A great story from start to finish. The plot keeps your attention all the way through. It shows how events can change people and make them act so differently and out of character.

I read this book over two days and found I was genuinely carrying it around with me so I could read more whenever I had the chance. It therefore lived up to the cover statement that 'once started, you won't put it down' - I was hooked from start to finish! The plot is quite simple and in some cases maybe a bit predictable but the twists and turns of the plot, which led to the 'mice' (Shelly and her mother's) involvement in such cataclysmic events, were utterly compelling. Despite the shocking events which unfold I found myself supporting the decisions ths mice made without question and hoping for their eventual triumph over the immense adversity which they had suffered. I would thoroughly recommend this book to everyone who appreciates a gripping and fast paced thriller of a read.

I took so many sharp intakes of breath whilst reading this book that I began to feel dizzy. This book is not so much roller coaster but more like a ten ton truck hurtling down a mountain without any breaks. I normally take the blurb on the covers with a pinch of salt but the comment '... you won't be able to put this down...' was absolutely true. I sat down and read this book in one session (neglecting my family and myself) as I literally couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. The hair raising plot (though extreme) is utterly plausible. The characters are totally convincing and it is shocking to see how they and the plot evolves. Gordon Reece has written a cracker of a thriller which sucks you in and spits you out - shaken and disturbed.

I can't remember the last time I put my entire life on hold in order to finish a book as I did with this novel - for the last 2 days it has taken over my life and drawn me in! I dont think the premise of this novel is anything new, but Reece's narrative, and construction of the characters means that you are absorbed into the tale hook, line and sinker. In many novels, if the characters carried out the actions that Shelley and her mother perform in this novel, the reader would be regarding them as the villains and wanting justice to prevail so they get their retribution. However, Reece constructs this novel so that I didnt feel that once and actually hoped that by the end of the novel they were back to their peaceful lives. The novel starts by exploring the truly horrific events which lead Shelley and her mother to move to the contry, creating so much empathy for the characters that it is impossible to look beyond this as the novel progresses. The characters can, and do, do anything and you would not think any less of them. It is this early part of the novel which truly grips you and encourages you to find out if the 'mice' really can overcome the problem which faces them. Although there are no massive plot twists, no gripping suspense, Reece makes it impossible to put this novel down and forces you to read on no matter what! I challenge anyone to read this novel and not finish it in one sitting!

mice caught my attention from the very start. I was unsure at first if I would enjoy the book but I was wrong! It’s a story about a mother and her 16 year old daughter Shelley, whose best friends turn against her, and the consequences of this leads her and her mum to escape to the countryside for a ‘peaceful’ life, but one night an intruder turns everything they live by upside down. it shows the lengths an ordinary person can be driven to, to protect themselves and their family. This book shows what we are all capable of doing, what we’d be willing to do if we were pushed too far or spent our lives being treated as if we don’t matter. I loved this book and I think it’s a very easy read and a must for any fans of Minette Walters, just when you think you know how it ends, there’s an unexpected twist at the end. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for any more of Gordon Reece’s books.