This book is set mainly in London. Kit Chaplin is a school teacher, has one daughter, Rose and they are getting over the loss of his wife/mother. Kit has started a relationship with Lilly Slater who is a scientist. Hannah, Rose’s friend, starts with a clicking in her ear which she assumes, as does everyone else, is tinnitus. As she gets worse other children in the school start with the same problem which causes some concern and panic. Hannah is hospitalized and more and more people get the same issues which starts to fill the hospitals. The medical staff that no idea what is happening, they have no medication and people start to go deaf with any other symptoms. The story runs along the lines of the covid epidemic. Kit starts getting an issue with his hearing and this sparks off his need to know what is happening and to protect his daughter at all costs. Rose starts a whattsapp group and starts to get messages which proves that the epidemic is spreading far and wide. The story, like most these days, moves backwards and forwards date wise and this makes for interesting reading. Being a scientist Lilly reads and listens to Rose’s messages online and starts to discuss the issue of the clicking with scientists around the world. Eventually things develop and Lilly’s probing gets them closer to the truth, there is a bacteria out there which is causing deafness and even death. Eventually things start coming together and Porton Down and Russians come into play. Lilly starts serious investigations and this takes her to her home town and in turn finds a devastating truth which does lead to how and why this epidemic starts. A really enjoyed the book but thought the ending was odd

I took a punt on Knife Edge and was very pleasantly surprised being as I only know the author from his DJ side of things. So I was quite excited to get my grubby mitts on this book. And, even though my expectations were high, it blew them out of the water. It really did deliver everything I wanted and needed for a book of this genre. Cracking plot, wonderful characters that you really do care about, good pacing all the way through and an ending which both explained enough and satisfied. So.. we follow school teacher Kit as he starts to notice that people a ticking. Yes, an actual ticking noise emanating from certain of his pupils' ears. He tells his daughter Rose, who goes on a google-hunt and finds more instances of the same thing happening all over the country and abroad. He also talks to his partner, bacteriologist Lilly who is just as dumbfounded. Roses's best friend Harriet succumbs and it all becomes a bit too close to home... Wow, as well as being a cracking thriller, it's also a bit coming of age for Rose as well as being a quite emotional character driven book. I know that global pandemic stuff is a bit "too soon" for some but if you are of that ilk, I really do recommend you earmark this for the future rather than missing out altogether. One of the things I really loved about this book was the author's use of real life events, woven expertly into his fiction. Citing many events that correlate wit what is happening with the ticking. Spoilers prevent me from naming them here as it would hint too much to the overall content and reason for said ticking. But trust me, it was so well researched. I am guessing that this is a stand alone book but I really do think that certain characters have a lot more to give and would really love them to star, or pop up, in more books in the future. Me I'm just hanging for his next book, whatever it contains...

This was a very scary realistic story about manufacturing and weaponising viruses and bacteria. Some great characters and non stop action to track down a cure. The fact that some recent examples are mentioned makes it seem very real. Great read!

Well, BBC Radio presenter Simon Mayo sure can write a darned good thriller! I really enjoyed his last book Knife Edge and eagerly anticipate this one and I’m most definitely not disappointed! A dramatic and very tense situation develops on board a No 27 bus which increases exponentially when Rose Chaplin tries to board. It then backtracks four days to teacher Kit Chaplin, Rose’s father, who struggles to understand the situation before him when students develop an audible ticking in their ear. His partner scientist Lilly Slater is equally baffled by the phenomenon which increases and spreads across the globe. The story is told in days and hours and from Rose, Kit and Lilly’s perspectives. Wow. What may seem like an improbable premise via the use of actual evidence the author makes the whole thing feel all too plausible and just to reassure those who don’t want to read about Covid - this is not a Covid story. It’s a well developed thriller where tension builds incredibly well so you actually feel the rising fear factor. It’s very intriguing and although I do figure out part of the story early on, there is no way I figure most of it out, not by any stretch of the imagination! This is an excellent conspiracy theory thriller, it’s exciting, full of danger especially from feral behaviour provoked by fear and knowing what we do now is sadly all too believable! It’s riveting and hard to put down. I like the well chosen setting for much of the action which I won’t mention as it could be a spoiler and the characters are well rounded and clearly portrayed. I really like Rose who is full of gumption and bravery, Kit is kind, caring and a great dad and Lilly is dogged in support of them both and in pursuit of the truth. It builds well to a good and enjoyable ending. Overall, another cracking read from a man of many talents.

Just when we thought we were recovering from a world pandemic, along comes another threat to mankind. Ever topical, Simon Mayo does it again with a brilliantly written, extremely well researched contemporary gripping story. The story kicks off with a frightening episode where a young girl gets kicked off a bus due to the concern she may be infected with a disease that causes an audible clicking sound from the ear. The girl is Rose, the daughter of a teacher, Kit, who we meet when the book goes back 4 days to build up to the bus incident. Kit has a girl called Jess in his class who happens to be the daughter of Lilly, a scientist who is his partner. When the infection starts to get serious causing deafness and death, it becomes a race against time to find what, where and how this infection came to be so dangerous and whether there is anything possible to stop it. The author has done a great job of penning a conspiracy theory story that takes the panic we all felt over covid, mixing it with some fear of biological terror to deliver a very believable story that will have you urging Kit, Lilly and Rose on through a journey that increases in pace making you turn the pages quicker than ever. There’s even some twists to help keep your enjoyment going which is always nice when you don’t particularly expect one. Following his excellent first adult novel, Knife Edge, Simon Mayo has definitely added another bestseller to his list with this great atmospheric and tense thriller. Highly recommended. Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.