Don’t Breathe by Heleyne Hammersley #BookReview #DontBreathe #Thriller @hhammersley66 @Bloodhoundbook #onceuponatimebookblog

Today I am reviewing Don’t Breathe by Heleyne Hammersley. This was released on the 10th of March, published by Bloodhound Books.

Book Blurb

A room full of secrets. A school under siege. How will it end?

What could be worse than a school shooting?

When the unimaginable happens, and armed men burst into a classroom to take the students and teacher hostage, no one can predict how it will end.

The reason for the attack is unclear, but it seems nearly all the hostages are hiding secrets that could have led the gunmen to the school.

After calling the police and evacuating the school, headteacher Cam Cleaver and his deputy, Penny Bainbridge, both realise their own children are among those being held hostage.

When one of the students is injured, both teachers struggle to maintain focus as the lives of their son and daughter are at risk.

But who is really behind the invasion? And will anybody get out alive?

Heleyne Hammersley is also the author of the bestselling psychological thrillers Forgotten and Fracture, as well as The DI Flecther crime mystery series. Don\’t Breathe is a completely gripping and twisty crime thriller that will appeal to fans of authors like Karin Slaughter, Carol Wyer and Rachel Lynch.

As a teacher the worse thing that you could imagine when embarking on your career is that you will be faced with the horror of a school shooting. That nightmare is made infinitely worse when your own child is one of the students held captive. Can Cam and Penny keep their horror and fear at bay long enough to work out not only who is doing this, but why?

Wow this one had me gripped and on the edge of my seat right from the get go. I could not have imagine what it would feel like to be in this situation, but Heleyne Hammersley put me front and centre in the firing line as I watched it play out and experience it with the characters. I felt an overwhelming sense of fear and I had a racing heart throughout!

There are plenty of characters to keep you on your toes and I enjoyed how the story was structured with each chapter told from the point of view of each of them and how what was occurring in their private lives, could have to do with the motive for this siege. With a mix bag of likeable and unlikable, they are all well developed and play out their roles well.

I found this to be fast paced at the start, but did feel that it lost some of its momentum during the middle. This was rectified as Heleyne Hammersley expertly steered it back on course for a more thrilling second half in the lead up to the finale. What transpires left me in shock and threw me with its outcome!

Heleyne Hammersley is a new author to me and is one that really impressed me. Don’t Breathe is a thrilling tale that has been well written and executed. Even with the little blip in the middle did not ruin the enjoyment of it for me at all and I will be on the look out for more of her work. It was a pleasure to read and review Don’t Breathe which I recommend.

Thank you to Heleyne Hammersley and Bloodhound Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Don’t Breathe which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This review will be added to, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Amazon Australia & Amazon US. I will also add to NetGalley, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play and Barnes & Noble if available. As I am from Australia, I am unable to add to Amazon UK, but will post to Waterstones & Foyles if also available.

Buy here

Let\’s Get to Know Heleyne Hammersley

Heleyne Hammersley is a British writer based in Cumbria. She writes psychological suspense thrillers and crime novels.

She has been writing since junior school – her first work was a collection of poems called Give Them the Works when she was ten years old. The poems were carefully handwritten on plain paper and tied together with knitting wool.

When she\’s not writing, Heleyne can often be found wandering on the fells or in the local park with her dog.

Social Media Links
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/hhammersley66