Anything You Do Say by Gillian McAllister @GillianMAuthor @MichaelJBooks

Author : Gillian McAllister
Title : Anything you do say
Pages : 390
Publisher : Penguin
Publication date : October 19, 2017

Joanna is an avoider. So far she has spent her adult life hiding bank statements and changing career aspirations weekly.

But then one night Joanna hears footsteps on the way home. Is she being followed? She is sure it’s him; the man from the bar who wouldn’t leave her alone. Hearing the steps speed up Joanna turns and pushes with all of her might, sending her pursuer tumbling down the steps and lying motionless on the floor.

Now Joanna has to do the thing she hates most – make a decision. Fight or flight? Truth or lie? Right or wrong?

With so many books carrying the label of psychological thriller these days, it’s a tough genre to stand out in but Gillian McAllister manages to do exactly that in the most fabulous way.

For many among us, the scenario isn’t all that hard to fathom. Walking the dark streets on your own, thinking you’re being followed. Imagine taking action but then something horrible occurs. This is what happens to Joanna as she believes she’s being followed by a man who harassed her in a bar. She pushes her pursuer, who tumbles down the steps and remains motionless. And this is where the story really starts.

Basically, you get to books for the price of one. The story alternates between chapters called “reveal” and “conceal”. In one storyline, Joanna comes clean and faces the consequences. In the other, she runs. Personally, I highly disliked Joanna. She didn’t come across as very smart and is absolutely awful at making any kind of decisions, preferring the “stick head in the sand” approach. Her constant faffing about got on my nerves quite a bit.

But I think not liking her worked to my advantage somehow. It allowed me to focus on events and really consider what I would have done in that situation.  I feel that if I had liked Joanna, I might have been distracted to the point of rooting for her in either of the scenario’s, which wouldn’t have felt right. I know what I mean, I’m just not sure I’m explaining it well. 😄

This is such a hard book to review as there’s very little I can talk about without giving the whole thing away. The storyline is incredibly thought-provoking and brilliantly executed. It’s just so utterly clever, gripping and compelling. Gillian McAllister is most definitely one to watch and books like these are what keep me coming back to this genre time and time again. Highly recommended!

Anything You Do Say is available now!

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