The storyline of this book is compelling. It was so realistic.
The tension builds with each chapter. It is well written and has some great twists. The characters are well developed.

Wow what a gem this is! My first read by this author and definitely won’t be the last. I need more.
This is one I’ve devoured in just one sitting. I have adored it!

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.

I could not put this down, I had to read in one sitting.

Maybe it's because I'm a mother to a daughter myself but I found the main plot of this storyline hugely compelling. A mother with a missing daughter.. I could actually put myself in that place which was a really scary place.

The character of Dora is brilliantly written. I love the fact she doesn't let anything stand in the way of her search for her daughter Ellie.
I couldnt stand her husband Eamon, his total lack of empathy and concern just made me so angry, which I know is obviously what the author wanted to provoke in the reader and it worked perfectly.

Whilst it is a bit of a slow burner the tension soon builds up.

There are plenty of twists, some I didnt actually see coming,

This is a tale of raw emotion, grief, pain and revenge that is masterly written and one I'd recommend on over and over.

Huge thanks to netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the ARC.

If you enjoy thrillers, mysteries, a book with twists and turns... then you will probably enjoy this one! An easy read, I did get a little uninterested in the mid section because some parts were a little too expected but it picked back up and I would pass it on to a friend to read for sure!

This is good page-turner as McGilloway describes the anguish of a mother, Dora, when her daughter disappears. The events are seen through Dora’s eyes. She is a determined, tenacious mother who will stop at nothing to find out what has become of Ellie. She doesn’t shy away from conflict with the police and people she suspects know more than they are divulging.
Played out over a period of time , Dora’s search for answers and the people she encounters drive the narrative relentlessly forward.
Be prepared for shocks and twists.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This was a quick read with plenty of twists along the way but many of them didn’t seem as much a surprise as they were meant to be. I felt no connection with Dora and disliked her husband Eamon intensely. It seemed very odd that it took the disappearance of her daughter to make Dora see what a horrible person he was.

This book was a little treasure as in I didn’t know what to expect from it but boy did it deliver, in it we have a mother who’s daughter doesn’t come home one night and the mother is alone (husband is long distance lorry driver and is away) trying to find her daughter and uncovers a lot of stuff that’s happened unknown to her and it makes her look at her life in a different way, read it to find out what happens, very good book x

The empty room by Brian McGilloway.
Pandora - Dora - Condron wakes one morning to discover her 17-year old daughter Ellie, has not come home after a party.The day Ellie disappears, Dora is alone as her husband Eamon has already left for the day in his job as a long-distance lorry driver. So Dora does the usual things: rings around Ellie's friends... but no one knows where she is. Her panic growing, Dora tries the local hospitals and art college where Ellie is a student - but then the police arrive on her doorstep with the news her daughter's handbag has been discovered dumped in a layby.So begins Dora's ordeal of waiting and not knowing what has become of her girl. Eamon's lack of empathy and concern, Dora realises, is indicative of the state of their marriage, and left on her own, Dora begins to reassess everything she thought she knew about her family and her life. Increasingly isolated and disillusioned with the police investigation, Dora feels her grip on reality slipping as she takes it upon herself to find her daughter - even if it means tearing apart everything and everybody she had ever loved, and taking justice into her own hands.
Very good read. Couldn't put it down. 4*.

Dora Condron's husband, Eamon is a long-distance lorry driver. One morning, she wakes to find that her daughter, Ellie, aged 17 hasn't slept in her bed and she still isn't home.

I found The Empty Room immensely difficult to put down; the main character, Dora completely draws the reader into the story right from the first few words. Each chapter brings mounting tension and I was caught up in Dora's sense of helplessness. Hugely addictive and compelling, the author really digs deep in his portrayal of Dora, her angst, frustration and her powerlessness. A dark, unpredictable and thought-provoking tale.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Little, Brown Book Group UK, Constable via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I loved the beginning of this book, I completely felt for Dora and was intrigued as too what happened.

My interest did wane a bit in the middle and found her interactions with Leo Ward a tad odd.

I did enjoy the ending and glad she got what she needed

Do you like physiological thrillers?
Like a good who dunnit storyline?
Like a storyline with plenty of twist and turns?
A book with unreliable characters?

This book is one for you not to miss.

Great plot, full of twists and turns. This was a great read that I highly recommend!
Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC..

The Empty Room by Brian McGilloway is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will stretch your emotions to breaking point!

The disappearance of a child is surely the most feared event that a parent can imagine yet somehow McGilloway takes this to another level of despair.

Immediately following Dora discovers that her beloved teenaged daughter Ellie cannot be found, her friends rally round to support her in her hour of need. As time goes by and a suspect is arrested, Dora doesn't feel as much support. She takes matters into her own hands with devastating consequences.

I really enjoyed this interpretation of extreme emotions; loss, grief, despair, hope and resignation. As a character, Dora is determined and admirable but occasionally deluded whilst Philip is gentle and caring. There are others who are deeply odious, which all makes for an enthralling and entertaining read!

Dora Condron wakes up one morning to discover that her 17 year old daughter, Ellie, didn't return home the night before. Initially no-one is overly concerned, it's simply what teenagers do, but Dora knows her daughter well. Ellie wouldn't stay out all night, she isn't that type of girl. As hours turn into days Dora has to question what she truly knows about her daughter and some of her other relationships.

I cannot begin to imagine how a mother must feel if a child goes missing. Brian McGilloway has done an amazing job of empathising with someone in this situation, the whole gamut of emotions are explored.

When Ellie goes missing you are caught up in Dora's sense of helplessness. She doesn't know what to do or who to ask for help. When she finally contacts the police you feel the frustration as no-one seems to take the situation seriously.

When the police finally investigate Ellie's disappearance a number of secrets come to light. Dora feels betrayed by the people around her and wracked with guilt that she may be responsible for her daughters disappearance. Public appeals by the police via TV and social media make Dora feel that "the wreckage of my life is displayed for public consumption". We've all done it, looked on (and thanked the heavens that it's not happening to us or our families) but I'll certainly have a different perspective on these types of things in the future thanks to this novel.

As the investigation continues you are filled with shock and sadness. Frustrated with the lack of progress the police are making Dora decides to take matters into her own hands and you can feel the adrenaline flowing as she turns from "Dora the dormouse" into a warrior. Your heart is racing, willing her on but terrified that she may be tangling with extremely dangerous people or be about to cross a moral line.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

The day Ellie disappears, Dora is alone as her husband Eamon has already left for the day for his job as a long-distance lorry driver. So Dora does the usual things: rings around Ellie's friends.... but no one knows where she is. Her panic growing, Dora tries the local hospitals and the art college where Ellie is a student - but then the police arrive on her doorstep with the news that her daughters handbag has been discovered dumped in a layby. Eamon's lack of empathy and concern, Dora realises, is indictive of the state of their marriage. Dora begins to reassess everything she thought she knew about her family and her life.

This story is a bit of a slow burner but the tension mounts with each new chapter. It's well written with some great twists, some I never saw coming. The characters are well developed and believable. I liked Dora, she wasn't letting anything stand in her way of finding Ellie. This is the first book that I've read by the author but it won.t be my last.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #LittleBrownBookGroupUK and the author #BrianMcGilloway for my ARC of #TheEmptyRoom in exchange for an honest review.

A very tense thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed, well written and it kept me on the edge of my seat as the story developed with interesting characters.

I have read a few books from this author but I think this was the best one yet and I can thoroughly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Little Brown Book Group for sending me a copy of this book.

A tense and emotional story of a mother’s struggle to solve the disappearance of her teenage daughter. Highly recommended!

When Pandora goes the wake up her 17-year-old daughter Ellie she finds her bed empty. Ellie went to a party the night before with her friend Amy, but she never came home. She rings around her friends to see if they stayed there but they haven’t seen her. She even rings her husband Eamon who has already gone to work as along distance lorry driver. But he hasn’t seen her and didn’t seem to worry only he said she probable stayed with a friend and she will be home. But when she calls the Police, a young guy comes forward that they found her bag on the A5 near a wood. But where is Ellie?
The Empty room by Brian Mc Gilloway is the first book from the author I have read. But I thought this was a little gem of a book. I am surprised how good it was. I couldn’t put this book down. At first it was a bit slow to pick up but only to show the tension build-up of Pandora. Her feelings of despair and how far she will go to find out what happened to her child. I also find the storyline to be unique. Not the usual lost child scenario that we usually get. I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend. I will now look at the other books Mr Mc Gilloway has written 5 stars from me.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. This book was a slow burn but with enough twists to keep you wanting to read more, having not read anything by this author previously I didn't know what to expect, but I will be reading more of his in the future.