This is the second book I have read by Simon Mayo and once again one I have enjoyed reading. The plot involving a very contagious new virus is very topical in these post covid days. The title comes from the clicking sound which can be heard from the ears of those infected and is causing panic in the population. The central characters are a schoolteacher and his daughter who attends the school he teaches at. Some of the first infections are noticed at the school and the plot follows the investigations carried out by them his partner who is a medical scientist. As the story develops they become more and more personally involved and there are many twists and turns right to the end.

Rose is sitting with her friend when she hears a clicking sound coming from Harriet’s ear. What is going on? This is just the beginning of our adventure as a new illness affects more and more people. A well paced novel in the wake of Covid. Lots of worry for our characters. You should read to see if Rose becomes affected and what can be done.

*4.5 stars * Tick Tock’ takes place post Covid, and I would probably have chosen not to read it whilst Covid was at its very worst, however, having read Simon Mayo’s previous novel Knife Edge ( which was particularly good) I decided to give it a chance, and I’m very glad I did. Tick Tock begins in the present and then goes back to four days earlier, as it slowly builds the storyline over the coming days, to when the tick tock ‘clicking’ sound began in peoples ears. Everyone can actually hear the clicking in other people’s ears. Videos start to be shared online. Most people found it hilarious and thought it was probably tinnitus, it wasn’t tinnitus and it wasn’t hilarious - it was a nightmare! We then go back even further, to eighteen months before this strange phenomenon began, back to when teacher Kit Chaplin met Lilly, the mother of one of his English students. Lilly’s daughter Jess and Kit’s daughter Rose find the relationship embarrassing to say the least. As the disease spreads, this embarrassing relationship will be the least of their worries! The storyline becomes ever more tense and dangerous, as Kit and Lilly get closer to the truth of what is really going on here! A cracker of a read and another winner for Simon Mayo!

Well, this is a different book for me to read/review! I do not mean different to be an euphemism for 'not too good', it is a very good book. When I started to read it I wondered if 'Simon Mayo' was also being used as a duplicate pseudonym for Stephen King and this was book number #145. I expected the book to develop into gangs of ear-clicking vampires running amok this time in the UK and not Maine. Fortunately not the case. Following on from this I thought the book intended to be a Covid rerun but this time concentrating on how it started (laboratory intentional?) and with no lockdowns! The majority of the book I really, really enjoyed and fully expected to rate it 5 stars or more. But,,,, the big difficulty with a unique storyline like Tick Tock is how on earth do you come up with an ending that matches the majority of the book. This is where I think it fails. We get a bit of a 'Hollywood style' ending thrown in the mix together with a spy thriller not dissimilar to Robert Goddard books. Mine was a review copy and the final page consisted of an abrupt ending (someone comes into the room - no clues here!) concatenated with acknowledgements and research. I must look for the book when it is out in August. To be honest I cannot think of an ending to match the storyline but definitely well worth a read.

This is the second book by Simon Mayo that I have read, and again it's a belter. I read it over two evenings, both times staying up far later than normal as didn't want to put it down. Great story, I liked the characters, just a really enjoyable read.