BLOG TOUR: The Box by Dan Malakin

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Box by Dan Malakin
Published by Viper on June 16, 2022
ISBN: 9781782838715
Genres: Fiction, Crime, Thrillers, Technological, Mystery & Detective, General, Suspense
Pages: 359
Format: ARC, Paperback
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

To save your child you must open The Box...
Ed Truman's family is falling apart. His daughter Ally is being targeted by an alt-right incel organisation, Men Together. His house is being picketed, former clients are accusing him of sexual assault, his son won't speak to him. And then Ally disappears.
Frantic, Ed suspects that Men Together have abducted her. But before he can go to the police, his DNA is found on the body of a young woman. Suddenly he's the subject of a nationwide manhunt, led by the tenacious DCI Jackie Rose. Ed finds himself on the run with Ally's friend, Phoenix, who claims to know where Ally is. But what is the truth? Is Ed a violent sexual predator? Or is he the victim of a ruthless conspiracy? The answers are in The Box. But not everyone who goes in, comes out alive...
From the bestselling author of The Regret, this heart-pounding thriller is perfect for readers of Harlan Coben, Mark Billingham and M.W. Craven.

The Box is a one-of-a-kind novel that can only be described as INSTANT BUY.

When this beauty dropped through my letterbox, I was instantly excited. A missing daughter. A strange box structure imprisoning her. A handsome man with more than an air of danger. I haven’t read the author’s previous work, so I had no idea what I was in store for – boy was I in for the surprise of my life.

So, what does The Box offer? A hard and sharp look at society.

Ed Truman on the surface has it all. His law firm is thriving, he supports the victims of domestic abuse and does a lot of work pro bono. He is an upstanding member of the community. His home life, however, is less than perfect. His wife harbours resentment for only getting her career back on track now after raising their two children, Ally, and Mitchell. Mitchell is awkward and socially distant and has developed a certain distaste for his father. Ally is like any teenage girl…well she was before she started getting harassed by an Alt-Right group that has some very strange thoughts about women’s rights, and trans rights and they are extremely homophobic. Ed takes out an injunction against them and then his daughter goes missing, coincidence or connection?

Dan Malakin’s writing although of an incredibly dark nature feels incredibly right. The trajectory of the plot is like a rocket but somehow you know to trust the author’s vision. Let’s face it, there are so many new emerging voices in the thriller genre that it is very freeing to just trust the road they are taking you down. It might be dark and have many things that go bump in the night, but with resolve, you will get through it. I told you The Box was an experience.

Enter Detective Jackie Rose. Now, this is a characterisation powerhouse. She heads up the serious crimes division. She’s brave, intelligent, and resourceful. She suffers from PTSD and is haunted by visions of the past. When recruit to the division, Charlotte enters the fray, and they disagree with each other’s methods. Jackie thinks Charlotte couldn’t catch a killer even if they hand-signed a confession and Charlotte thinks Jackie partakes in too much aggression. She takes no shit from anyone!

The subject manner is a hard pill to swallow. The author sees a boundary and kicks it to the side. Men Together is an incel group that quite literally had my piss boiling. The part that is so utterly frightening is the fact that these people exist and are trying to get their message across to young boys and being the impressionable young men, they could be taken in by it. Intelligent individuals making preposterous claims are unfortunately believed in our right-wing media channels.

The Box is an unsettling and disturbing tale examining how society treats others that are different. It may only be the author’s second novel, but it has the finesse of a master.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dan Malakin is a crime/thriller writer and data security consultant. His short stories have been widely published both in print and online, and he has twice been shortlisted for the Bridport prize.

Dan Malakin