When photojournalist John Wallace is attacked and almost hung in his own home, the police don't believe his story. They're convinced it was a failed suicide attempt. Wallace is sectioned and placed into psychiatric care, where a further attempt on his life is made. Wallace manages to fight-off his would-be killer and escapes the psych ward but is convinced his attacker won't give up until he's dead. He reaches out to ex-girlfriend Connie and together they discover other similar deaths-by-hanging that have been ruled suicides and terrifyingly, they all bear a striking resemblance to his own situation. Now convinced he's in imminent danger once again, Wallace and Connie delve into the backgrounds of the other victims but are frustratingly unable to find a link. Wallace follows the trail to America but the 'Pendulum Killer' remains one step ahead. Who is he and what is his connection to Wallace? Can Wallace stay alive long enough to find the answers he so desperately needs and bring the killer to justice? What a rip-roaring ride this is! The reader is thrust straight into the action in the opening chapter and from then on it's GO, GO, GO at 100mph! John Wallace is a bit of a sorry character. He's trying to pick up the pieces of his life, move forwards and lay the past to rest. He still dearly loves ex-girlfriend Connie but knows he's messed it up for good. When events push them together once more, he grabs the opportunity for a second chance. He desperately wants a future with Connie, and she with him, but can he stay alive long enough to make it happen? I was sitting on the edge of my seat with trepidation trying to work out the connection between Wallace and the other victims. The author certainly has a flair for keeping the reader guessing. Yes, it's all a bit unlikely - but this isn't real life, this is entertainment baby! It's thrills and spills at its very best. I experienced every emotion and loved every second of it. If you like no holds barred full-on action from beginning to end; I recommend you read this book - like NOW!

Pendulum has probably the best opening chapter of any thriller I have read. John Wallace, a London photographer and veteran of the Afghanistan war, opens the door of his flat – only to be seized by a masked and body-armour-clad assailant. He is strung up from a beam in the flat with a noose around his neck. He is about to die – and he has no idea why… The beam (luckily put into the flat for artistic effect only…) collapses under the pressure. John seizes the opportunity, crashes out through the first floor window – and runs… Sadly, though, for me the opening was the best part of the book. A good thriller has to be somehow believable (even if belief is at times somewhat strained…). Pendulum unfortunately is not. It is too farfetched and too unlikely a story. Wallace encounters a policeman, and explains what has happened to him. He is not believed – there is no evidence of a break-in at his flat, and the police believe he is simply a failed suicide. He is sent to a psychiatric facility where the same assailant breaks in and, again, nearly kills him. He escapes and flees to an ex-girlfriend, who does believe him – and encourages him to go again to the police. This time the police take it seriously and a trap is set for the assailant, but it fails in dramatic and bloody manner. Who is trying to kill John, and why won’t he give up? John decides he has to be the one to to investigate. He Googles and, perhaps oddly, discovers others who have been attacked in the same way – apparent suicides with notes left on their Facebook pages to ‘prove’ it. Each has a dirty secret which is revealed in the note. The victims are scattered across the UK and the US with nothing apparently to connect them. For me, too much of the story is devoted to telling the tale of each ‘suicide’. Their stories are too disconnected and come over very much in isolation. To a significant they extent disrupt the narrative of the book. John, after dramatic events in London (no more for fear of a spoiler…) heads out to New York to carry on with his investigations. He teams up with a disgraced detective, and they get closer to the ‘Pendulum Murderer’ – so called because of the way he leaves his victims swinging. The finale of the book is certainly very exciting, but – to my mind – somewhat too ‘clever’ and contrived. All that said, others clearly do not have the same view of Pendulum as I do. It has received some rave reviews and is being adapted for UK TV. There is also talk of a motion picture. I leave you to read the book and make up your own mind.