Intrigue, secrets and an opening chapter to keep you hooked, meet The Suspects by Katharine Johnson.

The plot:

When you’re bound together by secrets and lies, who do you trust?

Bristol, 1988. Five young graduates on the threshold of their careers buy a house together in order to get a foot on the property ladder before prices spiral out of their reach. But it soon becomes the house share from hell.

After their New Year Eve’s party, they discover a body – and it’s clear they’ll be the first suspects. As each of them has a good reason from their past not to trust the police, they come up with a solution – one which forces them into a life of secrets and lies.

One of the most engaging crime thrillers I’ve read this year

I read this in one sitting because it was just so fabulous. I started it thinking I’ll just make a dent, but then it ended up being 3:30am, and I regret nothing.

Johnson is really good at setting the scene and keeping you engaged throughout. You’re constantly questioning what led to the opening chapter, especially with all the other issues going on.

There was one minor question which hadn’t been answered (or perhaps I was reading so quickly because I was too excited), but it’s not affecting how amazing this book is. Apart from this one thing, I can’t fault the book at all.

The best thing about The Suspects from my point of view, is that there weren’t many characters, but you were completely blind with who had done what. You are told lies from the get-go, so it’s difficult to try and place the blame.

The writing is incredible – there’s a lot of conversation to make for a quick read, but I didn’t feel like I was missing out on any details despite the short length of the book. I admire authors who can handle this mix, because I’m often left feeling like there is too much description, or not enough conversation.

The Suspects is one of the most engaging crime thrillers I’ve read this year so far. Kept me on edge throughout and I was thoroughly impressed by how it all came together.

Frankly, I can see why Johnson is a bestselling author. I’m going to be adding to this by buying her other books, The Silent and The Secret as soon as possible. I’m down for it. My bank can complain later.

The Suspects, Katharine Johnson, RRP £6.99 (paperback); Amazon

Pages: 248

Independently Published

Genre: Crime/ Thriller