It's clever. It's a gripper. It's a page-turner. It's an easy-read. It's got twists. You don't see the ending.

I enjoyed it.

Cameron Ward has done it again, another amazing psychological thriller.
For me this was not as pleasant as the others, a difficult read.
It is however well written with good characters, and interesting plot(s).
I liked it though and recommend it to everyone.
My thanks to the author for the pleasure that the book has brought me, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant

I really enjoyed this, it was super interesting different and had some amazing time travel involved. I really liked the character and enjoyed seeing how their life’s changed and what happened to them.
This was different to any other book I’ve read which I loved.
Full review on good reads.

Charlie is estranged from her adult son Theo after he fled to LA a year ago to find his father. Desperate to reconnect, she books a seat on a flight where he is the first officer. But as the flight is about to arrive at LA, the engine suddenly fails and the plane crashes, killing everybody on board. Then Charlie awakes again slightly under an hour before the crash - but what can she do to stop it? I enjoyed Cameron Ward's earlier thriller A Stranger on Board and I was attracted by the time-loop concept of Spiral, reminiscent of films like Source Code. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. I found Charlie difficult to relate to for much of the novel as she takes so long to get it together - she soon works out she has limited time to solve this problem, and yet she still wastes time chatting to fellow passengers and doing random things like accepting drinks from the flight attendant. I imagine that Ward was trying to portray her disorientation and disbelief at being plunged into this situation, and that would have been fine first time round, but it was dragged out too long. I also found it unbelievable that she is supposedly a gifted mathematician and yet struggles to understand the basic physics of space-time: again, Ward probably wanted an excuse to explain it to the reader, but I would have given her a different academic speciality (she wouldn't need a maths degree to know the Fibonacci sequence). The structure of the novel was also frustrating, with Charlie wandering off into random flashbacks in the middle of her chapters - which again, gave the impression that she was sitting around thinking rather than doing. I also very quickly lost sympathy with Theo in his earlier thread, where he came across as incredibly naive and selfish - poor Laura! I did very much like the conclusion of Spiral, where things finally come together and Charlie comes into her own, but my overall sense was that this had the potential to be much better than it was.

I'd like to extend my appreciation to NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to delve into this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spirals takes readers on a gripping journey, skillfully blending elements of suspense and mystery. Charlie finds herself aboard a flight piloted by her estranged son, hoping to surprise him. However, their reunion is thwarted by a tragic crash. Yet, Charlie inexplicably wakes up an hour before the disaster, trapped in a recurring cycle. The Groundhog Day-esque narrative keeps readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating each twist and turn. Can Charlie truly alter the fate of the plane and save everyone onboard?

The narrative structure, seamlessly weaving between past and present, heightens the sense of intrigue. As the pieces of the puzzle gradually fall into place, the story unfolds with a natural fluidity, keeping readers engaged until the final revelation.

Oohhhh I do love me a good time travel back and this one does it very well!

I had a lot of fun reading this and look forward to more

Wow, what a book.

Loved everything about this, the dual timelines, the mob crime background and how most of it was all set on a flight which is different from any other thriller I’ve read.

Would definitely recommend

A solid follow-up to A Stranger on Board by Cameron Ward. The time loop aspects worked really well and created a pacy story. I wasn't 100% sure on some of the characters and parts were far-fetched, but all in all a good holiday read!

This is a great fast paced book! The story is exciting. The characters are realistically I was gripped throughout and enjoyed the ending so much!

Wow what a fantastic book which I could not put down. I was gripped from the first page and there were so many twists and turns I just did not know what was going to happen next.
I really felt for the characters in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed the plot.
The ending was excellent, fast paced, exciting and totally unexpected.
A fantastic five star page turner.
Thanks to NetGalley , Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Cameron Ward for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Spiral is a thrilling book about a mother, Charlie, trying to repair her relationship with her son, Theo, who is the first officer on the flight.
The story jumps back and forth in time, making it a bit confusing at first, but it adds to the suspense. Charlie finds herself stuck in a loop, reliving a plane crash, and she's the only one who knows how to stop it. The characters are well-written, and the twists keep you hooked until the end. Overall, it's a gripping read that blends suspense, family drama, and a bit of sci-fi.

Spiral opens with Charlie at Heathrow Airport.

She is flying to LAX to repair her relationship with her only son Theo.

Theo is the First Officer on her flight.

What evolves is a "closed room" scenario where time loops and Charlie must figure out the clues to save the flight.

But every time she wakes up, time has moved on

A tense thriller to the end!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Publishing for the chance to read and review this book.

A cleverly written book, which even though time jumps backwards and forwards through the story, it is quite important for the scene setting. I started off feeling bemused but soon got hooked. I didn’t know exactly where it was going until the last second and it is both unexpected yet obvious. An interesting read.

An interesting read with lots of ups and downs - literally. Get ready for a roller coaster of a ride on an airplane.
The story goes back and forth in time (it can be a little confusing at first - but stick with it!).
Charlie is mum to Theo, and she is on a flight where her son is the first officer. During the flight a crash takes place and this is the beginning of a replay of the flight over and over again giving Charlie a chance to change what happens each time. The reader gets more and more of the back story leading up to the flight each time it is played out again.
An enjoyed this book and look forward to reading another by this author.

A groundhog day type of story but well written and an enjoyable read.

The main characters were quite well developed and you certainly wanted the Mother in the story to succeed.

Think Final destination (the first one with his vision on the plane) meets groundhog day.

Charlie is a mum too the first officer Theo she gets on his flight because she knows he's in trouble but he isnt aware she is there.

while on the flight she falls asleep a crash happens at 12.00 she wakes up and plays it over until time runs out.

it was a very interesting concept and it made you keep reading too learn more about what was going too happen on the flight and why.

i have too admit i did get a lil bored in the middle so did skim read through some of it.

the end outcome was sad but understandable what would you do too save your son and others if you knew something bad was going too happen in limited time?

overall i enjoyed it bit it did leave you with some un answered questions

High Octane Suspense..
A routine flight from London to Los Angeles takes a devastating turn when, ten hours in, the engines fail. Everything begins to wrong, the plane crashes, everyone on board is dead. Then.. you wake… and it begins all over again - but this time you know exactly what is about to happen. What would you do? A terrifying and tension fuelled read in this high octane rollercoaster of a suspense with a unique premise which delivers in droves, a credible and well crafted cast and a heady and propulsive plot.

What a brilliant book!
Charlie has booked herself on a flight that is being piloted by her son, Theo. He has no idea that she is on board.
She doses off whilst wondering what she will say to her son by way of an apolgy for the lie she has told him throughout his life.
A lie about his father.
Suddenly, she jolts awake and finds that violent turbulance is tossing the plane around. She glances at her watch. The woman in the seat next to her has a panicked look on her face as the plane makes a sudden drop and starts to break up. Charlie knows that the planes fate is sealed and the lives of everyone on board are soon to be snubbed out. She will never be able to tell Theo how sorry she is.
The next thing she knows is that she is woken, and glances at her watch again. As the same events unfold time and time again the feeling of deja vu grips her as she realises that she is stuck in a horrific loop. However, the loop is getting shorter each time, and she finds that she can change the events a tiny bit at a time as each loop passes.
Will she be able to stop the plane from going down?
I loved the backstory to this book, as we travel back in time to discover the events that lead up to this flight, and why Charlie needs to make her peace with Theo.
A1 read.

I’m an avid flier. I travelled a lot as a child and LOVED planes so I always tend to read about them too… It just so happens that everything I read is a thriller and should put me off flying but it really doesn’t!

However, this was very twisted but so, so clever. We are introduced to Charlie who is taking a flight and it turns out the First Officer is her son. She is being advised to tell him she’s on the flight but it’s all very secretive and atmospheric.

Not long into the flight, the engine fails and the plane takes a nose dive… until Charlie wakes up. The people’s lives on the plane is in Charlies hands. It was very emotional and turbulent (no pun intended) and you can really feel the fear and unease with Charlie. She knows exactly what’s at stake AND her son is flying the plane.

The twists and turns were very good and at times, took me by surprise, I never saw it coming. I would say that a little less repetition would’ve been good but I also understand why it was like that (no spoilers here!).

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Cameron Ward and Michael Joseph for this e-arc.