This book was nothing like what I expected. After reading the blurb, I thought I knew what I was getting into—but I couldn’t have been more wrong. As a fan of dark thrillers and explorations of the human psyche, I was surprised to discover a whole new level of darkness in this story. The heavy atmosphere caught me off guard, but once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. The writing and character development were fascinating. The passages depicting Ariel’s nightmares were especially gripping, vividly illustrating his fragile mental state. I found myself wondering how much more he could endure and when he might finally reach his breaking point. The themes of grief and regret were incredibly moving, and I truly felt for Ariel throughout his journey. This is a well-written book. Its thickness initially put me off, but by the time I reached the end, I was wishing for more. And the ending—it fit the story perfectly. Now, thanks to social media, I know there’s another book in the series, and I can’t wait to read it.

The Fall by Albert Jaskula starts as it means to go on it is full of grit and action. At times, the prose is short and that adds to the intense drama. I had to read some of the sentences twice to ensure I understand what is happening, but I think that is because it is so faced paced that the words sometimes ran away from me. It is a book that I needed to concentrate on to make sure that I keep up with the plot. I got an intense sense of the main protagonist, Jaskula’s way of describing things is a testament to his writing. I could feel the angst and extreme pain he is going through emotionally as well as physically. The book follows a private investigator and uniquely for a book goes through more than one investigation which reignites the attention span, I was nervous at the beginning of the book as it was so long, but it didn’t feel like that while I was reading. Some of the book, in  my view, is gruesome but it did pertain to the story, and I felt it was justified. The main protagonist is definitely a badass PI, but he also has another side to him that he is trying to make win over the darker side. In conclusion this book is fast paced and very dark dealing with the seedier side of life. There were surprises throughout the book right until the end which kept me engaged and I was wondering what happens next. A testament to Jaskula’s writing a great first novel that I fully recommend if you love a dark thriller that will keep you on your toes.

The blurb commanded my attention immediately and as soon as I started reading, I was hooked. It’s a chunky book, consisting of five hundred pages, but the writing is sharp and the story moves at pace so it doesn’t feel like an onerous read at all. It’s gritty, dark and I would go as far as to say gruesome at some points. Now I’m quite squeamish, but I made it to the end so stick with it if you can. The story is well crafted, weaving together different investigations until the whole plot unfolds. This is my first experience of a book by this writer, and I will definitely keep a look out for future works. A tense and gripping read.

3.5 stars It took me a while to get through this one. The writing style was different from what I'm used to and I wasn't sure how I felt about Ariel, the main character. I liked how it was split into the different investigations. I liked the backstory on Ariel's past and how hauntingly real it felt. I did not like Marie-Ann. Actually wanted to slap her a couple times

I was initially drawn to this book by the intriguing front cover. A little nod to the James Bond style maybe - but this is definitely not a cosy crime/family spy storyline! Check out those triggers - because this is another dark one! I have to say that I found this one a little bit of a struggle to get through. I love to be grabbed right from the start and I think because it took me a while to get into the writing style and storyline - I had to really focus. And this was not a short read - at about 500 pages! Having said that - once I got going, the pace really had me racing through the pages and I couldn't put it down by the last third. Ariel Fall is one heck of a detective. Horribly flawed, not afraid to bend those rules almost to breaking point and absolutely not against delving into those dark and dingy cases. I loved the logic of his investigations though, which we see at work throughout the storyline. The writing style, as I said, took me a minute to get used to working with - but it absolutely worked well with the style of the genre and the brutality of the character and plot. This is not for the faint hearted - but you all know me by now - I have no fear! I think that I'd definitely give this author another read - as after the tricky start, I did really enjoy this.