Following on from last years standout read The Siege, we now have The Fallen which takes things to another level A read which just oozes tension, dripping in suspense From the opening your’e intrigued by Becca Palmer and need to know more about her, you know that everything is not as it seems you just don’t know what. Straight away you get a real sense of her as a person, troubled, vulnerable, frightened, seemingly with no hope and no where to turn. There is however, one trait in her character which for me was the crux of the story and that is her past where she has been known to not always tell the truth and can easily be confused, the way the author has written her is to be aplauded, because all that self doubt for me is where the book shines in that you never know if what you are reading is the truth or to be believed and that just builds up the doubt in your mind as you read and where the suspense and drama take over, you question everything as you read it as the story starts to twist things and turn them on there head. You can all sense this in Alex Lewis and his partner Pip where they have to question if what they are hearing is the truth It was a fascinating and absorbing read, which drew me in straight way, from then it builds until the climatic finale John Sutherland knows how to engage with the reader, the plot is wonderfully thought out and constructed on the page, a slick and taut police thriller Through Alex Lewis and Pip you get a glimpse of what it takes to be a hostage negotiator and the stresses and strains it can place on their lives Another area which added a sense of realism for me, you can see the authors own experiences brought to the fore, you can believe in what you are reading, it has an air of authenticity. In someways this is part political thriller, but also a social commentary on todays political system, which makes for a very relevant read, also how mental health issues can be manipulated against those who are at their most vulnerable The chapters are constructed in a way that keep flitting between the main protagonists, but keep things moving along where you get the action from both sides as it unfolds, but cleverly they relate and inform each passage The characters within come across with a sense of what it means to be in politics and the manipulation that goes on, the greed and the conniving to get to the top, even within the police John Sutherland has crafted a novel which is sure to be a hit, a standout read, one of those which is hard to put down, a classic page turner, a novel packed with twists and turns and an exhilarating ending 5* one which I would highly recommend, for me an author to watch out for

This is an interesting thriller from the author, a good mixture of thriller, police procedural and political suspense. I really liked the plot and the characterisation, especially Becca who is assistant to a rising MP. It's an emotional read, woven beautifully by the author as we see Becca struggling to come to terms after being dismissed from her job. Superintendent Alex Lewis is drawn in to this as a negotiator when Becca attempts to take her own life. An excellent mixture of suspense and political thriller which I would recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Thank you to John for the signed & dedicated copy. I am really pleased to report that I loved it and will now be right here for the other books in the series. I have also bought it for other people for Christmas this year too. Great characters, excellent tension and absolutely loved the storyline! Very happy to recommend to all crime thriller fans.

When negotiator Alex Lewis is called to a bridge in London to talk down a potential jumper he does not realise what this will lead to. Becca Palmer is a young political advisor who claims she was having an affair with a senior politician, one who may or may not be involved in corruption. Her mental health is fragile and Alex, his partner Pip and a journalist they encounter have to decide whether or not to take her claims seriously. I really enjoyed this book. It is not overly highbrow and is quite short so I skipped through it in a couple of hours but it was gripping enough to keep me hooked for that time. There is loads of cliche here but it is backed up by experience, Sutherland has lived the life of his protagonist Alex, and the knowledge and detail shows. As a quick exciting thriller it works very well.

I found this by chance when I was looking for something to read on my Kindle. Alex Lewis is a superintendent in the Met and a trained hostage negotiator. Called to Westminster Bridge he finds a very drunk and upset, Becca Palmer, who has just been sacked from her job as assistant to Simon Jones MP – the policing minister who’s tipped to be a future Prime Minister. Becca tells Alex she’s been having an affair with Jones and hints that she knows things that she shouldn’t. Alex and his partner Pip (who is also in the police) take Becca under their wing, and together with Becca’s sister find themselves trying to get to the bottom of a conspiracy. I was expecting this to be a run-of-the-mill police procedural but it isn't. The characters are believable and the story so well-paced that, as the novel nears the end, I found it unputdownable. So much so that I'm now tracking down the others in this series. Review by Norfolk Gal, Oundle Crime