wonderful characters and I ended up being suspicious of everyone! I loved the way Hannah unravelled as everything she held dear is stripped away from her. Although this book isn't about celebrities, I think it does pose the question of what happens when a famous person's past is revealed, particularly if it's not something good. Is it right for them to be vilified for youthful misdemeanours or should grace be shown?

I'm looking forward to see what Mark Hill does next, whether it's another police story or staying more in the psychological thriller realm. He's certainly very capable of being excellent in both.

When Hanna Gordon was young, she did something bad to get revenge and she thought she had got away with it. But several years later she realises she hasn’t, and things have come back to haunt her.
Hanna Gordon is a successful, popular agony aunt called ‘Queen of hearts. She is married with a toddler called Amber and she is just about to get her big break on TV.
When Hanna gets a call from a lonely woman called Diane who reminds her what happened all of them years ago and the repercussions after that event. Hanna agrees to meet her which leads to trying to move her way into the family and she thinks that Diana is out for revenge.
Thank you, Head of Zeus for a copy of One bad thing, this is a twisty, thriller from the author Mark Hill and the first book that I have read from him. It has a good storyline and well-developed characters. I did enjoy it this, but it didn’t wow me. The intensity was not there for me, and I thought of guessed what would happen at the end. 4 stars from me.

I’m a huge fan of M.K. Hill’s writing, and I couldn’t wait to start reading One Bad Thing. There is a lot of mystery surrounding his characters in his latest book, which I loved trying to unravel. Set in the world of broadcasting, we meet Agony Aunt, Hannah, whose career is about to reach the next level, when she is invited to be part of a television show. But soon her world is about to come crashing down, when someone calls her on the show she presents, and makes a very serious threat. This is a threat that Hannah can’t ignore.

I loved how M.K. Hill constantly kept me thinking about his characters as I was reading this book. From the moment Hannah is threatened, I wanted to know what had happened in her past and what she was hiding. From the way how Hannah reacts to the call, it is clear that she carries a dark secret. Hannah is a character who I could never quite make my mind up about as I was reading. I liked her at the start of the book, and there were places where I did feel sorry for her, particularly when she was trying to build a better relationship with her parents. But my opinions of her began to change, as more about what happened in her younger days is revealed.

There are so many twists and turns as the book progresses, and the plot took me on a whirlwind of a ride. I could really feel the anxiety that Hannah was experiencing, as she tries to make sense of what is happening to her. Her mind is all over the place, and it is very clear to see just how frightened she is. It’s what makes this book so tense, and I really wanted to know what was going to happen to her.

The final revelations, when they came, were shocking but they made perfect sense and the ending felt very satisfactory. I had so many suspicions about many of the characters in this book which is what made it, for me, such an entertaining read.

Psychological thriller lovers you do not want to miss this book. One Bad Thing is utterly gripping and I highly, highly recommend it!

One Bad Thing is a page-turner packed with unexpected twists and turns. The characters and settings were authentically written, giving the story a sense of realism. It kept me guessing for a long while, and some developments really surprised me.

I often found myself questioning the protagonist’s motives – particularly following the significant incident halfway through the story. In her shoes, I would have instantly parted company with certain people.

Despite the revelations, a rather chilling, threatening, first half of the book was not as unsettling or nerve-wracking during the second half.

The title didn’t really resonate. Its meaning was obvious, but something more abstract/creative could have worked better.

I would recommend this to my English-lit students – the pace and suspense would keep them hooked, and they’re suckers for stories with a love triangle and emotional character development.

This was my first by this author. I will seek out his other work.

As ever, thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really struggled with this book. The premise is really interesting, but I felt that the execution did not match. I felt apathetic towards the characters, and this made me lose interest in what was happening to them. The build up to the conclusion kept me turning pages to see if my guesses were correct, but it was just not enough to save it for me.

Oh my god I loved this! From the very first page to the last it kept me reading. Even once you'd found out what was going on, you still wanted to keep reading to find out how it was all going to end. I can't wait to read another by Mark Hill

I thought this was a cracking book, it kept me guessing and it kept me entertained until the last page. I didn't particularly like the main character, but that didn't matter, I really enjoyed reading it, and for me it was a page turner. I have already recommended it to my partner and i only do that with books I have really enjoyed.

I thought I'd like this book a lot more than I did unfortunately. It had a really good premise, if not terribly original. O found it a bit slow and difficult to stick with for some reason. It's well written and the characters are OK. It's certainly a good way to pass an afternoon but this book won't leave you with your jaw on the floor or double checking your locks at night. It is fine though and not too much thought is required. Maybe it's just something I've come across too often? But that's just me, obviously if you haven't read the revenge type, childhood scandal book a million times then you might find this a but more enjoyable than I did. I just felt I was going through the motions sadly.

Brilliant fast paced action, and oh my gosh how many twists and turns? I was left quite breathless at the end of it!
I always enjoy a Mark Hill thriller, and this one certainly did not disappoint. Real characters, great set up in the radio / TV world and Hannah’s past and present. Loved the locations, fantastic, well-developed characters and the kind of writing and storyline I know I can be guaranteed with this author.
Great stuff - easy 5 stars.

Fast paced and full of tension this book was creepy, atmospheric and full of twists. I thought I had it figured out but then it completely shook me out of that thought and took me down another path. Good writing, well developed characters that added another level to the story. I really enjoyed it.

You know shes done something bad, you know she's going to pay for her past. What and how is perfectly executed in this psychological thriller. You think the story is going a certain way and then its twisted totally on its head. Hannah did make one mistake but its not what you think. With a great cast of characters this totally gets into your head. I loved it.

I've read a previous book by this author and I just love his writing style, its current and draws me into the world of the character. Definitely an autobuy author for me.

A pacy and engaging read, tightly plotted and an interesting premise. The characterisation let it down in my opinion-several characters felt undeveloped and their motivations unconvincing, and I found it hard to care about any of them as most were either unlikeable or so far fetched as to lack realism.

Overall I enjoyed the book but it didn’t stand out from the crowd as much as I’d hoped.