#BlogTour The Players by Darren O'Sullivan

 

It's my turn on the BlogTour The Players by Darren O'Sullivan.

About the Author

Darren O'Sullivan is the author of psychological thrillers, Our Little Secret, Close Your Eyes and Closer Than You Thin. He is a graduate f the Faber Academy and his debut novel, Our Little Secret, was a bestseller in four countries. He lives in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire where his days are spent either behind his laptop writing, in front of a group of actors directing theatre or rolling around pretending to be a dinosaur with his young son.

Follow @darrensully on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Amazon,

About the book

In this game it’s kill or be killed. A stranger has you cornered. They call themselves The Host. You are forced to play their game. In it one person can live and the other must die.

You are the next player. You have a choice to make. This is a game where nobody wins…

Review

This is the evolution of anonymity on the net. The sad thing is the majority will bay for blood and engage, especially if it isn't their life on the line. Fight club - the non-voluntary kind. Pitted against each other, what do you do? Do you commit the heinous to save many or keep your morality and send everyone to their graves.

Someone is playing an evil, murderous game with innocent people. Watching them destroy each other on command of a completely anonymous stranger. What is the endgame here? How many people have to die?

How quick people are to give up all their power, especially if someone or something they love is threatened. How fast they are willing to cross the boundaries and ignore their impulse control. What would you do? 

It's dark. Of course it is - it's O'Sullivan. I think he enjoys putting the worst of us on paper. Thinking up the kind of scenarios that will force readers to think about the choices they would make if they ended up in these twisted scenarios. The truth is everyone is capable, it just depends on the circumstance.

Temptation or pressure, life or death, regardless of who you are there will always be the moment when you have to make a choice. Do you kill, be killed or do you make a decision the host least expects? It's a read that teeters on the edge of insanity and control. Like I said it's an O'Sullivan.

Buy The Players at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : HQ pub date 13 May 2021. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Dark Corners by Darren O'Sullivan

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Dark Corners by Darren O'Sullivan.

About the Author
Darren O'Sullivan is the author of psychological thrillers, Our Little Secret, Close Your Eyes and Closer Than You Thin. He is a graduate f the Faber Academy and his debut novel, Our Little Secret, was a bestseller in four countries. He lives in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire where his days are spent either behind his laptop writing, in front of a group of actors directing theatre or rolling around pretending to be a dinosaur with his young son.

Follow @darrensully on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Amazon,
Buy Dark Corners

About the book
It’s been twenty years since Neve’s best friend Chloe went missing. Neve has never recovered and promised herself she’d never go back to that place.

But secrets can come back to haunt you.
When Neve receives news that her first boyfriend Jamie has gone missing, she’s forced to return. Jamie has vanished without a trace in a disappearance that echoes the events of all those years ago. Somebody is watching and will stop at nothing until the truth about what took place that night is revealed …

Review
I think it's fair to say that Neve thinks she has everything under control and that her life is perfect. The truth is harder to acknowledge. She likes a drink, or two or perhaps a few bottles. She is unreliable when it comes to work, which is taking its toll on her colleague.

She blames it on her crumbling relationship with her fiancee, but perhaps the turbulence in her past has a lot to do with it.  Something to do with the fact her best friend disappeared into thin air when they were teenagers.

Now another one of her friends has also mysteriously disappeared and she has no choice but to return to the scene of her teenage nightmares. Perhaps this time she can actually help solve the mystery that has caused years of anxiety and dark thoughts.

It's a psychological thriller that creeps up on you and surrounds you silently.

At the end of the day it's hard to balance the right and the wrongs in this story. When you do something you categorically know is wrong, even if it is to save your own skin, then a part of you will always dwell on the fact it was wrong. How that guilt manifests itself can be different for each person. Substance abuse, inability to have stable relationships  or mental health issues. Unless you have some sort of psychopathology you will probably feel your conscience in some way or other.

When you take the entirety of the plot - not giving anything away - the way certain people ease their own conscience by placing blame on others is perhaps the most interesting element of the story. Probably one that will lead to discussions about guilt and blame. The stories that sit on the boundaries are the ones that make you think.

Buy Dark Corners at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ; pub date  2 April 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Closer Than You Think

#BlogTour Closer Than You Think by Darren O'Sullivan

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Closer Than You Think by Darren O'Sullivan. It's a gruesome psychological thriller with a cruel, vindictive vibe and a small glimmer of hope peaking through the curtains

About the Author
Darren O'Sullivan is the author of #1 bestsellers, Our Little Secret and Close our Eyes. Darren has had his books translated for the Polish Market and has enjoyed bestseller status in America, Canada and Australia with both titles. His third psychological Thriller, Closer Than You Think, is out now.

When Darren isn't writing, he is doing one of two things. He is either in a theatre, where he directs and produces small scale theatre tours for young performers to hone their craft. Or he is rolling around on the floor, pretending to be a dinosaur with his 3 year old.

Follow @darrensully @HQStories @HQDigitalUK on Twitter,
Buy Closer Than You Think

About the book
He’s watching. She’s waiting.

Having barely escaped the clutches of a serial killer, Claire Moore has struggled to rebuild her life. After her terrifying encounter with the man the media dubbed The Black-Out Killer, she became an overnight celebrity: a symbol of hope and survival in the face of pure evil. And then the killings stopped.

Now ten years have passed, and Claire remains traumatised by her brush with death. Though she has a loving and supportive family around her, what happened that night continues to haunt her still.

Just when things are starting to improve, there is a power cut; a house fire; another victim found killed in the same way as before.

The Black-Out Killer is back. And he’s coming for Claire…

Review
*Smacks O'Sullivan round the back of the head for the end of the story* That's just plain old twisted and grisly. Just Saying.

Poor Claire is still traumatised and full of fear, even ten years after being attacked by a brutal killer. She has trouble remembering the events of the evening that changed her life in such a big way. What she does remember is how afraid she was and still is.

Society expects us deal with things, to put traumatic events behind us. Put a brave face on and get on with life. Of course a bystander will always think they are in a position to give the best advice. However, none of them have fear stalking them like a predator in the tall grass.

For Claire nearly every normal daytime situation can turn into a trigger and send her into extreme anxiety and paranoia. The paranoia plays a large part in the story, because Claire thinks the killer is hiding behind every door, noise and face, even the faces of people she loves and trusts.

But that isn't the way the book starts, it starts with an invisible darkness that sits and waits for the right opportunity. The opportunity to create a perfect situation to take a life. The Black-Out killer watches and enjoys the thrill of expectation. He stalks, plans and waits.

You have this bizarre juxtaposition of the victim Claire in fear and pain, and the killer having a load of fun just killing people when he feels like it.

It's a gruesome psychological thriller with a cruel, vindictive vibe and a small glimmer of hope peeking through the curtains. O'Sullivan has this way of creating a character with the feel of a smiling creepy predator, who wants to lure you into the storm drain. You have no choice, but to watch your back.

Buy Closer Than You Think at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ Digital; pub date 15 Mar. 2019. (ecopy pub date 15 March 2019, Paperback pub date 30 May 2019) Buy at Amazon com.