What a creepy story! Perfect for fans of Inception and Blair Witch Project (and I loved both)! I can't think of a better Halloween book.

Run time takes place in the woods, in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal and no chance to escape...

Adele Rafferty is an actress who can't find a decent job after an accident on the set. That's why she agrees to take part in a secret location, being hired last minute she doesn't even have time to properly check people behind the film.

Her role is quite simple - she plays Kate, who is reading a book and the things from the book start happening to her in real life. It wouldn't be weird... if those things haven't start happening to Adele as well!
The story takes us through Adele's past and problems, as well as present time and horror unraveling around her.

Run Time is a psychological thriller with unexpected twists and really dark moments.

I loved it, although it made me a little bit scared, when I was reading it in the late evening!

I definitely want to read more Catherine's books, she became my must-read author!

This is a bit ham horror and to be honest rather confusing. There were far too many trees and references to trees and rain, it began to get a bit formulaic. A very confusing story of a film being shot about a film!
Murder and creepiness galore, rather too much of the sort of thing one expected from a Hammer Horror film.
It was not my best read, but to a degree I enjoyed it.

This is the third book I've read by Catherine Ryan Howard and it's my favourite so far!

I loved that it felt like a horror movie within a book.

The tension and the suspense were SO GOOD. There were parts where I felt genuinely scared but it was so gripping I struggled to put it down.

This was such a quick read, it didn't even feel like it was over 500 pages long.

The atmosphere was dark and creepy and everything I want in a thriller.

Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a fast-paced and entertaining read.

Adele has escaped to LA, vowing to never return to Ireland after her acting career fell apart, but when she gets a call in the night from an unknown number to act in a new horror movie where no one will know she’s in the country, the offer is too good to refuse! However, once she gets on set the horror start to get a little too realistic.

Run Time is an exciting thriller and I found the parallels of the script, the book within the script and the story itself a very interesting concept. I felt it took a little while to get into the story however it certainly picked up in the final half, there were a lot of twists (or reveals) that I hadn’t anticipated in both the script and the story itself. I felt the motives could have been stronger within the story, however it was a very fun read and I’d be interested in reading more of Catherine Ryan Howard’s work.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a really dark twisted thriller about an actress called Adele who after a dreadful experience in her last show she fled to America vowing to never return home again. Now she has been offered a come back role in Ireland but she must decide straight away and the whole movie is top secret and only filmed at night in the middle of nowhere. As she starts to question her own mind and starts to worry about her safety the truth is even more shocking than she could ever imagine.

This was so fast paced and had me completely hooked. The setting was so Creepy and disturbing and would be my worst nightmare. I didn't see the twists coming at all ! I loved the screenplay in a book that's being made into film, just worked so well.

My thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic for a copy of “ Run Time “ for an honest review.

I’ve enjoyed Previous books by Catherine Ryan Howard but unfortunately this latest didn’t work for me.
I found it difficult to get into and I found it confusing .
This won’t stop me reading more by her , but this book just wasn’t for me

The draft was a little difficult to read, perhaps should be polished up more before given to ARC readers.

Story was interesting, although I found it difficult to relate and like the characters sometimes.

I whipped through this novel and was completely invested in the plot.
There were scenes during this story in which I literally felt my heart racing in my chest.

Run Time

Secret location a cottage deep in the woods to film a horror movie. When Adele arrives straight away things dont seem quite right on the set of Final Draft. Is Adele losing her mind or is someone out to get her ?

This was so fast paced and had me completely hooked. The setting was so Creepy and disturbing and would be my worst nightmare. I didn't see the twists coming at all ! I loved the screenplay in a book that's being made into movie just worked so well.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atlantic Books and Catherine Ryan Howard for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review

‘Movie-making can be murder . . . ‘ cover tag line.

My thanks to Atlantic Books Corvus for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Run Time’ by Catherine Ryan Howard.

The author has made her name with high concept thrillers and as I had read and enjoyed a number of her previous novels, I was happy to read this ‘cold’ with little prior plot information. So just a few details for context.

Former soap-opera star, Adele Rafferty, is just getting by after an incident on set caused her to leave Ireland and relocate to Los Angeles. Then she is offered the lead in a psychological horror film after the original actor dropped out at the last minute.

‘Final Draft’ is being filmed at a house deep in a forest, miles from anywhere in the wilds of West Cork. While Adele is rather concerned about returning to Ireland, she knows that this could be her big break.

Yet as soon as she arrives on set, she feels something isn’t right about Final Draft, especially when elements of the script begin to happen when the cameras have stopped rolling. No further details to avoid spoilers.

The nature of this premise did call for a close reading, especially as at times sections of script are inserted into the narrative. I enjoyed the backdrop of the film and entertainment industry and the various movie references.

Overall, I did found ‘Run Time’ engaging and certainly different from the usual psychological thriller. Once started it proved impossible to put down and read it in a single day.

Run Time is the kind of fast-paced, tension-filled novel I would love to see adapted into a film – and the fact it’s about making a film would just add to the meta nature of it all!

In Run Time we follow out of work actress Adele as she’s invited, last minute, to be the lead in a mysterious horror movie filming back in Ireland, where she’s originally from. But, pretty much from the moment she walks onto the set, things don’t seem quite right…

I’ve really enjoyed other novels by this author so I had high hopes for this book, and I wasn’t disappointed. The author serves up tension, eeriness, a growing sense of dread and also some dark humour as more and more odd things start happening. The creepiness mirrors the horror movie the crew are making, and I really liked this.

Main character Adele is fiesty but, importantly, desperate – which is why she gets sucked into this ‘amazing opportunity’ that seems too good to be true. You feel her confusion and then horror as things get weirder and weirder.

Running alongside this is the fact that we know something went very wrong with a previous project Adele was involved in, but we’re never quite sure what – so we’re never sure if we can rely on her version of events – and I always enjoy reading books with a potentially unreliable narrator! We also get chapters from the book that Adele’s character is reading in the screenplay, and this adds a quirky twist to the book’s many layers which I really enjoyed!

It’s a fairly long read but it absolutely kept my attention. It gets very over the top so you do of course need to suspend your disbelief, which is always the case with this kind of genre. Run Time is a lot of fun to read and I’d recommend it!

A story within a story within a story within a story within.. you get my point! I'm always excited when I see that this author has released a new book and this kept me up late at night reading and then up even later at night hearing noises and checking the doors were locked. A great read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atlantic Books and Catherine Ryan Howard for an ARC in return for on honest review.

"Movie-making can be murder".
This was a highly anticipated book and it did not disappoint.
I don't want to write too much as I don't want to risk giving anything away.
This is intense, thrilling, gripping and dark.
I read it in one sitting. Thoroughly enjoyed. My favourite book by Catherine so far.

Creepy, atmospheric and chilling right from the very first page, yet somehow sprinkled with seamless laugh out loud moments. My first Catherine R Howard novel, but won't be my last.

This was a creepy, atmospheric read about out of work actress Adele. After an incident on her last job, she has struggled to find another, so when an offer comes in to head back home and work on a top secret feature film, Adele jumps at the chance.

'Final Draft' is being filmed Deep in a forest in the middle of nowhere and, as the replacement lead actress, Adele has to hit the ground running with very little prep time. But something is not quite right and when things from the horror film script start to happen on set, Adele is wishing she had stayed in LA.

The format of this book switches between Adele's point of view and the screenplay of the film, which is based on a book! This made it a little confusing to read at times and a little bit full on. There was a whole lot of tension built up throughout, which sadly was let down by the ending in my opinion.

Irish Adele Rafferty was a successful soap actress until she decided that she wanted more but after a disastrous breakdown on set of her first post-soap role she went off to L .A. It hasn't been a great success & her funds come from her job at a run-down motel. When she suddenly gets the chance of a starring role in a film back in Ireland she can hardly believe her luck. The style of shooting is to be a pared down production but she is the main character- what could go wrong? Well lots it would seem!

The story was written as a cross over from a book, to a screenplay, to Adele's story. It was a clever idea but not one that worked particularly well for me. Having loved Catherine Ryan Howard's last book I had high hopes for this one but I was very disappointed. I didn't abandon it but can't say I really enjoyed it. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I really enjoyed this, a pacy thriller with a clever plot and plenty of twists and turns. Very compelling, I needed to find out what was coming next and there were plenty of hold your breath moments. The story focuses on Adele, she was in a long running TV soap opera in Ireland and landed a part in a film. She went off to LA to make her fortune and somehow ended up struggling for work and finding herself as a motel receptionist. She gets a call to step into the leading role of a horror movie being filmed back home in Ireland, can she fit it in? Well, yes she can make it to the film set which is in a remote forest, complete with country house, in the west of Ireland. The film is about a book, in which strange things start to happen. Which then start to happen to Adele. It's multi-layered as the book in the movie is also about a woman reading a book, in which strange things happen, it's a clever concept. Lots of creepy moments and I really wanted to figure out what was going on. Very enjoyable and highly recommend!

This was a pacey and fun thriller that didn't do anything particularly groundbreaking but was an entertaining ride. I enjoyed the multi-layered meta-narrative aspect of the plot, although it did become a bit forced at times. I thought that the plot itself was well constructed, albeit fairly predictable and that the characters all performed their necessary actions throughout. Fun but ultimately, pretty forgettable.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The description of Run Time had me intrigued and once I started it I could not out it down. I did find it a little complex in places but on the whole I really enjoyed it. There were many twists and turns that kept me hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.