All Fall Down by Tom Bale is a 2016 Bookouture publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was trending for a while a few weeks ago, so I thought I should probably check it out and I’d say it was worth all the attention.

‘All Fall Down’ is a taut, edgy, psychological thriller, coiled up tighter than wound spring.

Rob and Wendy are having a nice evening, cooking outdoors, when a badly injured man stumbles onto their lawn. Later they find out the man has died. At first, it seemed like a very bizarre incident, but Rob begins receiving disturbing notes, and a series of odd occurrences has the family on edge.

Rob’s business was involved in some questionable dealings which he is just now recovering from, and his marriage has reached a turning point, with Wendy expressing dissatisfaction, and their children, Josh, Evan, and Georgia are each deeply entrenched in their own lives. But, when they all go away together for a family holiday, things go horribly awry, when they are placed in a terrifying predicament, putting them in survival mode, for better or worse.

Whew! This story really put me through the wringer! My heart rate spiked a few times and I felt nervous and uncomfortable from start to finish. The psychological terror comes from not knowing who to trust, not knowing what the motive could be, and from inner turmoil within the Turner household. Rob and Wendy’s paranoia is catching as they question event from their past, wondering if it is all somehow connected.

I like stories that expose the fragility of human nature, that implies we are all vulnerable to suggestion, are all capable of almost anything when it comes to survival or protecting our family. This story winds around those loops with precision, exposing the darkest corner of the human psyche, proving we may all have a trigger that turns us into someone we wouldn’t be under normal circumstances, and also proves the power of familial ties, and even the power of love, despite the turbulent and unorthodox way it presents itself.

The characters are certainly unique, rousing me to pull for them, but still left me feeling unsure about trusting them explicitly.

What secrets are you harboring? How far would you go to save your family? How much are you will to hide? What sacrifices are you willing to make and can you live with those choices?

Thought provoking, dark and chilling, and utterly terrifying at times, this novel is one you must read if like suspense thrillers of any kind.

I am a huge fan of Tom’s, I’m not going to lie! I unapologetically fangirl on Twitter because I really enjoy his work so I was more than a little excited to read All Fall Down a MONTH before its release! Having read and LOVED See How They Run earlier this year I was thrilled to get this one!

All Fall Down is twisted and brilliant in equal measure. To be fair, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I started it but that opener certainly sealed the deal in that I was hooked immediately and cursing the fact that I had to leave my kindle down to do real life stuff! I mean come on, do I have to make dinner? I’m at a really good part!!!! (Nobody went hungry, don’t worry!)

Tom Bale has a way with words. His writing is enough to give me the heebie jeebies about everyday, mundane things. Like locking your door at night (SHTR freaked me out for a while after that!) and now I have to contend with making sure our gate is locked too!!!! I don’t like being freaked out Tom!!! *evil eyes*

Scolding aside (he knows I love him really) All Fall Down is a super grippy, page turning rollercoaster of a book! I couldn’t fault the pace, I’m surprised my Kindle is in one piece with the speed I was page tapping towards the end if I’m honest!

I’m an absolute sucker for action in a book. And All Fall Down has it in spades. The characters are excellent too! A mature family is a departure from the characters in SHTR, and it seemed to give Tom much more scope in terms of what they may have experienced in their lives and pasts which gave them a bit more depth and made them seem knowledgeable if that makes sense?!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Tom Bale as the ability to put ordinary characters in extraordinary situations and still manages to keep the momentum going within the plot. All Fall Down is a whirlwind of a book, it will pick you up, spin you around and throw you back down to the ground with a bang!!!

#ALLTHESTARS for this one!!!

It was like reading an action movie. So fun and thrilling! There's intense moments where your heart pounds and you wonder if the bad will catch up with the good.

As far a thrillers go...I didn’t find this particularly thrilling.

The plot was thin, overly dramatic and had far too much going on to try and build a good story line and it all fell very flat.
It was so far fetched and completely unbelievable.

The characters were all unlikeable and very thin. You aren’t given any reason to like them for feel sympathy towards them.
Dramatic and abusive past of an adopted child who ends up being a horror.
The perfect son gone rouge and his twin brother.
Potential divorce of the parents which ends with a hoot resolution.
It done nothing for me.

*Mild spoilers!*

Due to tons of great reviews I had high hopes for this book. My bad! It's really not very good. It was easy to read, though I'm not going to say it was well written because the quality of the writing didn't really strike me one way or another, other than that maybe some of Rob's thought processes were a bit meandering and repetitive. The premise is great, and it starts off really intriguing. Told mostly from the perspective of Tom, we see him trying to avoid incrimination from the very beginning, as though he has something to hide. This was probably the second biggest downfall of the book - he does have a story in his past, but the implication of what it might be was, for me, very misleading.

The biggest downfall for me of the novel is that the plot essentially amounted to 'some people are broken and mad'. This can be pulled off in some stories, but it's probably best not to wrap it up in the mystery of why, because when you read half a book wondering 'why?' and get 'just because', it's very disappointing. You need compelling characters, who make you feel conflicted about their motives and their actions, if you're not going to provide a solid 'why'. None of the sane characters were very fleshed out, or in my opinion behaved very normally, and the insane bad guys were completely one dimensional, unrelatable and inspired no sympathy. They weren't threatening or scary. When you're reading a mystery thriller with no actual mystery and no real thrills, it soon becomes boring. One of the bad guys was given a motive, but I still didn't give a toss about him or his plight.

All that said, it was easy to get to the end, and I didn't *hate* reading it, so I gave it two stars. I think it's fair to say Tom Bale has potential, and even though this is his not his earliest novel, many reviewers have had similar complaints of boredom about this novel while wholeheartedly recommending his other novels, so I may give one of them a go.

I'm sorry to say that at 80% of the audio book, I've decided to give up on this one. This book just hasn't been for me. It's strange because many of my fellow bloggers who's opinions I trust, loved this book, but I couldn't stand it. Right from the start I just didn't feel invested in this story. My mind constantly wandered while listening to it, so much so that I would find myself listening and not knowing what was going on. I'd then need to rewind the audio, only to find my mind wandering again. No, I didn't like the characters, I thought that the dialogue was a little bit off at times and I found the whole story highly unlikely and implausible. The characters actions also didn't seem realistic and overall, this one just didn't do it for me. I was trying to push through to the end, but today I suddenly thought to myself, why? It's not that I care what happens and I'm not really interested. So, I'm calling it quits. I do have another book by this author on my Kindle, and it's a book that many people rave about, even people who didn't like this book, and so I'll give it a shot and hope for better things.

This book was so gripping. Honestly, the first half felt a little slow but at about a third of the way through, it started putting little mysterious moments into the story to help build up into the second half. As soon as you reached halfway BANG, everything went crazy. There wasn't one page where you could just relax. I felt on the edge of my seat all the way until the end.

The family were great and I enjoyed their individual developments and seeing the various personalities of them all. I also really liked the setting as it seemed tranquil and calm until everything happened.

The plot was fab and I think the author did a great job of executing it. I can't wait to read more of Tom Bale's books!

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

He's done it again! Tom Bale writes THE BEST novels.

Find all my reviews on my blog: https://thesuspenseisthrillingme.com

Date Read: 08/10/16
Pub Date: 09/01/16

5 STARS

You tried to save a life. Now you’re fighting to save your own.
It should have been an idyllic day for the Turner family – until a dying man, beaten beyond all recognition, arrives at their home, uttering the words, HELP ME.

Rob and Wendy Turner and their children try to explain away the horrific scene as being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but in the days that follow their lives are threatened in ways they could never imagine.

The family is unaware that they are being watched by someone with their own terrifying agenda, who will stop at nothing to fulfil their own twisted desires.

But when hidden secrets come rushing to the surface, it’s clear not everything is as it seems in this happy family. Are the Turners a victim of circumstance – or does the key to their fate lie closer to home?

Forced to fight for everything they hold dear, can they save themselves before time runs out – or will their act of compassion see them paying the ultimate price…?

Once again, Tom Bale has masterfully woven together a tale of heart stopping suspense! Back in May I read his previous work with Bookouture, [b:See How They Run|29542528|See How They Run|Tom Bale|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1458246066s/29542528.jpg|49843465], and was absolutely hooked. I almost didn't pick that one up due to the content and having a baby at home myself, but I'm so glad I did; it ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2016! [b:All Fall Down|30369783|All Fall Down|Tom Bale|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1465336240s/30369783.jpg|50882188] is an altogether different direction of story, but no less appealing to those looking for a tantalizing thriller.

Let's begin with the plot. This book has a slightly different feel than his last; while it is entirely gripping and enthralling, the pacing was completely different. In his first book, the story begins with a bang and the pacing is break neck speed from the first page to the last. Here we have an event that is chilling and noteworthy in the beginning, but the pacing during the first half of the book is more of a steady building; a slower, more methodical piecing together of past and present events that give us background and substance that lead us to the last half, which of course is hold your breath/grip your seat/grind your teeth worthy. I really enjoyed how the author was able to show that he can write just as arresting of a story in a completely different format.

The characters were also a change of pace in this new book. If you read the note in the afterward from Tom, he states how he wanted to write another book in the same family of genre with different elements. In his first book, we follow a young family with a baby; in [b:All Fall Down|30369783|All Fall Down|Tom Bale|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1465336240s/30369783.jpg|50882188], here we have a more mature, established family with older children and an entirely different set of challenges and problems. These characters were easy to relate to as a fellow parent; I found myself quite frequently wanting to pull mom Wendy aside for a chat and ask for advice on how to raise girls. We completely get to know these characters who are real, but also really flawed. I found myself wondering constantly what I would do if a situation like this ever happened involving my own family, which made the ending something to ponder for a long time coming. I also loved how he added in the element of what goes into fostering and adopting a child, especially a child involved in such a traumatic past. Fostering/adoption are both subjects near and dear to my heart, so this will always be a plus to me in the stories I read.

Another minor point of appeal to me was that I felt the length of the book was perfect. According to my kindle, it came out to 398 pages, but this also included all the afterwards and an excerpt of [b:See How They Run|29542528|See How They Run|Tom Bale|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1458246066s/29542528.jpg|49843465]. I felt it wasn't too long nor short-just right says this Goldilocks. And that cover? Absolute perfection! This was another knock out from Tom Bale; I honestly can't decide which book of his I like more so I'll just have to settle for a tie of first place. I don't say this often, but he is one of the authors that I would purchase his book without even reading the summary first, his books are THAT good. Just go ahead and buy both books and ready yourself for a binge reading (Just ask Noelle Holten @ Crime Book Junkie) because you won't be disappointed.

*I received my copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I'm also excited to be a part of Tom Bale's Blog Tour on September 2nd!

All Fall Down didn't work for me for a number of reasons. I started listening to it after a bad week at work, wanting to escape into something easy on the brain. Unfortunately, it proved too easy on the brain, with a plot that quickly became so convoluted there was just no plausibility to it. At one point, two of the lead characters even question aloud whether so much bad luck could ever realistically happen to one family, and go on their merry way having assured themselves that "X doesn't count for Y reason, and A and B are just coincidental timing, so no this is all totally fine!" Reader, it was not totally fine.

The story here revolves around the unfortunate Turner family, whose Sunday afternoon barbecue is thrown into disarray when a badly beaten stranger stumbles into their garden seeking help, and promptly dies. This single act becomes the gateway for all sorts of family woe to bubble to the surface - teenage daughter Georgia was adopted after witnessing her dad murder her mum, son Josh is mixed up in drug smuggling and on the run from a local gangster, dad Rob's former partner was murdered for running off with the firm's money, oh and the family are now the target of a Mason-esque cult bent on torture and murder. So not the best of weekends, really.

The chapters are very short, and shift perspective between Georgia, Rob, and mum Wendy. As a result of this, and the entirely over-egged plot, I never felt like I connected with any of the characters. My main feeling once the final third set in and their lives were endangered was just disgust at how closely to torture porn territory the book was veering. I came very close to not finishing on a number of occasions, but managed to stick it through to the unlikely end. On the plus side, I had no qualms with John Telfer's able narration.

For a much better read of cultish peril, I highly recommend The Girls by Emma Cline.

[Review originally published on my blog at Line After Line.]