Remember your mother warned you not to pick up hitchhikers? After the first chapter of The Hunted, you’ll understand why.

That chapter lets you know that this familiar plot is going to be handed differently…very differently. A group of school friends has planned a reunion weekend on a remote, atmospheric island. There’s an overly friendly pilot/activities director, some odd island residents, a lot of alcohol and no wireless service. All are recipes for disaster which soon occurs. A lot of true confessions happen between the women and the reader begins to suspect future problems. However, that makes the violence no less surprising and horrific. We wait to see who, if anyone, will survive this girl’s getaway.

The Hunted could be the screenplay for a Grade B slasher movie. However, it is so intense, well-written and faced paced that it a simply unputdownable thriller. I read it in one sitting, flipping pages as fast as I could. Enjoy The Hunted but don’t read it if you are alone at night! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Head of Zeus and P.R. Black for this ARC.

A familiar plot with a group of women in a remote setting, gathering for a reunion of old friends. Then someone is dead, Then terror strikes as they realize they are being watched and there is a murderer on the island/in the woods/etc.

This book was good, a bit gory for my taste but still a nice thriller among some of the cheesier romance novels that I read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Hunted is a compelling journey through the human psyche. A perfect story to see in the Autumn months.

The Hunted follows a very familiar premise – a group of friends have a reunion in a remote location. This follows a very different path, however, a path with treacherous signs, a path with whispers in the wind, creeping shadows edging into the periphery of your vision. What’s it like to be hunted? The fear, the anxiety, the resignation of the inevitable. Many of us will never know these feelings but Black takes us there, balancing on a knife’s edge. The visual imagery takes us there. It takes us to hell and back with the characters – strap in.

Leah and her friends, Toni, Debs, Mouse, and Shell head to the Scottish Highlands for a girl’s weekend away. It’s a reunion of sorts, their childhood group, known as The Owl Society, but all grown up. Leah is the narrator, and we get insight into her struggles, she’s married to Surgeon, John, and is a mother to a little boy, David, who after an accident ended up disabled. She’s a strong and courageous woman. This reunion puts her on edge, the differing personalities of the women clash, reminding each other of their faults and shortcomings, mix that with alcohol and it’s a dangerous mix.

The Hunted has a very real and unstable threat lurking in the murk. It’s watching their movements, their conversations, and the friction building between them. The more they argue, the quicker it will be to wipe them out one by one.

The story threatens to cut your throat from the very first chapter. I love how that initial shockwave remained at the forefront of my mind waiting for the bomb to drop. It didn’t disappoint. We have quite a few morally grey characters and we quickly see the seeds of jealousy, bitterness, and resentment start to spill out into the group like one mouldy piece of fruit in the bowl – it quickly spreads and infects the rest. Leah knows if they were in a more civilized area she would already have left. The author builds his plot around it, around that idea of helplessness. It made it easy not to judge the character’s actions but instead feel.

This is the first novel I have read from P.R. Black, but it will not be the last, I am a fully converted fan now. Not only did I love the bleak atmosphere – I adore the highlands and love exploring our natural environment, but we had a gut-wrenching sense of suspense mixed in to create a toxic potion that threatens to corrupt them all.

A group of friends, well past friends ( it seems almost they are enemies now ) meet up for a reunion on a remote Scottish Island, the log cabin is luxurious though, the drink plentiful and it seems, pettiness aside, things will go well and a good time had by all
Until things start to go wrong
Not only have they bought long held grudges and not so secret secrets with them it seems there is someone else who intends to join the party, welcome or not!
I like a book that has good dialogue between all the main players and this does, although lots of characters to learn they are all distinct and I got to know them quickly, this alongside the tense, almost panicky atmosphere that was set after one of the best opening chapters read in a while made this an enjoyable, if shocking at times read, action packed and quick moving ( and scary 😎 )

9/10
5 Stars

This book came as a surprise. The premise is one frequently used. A group of people in an isolated location are being killed off one by one and is presented as a mystery to be solved. Here the basic plot is escalated by action and suspense to a blood-curdling, gruesome degree and morphs into a story of horror and terror. The reader knows the perpetrator before the characters figure it out, and the story becomes one of pulse-pounding dread. Who will escape?

The location is a scenic, isolated Scottish island lodge. It is the setting for a reunion of a group of women who were childhood and school friends 20 years ago. They now are at different stages in their lives. The reunion of five women has been planned where they can reminisce, share childhood memories, and catch up on their present lives and activities. No one is quite sure who was responsible for planning the weekend and the venue choice.

Shell, a stay-at-home mother, is on her way to the reunion with four friends. The first chapter startles with an early, shocking, heart-wrenching beginning. Then it suddenly moves on to the story of four women at the isolated lodge. At this point, the story becomes very slow-moving as the characters are introduced and established.

Toni is a competitive, wealthy career woman living a life of luxury, married to an equally successful man. She considers herself better than the others and rubs in her advantages in past sports events, scholastic marks, and present lifestyle. Deb is loud, brash, vulgar, and attention-seeking. She makes demeaning, hurtful remarks with the pretense that she is being funny. There is Mouse, who has now blossomed into an artist and a high-risk seeker of adventure and world traveller. Once considered the quiet one, she has gained mysterious new depths. Leah was the leader of the gang's childhood Owl Society. She has always had the reputation of a leader and a sensible peace-maker. She is resented as bossy and overbearing. There are snide remarks about Shell's absence.

During the weekend, they reminisce about some hurtful actions and regrets. Dangerous secrets from their past are exposed, leading to tension, jealousy, and resentment, with remarks made to shatter their self-images. They mostly come across as highly unlikeable. It seems improbable that they could have been past friends. Now they are together and barely tolerate one another. Adding to this disharmony, the island is taking on a creepy vibe. They feel they are being watched. Two sea-plane pilots brought them to this place and arranged some activities. One is a sleazy, womanizing character whose sexual approach does not go unappreciated by a couple of the married women. He has been warned about this behaviour by his more business-like partner.

It slowly dawns on the women that a dangerous maniac is stalking them. There are no phone connections, and several of the men, sensing problems, come to the island looking for their wives. The story becomes action-packed and riveting and proceeds at a rapid pace with gruesome, brutal murders, chases, and attempts to escape. The story kept me up late at night, dreading the conclusion but unable to put the book aside. Some mind-boggling twists were unexpected.
Highly recommended for readers who enjoy an explosive, intense, and dark story. Thanks to NetGalley, Aires Books and Head of Zeus for an early copy. The publication is set for August 2.

Wow! A real heart pounder! I loved this book! It was thrilling, it had intrigue, suspense, and lots of heart pounding moments! Lots of twists and turns!! Definitely some jaw dropping moments! I highly recommend reading this book! Its well worth the thrill!

This was a thrilling & intense read. I enjoy thrillers set in an isolated location where the characters are picked off one by one, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Admittedly, it was a little slow in places, but that soon picked up with the drama of old school friends getting on echo other’s nerves, and we start to see the cracks appear in their friendships. As the weekend progresses and the creepiness builds. It becomes obvious who is behind this, but I felt that this did not detract from the story - part of the excitement of this story for me was wondering how long it was going to take the characters to figure this out. There’s still a few surprises left after this, and it was a nail biting finish!

3.75 rounded up
An eerie setting, a girls weekend and a killer on the loose.
These elements together make for a great weekend read. I enjoyed the atmospheric setting and getting to know the adult women's childhood in flashbacks. The book was a bit of a slow burn with a lot of development and lead up to the thrilling parts. It starts to pick up in the final part and then we are treated to a fast-paced, horror story which will make you want to keep reading. There was a twist which I didn't see coming, but overall I felt the why/motivation to be a little bit of a let down. Overall, this was a great easy to read thriller and I'll be keeping my eye out for other books by this author.

** 3 Stars **

Hunted was an interesting mix of close proximity, childhood friends reuniting story, that turns into a horror story for all on the island when a psychopath starts hunting everyone on the island and more,

The story is around a group of women who were childhood and highschool friends; Toni (the competitive one), Leah (responsible mom figure), Deb (messy), Mouse, and Shell.. They each come with their own baggage and underlying issues. That we learn more about in a truth or dare/spin the bottle game,

In this game, their back stories of the worse thing they have ever done is shared, it was a fun time.. However I found majority of the women in the group to be incredibly unlikable, obnoxious characters like Toni and Deb. Mouse and Leah though we're decent. However the entire book I couldn't figure out why they were friends or why they even would reunite. As I'm pretty sure they barely tolerated eachother at best of times.

I was a bit disappointed I didn't really like the characters in this book that much. It made me not really care too much about happened to them later,

The first half of the book was a slow burn with some thriller like moments that caused some unease. However for me it was too slow of burn, but I could see how other readers will enjoy the time that is taken for character development.

The slow pace in the beginning and the women in this book is what makes this book a 3 star for me.

Although the low first half. The last third of the book is fast pace and a fun ride. There are some unexpected twists that I was not expecting, while there were a couple that I personally thought was predictable.

If you enjoy books with the trope of isolation and sisterhood this book might be for you. It's one you have to invest the time in the beginning to get to the pay off of the thrill in the last 1/3rd of the book,. I also could see this translating into a film, with how the different scenes played out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for this advanced ready copy. My review is voluntary.

This was a fabulous read. Twisty and twisted. Sparks of eerie, chilling, and macabre weaved into this mystery thriller so perfectly. I couldn't put it down. Perfect summer read!

I usually enjoy the secluded island, people start dying theme (aka and then there were none), however I found it harder to gel with this book. I think it was because to me it read more as if it was a horror/scary film rather than
the mystery/psychological thriller that I was expecting. I could see it making an excellent translation to film though!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Head of Zeus and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Edge of the seat, suspense, in this thriller that's a slow build to a climatic end.

Fast paced, intesnse and gripping. Completely compulsive, I couldn't put it down and I didn't want too. It was twisty and unpredictable. A fantastic read.

I can't say this is quite what I was expecting after having having read this author's other books. This one definitely has a women's fiction vibe to it, and it takes a bit before the action picks up. A group of women who have been friends since high school are meeting up for a getaway weekend trip on a Scottish island. Four of the women arrive and begin to reminisce, while the fifth friend is delayed due to unknown reasons and terrible cell phone reception. Each woman has a distinct personality and place in the group. Leah is the mother hen type, who always looks out for everyone else first. Mouse is the quiet one who enjoys the outdoors. Toni is the competitive athlete who wants to win at any cost and Debs is the brash center of attention. Leah and Mouse are the only remotely likeable characters and even they can barely tolerate Toni and Debs.

They spend their getaway drinking and rehashing old stories and it isn't long before the friends start to grate on each other's nerves. Somehow every nostalgic tale manages to set one of the women off and arguments abound. Then. one of the married women has a fling with their guide from the island and it's about that time that things start going downhill. Husbands and partners come to the island lodge, worried that they can't get in touch with the women. But they aren't the only visitors that turn up uninvited. It becomes clear that whoever planned this getaway had one specific reason to get these woman stranded on a remote island. They are being hunted.

I enjoyed the story, even with the unlikeable characters, because they are realistically unlikeable, if that makes sense. We all know frenemies like these, sticking together even if they don't always like each other. The ending was fun if not entirely unexpected. It's worth a read and who knows - maybe after reading this book, your own friends won't seem so bad!

I loved the sound of this book .However, I found it to be on the slow side, and I didn't really like the characters, so wasn't bothered what happened to them. Not for me, I am sorry to say.

Wow a non stop action packed thriller from the very start of the book.
I finished this book in two mammoth sessions, reader be warned set aside the time for this read.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I really like the the 'friends get together and people start dying' trope so I was keen to start this one after reading the blurb.

I thought the locations and characters were well-described. The characters all felt realistic and we got to know them pretty well through the course of the book. I like that the author didn't shy away from some pretty gory murder scenes.

The beginning and end of the book were really exciting. We start with a bang and the last quarter is unputdownable. I did feel like the pace lagged in the middle slightly, especially during the spin the bottle game which seemed to last for ages. My only other quibble is that I question the decision to name three male characters Ewan, Owen and Eoghan. I think it's easy to confuse them unless you read the book in one sitting.

Overall this was a good thriller and I would recommend it.

The Hunted starts with a bang and keeps on going.
Old friends getting together after decades apart, bring their past and new lives with them.
On an island hilltop, no cell reception, and someone with a score to settle make this a fast read.

This felt like a very familiar concept and I went into it quite wary that I'd read it a million times before.......... I was 100% wrong! Yeah, it shares a similar plot line to some other but that's where the similarities end. This starts with such a massive bang that you're immediately just thrown in at the deep end and then you're just trying to keep up as you fly through this book. The characters are the usual friend group but they're so well written and so realistically created that, these are women you know! The lies and secrets and hidden motives are all so well written that you just never know what's coming next or who's really responsible. It wad just a sheer delight of a book and I loved every second of it. If you just read one book in the "old friends meet up and someone dies" type..... male sure it's this one

Thank you NetGalley, Head of Zeus for allowing me read an advanve copy of P.R. Black's “The Hunted”

It was one very wild ride down a very dark and twisty road!