The Friend

Narrated by Alexis Rodney
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Pub Date 1 Apr 2021 | Archive Date 8 Apr 2021

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Description

The Kindle Best seller returns with the first in a gripping new crime series.

A Stranger.  A promise.  A deadly game.

If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Even justice.  
  
Danny and Sharon Evans are desperate for answers. Why did their seemingly happy daughter try to take her own life?  
   
When a stranger approaches Danny, saying he knows who’s to blame, Danny is tempted, despite Sharon’s reservations. And when his new friend offers them revenge, how can he walk away?  
    
But little does Danny know he is being invited to play a terrible game. A game that won't just change lives – it will end them.   
   
DI Joel Norris knows this is no ordinary case when two seemingly unconnected murders hit his desk within a matter of days. But how far is he willing to go to solve the puzzle?  
  
Dark, gripping and unforgettable, The Friend will keep fans of Harlan Coben and Mark Billingham on the edge of their seats.

The Kindle Best seller returns with the first in a gripping new crime series.

A Stranger.  A promise.  A deadly game.

If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Even...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format, Unabridged
ISBN 9780008445539
PRICE US$31.99 (USD)

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (AUDIO)

Average rating from 38 members


Featured Reviews

Audio version of this book 📚by one of my favourite authors! And he doesn’t disappoint with this new addition! The plot was gripping and unusual and had you guessing to the end ! My only criticism is that the narrators voice was rather monotonous and ruined it a little for me but the storyline was that good I just had to keep listening!!

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Just finished listening to this book. All about revenge. It shows how revenge can go wrong and how people make the wrong decisions. I generally enjoyed this story, found myself clapping the father of the young girl. I did get confused in places but it all came together at the end. Thank you for my review copy, I will definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

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When Danny Evans is approached by a stranger in his hotel bar he thinks it is a fan who wants his autograph but new friend claims to have information that Danny needs. There is a growing sense of unease as the friend helps him, they enter into deadly game but does anyone know the rules?

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This was a clever, creepy and disturbing thriller! With no early plot reveals, intense characters and unsettling murders it maintained its page-turning quality throughout.

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Creepy, thrilling, unbelievably good!

I listened to this as an audiobook that was narrated by Alexis Rodney and he did a phenomenal job. This suspenseful mystery thriller was written well with lots of tension. Everything happening kept me guessing and on edge.
How does someone deal with tragedy? Can they get passed it? Feel better? And if they can find something to help will it really help?
This is going to be a favorite of mine for 2021. I highly recommend it.
Thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio via Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

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Charlie Gallagher is a new-.to-me-author and I was gripped by the mystery of the disappearance of Sharon and Danny's daughter. Why would someone who is aparently happy go missing? I was listening to this eager to find answers to that question. The plot was twisty, sometimes dark and the pacing kept me interested.

Thanks to Charlie Gallagher and publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars

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I thought The Friend by Charlie Gallagher was really clever, how intricate the stories wove together and slowly unfurled the connections between the victims of the mysterious but deadly do-gooder. It was expertly narrated and every time 'The Friend' spoke, I could hear notes of Fagin from Oliver which I loved! The story quickly drew me in and I was eager to listen to more, firstly about Danny Evans and then about Richard, whom I hoped would be around until the last page. This is the first book by Charlie Gallagher I've read, but it won't be the last. Thanks to Netgalley and to the author for an advanced copy.

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Here’s a quick checklist to see if you’ll want to friend The Friend:

- Did you read Harlan Coben’s The Stranger or watch the series on Netflix and like the overall concept but find the execution too far fetched? And/or,

- Were you sucked in by the “game” aspect of J.D. Barker’s A Caller’s Game but disappointed that there was so much explosive over-the-top action? And/or,

- Do you like the central premise of the Saw movies, where a villain puts his victims through tests, but dislike the horror and gore aspects?

- Did you love Adrian McKinty’s The Chain right up until it ended the lamest way possible?

Personally, my answers were yes, no, yes, yes. And since three outta four ain’t bad, I was very intrigued when I saw early praise for Charlie Gallagher’s latest thriller. He’s a new-to-me author - and the cover for The Friend is certainly generic - but I decided to take a chance on it anyway. Sometimes that pays off, and this was one of those times.

This is a thriller with a great plot, fascinating characters, and plenty of twists. I also love that there’s a police procedural element to it. I believe this is the start of a new series featuring D.I. Joel Norris, and consider me signed up for the sequel.

I received a gifted advance listeners copy of the audiobook courtesy of HarperCollins UK Audio via NetGalley for review. Alexis Rodney did an outstanding job with the narration, capturing each of the character’s moods and emotions in his singular performance.

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This isn’t my first book by Charlie Gallagher and it won’t be my last. I found this one to be a bit of a slow burner but the suspense and creep factor is on point. Interesting storyline with plenty of twists. The need to continue listening to find out what’s going on is huge and the blurb gives you an idea that you make your own assumptions but they may not be right. I was pleasantly surprised how it veered down another road. I did enjoy it but it lacked the fast pace for me but still worth a listen.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC that was published on the 1st of April.

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This was a good solid thriller with interesting twists and a plot that engaged all the way through. I was given a free audio version to listen to courtesy of Netgalley, and sadly I didn't seem to gel with the narrator, although I can't put my finger on it. I get the impression I would ha e enjoyed the written word more for this one, as I appreciate it's hard to build suspense in an audiobook.

For storyline and plot though, it was great!

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‘The Friend’ drew me in with a tantalising synopsis alluding to a deadly game and 2 devastated parents trying to find out why their daughter made an attempt on her own life. A mysterious stranger comes along promising the answers they crave.

This audiobook is a very worthy addition to contemporary crime fiction, and I feel fans of this genre won’t be disappointed. DI Joel Norris is a likeable character, who, I’m sure will have a long and lucrative career spanning a series of novels.

This book doesn’t scrimp on guts and gore! The narrator carries this off very well, being clearly talented and easy to listen to.

The plot is very intricate but written very well so I didn’t get confused at any point!

My thanks to Net Galley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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Danny Evans is approached by a stranger claiming to know who’s behind her teenage daughter’s attempted suicide, and he definitely can’t turn this opportunity down, especially not now knowing that the police hasn’t been doing enough. Unfortunately he doesn’t realise that this is only a new game for the “new friend” and that is only the beginning of a series of lies and murders.

First time reading a Charlie Gallagher’s book and it was a really enjoyable journey full of twists and suspence. Compared to many other books I’ve read I’ve found the first part much more fast paced and likeable than the second one, but overall the storyline was compelling and intriguing.

It’s a novel about grief, corrosive anger that evokes in some men the need to blame someone, but mostly it’s about manipulation. It’s quite scary to see how “the friend” using the right arguments can actually push the characters to act in a advantageous way for his game.

Definitely a dark read and highly recommended if you have read the Shadow Man by Helen Fields and enjoyed it.

Thank you Avon Books & NetGalley for the free audiobook in exchange of an honest review.

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Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins audio and Charlie Gallagher for my audio arc of The Friend in exchange for an honest review. 

Published: 1st April 2021 

When a stranger approaches Danny Evans after his daughter tries to take her own life offering the answers Danny and his wife Sharon have so badly needed, Danny is sorely tempted but the guy could be a prankster. But when the stranger offers him a chance at revenge, how can Danny say no? But little does Danny know he's part of a wider game. He's not the only one being promised revenge and this game won't just change lives it will end them.
The Friend is a compulsive thriller that kept me up listening well past my bedtime each night until it was finished. It's very twisty and hard to work out. Fast paced and enjoyable it definitely keeps the reader guessing and I would highly recommend the audio book. The narrator was great at giving each character their own voice and in putting across emotions. Really enjoyed it.

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Wow, that was a roller coaster ride and a half! I found myself talking out loud to the characters!!
Firstly I have to say the narrator did a stellar job. He created so much atmosphere and drama with his voice that it was a very enjoyable experience listening to this audiobook.
A girl tries to kill herself after cyberbullying and her parents, especially her father, are in pieces. Then he gets the chance to take revenge. But this is only the beginning. Soon more bodies are turning up.
DI Joe Norris is just back from extended leave and is thrown in at the deep end. Will this case make or break him.
This is a story about choices; about how far you will go to protect your family and about revenge.

A brilliant listen with some great twists that I can highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio for the early access to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

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When Danny Evans is approached by a stranger claiming that he knows why Danny's teenage daughter attempted suicide, Danny grasps desperately at the chance to find answers he's been long searching for. Unfortunately, he doesn't know that what he is committing to isn't a solution to his problems but a thrilling new game for the so-called "friend". And thus begins a long series of lies, deceptions, and murders.

The book has a great storyline and many twists. Unfortunately, not all the twists serve well to keep the tempo maintained, something so crucial in a thriller. I was engrossed in the book till about 22% because until then, it kept the momentum going. After that point, there were just periodic thrills and lulls in the reading experience. Towards the end, I was just waiting for the book to be over because the climax really dragged a lot. At 400 pages and 62 chapters (leading to a 12.5 hours long audiobook), the book becomes quite clunky in its plot and could have worked better if the narrative had been tightened a bit more.

I loved the police procedural parts of the story. The author is a long-serving UK police officer, and his knowledge of being in the frontline of crime serves him well. All the crime-related and police-related segments of the book are quite interesting. DI Joel Norris, the main police character in the book, seems much like an actual police officer and I liked that character portrayal a lot. He showed the human side of the police force.

The narrator, Alexis Rodney, does his best to liven up the characters and keep us invested throughout the long listening journey. However, I couldn’t connect much with his narration, especially after the halfway mark. A narrator can boost a lengthy book only to a certain extent; beyond that, it is entirely dependent on the plot to sustain the listener. On the other hand, if this were an e-book, I might just have DNFed it. So I guess Rodney’s narration did benefit the book.

On an aside, I had loved the cover of the book when I had requested the ARC but now I feel that it doesn’t represent the book accurately.

I would give “The Friend” 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio, for the Advanced Audio Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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The narrator’s voice lends itself to this book in a perfect combination of compassion and fierceness in equal measure!
The story is so perfectly woven, it draws you in, the characters make you want to know exactly how they are feeling at any given point within the book.
I guessed a little before it was revealed “whodunnit “ but that did not detract from the excellent way the tale unfolded .
I would definitely buy this book for my fellow readers. Look forward to reading more from this author

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Really enjoyed this book, kept me on the edge of my seat to the end. Two family groups are involved but don’t know how they are connected. One is a modern family, the father has lost his way and living away from his family but trying to protect them, the mum trying to keep the family together, kids doing their own thing. The other is a widowed man who has a strained relationship with his adult son. Gripping drama unfolds involving the horrific murder of a police officer. Excellent narration, thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook.

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This is by far the best audiobook I've ever listened to!
The plot is gripping, the characters are strong and well depicted, it's an unsettling/disturbing thriller, about revenge and wrong decisions that keeps you engaged until the very end.
A creepy page-turner with a great narrator, definitely reccomended!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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