This was so highly anticipated. I’ve been waiting years for the author to release a new book. And it did not disappoint

The book tells the story of Ellen - a teacher, mother and wife who everyone loves. Ellen’s life suddenly becomes threatened and upon her journey to find who is trying to destroy her, secrets close to home are uncovered

The book was full of deceit lies and tension. I was getting throughout the book who was responsible for the notes

There were so many twists in this book and I just loved it. The book is a bit of a slow burner to begin with, but anyone who picks up the book should stick with it as it will be so worth the journey.

Highly recommended from me

DNF. I really wanted to like this but I couldn’t get into it as a physical book or an audio book… it was too long winded. If you decide to pick it up I hope you enjoy it more than I did.

'Five Bad Deeds' was an addictive page-turner where I suspected everyone, everything and everybody at one point or another.

Opening up with Ellen languishing in prison for an as yet unspecified reason, we jump back to the beginning of the story. Ellen is the mother of three, a teenage daughter and three year old twin boys, celebrating her recent interview for Head of English at a prestigious local school. They live in a small close-knit community where everyone knows everyone else and she's very happy there in her stunning house, with her husband and children.

She's been assured that the interview is pretty much a formality so she's letting her hair down with her sister and friends in the local pub but being careful about her alcohol intake. Just before she drives home, she is shocked to be stopped by local policeman and neighbour for a breathalyser test, taken in full view of friends and family. Even though she passes the test, it signifies the beginning of a run of bad luck and decisions that just get worse and worse.

The news of her breathalyser test spreads on social media with some unflattering photos and unpleasant insinuations about Ellen's drinking.

Ellen has come from a pretty tough background on a rough estate; she has worked hard to put it all behind her and achieve an enviable standard of life. All of this is challenged as she receives a poison pen letter, which threatens to unseat all that she has achieved. Ellen becomes obsessed with the letter and finding out who sent it - and as the threats mount up, she widens her search for the truth. Her tormentor is several steps ahead of her at every stage, setting up situations for Ellen to fall into.

The list of characters was excellently cast; none of them are squeaky clean and my loyalties changed as I read the book. The various backstories and grievances that came to light as the story unfolded were brilliantly conceived, the clues scattered throughout the book suddenly make more sense as other sub-plots come to fruition.

A great domestic psychological thriller with much to recommend it.

I chose to read a free eARC of Five Bad Deeds but that has in no way influenced my review.

A new book from Caz Frear is a very exciting prospect indeed! I'm a huge fan of the author's work, having read and loved all three books in the DC Cat Kinsella series. However, the new book in question - Five Bad Deeds - is a standalone domestic psychological thriller rather than the police procedurals I have come to know this author for. Matters not though, still very much in my reading wheelhouse! I have been so looking forward to reading Five Bad Deeds for some time now and it did not disappoint one jot!

Teacher Ellen Walsh tries her best. Tries to be a good mother to her teenage daughter and twin toddler boys. Tries to be a good wife to her husband, Adam. Tries to be a good friend to those she surrounds herself with. Tries to live a good, honest, decent life. But we all tell the odd 'porky pie*' here and there, right? To protect someone's feelings, to swerve an awkward social situation, to hide your own embarrassment about something. Some would say it's unavoidable. So when an ominous note arrives at Ellen's enchanting Cotswold stone farmhouse, in the small village of Thames Lawley, addressed to her, Ellen struggles to understand what she has done to incite such anger, such venom. But perhaps Ellen isn't as perfect as she likes to believe. Because Ellen it seems has made an enemy out of the wrong person. A person intent on destroying everything she holds dear. Will Ellen discover who is behind the escalating campaign of hate before it's too late...?

Five Bad Deeds is a highly readable, hugely compelling psychological suspense novel which I devoured over the course of two sittings. I was engrossed in Ellen's story. Keen to find out who was behind the unravelling of her life. And believe me when I say there are several suspects. But Ellen is oblivious to her friends and family's true feelings towards her. Because Ellen has a habit of getting involved when she really shouldn't. Her opinions should perhaps be kept to herself more often than not. But offering some friendly advice can't hurt...can it? I didn't like Ellen but I did sympathise with her. I don't think she's there to be liked but I do think many of us will recognise something of ourselves in the character. How many times have you shared a nugget of advice with a friend you thought would help them? How many times have you considered the full implications of that well-meaning advice?

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with Five Bad Deeds. There are quite a few characters but I was able to keep track of who everyone was and their different relationships. It's an intriguing read which builds in intensity over the course of the book until the shocking denouement is revealed. No matter how much you dislike Ellen as a person, you will end up feeling sorry for her. The book is told via multiple points of view and it was interesting to get insight into supposedly loyal friends' real feelings towards Ellen. Who has it in for her? Who wants to destroy everything she holds dear? And most importantly, why are they doing this? As the book progresses the punishments meted out increase. From a report to the police that she was drunk driving (she did have a skinful the night before and she had just left the pub following her sister's birthday celebration) to someone reporting her to the council's Children's Services Department regarding safeguarding issues with her twin boys. Things really do escalate, building the tension and increasing the level of threat, leaving Ellen confused, bewildered and ultimately, scared. Because Ellen has a secret. And it's a secret she will do anything to protect...

All in all, Five Bad Deeds is a very engaging, well-written story with great characterisation, expertly written suspense and a shocking conclusion. It's a cracking, compelling, irresistible read and I look forward to more from this author in the future. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Five Bad Deeds. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

What a great read. I was completely engrossed after reading the prologue which finds Ellen Walsh in prison ‘three months later’ but why? Written from multiple POV’s and with an easy to follow story. Ellen has made it, a rags to riches story of a girl from a deprived background, who married well and is now living in her dream house with husband Adam and their three children. A teacher she is in line for a top job, she has a number of close female friends and is about to start renovating their home. What could possibly go wrong? This is so well written and plotted I was mislead repeatedly!

Briefly, out of the blue Ellen receives a vitriolic anonymous letter. Someone clearly has a problem with her and she can’t understand why. But this is only the start and with rumours spreading on social media and in her local community Ellen’s life begins to implode.

The more you learn about them the more you realise that most of the characters in the book are pretty unlikeable. It’s amazing just how quickly life can go from perfect to disaster and how easily gossip spreads. There are a number of potential suspects and I was constantly changing my mind about who the perpetrator was. Dark and tense as Ellen tries to discover who her enemy is. I couldn’t make up my mind about Ellen, was she genuinely kind, was she really happy, was she narcissistic, did she love her family, was she a good person. Only one way for you to find out. Very entertaining.

A fire starter of a novel that will have you racing through the pages regardless of what’s going on around you!
Ellen, a normal, if slightly privileged, family woman, mother to three and loving wife. That is until a random piece of hate mail threatens to blow up her happy, settled life.
This book is filled with some of the most unlikable characters I have come across, even Ellen herself isn’t particularly likeable! But they all make for compulsive reading.
It is a great look into different relationships and how different people react in certain situations.
It’s hard to review because you need to go into this book with nothing more than the publishers have already given you and from there you can discover all the twists and turns and revelations for yourself, and trust me there are enough to keep you reading throughout the night!
This is a standalone novel and is Caz at the very top of her game. This could well be a major contender for top summer sizzler thriller!
A thriller with a lot of suspense all mixed together in a small community, where gossip is key, what are the five bad deeds and what are the repercussions?

Well ... this book certainly gets you thinking. It's one that had me intrigued from the start - it's very clear that our protagonists position in current events is somewhat precarious. But as to what led to these current circumstances, well that's something that piqued the interest. no end, and had me puzzling a little right to the very final pages. It's fair to say that dear Ellen is not necessarily the most popular of people around town, and in terms of her circle of 'friends' ... Well they say keep your enemies closer, right?

If you've come looking for a book where the protagonist is all sweetness and light and it is outrageous that anyone should apparently take against them and determine to make their lives hell, well, Ellen is not really that person. She's not inherently bad either just a touch, how shall I out it, annoying and prone to over reaction at times. That's not just my opinion, her sister, her so called close circle of friends, her daughter, especially her daughter, and even on occasion her husband seem to think so. It doesn't mean that in anyway the clear campaign against her is fair or even deserved. As far as we, the reader, know that is. Someone clearly thinks so and this forms the whole frame for the book - the who, why and 'what the fluffy ducks will they do to her next' of it all. And it really is a puzzle. With a concerted effort to undermine her hard fought for reputation, someone really has it out for Ellen. We have to wait quite some time for the why, although there are plenty of suspects and a myriad potential reasons that are cast forth along our journey.

Caz Frear has really done a great job with this book. I can't say I particularly liked any of the characters, far from it. They are the kind of elite, or elite adjacent, affected, self absorbed people that you just find get on your goat - well mine at least. Ellen, having come from a less than affluent beginning, is perhaps one of the worst of them all. Very set ideas on how things should be, that kind of keeping up with the Jones' vibe that just doesn't fit with what we see of her personality. But she is very authentic feeling. For every attempt to be more than she is, elements of her true self really do shine through, and it is those perceived flaws and edges that her tormentor seeks to exploit. Using a campaign of threatening letters, social media slurs and general tittletattle and gossip, the once well settled Mum to three, finds her whole life thrown into chaos and calamity. In fact, its the social media campaign that really has that element of truth - we see it playout in real life everyday. That car crash moment of your life played out on Facebook and Insta, and then exploited. Fake profiles being used to create doubt and spread negativity.

There are so many negative people in Ellen's life, it's hard to see where the real threat is coming from. The chapters are written from various perspectives, allowing us a glimpse into the real feelings towards Ellen, and it serves to create real doubt and confusion about who the antagonist is. If you think logically, you can probably figure out the who - perhaps by process of elimination - but the root cause remains hidden, its reveal one of those raised eyebrow moments that both shock and yet seem just about what you'd expect from this particular group of 'friends'. But what it leads to, the real root cause of what we read in that all intriguing prologue ... well, that is unexpected.

If you love a great story with a particularly objectionable cast of characters, and a protagonist who will frustrate you to the point of anger and yet who you want to see get a little bit of justice too, then this book could be for you. If you love the salacious gossip that rears its head on social media from time to time, watching someones fall from grace played out in glorious fashion, that car crash moment in life where someone perhaps a little too big for their boots and opinionated at time receives a real short sharp shock or two ... well, yup. This book is perfect. Give it a go. I won't ask which category you fall into and I won't judge you either. Recommended.

Oh my days what have I just read, sooooo good…! A riveting tale of betrayal, revenge, and the dark secrets that lie hidden beneath the surface. This thriller will keep you guessing until the final page and you’ll defo want more!

The plot description sounds really exciting and explains why I was eager to read it but unfortunately it didn't fulfil its promise. The characters are unlikeable and shallow, the 'bad deeds' are pretty unremarkable and the unfolding mystery failed to hold my attention and I struggled to finish it. Sadly, not a book for me.

I really liked the way the book was written, from the perspectives of the main characters, with somewhat quite humorous interludes within the narrative.

The characters are deeply flawed on so many levels and are unlikable, it is extremely difficult to sympathise with Ellen even though a chain of events (influenced by another person) pretty much explode her life and world. (My assumption is this was the authors intent). Ellen’s friends are not much better, collectively it makes for quite the toxic environment.

The ending was good, the twist surprising and the reasoning behind the characters behaviours all makes sense at the point the reader finds out.

It is a slow burn, but the ending is a good one.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

I quite enjoyed this - although the story was a little far fetched in places and I'm not sure that people really want to destroy others because of disputed advice. However, it was quite different and not quite what I was expecting.

Tried to upload review before archive date but had trouble with the site sadly.
I did enjoy this but struggled with its pace. Not a bad book whatsoever, I just couldn’t get really stuck in to it

I enjoyed this book. Did find the pace quite slow and at times I felt I could tell what was happening next, it felt a bit predictable for me! I still enjoyed and would read more from this author!

I was very intrigued by the plot of Five Bad Deeds and found it easy to get into from the outset. While the story primarily centers around Ellen, it features multiple viewpoints which just adds to the mystery of who exactly is making her life a misery and more importantly why. None of the characters are particularly likeable although I did feel quite bad for Ellen.

While I liked the concept of the five bad deeds, for a thriller, none of them actually felt that bad in my opinion and I couldn't but feel a little let down upon learning about these. I also found the grand reveal of the culprit and their reasoning a bit weak. Although I'm not sure if it was just my ARC or not, on the whole, the ending seemed a bit...meh?

While I did enjoy the book and the constant questioning of who did what, it really could have been a lot stronger.

I really like Caz Frear's books, but I read this a while ago now so my memory is a bit hazier than it should be. I do remember it being a good read, though, as protagonist Ellen's past deeds come back to haunt her. Ellen is quite an enjoyable character, even if some of her decisions, albeit well-intentioned, have been questionable and put strain on her relationships. The deterioration in her relationship with her teenage daughter was particularly memorable, perhaps because I also have a teenage daughter...

With threatening messages and malicious pranks afoot, Ellen's life is getting a lot more difficult.

Another enjoyable read from a very good writer.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for this honest review.

At the beginning I genuinely felt completely lost. I wasn't really grasping what was going on.
I considered stopping the book multiple times, which was unfortunate because I was so excited to read it since it sounded exactly like my kind of thing. The characters just seemed too petty and quite frankly unlikeable - I wasn't rooting for anyone.

I did love that it was multiple POV. But by the time I'd gone from reading the synopsis and actually reading the book I'd forgotten the main concept, and the plot did not help me remember, I just found it confusing. It was a very simple thriller / mystery in my opinion and didn't keep me on my toes wondering what was going to happen next. Maybe my expectations were too high which is no one's fault but my own. Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed earlier works of Caz Frear and so I was looking forward to this one too

While it is not bad, the book is very slow paced and the ending left much to desire, it was not brilliant as I was hoping for

I did enjoy this book but I found it a bit slow in places. I didn't guess the ending though so that was a massive plus

New author for me but would read others. The cover did entice me in and I think I’d give that a higher rating than the book but I did love the book. Just felt a little lacking in places and yes the characters are unlikeable which isn’t a problem for me but it does lack pace at times. Good ending too!

As someone who enjoyed this author's previous work, I eagerly anticipated their new release. However, upon reading it, I found myself a little let down. While the use of multiple perspectives in the storytelling was skilfully executed, I struggled to connect with the characters and the story's pace was slower than I typically prefer.

Despite my disappointment, it's worth noting that the book explores many fascinating concepts. Themes of deceit, parenting, and the intricate complexities of society within communities are all touched upon, making this book a strong candidate for book clubs and other group discussions. With so many thought-provoking ideas to consider, readers are sure to find ample material for debate and reflection.

Although this ended with a ‘meh’ conclusion, it has not put me off picking up future releases by this author.