What would you do for your children? Would you protect them at all costs, no matter what they have done?

This is the crux of this story. A father, riddled with guilt for failing his first wife, now faces a moral dilemma when it seems his son has lost his way and done the unthinkable. It is also a question about how well you know your children and ultimately, about the fact that actions have consequences.

It's another absolutely brilliant book by an amazing storyteller. A story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, with twists you don't see coming. Sam Lloyd's books are always very visual, and you can see the scenes play out in front of your eyes.

A must-read!

4.5 Stars

This was a tense, atmospheric thriller, pulling you in immediately, with rich detail, emotional depth and twists that genuinely surprise.
While the suspense starts pretty high, there is still a gradual build up and, just when you think it is settling a little, it will hit you with another swerve!
The main characters are complex and believable to a point, if only for the lengths they will go to to protect their family.
Ultimately, this was a chilling, very well written thriller that I highly recommend if you are in the mood for a suspense-filled rollercoaster of a read!

This is my first read from Sam Lloyd and what a brilliant introduction I had to this author’s work!

I couldn’t help but really like the main character Joe as much as I wanted to smack some sense in to him at times! His decisions were very questionable but I enjoyed the journey he went on. I loved the cliffhanger endings to the chapters, they made it difficult to put the book down! I was so obsessed with this story I told my boyfriend (a non-reader!) the whole plot as I read, to which his reactions were the same as mine, shocked and excited for what was coming next! 😂

It’s not often a thriller holds my attention from the beginning right until the very end but this one did, I found it unpredictable I really couldn’t guess what was coming which I absolutely loved! The story is pretty dark and the descriptive writing did make me pause at times but this made everything feel all the more real.

I would highly recommend if you’re looking for a gripping, fast-paced thriller. I am off to buy more Sam Lloyd books!!

Well that was some read! A breakneck paced thriller from Sam Lloyd that truly asks how far a parent will go for their child and how far families and relationships can go when faced with unspeakable challenges.

Breathless story telling, full of characters that are so unbelievable yet relatable, this is a frantic, loud and pretty crazy stuff but boy is it a page turner!

I had a lot of fun with this and the finale is clever and well crafted. Excellent again from Sam Lloyd

I received The Bodies by Sam Lloyd from Netgalley as an ARC.

I've read all of the author's previous books, The Memory Wood being my fave, but struggled to get into this one. Seemed to reread several pages/chapters. Normally I would dnf, but I do enjoy this authors books so persevered .

Once I got into the story it went along at a reasonable pace and enjoyed as a whole.

Thank you again to Netgalley for the ARC

At the second time of trying I’ve actually finished this book. I love Sam Lloyds writing but the numbers before each line distracted me reading it the first time. I enjoyed Lloyds previous three books so I started again determined to read it. I was glad!
How far do you go to protect your child? Joes life goes from bad to worse when he helps his son cover up a murder. This book was thrilling from the beginning and had me holding my breath. I definitely wanted to give Joe a shake though.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a dark and gripping read right from the start. The tension keeps building as more bodies turn up, and tough choices have to be made to protect the people closest to the main character.

Joe Carver wakes in the middle of the night to find an intruder in his house. To his shock, it is his son Max, covered in blood after killing someone. Wanting to protect him, Joe buries the body but that is only the beginning. Things quickly spiral out of control.

Many of the characters were easy to influence, which added to the story’s intensity. I found myself frustrated with Joe at times, but that made him feel even more real. The book is full of twists and explores the question of how far a parent would go for their child.

The ending was wrapped up enough to feel complete, but still left me wondering. It made me think there could be a sequel or that the author wants readers to imagine what happens next.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It was suspenseful, emotional and hard to put down. I would definitely recommend it to fans of dark thrillers and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the chance to read this ARC.

I was so disappointed I was really looking forward to reading The Bodies, and I appreciate it’s an ARC but I couldn’t get past the numbers at the beginning or end of every sentence, it distracted me and as I was reading, so I had to give up as I found it so frustrating. I love the sound of this book so I will definitely be treating myself to a copy when it’s released.

ha, such a clever book. i was already asking myself the question on the cover before i even dove in. and boy did this book deliver more. and so much more besides that. this book was clever and tabbed me in from the start. the cover is also needing a shout out. i dont know why or how but it seemed to just be perfection for the book and plot. quite simply but brilliant.
and im sorry did any of you get past the blurb any quick to open the page. did anyone not get such weird excitement from needing to read this book!? i did. i read the blurb and there was a joyous "wahoo" feeling of wanting to dive right in.
i could feel the desperation of Joseph from the very beginning. he is asking all the questions we all would. but god i would hope it wouldnt happen once never mind....again!
because Joseph wakes one night to find his son covered in blood trying to clean himself up. its told to be an accident. but there just so happens to be a body along with that accident. so what should he do now? what else could he do in that moment than decide to cover it up, to bury the body. ouch! but thats its right( i mean even that isnt just it is it!?) BUT that isnt it. that is most definitely not it.
i feel bad at finding this book just soooooo gorgeous and readable. it was a delight of a thriller. read it. you will see.
and i dont want to give any more away because you just haaaaave to come to this first yourself. but boy oh boy you will love it like i did and you will be glad i didnt spoil one single word that comes next. but be ready. its about to get a whole lot weightier and a whole lot better for you readers.
i was gripping my phone far to tight at points. come on this was so good.
stand out book from who i am coming to realise is going to be a standout author. just brilliant.

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

Joe Carver wakes one night after hearing an intruder in his house. He discovers to his horror that the intruder is in fact his son Max who is covered in blood after killing someone. Desperate to help his son Joe buries the body but soon discovers this is only the beginning of things to come.

This book is dark and suspenseful throughout and makes you question the lengths you'd go to to protect your child.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to others. I'm looking forward to reading more from this particular author.

When Max kills someone his father helps him bury the body..

What would we do in the same situation?

This is an intense and emotional read but it is also a book that many readers will have a difference of opinion. This makes this a superb book club book choice and I will be recommending it to my friends

Joseph Carver wakes on night and finds his son Max covered in blood saying that he accidentally killed someone. Desperate to protect his son, Joseph decides to bury the body and hopes this is the end to this tragedy, however he soon finds out this is just the beginning to the nightmare.

I have really enjoyed Sam Lloyd’s books ever since reading The Memory Wood so I couldn’t wait to read this one and wow what a read this was! The story starts with a bang and consistently builds up the tension and pace throughout the story; by the end my anxiety was through the roof and I couldn’t tear my eyes off the pages. The story becomes all kinds of crazy, in an extreme but fun and addictive way and I found my jaw dropping.

The story has an emotional element running through all the darkness and makes you question how far you would for your children and I could really see Joseph’s desperation and turmoil. The characters are all strongly written as is their interactions with one another. This author always does a great job at developing an intense, creepy atmosphere and this story certainly has that; I felt a sense of unease the whole way through.

There are plenty of twists and turns, with chapters ending on cliffhangers meaning you has to read ‘just one more’. This is up there with The Memory Wood as a favourite by this author and one of my top reads so far of the year. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a dark, clever thriller that they will be glued to. I would love to see more from these characters and can’t wait to see what the author writes next. I feel sorry for the next book I read having to compete! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

A tension filled read from the outset that builds and builds throughout.
The bodies just keep mounting up, and with that, decisions have to be made to protect loved ones.
Most of the cast of this read were very easy to manipulate and at times I felt like giving Joseph a really good shake,but this really is a great dark dark read that's filled with twists galore.
For me, there is so much more to be told as the ending, though rounded up, did leave me wondering if we were maybe going to have a sequel or if their future is being left to our imaginations.
Highly Recommended Read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the Arc.

Deliciously tense, I couldn’t put this down! I loved The Memory Wood so much but I think this might be even better. If you love thrillers with unpredictable twists, this is for you.

Thank you so much Netgalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed the writing style and how the books jumps straight into action from page 1. The tension and moral struggle were also really great.

Unfortunately the sections from the perspectives of both Teri and Gabriel didn't land for me and I wanted to skip ahead.

I think Gabriel was good for intensity; he came across as super creepy.

The pacing slowed in the middle for me and I found it really difficult to stay focused on the book because there were numbers running all the way through every single line.

4.5

0 to 100mph from the get go and tension at the max with atmosphere you could cut with a knife. Well, if you’ve read Sam Lloyd before you’ll know what you’re in for. Joseph Carver awakes one night and steps into a world that no parents wants to enter when he finds his son Max covered in blood and cleaning himself up. It’s an accident apparently, but there’s a body in the boot of his car. He helps Max by covering it up and disposing of the body. If he thinks things are bad, they’re going to get a whole lot worse and then some.

Poor Joseph, he’s riddled with guilt and full of angst in a myriad of ways , there’s so much tragedy he’s had so much to deal with as the wheels of his life come off and are barrelling in front of his eyes yet again and taking him into nightmarish realms. The turmoil he feels is palpable as he weighs up the amount of lies he’s got to construct and it gets worse. A whole lot worse and oh boy, some of the discoveries are jaw drops. It’s definitely like sitting on an epic rollercoaster as it rushes its way through one situation after another, twisting and turning on unexpectedly in random directions. It’s very hard to put the novel down as there’s an unravelling in more ways than one as things speed out of control. It’s probably a bit OTT at times, but it’s fair to say I’m glued to it, so who cares??

Just as you think things can’t get any worse, there’s an escalation and things that you don’t foresee. I actually realise at times I’ve been holding my breath. It’s dark, scary and fast paced with a whole lot of twists and a really good ending.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House U.K. for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

I really wanted to read this book, but found the typos so frustrating. There were also numbers on every line which was distracting so I couldn't read it

This is a tightly plotted and well paced thriller with a good twist. I enjoyed the mounting tension and the insights into the mind of a conflicted man, unsure who to protect or trust.

I did find that a few of the characters were two dimensional and hard to believe. The bits from the perspective of both Teri and Gabriel didn't land for me and I found them both unconvincing. I wanted to skip ahead. Teri felt especially weak and didnt come alive on the page.

All in it was an enjoyable, albeit flawed thriller.

This is one of the craziest thrillers i have read in a long time.
Murders galore. Trying to guess who did what and why. Dark and scary.
I raced through this thrilling read.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

SPOILERS SPOILERS

4+ ⭐

This was SUCH good fun.
The body count going up, Joseph desperately trying to hold everything together as he mentally and physically fell apart.
Max being slightly casual about things.
It was such good fun, until it wasn't.
Until the tension REALLY kicked in, on those final chapters and everything is laid bare, and you realise hoe much people are willing to do for those they love.
Twists that had my jaw gaping on more than one occasion.
The best yet from this author