Rewind

Thank you so much for sending me the ARC of this brilliant new thriller , I absolutely loved it!.

This story has a few central characters who the narrative switches between , doing so in stylish and slick time frame changes so you get the full picture of what each person's been up to and when. It brilliantly then stitches all the pieces together and gives you the big picture which is so cleverly done it leaves you amazed.

This tense and twist filled thriller is such a delicious treat!! , I adore a book that can keep me guessing , keep me on the edge of my seat and then completely floor me with it's reveals and turns.

From the dramatic and fast paced opening I was hooked and it didn't let me go until the very end. All of the characters are so well written and their individual plots so flawlessly interwoven , I was desperate to know what each one was going to do next and how their story would end.

I really enjoyed the format , the way the time frames and different narratives of the characters were written was just flawless! And made for a really exciting reading experience.

I also loved the whole atmosphere, and for me , someone who hasn't even been to Ireland I feel as if I know it purely down to the wonderful way the surroundings were described in this book.

This is my first book by this author that I have read but I am now very much looking forward to reading her others too!

Thank you again for this amazing story!

Rewind Catherine Ryan Howard

The front cover of the book has the words Play. Pause. Run. REWIND. Not just words, 4 words that conjure up a lot of possibilities in the world of crime fiction, but the more you read the book the more significant they become, not just in the story as it unfolds, but also in the way the story is narrated.

When Dublin Instagram Influencer Natalie disappears nobody is really worried. After all she had posted that she was going off line for a few days, but why did her husband, Mike, not report her missing until she had been gone for a week?

Audrey is a wannabe journalist. Actually she’s already a journalist on an online newspaper, but to her dissatisfaction she is an entertainment journalist working on the “sidebar-of-shame” looking for clickbait stories.

Her ambition is to move upstairs and work with the serious journalists on real news. So when her boss offers her a job, a bit of a crossover story, she doesn’t hesitate. The rumours of Natalie’s disappearance have started to circulate, and reports are reaching the news desk that her husband has reported her missing. Audrey is given the job of looking to see if there is more to the story than an Insta-celeb going off in a huff or looking for publicity.

What she doesn’t realise is that she is about to start a journalistic investigation which is always half a step in front of the Police. It’s just that neither, she, or the Police, know exactly what they are investigating.

Play, pause, run, REWIND is exactly how this story is narrated.

It is no spoiler to say that a murder has taken place and that somebody has caught it on a webcam, but who has been murdered, by who, and why? All these usual questions asked in a crime thriller, are laid out in the ways of the command on a video recording

Having set the scene of the murder the story rewinds to before it to set the scene, runs ahead of the murder to look at Audrey’s investigation, and pauses at all points in between.

Each chapter is set either before, during, or after the murder and is written in such a way that the end of most chapters are cliff hangers that don’t get resolved until the story returns to that piece of the timeline. There is so much suspense in this book that it is impossible to put down.

Catherine Ryan Howard is a new author to me but looking at Amazon I can see she has written two previous books, and if they are as good as this one, I have no idea how she has been off my radar.

Usually a book that jumps backwards and forwards chronologically would have me giving up on it within the first 50 or 60 pages; but REWIND had me hooked within the first 20 and kept me there all the way till the end.

2019 is turning into a stela-year for crime fiction. So far this year I have read some of the best books to be published for years. This one is right up there with the best of them.

Pages: 300
Publishers: Corvus

A claustrophobic and gripping thriller from Catherine Ryan Howard. I read it on holiday in two sittings and absolutely loved it, but had to check my hotel room thoroughly afterward... Catherine is an amazing thriller writer and she has RUINED sleeping anywhere except my own home!

Like all of Catherine Ryan Howard's books before, I couldn't put this thriller down! Flashing between the past and present, Rewind keeps the reader guessing just what exactly has happened in that remote cottage in Cork, who is to blame, and what exactly is going on. While I saw a few of the twists and turns ahead of time, it didn't spoil my enjoyment of this book at all. Would highly recommend this for anyone who loves a good mystery!

Wowwwwweeeeee !!! What a absolute stunner of a read and it’s so damn cleverly plotted it took my breath away. The chapters are done like a dvd with play, rewind, fast forward, pause and this made the book totally unique, sinister and compulsive also some of these characters are creepy to say the least !!
I can honestly say I haven’t read a book quite like this that is written in such a way that you need to keep your wits about you as there are many hints and clues and it’s this that makes the storyline very satisfying. Lots of suspense going on here also and I really could keep raving about the book as it’s going to be one of my favourites of the year so far I just loved it and it’s a 5 star read for me and a big thank you to Catherine Ryan Howard for an exceptional read.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Atlantic Books / Corvus for giving me the chance to read the Arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rewind is fantastic! I’ve never seen non linear narrative used so effectively! I feel it would be difficult to review this properly without giving a lot away so just read it, you won’t regret it!

This is a real page turner of a book with a really unusual plot. It starts with a description of a really brutal murder that has been filmed by a hidden camera. Problem is, the murderer knew it was there but was not the person responsible for placing the camera. The person who did hide the camera now can't disclose the murder to police because he will be implicated in other crimes. Add to this the disappearance of an instagram influencer, mysterious credit card bill which indicates her husband has been unfaithful and other characters that are all downright creepy!!

The style of the book is one I'm not always keen on - we go back and forward in time with the different characters until we have an overall picture of what happened.... bit by bit the full picture is revealed. Although I sometimes struggle to keep track of this type of storytelling, there is a relatively small number of characters that made it easy to follow.

There are some huge issues tackled in this book - child sex offenders, pornography, infidelity, marital problems, lies, secrets, gaslighting.... it's all in here. Despite this, it's not as far fetched as you might think and has left me with a bit of uncomfortable feelings about holiday accommodation and social media!!

Once I’d got used to the play/pause/rewind/fastforward element of this novel (which I’m still not entirely sure I followed the concept of, but that says more about me than it does the story), I loved this book - not least because it was set in Ireland (for some reason I really enjoy stories set there, even though I have never been!), this story is a truly thrilling whodunnit. After Instagram sensation Natalie goes missing, it seems to fall at the feet of journalist Audrey to investigate what has happened - but there are other characters with their own dark secrets who know far, far more than they are saying. I particularly enjoyed how the story ends, as everything is properly tied up for the reader - something that is not always the case for every thriller.

It's always good to discover a new author and as soon as I've finished writing this review I'll be going onto Amazon to see what other books of Catherine Howard's I can download. This is a genuinely creepy psychological thriller about a social influencer Natalie who disappears. It involves child sex abuse, pornography, blackmail and hidden cameras recording in holiday homes and hotels. Horrible! The structure is a little odd following Pause, record and rewind just as you would on a video recording and while I understand the relevance of this I did find it a little contrived and unnecessary but it didn't detract from my enjoyment. The characters (apart from the hideous 'baddies') were sympathetic and Audrey the would be journalist was particularly well drawn.

All in all, a good psychological thriller. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

So creepy and so disturbing!
Instagram "influencer" Natalie is trying to find out if her husband is really cheating on her and disappears off to a tiny holiday let on the coast to track down his illicit liaison.
Audrey is trying to track down Natalie, hoping for a juicy story that will elevated her from the click-farm of the entertainment pages of her online newspaper employer up into the realms of the real reporters.

However, all is not as it seems at Shanamore cottages, with so many disturbing characters hanging around the place it feels like the type of place you should leave before you get there from the outset!

It turns out that all of your instincts play out in this chilling tale of a seemingly innocent trip to discover the truth, unearthing a whole different and despicable reality as the book plays, pauses and rewinds through the various characters viewpoints and back stories to finally arrive at the real truth.
Creepy, chilling, intense, horrifying.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this book

Oh my, this was the first book I have read by Catherine and I was absolutely gripped. I read it in two sittings on holiday. I was a little scared afterwards and had to get my husband to check our holiday let one night as I had a bit of a scary moment. Catherine is a great thriller writer and she I am now a bit worried about sleeping somewhere that isn't my own home. Still scared now and again now !!

Catherine Ryan Howard has created a fan out of me with Rewind. This is my first from the author and it certainly won't be my last. The story is creepy. Howard makes use of a unique format taking advantage of the Pause, Play, Rewind, Fast forward aspect of the novel. The story actually starts in the middle with a woman being killed and then the book proceeds to rewind to the past and at times fast forward, etc. It is confusing at first and takes some getting used to, but once you get it..the book is fast-paced. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy excellently plotted psychological thrillers.

First Catherine Ryan Howard book I have read, it won't be the last.
Completely gripped from the beginning.

Full of twists, turns, and suspense
You don't know exactly where it's going to go

Brilliant read, highly recommended

Thank you netgalley, Catherine Ryan Howard and Corvus for allowing me to read and review this book.

This ARC was courtesy of Netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

WOW - a truly original concept - Absolutely loved this - Brilliant !!

This is a modern, timely story - taking in social media

Fantastic opening - grabbed me immediately - couldn't put down

Highly recommended

What a heart stopping, creepy and twisted tale.
Fantastic plot which keeps your attention throughout. I thought I knew where this story was going, but I really could not of predicted the outcome and the many shocking turns that got me to the end. Kathryn Ryan Howard is an author to watch and after reading this masterpiece I will definitely be reading more of her books. Outstanding.

This is a very cleverly written book that might just make you reconsider how much information you share on social media or how you look at your next hotel room!! Initially there seems to be too many characters to keep track of but as the story progresses all becomes clear as the different stories are expertly knitted together to reveal the killer, the motive and the means. The reader is kept on the edge of their seat throughout by the different timelines and character voices.
Well done,.. great thriller!!

3.5 stars
A well thought out thriller. I liked it but didn't love it, mainly because I didn't love any of the characters, maybe because of all the shifts back and forwards in time.
I will still read more from Howard as I've enjoyed her work before and the book was well written.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

A man is watching a woman sleep in a bed when he realises there is someone else in the room with her. This person then attacks her and murders her. Who is this woman? Who is this man? And, the bigger question, is who is the murderer?
Natalie O'Connor is a married Instagram influencer who went offline a week ago, her husband has just reported her missing and a budding journalist Audrey has been given the story to write a few words on an online entertainment website. Audrey runs with the story on the hope of making it upstairs to the real news department.
This story hops between the various characters - Natalie, Audrey, Andrew the manager of some holiday cottages in Cork and Jennifer the owner of a rundown B&B in Dublin. It also hops between different times. This keeps the suspense going. We see the story from different aspects and at different times.
I loved this book. Catherine Ryan Howard really knows how to keep your interest and she tackles a number of subjects in this book - murder, privacy issues, social media, pornography and paedophilia all come together as part of the story.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Catherine Ryan Howard for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard.
I rate this book 4.5 stars
A murder is recorded,You need to PAUSE PLAY REWIND to find out exactly what happened!
Natalie an online popular blogger goes missing, Andrew and Shanamore holiday cottages hold a dark secret, Audrey a reporter from an online paper gets drawn into the mystery.
Brilliant the way the story was told through chapters..... play,pause,rewind,although I did get a little confused at times.Wow! I read this book in a day and loved it! Hooked from the start l couldn't put it down.Highly recommended reading.
Great suspense thriller,will be looking out for more books by this author.
Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A claustrophobic, atmospheric and gripping crime thriller. Running between then and now. The reader is left guessing what really happened in that remote cottage in Cork ? Bet you get it wrong I did. Another fantastic read, I loved the plot, the story line is both original and so clever. A real page turner and a must read. An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Atlantic Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

A woman is sleeping in a holiday home, when a figure clad in black emerges from the shadows calmly holding a knife. The intruder flicks the cheek of the sleeping woman, intent on waking her. Then a stabbing frenzy. The woman fights for her life. When it is over the killer calmly walks over to an alarm clock on the chest of drawers and destroys it...breaking the feed signal of the camera hidden inside....

When Instagram blogger Natalie goes offline and is later declared missing, small time online reporter Audrey sets about trying to find a story where there doesn't always appear to be one, and ends up getting more than she bargained for.

Wow wow wow. I really loved this book. This is a cracker of a read, a creepy and twisted thriller for the modern digital era we now live in. It is suspenseful, immersive and clever. The story is slowly teased out giving great character development and keeping your interest from the shock opening right through to the brilliant reveal at the end. Fantastic. One of my favourite reads this year so far.

Being from Dublin and having visited Cork, it was made all the more enjoyable for being familiar with the names of some of the places mentioned, Irish people and their ways, and childhood memories of bygone Irish summers . Absolutely loved this element of the.book too.

This book will leave you thinking about your online life and will also change how you look at your next hotel room...

Rewind is a fantastic psychological thriller written as if you are watching a film/videotape, with chapters divided into play, pause, run and rewind. I think this is a nice way to differentiate between timescales and is integral to the plot.
Audrey, a news reporter in the making, is whiling away her time on the entertainment section of the paper she works for, bored with writing pointless stories about vacuous celebrities. When the mysterious disappearance of instagram sensation Natalie Collins comes to the attention of Audrey’s boss, this could be the lucky break she needs. No one at the time can foresee what a scoop this story could become as what initially starts as a story about someone maybe needing time out from a hectic schedule quickly escalates into the possibility of foul play.
Most of the action takes place in Shannamore, a tiny seaside town in East Cork, the kind of place that really only comes alive in the summer months. Small places like this are a haven for gossip and Audrey wastes no time in heading there, the last place Natalie was sighted. The question is what prompted her to leave her supposedly happy life in Dublin to rent one of the holiday lets known as Shannamore cottages?? Is she having relationship problems with her husband Mike or is she being stalked by one of her Instagram followers?? These are questions Audrey is trying to answer as she follows in Natalie’s footsteps, renting the same cottage, searching for clues as to Natalie’s whereabouts.
There are some great characters in this novel, many of whom are not above suspicion such as Andrew, the caretaker of the cottages and Richard the local weirdo always skulking around. Both are unlikeable creepy characters with secrets to hide as the reader gradually discovers. The location of this thriller is brilliantly portrayed with the author setting the scene so vividly you could be there right amongst the action. Rewind had me hooked from the start, totally invested in the outcome. The plot was perfectly paced in terms of tension and had me making assumptions/taking certain facts at face value, outwitting me until the end when all the loose threads are neatly tied together. Some shocking revelations make this a superb read and I predict this will fly off the shelves. Thanks to the author and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this.

Now, some books make me feel uneasy but this terrified me!
A bit of a read before I go to bed I thought, well that didn't turn out right well. Within a couple of minutes, every one of my senses were ringing warning bells! It felt like fight or flight mode but I had nowhere to run to at this time of night. I was definitely NOT getting under the covers in bed!!!!!!!! I had to read the book and hope to find some answers and a vicious killer before I went anywhere near the stairs!
What an opening, some of the most memorable characters in movies and books have the briefest of appearances and the most impact. This is one of them. Natalie had come to this out of the way motel to find answers but she had felt uneasy with the Andrew the manager. She was spot on with her assumption as he had hidden cameras in the rooms. When he got time to rewind and playback the tape he had captured Natalie being murdered. Whoa, this was some vicious attack.
Natalie was a pretty well-known celebrity who had posted on social media that she was disappearing for a few days but her hubby asks the question, where is Natalie? Budding reporter Audrey goes on a mission to find out, in exchange for an exclusive from him.
The tension never lifts from the first chapter in this book, which is impossible to stop reading once you open it up. It really did make me so very edgy, yes my own fault for reading so late which did add to the feel of the read. There is a cracking line up of characters and more than one person with a bunch of screws missing!
This isn't a very long read but it is certainly memorable, think Psycho! think Bates Motel! think I am never booking into a motel again! Stunning.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.