Kit, Head of English at a London school, hears an odd clicking in his classroom. Rose, Kit’s daughter, laughs when she hears the clicking, because its coming from people’s ears, not their phones. Soon people start becoming scared, and with good reason. This medical thriller is atmospheric and hard to put down. What starts as a good thriller, set just after the Covid pandamic, turns into tension packed pages filled with an exciting mix of fact and fiction. The fear is palpable, the main 3 characters are likeable ordinary people, and the ending is so good that I wouldn’t be surprised if I start quoting it as fact in a few years – I was that drawn in. 5*s from me! Little about the plot here, as I don’t want to give anything away. I did find the timelines at the beginning a little confusing, but when I worked them out it worked really well. There are no chapters, but there are frequent breaks in the narrative, which are perfect for readers needing a quick pause. I had no idea Simon Mayo the broadcaster, was also a writer, I am now his latest fan, and recommend Tick Tock wholeheartedly to anyone who wants to immerse themselves in a fast moving and dramatic thriller.

Tick, Tock by Simon Mayo is a very clever and fascinating story about a manufactured virus which is unleashed and it’s effects on the world wide population. Sounds familiar? It is still a worthwhile read , with an excellent storyline to keep the reader investigated until the end.

As Kit Chaplin is teaching his Year 12 class at Marylebone College School he hears a click coming from a student and it isn’t until his daughter Rose’s best friend Harriet gets similar clicks that he realises there’s something wrong. The clicking spreads until it’s affecting a vast number of people worldwide causing civil unrest and riots throughout. Kit’s partner, eminent vaccinologist Dr Lilly Slater, becomes involved and they attempt to discover the origins of this deadly disease and who or what is causing it. Simon Mayo has yet again written a brilliantly exciting contemporary thriller that’s had me in its grip from page one and hasn’t let go until I’ve reached the end. I thought ‘Knife Edge’ was excellent but ‘Tick Tock’ far surpasses it for explosive, dramatic and breath-taking action. The story involves a global catastrophe and threat to human life that draws parallels with the Covid pandemic. The further I read the more involved I became with the plot and characters until it was impossible for me to stop reading. This is an exceptionally well-written and mind-blowing novel that’s worthy of far more than five stars.

This is another page turner from Simon Mayo. A clever book - with the fear of Covid still not over we are confronted with the threat of another pandemic that works in a weird way, manifesting as ear clicks that can be heard outside of the ear. Good strong characters and a very good plot makes for an excellent read. I loved it. And when I went out in my car just now I noticed the tick tock of the indicators when I put them on. That was a bit freaky as it's usually one of those background noises you just don't notice! With thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a e-ARC of this title to read and review.

Having read Knife-Edge by the same author, I was looking forward to reading this, although harbouring a little trepidation, in case it wasn’t as good. I needn’t have worried! This book is a fast -paced, racy story , which grabs the reader from the start and compels you to read on, quickly! It is a great thriller, about a pandemic, which coming so closely after Covid, I thought I might not enjoy. Conversely it actually made it all the more relatable, the panic of keeping a distance from people, the helplessness, a race against time, urgent and action packed. The main characters, a feisty, brave teenager, Rose; Kit, her father, a widower and an English teacher at her school; and Lilly, his partner and an eminent scientist, are all brilliantly rounded characters. The structure of the book, jumping in time to show the reader how the plot develops, with specific times throughout the days, all contribute to this race to find a solution, time running out! Totally addictive reading! The plot is a skilfully well structured conspiracy theory, I did not predict all of the twists and developments. I think the best thing about it is that it is so realistically possible, that I found myself on edge. I became totally unsociable as I just wanted to read on in this compulsive thriller. Simon Mayo writes brilliant and edgy books!