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 Hunted by P. R. BlackPublished by Head of Zeus on August 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781801105361
Genres: Psychological Thriller, Scottish Highlands, Isolation, Friendship
Pages: 352
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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The powerful new psychological thriller by P.R. Black, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Kerri Beevis.
When a group of female friends gather at a beautfiul but isolated Scottish island lodge for a weekend away, they're looking forward to catching up, sharing updates on their lives, reminiscing...
The furthest thing from their minds is death.
But some of the women there that weekend have secrets. Dark secrets that can ruin friendships, ruin marriages - ruin lives.
And sometimes that old friend from the past isn't such a good friend after all... and things you thought you knew turn out to be your biggest nightmares.
Praise for P.R. Black:
'A slow-burning thriller that builds to a devastating dénouement' Mail on Sunday 'It's edge-of-the-seat stuff... A cracker' Bookbag 'Copious amounts of suspense' Novel Kicks
The Hunted is a compelling journey through the human psyche. A perfect story to see in the Autumn months.
The Hunted follows a very familiar premise – a group of friends have a reunion in a remote location. This follows a very different path, however, a path with treacherous signs, a path with whispers in the wind, creeping shadows edging into the periphery of your vision. What’s it like to be hunted? The fear, the anxiety, the resignation of the inevitable. Many of us will never know these feelings but Black takes us there, balancing on a knife’s edge. The visual imagery takes us there. It takes us to hell and back with the characters – strap in.
Leah and her friends, Toni, Debs, Mouse, and Shell head to the Scottish Highlands for a girl’s weekend away. It’s a reunion of sorts, their childhood group, known as The Owl Society, but all grown up. Leah is the narrator, and we get insight into her struggles, she’s married to Surgeon, John, and is a mother to a little boy, David, who after an accident ended up disabled. She’s a strong and courageous woman. This reunion puts her on edge, the differing personalities of the women clash, reminding each other of their faults and shortcomings, mix that with alcohol and it’s a dangerous mix.
The Hunted has a very real and unstable threat lurking in the murk. It’s watching their movements, their conversations, and the friction building between them. The more they argue, the quicker it will be to wipe them out one by one.
The story threatens to cut your throat from the very first chapter. I love how that initial shockwave remained at the forefront of my mind waiting for the bomb to drop. It didn’t disappoint. We have quite a few morally grey characters and we quickly see the seeds of jealousy, bitterness, and resentment start to spill out into the group like one mouldy piece of fruit in the bowl – it quickly spreads and infects the rest. Leah knows if they were in a more civilized area she would already have left. The author builds his plot around it, around that idea of helplessness. It made it easy not to judge the character’s actions but instead feel.
This is the first novel I have read from P.R. Black, but it will not be the last, I am a fully converted fan now. Not only did I love the bleak atmosphere – I adore the highlands and love exploring our natural environment, but we had a gut-wrenching sense of suspense mixed in to create a toxic potion that threatens to corrupt them all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pat Black is kind to spiders.
He is the author of The Long Dark Road and the Amazon bestsellers, The Beach House and The Family.
His short stories have been shortlisted for awards including the Bridport Prize and the Bloody Scotland short story competition. He was also longlisted for the William Hazlitt essay prize.
He was named one of the winners of The Daily Telegraph’s Ghost Stories competition, and his work has been performed on stage in London by Liars’ League.
He lives in Yorkshire, but will always belong to Glasgow. He knows full well what your opinions are about people who talk about themselves in the third person.
