My Flame Tree Press ARC reading continues with this crime/thriller. I didn't know what to expect and found the cover disturbing enough, so I got stuck into it.Ollie Clay is a part-time teacher. When he comes into some unexpected money, he decides to buy a house because he's sick of paying rent. The problem is that most of the houses in his price range aren't that great and not in good locations. Throwing caution to the wind, he decides to buy one he manages to score for a good deal. The house is...

I have to say, the first half of this book didn't grab me, but the second half has the pace, suspense and twists you expect from a decent crime thriller. Primarily urban and dark, there are few light moments to break the bleakness., making this a gritty read.Things go bad quickly for the lead character from the start, but although there is escalation, the pace seems too slow in the first half. I also didn't connect with Ollie. Paranoid and pessimistic, he seems to have neither the intelligence o...

This is the story of a guy who is really just a grade-A screwup and can't make one good decision to save his life.Though it offers an interesting enough setup for a thriller—man moves into house, man finds out the guy next door is a real a-hole, man can't move out, turns out the guy next door is probably into some really bad stuff, man has to defend his turf—this one really wasn't for me. Stylistically, the book just felt reaalllly slooow. It is constantly showing what's going on, and then also

I enjoyed the premise of this thriller: man moved into a new house too quickly, and his mistake is revealed posthaste. The neighbors aren't exactly welcoming, but the story line just needed something more. The pace was a little slow and the characters needed more development. Perhaps I would've enjoyed it a little more had I been able to connect more strongly with either the story or the characters.

Ollie comes into a bit of money and, on impulse, he buys a rundown house in a seedy neighborhood. In no time he has run ins with the neighbor. The music coming from next door plays into the wee hours. So loud he can’t sleep. And the parties spill over into the back yard, getting on his last nerve. When he finally decides to do something about it, the description of a bad neighbor gives this story a whole new twist.Ollie went from annoyed to out of control in a heart beat. I wanted to grab him by...

Overall, this book was a tale of two books me. For the first half to two-thirds of the book, it was just an ok read. It wasn't great, but it was holding my attention. But in that latter parts of the book, it was a book that I just couldn't put down. I would look a few pages ahead to see if I could get an idea of where it was going before I got there. I'm glad I stuck it out. I saw a few reviews from people that didn't bother to finish it. I think they'd have enjoyed the fast paced ride of the en...

Full review at: http://lauramorningstar.com/review-th...To be frank I got to about page 100 of this book and wanted to put it down. Ollie came across as a bit of a prick and absolutely none of his behaviour made any rational sense. He was so over-reactive and his actions at about the 100 page mark just had me go “WTF why, WHY would you do that” followed by “you are stupid fucking idiot!”.However as a book reviewer I have I feel a responsibility to finish any book I have committed to do a review

A very deep, gritty and edgy read. This will entertain you from start to finish. It was the characters however i personally struggled with

The Bad Neighbor is a compelling, dark, and gritty book...What happens when you move into your dream house and find out you are living next to the neighbor from hell? Ollie has recently come into some money and uses it to finally purchase a house of his own... The problem is he is now living next to A skinhead... with a bit of a delinquent past of his own how will Ollie navigate the situation? This book got off to a bit of a slow start, but at about the half point it really picked up... filled w...

I'm setting The Bad Neighbor aside around 60 pages. Not much has happened, and the main character just makes unnecessary mistakes, and then complains. I don't think I can go on for 200+ more pages of that. It's very slow, and I couldn't maintain interest in the storyline.

This is a gritty, fast paced thriller about a supply teacher who, rashly, buys a house in a very rundown area of Leeds and only upon purchase realises his enormous mistake. It's such a horrendous mistake that you can't help but feel anguish for the situation the lead character has got himself into.Overall, I enjoyed it and really felt for Ollie (the lead character) as well as his new girlfriend. Ollie is a complex character who, although frustrating at times, overall engenders sympathy and horro...

I was really fortunate to have this book sent to me in exchange for a review from Flame Tree Press, but my other half liked the look of it so much he nabbed it for himself.Here's his review!The back cover blurb gave me a good idea of what to expect but I was still shocked by how gripped by the story I became.When part-time teacher Ollie Clay panic-buys a rundown house in the outskirts of Leeds, he soon recognizes his mistake. His new neighbor, Chas Walker, is an antisocial thug, and Ollie's susp...

Review to come, blog post on August 22nd at donjimmyreviews.wordpress.com

Review CopyThere's a new publisher I think we're going to hear a lot about in the coming months. They call themselves Flame Tree Press and they plan to publish both established authors and new voices in horror and the supernatural, crime and mystery thrillers, as well as science fiction and fantasy.Their first set of novels include Creature by Hunter Shea, The Mouth of the Dark by Tim Waggoner, The Siren and the Specter by Jonathan Janz, The Sky Woman by J.D. Moyer, Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach...

I received an ARC of The Bad Neighbor by David Tallerman from Flame Tree Press for an honest review.The main character Ollie receives an inheritance from an unknown relative. Despite realizing the money should have gone to his mother he keeps it for himself. Ollie has led a life of poor choices. He impulsively decides to do the “responsible” thing for the first time in his life. With the inheritance he buys a house. The house is rundown and in a seedy part of town. The worst part, Ollie will soo...

Flame Tree Press are doing a launch promotion and sent me a parcel which included this book, plus:CreatureThe Siren and The SpecterThirteen Days By Sunset BeachThe Sky WomanThe Mouth of the DarkIf you're interested in finding out more, you can sign up for updates here:https://www.flametreepress.com/?utm_c...Also, as someone who adores proof copies and has a dedicated shelf for them, I love the thought that went into the design of these, with all the important info on the opening pages, and spine...

*I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review *There were some solid points for this book, mainly the plot. After coming into some money, a man buys a home in a lower income neighborhood only to find out his new neighbor is a skinhead. The idea has a million exciting possibilities.Unfortunately the main character is rather annoying and kind of whiny . I had a hard time rooting for him and it hindered the book for me.It’s a shame because despite this, there was several sequences that well

Like many a classic horror story, the book starts with a bang – literally a body being thrown against the next-door neighbor’s shared wall – and this sense of impending doom. We even have the classic trope of an inheritance from the long-lost relative. Disregarding advice of friends and family, poor Ollie decides to buy a house, thinking it can’t be worse than his current rental, right? Wrong. Told in a fantastic first-person narrative, we follow Ollie as he travels through insomnia, then parano...

This is the most disjointed book I have ever read. The story is great, but the back and forth of narrator’s telling of the story is ridiculous. If you can get over the fact that parts of the book took place BEFORE he brings in plot from BEFORE those (before) events makes no sense.I like books that are told in a logical manner.

One of the great arcs sent to me by Flame Tree. The synopsis on the back intrigued me so I read this one next. Author was new to me. This book is odd because to me it felt as through a good chunk of the book I was hoping bad things would happen to the main character. He cared so little about his life so it carried over to how I felt about him. It changes at some point in the book when you realize his main antagonists are worse people and you hope he only gets hurt a little. I think this characte...