The Confession Room
Lia Middleton

3.5 stars rounded to 4!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks a mil to Netgalley.co.uk and the Author Lia Middleton for an advanced reading copy of this book prior to its publication date, in exchange for my honest review.

I have never read a book by this author before but I Ioved the sound of the blurb so was delighted to be approved a copy and couldnt wait to get started.

The Confession Room is an online forum where people are invited to post to fellow members and confess their sins or anything they feel guilt about. Alot of the posts are mainly minor wrongdoings, some admit to things like theft or adultery. Until one day someone posts on the forum confessing to murder....

Thats where the plot kicks off and the story begins. It started off so fast paced and was one of those books that are hard to put down as its so intense and grippy.

I dont want to give any spoilers or give too much away about the plotline and the conclusion but I thouroughly enjoyed this one and flew through it.

It was so different to many in this genre, a lot of thrillers have a similar plot and/or storyline so this was a very refreshing new take on a murder
who'dunnit. It took us into the deepest depths of the internet and had a dark eerie feel at times which is great if you're looking for a dark creepy read or thrillers are your genre of choice. This is the book for you.

I did feel it started off so well but that it did slow a bit at the half way point. Its pace slowed slightly but it was still full of twists throughout and they kept on coming right until the end.

I did guess one of the twists that came near the end though 😉

Overall, this was a great read and one I will defo be recommending.

Added this author to my list already and I look forward to reading some more of hers now.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wish that I had enjoyed this book more. It sounded great, but I struggled to connect with it, sorry to say.

A dark and compelling thriller which is not for the faint hearted. For its subscribers, the confession room is a space on the internet where they can offload their darkest thoughts and confessions anonymously. It soon becomes apparent, however, that this is not a harmless chat room but a real space where people are matched and forced to face the consequences of their revelations. An original idea and a good plot but unconvincing protagonist.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

I found The Confession Room to be unputdownable. It’s a book of murder, suspense and intrigue. A tense, pacy thriller with some great twists to keep you enthralled. Thank you to NetGalley, Michael Joseph Penguin Random House and the author for the chance to review.

This was a read that slowly crept up om me and at first I wasn’t so sure I was going to enjoy it but very soon I found myself not wanting to put the book down and I was hooked !
It’s a difficult story to describe as there is little or no action it’s really all about feelings, thoughts, the claustrophobic terror of the confession room and the main character of Emilia who is trying to get to the bottom of the murders whilst feeling threatened herself. It’s a book I read quite quickly and was thoroughly entertained, I like the conclusion a lot also. The writing was good and the book well crafted and overall I would recommend it to mystery thriller lovers as a 4 star read and I look forward to more from Lia Middleton in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A good well written and for the most engaging story,it’s impossible to not be fascinated where the subject is an online forum dedicated to people admitting their wrongdoings anonymously,it did keep me reading,I just wish at times the story moved a bit quicker as sometimes wanted it to move on,all in all though a good and intriguing reqd

I requested this book after a recommendation on Instagram and I am glad I did. I don’t read a lot of thriller / serious crime, but the premise of this one had me intrigued.

An online forum where people anonymously confess to wrong doing. So far, so good. Until someone decides that confessing without consequences isn’t an option. The story is mainly told from the perspective of former police officer Emilia. She frequents the forum after the trauma of her sister’s murder and finds herself drawn in to the investigation by her former colleagues.

There’s lots to like about this book. It’s tense, terrifying and fast paced. It would be great for book clubs as it opens so many debates. What is justice? Who gets to decide how people should be punished? When are you a victim? Plus the can of worms that is posting online anonymously and the way it influences behaviour.

It loses a star as there were a couple of niggles and while I enjoyed the ending (it wasn’t one of my theories) I am not sure it was entirely resolved for me. It didn’t need to be neat, but I think I needed a bit more (or maybe it’s a want, I couldn’t stop reading).

The writing is great and I’ve whizzed through it in a day. I had to know! So it’s a big thumbs up from me. I’ve never read this author before, but definitely will again. A book I recommend and I can’t wait to talk about it with someone in real life! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this arc!

The concept of this was really cool and it was pulled off in a decent way. Unfortunately, i wasn’t able to gel with the story or characters and I felt it was a struggle for me to get through the book and I kept putting it down and picking it up. It took me a long time to finish jt

This is such a good and gripping read, I loved it! Lia Middleton is one of my new R authors as I just loved The Confession Room.

We meet main character, ex-copper Emilia. Traumatised by her sisters murder she is now a private detective, catching philandering partners. She has cut ties with her own partner amid what happened.

Emilia is part of an online group called The Confession Room and one evening she sees someone's awful confession that they are about to commit murder, the confession also has two names. When the confession soon turns into reality, Emilia is haunted by this and feels like she needs to find out who is behind these awful confessions. When more confessions come through she gets back in touch wither her ex-partner Ciaran and he basically tells her to stop investigating these murders. But she cant just stop, she has major guilt from her sisters death and she needs to help. There are quite a few twists and turns in this novel, and the ending was great yet unexpected.

I really enjoyed reading about Emilia, and found her relatable and likeable. For me, this novel reminded me somewhat of the movie Saw and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Lia Middleton really knows how to write a brilliant and clever novel and I loved it. Thanks to Netgalley, Lia Middleton and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I read the synopsis for ‘The Confession Room’ by Lia Middleton I was instantly intrigued and wanted to read more. Lia Middleton is a new author to me and was not really sure what to expect but couldn’t resist learning more. If I am completely honest although the synopsis is intriguing the novel itself was a little disappointing. This is a suspenseful thriller that explores the dark corners of the internet and the terrifying potential of anonymous confessions but I just felt it just didn’t quite reach the heights it promised.

The novel follows Emilia Hayes, a former police officer, who stumbles upon an anonymous internet forum where someone is confessing to planned murders. With a strong desire to prevent these crimes and save the potential victims, Emilia embarks on a frantic mission to outwit the elusive killer.

The premise of the book is undeniably intriguing, drawing readers into a world of chilling confessions and desperate attempts to intervene. Lia Middleton effectively creates an atmosphere of suspense and mystery, keeping readers on their toes as they follow Emilia’s journey to unmask the murderer.

Excellent concept of an anonymous internet forum for murder confessions is both captivating and disturbing but I thought the pacing of the novel was a bit uneven at times. While some parts are gripping and filled with tension, there are moments when the narrative seems to lose momentum, leading to occasional lulls in the story’s progression.

Additionally, the cat-and-mouse game between Emilia and the killer is well-executed but may leave some readers wishing for more complexity and unpredictability. The killer’s actions and motives, while unsettling, lack a certain depth that could have added another layer of intrigue to the plot.

This is a decent read but I just felt it missed a chance of been exceptional.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Michael Joseph Books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A realistic, terrifying concept in the present technological age - an online forum for admitting your sins.
Former police officer Emilia Haines stumbles across the darkest confession yet, that of murder.
At first she thinks it’s a hoax, but when a body is found she can’t ignore it.
Who is confessing to murder before they even happen.
A well written taut crime thriller, showing you the darkest reaches of the cyber web.
Fast paced each chapter left you wanting to know more
Thanks @liamiddletonauthor, @michaeljbooks & Netgalley for the eARC

I could not warm to this book despite really trying to. I kept hoping it was going to get better. The plot sounds so interesting. Someone is posting confessions of murders, including victims names in a dark hidden chat room. Enter our main character, Ex Police Emilia Haines. She’s been fascinated by this chat room, where people can anonymously confess to anything from stealing to cheating..and murder.

I found her character flat and very unrealistic. Despite no longer active in the police Emilia emerges herself in the hunt for the killer and the next victims. It’s totally unrealistic. Why? She embarks on tasks that interfere with the real police work, really crossing boundaries despite being warned off. She’d be charged in real life for obstruction I am positive.

It becomes like an amateur sleuth story rather than an intense thriller. The pace is S..L..O…..W. Tedious going. It got worse instead of better unfortunately. I didn’t feel research into true police procedure and regulations where citizens are pushing into investigations was done, or not well. The ending was just not good to say the least. This lacks lustre and bored me to tears. I plodded on and wished I had not bothered. Just nope. A generous 2 stars.

Former police officers who have quit the force after traumatic events but nevertheless find themselves compelled to engage in investigations of their own feature in quite a few contemporary thrillers, but Lia Middleton’s book offers an interesting variation. The former police officer in her novel is Emilia who now earns a living as a private detective operating mainly at night and who is suffering from the violent death of her sister. During one of her lonely stints during the night-time hours, Emilia comes across an online forum called ‘the confession room’ where thieves, love cheats and petty criminals divulge their deeds in anonymity – but there is also one poster who audaciously confesses to a murder before it has even taken place. What on earth is going on and what level of evil will Emilia be drawn into if she investigates? Switching between the points of view of Emilia and an as-yet-unknown kidnap victim, the atmosphere this thriller evokes is as treacherous and menacing as it gets. Hugely addictive, I can see this thriller garnering many readers. I would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the digital ARC that I was gifted in exchange for this unbiased review.

Dark and twisty to the last page. Emilia was a detective whose demons after her sister's murder meant she couldn't continue in the job but also cause her to obsess about an online forum called The Confession Room. The confessions are run-the mill: adultery, theft, dark desires. Until they aren't. Murder isn't run-of-mill and Emilia is hooked, her detective instincts engaged. But she's no longer on the inside, to the police she's not much more than a regular member of the public and a bit of a nuisance at that. Soon, despite being strongly warned off, she's deeply, personally involved. I feel like it was a rollercoaster of a ride except rollercoasters go up as well as down and emotionally this was overwhelmingly down!

Welcome to The Confession Room, an online forum where people confess to their darkest thoughts. For ex-police officer Emilia Haines, reading these secrets is the perfect distraction from her past.

And then one day someone confesses to murder. At first, it seems like a hoax, but then a body is found, and when another victim is named Emilia is desperate to discover who is behind these confessions.

The Confession Room is a contemporary thriller with a unique premise different to anything I have read before. The book is fast paced and Lia Middleton does an incredible job of maintaining suspense throughout the novel meaning I could not turn the pages fast enough.

The story heavily revolves around the idea of justice- what is right, what is wrong? What does justice look like to different people and who is and isn’t deserving. It also touches upon themes of guilt, grief and the dangers of the online world.

The reason I am giving this book 4 rather than 5 stars is because I found it difficult to engage with any characters and found the ending slightly incomplete, however that doesn’t take away from the fact that I enjoyed the storyline, pace of the book and can imagine it making a jaw-dropping film.

The confession room is an online forum where people can supposedly admit to a whole range of sins without needing to worry about the consequences.

Needless to say, any number of people join enthusiastically in - along with ex-policewoman Emilia Haines, who is now working as a PI - and any number of moral failings and indiscretions, both major and minor, are revealed.

Except...

Despite promising confessions without consequences, it unsurprisingly turns out not to be that simple after all. Someone uses the forum to confess to not one murder but two. Nor is that the end of it.

As further murderous confessions surface, and bodies begin to pile up, all those involved with the site start getting nervous. Has someone decided to hand out punishment to the guilty? And will they be next...?

This is a really original idea from Middleton, and the book delivers reasonably well wrt a suspenseful investigation combined with a voyeuristic interest in living vicariously through the misdemeanours of others. The story is not flawless, but it is undeniably interesting. This one gets 3.5 stars.

Thank you to the author, publishers Penguin and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

Former police detective Emilia Haines has been lost since her sister was murdered by a stalker. Leaving the career she’d loved she now uses her skills to uncover cheating spouses as a private eye. Then she discovers a murder confession on an internet discussion board and becomes determined to find out the truth, whatever the cost to herself.

Leave your disbelief behind to enter the world of a complex murderer who films people forced to admit to their darkest deeds.

As with previous stories by this author the compelling part of this story is thinking about what you would do in the same situation. Would you do whatever it takes to survive?

There’s a good core concept here and I enjoyed the main character of Emilia. Two close friends of hers feel underused however, like half developed characters who were intended to help drive the narrative, but ultimately just get a few short sequences with no real influence on the outcome.

Plotting wise, for such a complex murder ‘game’ there’s a lot the reader is expected to just overlook until it becomes important to the narrative. By the time Emilia ‘remembered’ some key clues from earlier in the story I’d almost given up on the author ever acknowledging that they’d told the reader these details.

A good concept, but falls short on the delivery.

This is the sort of book that can start a reading slump, for all the very best reasons. I know I will struggle to find a book that comes near matching The Confession Room for a long time.

As the engrossing book begins, we have two story strands. Emilia who is ex police, trying to come to terms with the violent death of her sister, and how to navigate life after such trauma; and someone who wakes to find themselves kidnapped, chained in a locked room. The Confession Room.
Everyone thinks The Confession Room is harmless voyeurism, an anonymous way to unburden yourself from guilt. The reality is far from that, for a select few.

The book is really well written. The fast paced story flowing extremely quickly. As I finished each chapter, there was no question that I would stop reading, I was desperate to know what would happen next.
When I reached a certain point in the book, a huge plot development occured, and my stress level went through the roof. If I wasn’t fully invested before, I certainly was then.

If you love a taut, fraught thriller, that will tie your stomach in knots, you really need to get your pre-order in now. The book is fast paced. It grabs hold of you, and doesn’t let go, until the final page has turned. The characterisation is excellent, I felt I knew Emi incredibly well.
This tense book brings wave after wave of anxiety. When you think that Emi, and you, the reader, by extension, have endured enough stress, the author brings more raining down on us both.

I have read a lot of books this year, a good number have been great reads. But, this book, The Confession Room, I predict will be right up there at the top at the end of the year.
This is the first book that I have read by this author, but before writing this review, I have bought her back catalogue. If Lia Middleton’s other books are half as good and chilling as this one, I’m in for an absolute treat, and more tense reading, quite probably.
Definitely 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

This was a very twisty novel where you read the whole book always one step behind the author never quite knowing what comes next.

Really enjoyable novel with a brilliant ending

The Confession Room is a dark, gripping psychological thriller and my first novel from Lia Middleton who I've been meaning to read for quite some time. This one had me enthralled and I'll be seeking out her back list now. Recommended.