Five Bad Deeds is a messy relationship/neighbourhood tale in the style of Lianne Moriarty or Louise Candlish, Greed, envy and lust all play a role in the motivations of the person or people trying to bring down the novel's protagonist, Ellen, who views herself as a socially conscious, caring, mother, wife, sister, friend and neighbour. But after she's reported to the police and breathalyzed and other unpleasant events occur, it's clear she's the target of a malicious campaign. But by whom? She's only ever tried to help people, hasn't she?

As the title suggests, Ellen's actions haven't endeared her to everyone and she's going to reap the consequences of the havoc she's unwittingly caused in other people's lives.

A great, twisty tale with a relatable but flawed heroine.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC! Unfortunately, this book just did not work for me. I couldn't engage with any of the characters (they were all SO unlikable, which usually doesn't bother me, but Jesus can someone have one redeeming quality?!) I DNFed this about 20% in. Took me a solid four days to get that far, because I just kept putting it down and forgetting what I had read so far. I do think fans of domestic thrillers will enjoy this. It just wasn't for me.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. My first read of this author and it won't be my last, what a rollercoaster of a read, plenty of twists and turns to keep me turning the pages.

This book has a fascinating sounding blurb which really suckered me in with wanting to know what was happening and what would be the result of those bad deeds that we had heard abut. Sadly this is just another domestic 'thriller' with mostly normal people reacting to events in their lives with one odd ball person who may kind of remind you of someone you do or used to know!
It was fairly slow paced with nothing really encouraging me to keep picking the book up once I had put it down again.
This would be a great book for those of you who prefer sedate 'thrillers' but I'm much more a blood and guts, extremely fast paced thriller reader so this just wasn't for me.

Ellen, a tutor and generally good person, is renovating her dream home and juggling the usual commitments when she starts receiving threatening notes from an anonymous sender. Why are they targeting her? Could it be the five bad deeds that have come back to haunt her?

This is the first book I’ve read by Caz Frear so I didn’t really know what to expect. I found that I really enjoyed the writing style and the different points of view. The characters, although unlikeable, are well written and I enjoyed the dark humour in some of their thoughts. The story flowed nicely and I enjoyed learning what the bad deeds were. There were a few twists and turns which I found entertaining. Although the overall story is a bit of a slow burn it worked well in this instance. This was definitely an intriguing revenge thriller and I will be reading more books now by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Ellen is a good person. Okay, she knows she can go on a bit when talking about renovating her dream home, and she could try harder with her teenage daughter, but she is confident that, on the whole, she is a good friend, wife, mother and teacher. But someone has other ideas; someone who is sending threatening notes to Ellen's home and orchestrating malicious 'pranks'. Can she work out who her anonymous enemy is and stop them before her reputation - and her family - is in tatters?

A shocking opening sets up the arc of the story perfectly: the reader knows - or thinks they know - how the story is going to end and that the plot will now focus on discovering the 'how' and the 'why' of it all. The cleverness of this set-up lies in the way it frames the character of Ellen and thus colours how the reader perceives her from the outset, and it's one of the more effective choices in the book.

Ellen is a decently nuanced character, especially as we learn more about her and her history. She's struggling to balance the competing needs of a teenage daughter and toddler twins, she's stressed about the renovation she's sure will finally give her the perfect family home she longs for, she craves getting back to work but feels guilty for not being totally fulfilled by motherhood alone, and above all, she can't shake the feeling that
she doesn't deserve her comfortable life and will never truly be accepted.

Unfortunately, however, the rest of the characters are over-the-top versions of the people that tend to populate this kind of story set in a well-to-do small town, and all of them are totally self-centred and awful. This made it difficult to buy into the story, as everyone was so irritating and unlikeable. Five Bad Deeds also features one of my least favourite literary stock characters, the teenager (in this case, Ellen's daughter Orla). It perplexes me how many authors are able to write fiction with a largely teenage cast and portray them with subtlety and warmth, yet as soon as an adolescent shows up in a book about adults, they exist only to behave obnoxiously and make withering remarks, making it hard to take them seriously as characters.

The titular 'bad deeds' which serve as the narrative engine of the story are largely underwhelming, to the point where I kept thinking, 'Is that it?' I understand that for the plot to work there have to be multiple plausible suspects with an axe to grind against Ellen, but the motivation of some of the characters stretches the bounds of credulity and actually really detracts from their characterisation in some instances.

Nush, for example, is an oxymoron of a woman - an ambitious, highly motivated and successful entrepreneur whose identity is almost entirely bound up in her failed marriage because the plot needs it to be, not because it makes any sense for the character, and her potential reason for contriving to bring Ellen down is even more unlikely. Other characters' motives are similarly thin. In fact, though Ellen has her flaws, she is genuinely altruistic in her actions and I felt sorry for her that no one in her life seems to appreciate her. The ending was surprising, but mainly because the groundwork had not been laid to make the denouement pay off.

Overall, in spite of these issues, Five Bad Deeds is an engaging thriller, which held my interest all the way through and had enough potential for me to look out for Caz Frear's next stand-alone work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

Not sure if I got a bad download copy but I couldn’t read this - every bit of dialogue was chopped up into different lines making it really hard to follow, couldn’t get to the end of chapter 1 unfortunately!

It was OK just not for me. I didn't particularly like the characters or the way it was told from multiple points of view. It kept my interest long enough to finish it but wouldn't rush out to read more by this author, sorry

This one was just not for me,the characters were very unlikable aand the storyline dragged and by the end I just didn't care what happened.I hope other readers enjoy more than I did.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK for the ARC.

This story is told via multiple points of view with the characters bring not so likeable -
Whilst the story is a slow burner it is entertaining

Ellen Walsh is a teacher, mother, wife and good citizen but someone thinks she has done something very bad - if only she knew what it was.

Ellen juggles raising a teen and two toddlers with her husband while redecorating her dream home. Life is going well but then a note arrives indicating someone knows her darkest secret and they may be out to get her. Other suspicious things occur, that leave you wondering what on earth Ellen has done. This along with her 'friends' who quite frankly seem like frenemies at times. While this one took me a little while to get into, as it was a slow burn for me, I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout and Frear remains an auto-read/buy author for me. I can't wait to read more by her. 
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for the gifted review copy.

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me, I struggled to finish it and nearly gave up a few times.
That’s not to say it wouldn’t be interesting for you depending on what you like.
Written from different perspectives but I found I didn’t like any of the characters although a great deal of thought was put into tying it together.
Thank you for an advanced copy of this book.

I started Five Bad Deeds expecting it to be the next in Caz Frears’ Cat Kinsella series, which I really enjoy, but found it was a standalone, albeit one with some familiar themes (fractious sibling relationships, main characters with hardscrabble upbringings). And, by and large, I did really enjoy Five Bad Deeds, with one caveat which I’ll come on to.

The plot is propulsive and I found my alliances and sympathies switching. And although I consistently felt that characters were too hard on Ellen and blamed her for their own failure to communicate, it was interesting to see how actions can be interpreted differently by different people.

However, given that I felt other characters were hard on her, I also felt that (and don’t read further if you want to avoid spoilers) the book wasn’t hard enough on her in regards to the storyline with her pupil. The final pages, which seem to leave open some potential for them to get together, left me feeling icky about the whole book and coloured my opinion of it.

3.5 stars- I usually round up but in this case am rounding down because of the above.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me at all! First book by the author that I have read, and from this one, I wouldn’t go back.

I could not get into this, there was nothing to grip me and the story just dragged on and on with no real end point.

At about 80% of the way through I started to be slightly interested in what was happening but I didn’t like any of the characters and it all still just seemed very flat and pointless.

Overall on this occasion I would not recommend this book, but I am sure it will be a hit with most.

This is a UK domestic crime thriller based on actions, consequences and revenge.
The story is told through multiple point of view characters, which adds interest and realism to the story.
All of the characters are richly developed and very unlikeable, which is not a problem for me.
It’s a slow burn, but a very entertaining and fun read. The plot is twisty, witty and devious.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

I'm mot a fan of characger driven no els but this one actually kept my interest throughout. The writing is very natural and I was soon invested in each of the characters and their own POVs aswell as the mystery of which was behind everything. As I said, this is definitely a slow burn but It was so worth it for such a good ending its well written with multiple threads and well written characters, even if they're not all that likeable.

This revenge thriller is enjoyable and entertaining but I much prefer Cat Kinsella. This book is told from multiple points of view that helps keep it interesting because unfortunately the main character Ellen is not very likeable. In fact, I don't think any of them are likeable. It has a slow pace and is too long as not much actually happens until the end. The ending was a bit disappointing because I found it unrealistic and unsatisfying. The five bad deeds the title refers to are very confusing and not enought to explain the plot. 3.5 stars
(Thank you to Simon & Schuster, Caz Frear, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review)

3.5 rounded up

This is Ellen Walsh’s story and it’s one of spite. Ellen lives with husband Adam who is frequently away from home leaving her to contend with the trials of 16 year old Orla (every inch a teen) and the anarchy of twins Max and Kian. If that’s not time consuming enough they are trying to renovate their dream home, Meadowhouse. However, it seems as if Ellen has deeply offended someone as an anonymous note warms of consequences. Who is on a revenge spree targeting Ellen? What provokes the Five Bad Deeds? Who wants to teach her a lesson and why? Whoever it is keeps upping the ante ...,

The standout feature of this stand-alone from the talented Caz Frear, author of the excellent Cat Kinsella series, is the characterisation. All are well portrayed although it’s fair to say that few are likeable which does tend to make for more delicious reading. Some characters mislead you or fool you in various ways. The jury is out in Ellen although I tend towards liking rather than dislike because the strongest aspect of her personality is that she knows herself. She’s internally honest even if not necessarily so with those she interacts with and I have to say at times I find her very funny. As for her husband Adam - not the greatest spouse ever eh, Adam? Their family life is well portrayed, you feel like a fly on the wall as the children cause their own particular brand of havoc.

The novel is told via multiple points of view as their perspectives of Ellen are illuminating. As the plot evolves it becomes clear that quite a few have reasons to exact revenge and I cast my beady eye around seeking the strongest candidate. There are so many liars here, so who is the biggest liar of all and who will blink first?

The start of the novel intrigued me and pulls me into the suspenseful storytelling. Whilst this does advance and progress, the pace isn’t fast but the slow burner character driven approach suits the premise. The tone keeps changing which is enjoyable and I love the sense of irony and sending herself up humour which appears on occasions in Ellen’s perspective.

However, the five bad deeds are a bit hidden and maybe could have been worse than they actually are although they do feel authentic and could actually happen. I’m somewhat conflicted about the big reveal. I do enjoy there misdirection which distracts but I’m not convinced the reasons are especially strong. On the other hand people do let things burn and fester inside them, so who knows what they may be driven to?

Overall, despite some issues I do enjoy the book, it’s entertaining and easy to read.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Simon and Schuster for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Razor Sharp..
Actions and consequences are explored in this slow burn tale of suspense. Ellen is a jack of all trades, she spends her life juggling every aspect of her life with all the vigour and precision that she can muster - her pursuit of domestic bliss is perfectly persistent. When a threatening note arrives, Ellen’s house of cards may well come tumbling down. Dark and dangerous with a menacing undercurrent, a well drawn and credible cast, a vein of bleak wit and a razor sharp narrative. Hugely compelling.

This was my first read by this author and it did not disappoint. It was a slow paced thriller but definitely gripping so it kept me hooked until the very end. The story is told from various characters' perspectives which I also love as it helps build the suspense of the story. This was a excellent read which I highly recommend. Thanks to netgallery and the publisher for my advanced copy.