Firstly thanks for my early access in exchange for a review . I’ve enjoyed all this authors previous books
And I didn’t realise this was essentially a sequel to one .
I raced through this in the early hours as was incredibly gripping.
Fast paced with twists and turns aplenty!
Fantastically written and execuated this plays out every parents worst nightmare .
What happens when the truth is even scarier than your fears !

Julia puts her teenage daughter Anna on a plane, knowing she will see her again in a couple of days. But when the plane lands, Anna is nowhere to be seen. She definitely got on the flight, but then she just.... vanished. And this isn't the first time Anna has disappeared. When she was just five-years-old, Anna was kidnapped. But that's all in the past, and Anna's disappearance now couldn't possibly be connected. Could it?

This is a fast-paced read. It's book 2 out of 3 in the trilogy. Anna is now fifteen and vanishes after boarding a plane. Anna has disappeared without trace before, ten years ago she was kidnapped. Anna's six-year-old half-brother Oakley has also vanished. Everyone has secrets, the family is dysfunctional. I did not like any of the characters, but Anna is quite feisty for her age. I will read the third book when it becomes available.

Published 24th October 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK and the author #AlexLake for my ARC of #HereOneMinute in exchange for an honest review.

Here One Minute is a mystery thriller and, apparently, the second book in a trilogy. This is the first book, I have read from this author so I hadn’t read the first.
The story unfolds with Anna, a 15-year-old girl, about to embark on a domestic flight in the UK. She is due to spend time with her father and his second wife. All goes well until the plane lands and Anna doesn’t come through arrivals. CCTV shows that she walked into a restroom just after landing, but wasn’t seen to exit. It is as though she has vanished into thin air. What separates this from a normal missing child story is that this is not the first time Anna has gone missing. Ten years previously, she was abducted by her grandmother, who has since passed away. The plot is complicated by the fact that Anna’s 6-year-old half-brother Oakley has also gone missing after football practice. Is there some bizarre plot at play?

The book is fast-paced and has the feel of a movie screenplay. All the family players have secrets and seem to be pretty dysfunctional. I enjoyed the author’s writing and the plot with its twists and turns.
Where the book fell was in the characterisation. Not one character had a single redeeming quality. Anna is a brattish teenager and her brother Oakley is a whiner. The father is an ineffectual lump whose claim to fame appears to be managing to marry not one, but two completely awful women. The detective is a complete fool, who I doubt could catch the most blatant of criminals. The eventual perpetrator was a cardboard cut-out Bond villain. I half expected them to produce a white cat.
So, overall the book was a mixed bag. It was fast-paced and a definite page-turner. However it was extremely entertaining, but for all the wrong reasons. I’m not sure how the author will craft a sequel unless the aforementioned white cat is going to make an appearance.
My thanks to NetGalley, Alex Lake and Harper Collins for the much-appreciated ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Here One Minute by Alex Lake is a compelling psychological thriller that hooks readers from the first page with its suspenseful and emotionally charged premise. The story centers on the sudden disappearance of a young child, who vanishes in the blink of an eye, leaving the family devastated and the community in shock.

Alex Lake skillfully weaves a gripping narrative that alternates between different perspectives, allowing readers to explore the emotional turmoil of the parents, the investigation by law enforcement, and the unsettling presence of the kidnapper. The shifts in viewpoint create a dynamic reading experience, keeping readers guessing about the motivations behind the kidnapping and the fate of the missing child.

One of the novel’s strengths lies in its exploration of fear and guilt. The parents, particularly the mother, are portrayed with raw vulnerability as they navigate the psychological trauma of losing a child. Lake delves into the complexities of grief and how the fear of judgment from others can complicate an already unbearable situation. The portrayal of parental anxiety feels authentic and relatable, adding emotional weight to the thriller’s tense atmosphere.

The pacing is brisk, and Lake does an excellent job of maintaining suspense throughout the novel. Every chapter ends with a cliffhanger or revelation that urges the reader to keep going. The twists and turns are well-executed, with several surprising developments that keep the plot unpredictable. However, some of the plot twists, while shocking, may feel a bit far-fetched, testing the limits of believability.

Character development is strong, particularly in the depiction of the mother’s emotional journey. Her feelings of helplessness, rage, and despair are palpable, and readers will find themselves deeply invested in her quest to find her child. The secondary characters, such as the investigators, are less developed, but they serve their purpose in advancing the plot and heightening the tension.

While Here One Minute offers a gripping and emotional ride, some readers might find the resolution a bit rushed. The final revelations come quickly, and while satisfying, they may leave readers wishing for more exploration of certain psychological themes and character motivations.

Overall, Here One Minute is a solid thriller that explores the terrifying reality of a child’s abduction and the psychological toll it takes on a family. Alex Lake masterfully builds tension and delivers a few powerful surprises along the way. Fans of psychological suspense will find this a page-turner that keeps them on edge until the very end.

Rating: 4/5

It’s really refreshing to read a thriller which isn’t overtly gruesome!

Anna’s stepmother, Willow is awaiting her arrival at the airport. When she doesn’t turn up and police begin to investigate, a series of family secrets unfold. The story really picked up the pace towards the end and there were plenty of twists I hadn’t expected.

I enjoyed Here One Minute, it’s the second book I’ve read by Alex Lake but this had quite a different feel to the first. I look forward to reading After Anna next!

3.5 ⭐️

LIGHTENING DOESN’T STRIKE TWICE DOES IT!?

A teenager vanishes at an airport… There isn’t a single sighting on CCTV!!!!

This mystery thriller completely drew me in… &had the edge of an action packed movie! An original story line with twists &turns.

The ending was slightly rushed for me &I struggled to empathise with the characters (they weren’t quite developed enough for me). I have to say Final Call is still my favourite book by Alex.

Perfect for those who enjoy:
- Mystery’s
- Suspenseful thrillers
- Original storylines

With thanks to Harper Collins Netgalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have enjoyed all of the booked that this author has written and this was no exception. The storyline was great as was the characters and had me hooked from the first page

I started off enjoying this book until about 50% then I began to lose interest in the storyline.

It all became a bit boring for me and the continued use of the F word just began to spoil it personally.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for this ARC.

I absolutely loved this book, it had me hooked from the very start and felt like I was watching a super fast paced action movie! This book gives a whole new take on "pager turner" If I could give it more than 5 stars I sure would, highly recommended for those thriller lovers out there.

I really enjoyed this book which was unlike my usual reading. I felt that even when I could see what must have happened that there were unexpected events and I had to piece together slowly with new information.

15 year old Anna gets on a plane in London to visit her father in Manchester, and fails to arrive. CCTV gives no indication of where she might be, and since she was abducted by her grandparent once before, her parents are very worried indeed.

Things do not improve when Anna's half brother Oakley also mysteriously disappears, and both the mothers are frantic to find their missing children.

The story is fast-paced and easy to read, but the characters don't always feel convincing, and the attempts to throw the reader off the trail are sometimes a little transparent. Nevertheless, Alex Lake is an entertaining writer, and this book is no exception. Most of the fan base will likely enjoy it. It gets 3.5 stars.

This had the promise of a good mystery but it just failed to deliver. The characterisation seemed a bit stilted, especially Anna and I failed to empathise with both mothers of kidnapped children. There was a lot of unnecessary dialogue and the plotting was unbelievable, the ending was rushed and there were a lot of unanswered questions which left me feeling disappointed. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. I’m a big fan of Alex Lake and his style of writing so I was eager to start this new book. I found it to be a very fast paced and engaging thriller that I had to keep reading to find out what on earth was happening! Really good characters and interesting plot with a multitude of twists. Highly recommended.

I always enjoy Alex Lakes books and this was no exception.

Whilst 'After Anna' acts as an introduction to the storyline this can happily be read as a standalone novel.

Characterisation is on the whole very good, just how vapid Willow is beggers belief. I didn't really gel with the characters although I couldn't really say why.

The pace of the story keeps your interest as you wait for the next twist and turn. There are a couple of areas where I thought 'hmm, really' but not enough to detract from the book as a whole.

I look forward to reading the couple of previous books I've previously missed from this author too.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance review copy of this novel.

It was an interesting premise which didn’t quite deliver its potential. Plenty of twists but I guessed the partner early on so that was a bit of a disappointment.. I would definitely read another book by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Alex Lake is one of my favourite authors. I have read every single book and will continue to devour them as they are released.

Alex Lake has a very special kill to draw you in to every single page. Here One Minute is no different. He captivates you with his writing and wills you to read just ONE more chapter to find out what happens next.

I liked the characters in this book. Anna was feisty when she needed to be. I found myself really confused but also routing for her. To find out how someone just vanished into thin air was crazy to read through.

I can't wait for another fantastic book

This storyline had me on the edge of my seat for quite some time as I and the police tried to understand how teenager Anna disappears. Anna gets on a flight at Heathrow Airport to visit her Dad but after landing at Manchester she is nowhere to be found even CCTV draws a blank.
What makes this book even more intriguing is that her grandmother Edna kidnapped Anna 10 years previously, so her parents are distraught.
This book had plenty of mysteries to solve which added to the tension I felt throughout.
My thanks to Net Galley and publishers Harper Collins for the advanced digital copy of this book.

3* Clumsy over-emphasis on 2-3 red herring-type characters and an incompetent cop who doesn't even think to compare numbers, makes this pretty transparent. And Anna's motives require considerable suspension of disbelief.

This is my first book by this author, and it's well written and readable. But, there's quite a lot of waffle meant to detract, I think, from a barely believable plot, especially given the events that become apparent, started by the same perpetrator in the previous book. I mean, how could the dad be so naive to take things at remote value? How could Anna have lived through her previous trauma at an age where she'd not fully forget it or be unaffected by it and still...?

The ending was rushed and again something was taken at remote value, not dotted and ticked/crossed to death, pun intentional, and ugh, it sounds like there could be potential for book 3, but if so, for me, that doesn't bear reading because this family would officially be classed as TSTL.

ARC courtesy of Harper Collins and NetGalley for my reading pleasure.

This is an excellent book about a dysfunctional family, full of twists and with a great premise. It starts off with a bang, featuring Anna, a fifteen-year-old girl who goes missing at Manchester airport. Shortly afterwards, her younger half-brother, Oakley, also disappears. And so begins the roller coaster hunt for the truth which weaves back through time and the complex family dynamics. There are plenty of unpleasant characters in this novel and although as a seasoned thriller reader, I worked out who ‘did’ it, that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. Thoroughly recommend.

Thank you to Alex Lake, Harper Collins and Netgalley for my advance copy.

Another absolutely gripping read from Alex. Being from the North West I always enjoy Alex’s nods to the region and this was no exception.

A teenage girl gets on a flight to Manchester Airport and disembarks before vanishing into thin air. Her mother, father and stepmother are frantic but worse news is to come when Anna’s 6 year old half brother also disappears…..

Could not put this book down. Fans of Alex Lake will it be disappointed and if you haven’t read a book by this author yet, then please do!