Book Description
'A dark and devastating story that grips you from the very first page' T. J. Emerson, author of The Perfect Holiday.
What you don’t know can hurt you.
Thirty years ago Anthony Mailer was a seven-year-old boy trapped in Dr Galbraith’s basement. Now he’s a journalist, a husband and a father. But no matter how far he’s come, at times he’s still that scared little boy.
In order to save his marriage, he has to stop hiding from what happened and deal with it once and for all.
But digging into the past holds dangers Anthony never imagined . . .
A note from the author: While fictional, this book was inspired by true events. It draws on the author’s experiences as a police officer and child protection social worker. The story contains content that some readers may find upsetting. It is dedicated to survivors everywhere.
REVIEW
Review for 'The Father' by John Nicholl.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for John Nicholl and Boldwood Books
Publication date 20th September 2022
This is the fourth book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'Killing Evil' and 'The Doctor' (First book in the 'Dr David Galbraith' series) and 'The Wife' (Second book in the Dr Galbraith series) which I would also highly recommend. This book is the third book in the 'Dr David Galbraith' series but can be read as a standalone.
I was originally drawn to this book by its unique eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. I am a huge fan of true stories and although this book is fiction it is based in a true story. I loved John's other books called 'Killing Evil' and 'The Doctor' (which is the first book in the Dr Galbraith series) and 'The Wife' (which is the second book in the Dr Galbraith series) if this is half as good as they are it's bound to be a page turner. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Boldwood Books. I have yet to read a book published by Boldwood Books that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 29 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Wales 🏴 , UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. The fact that I live in Wales and only live a few miles from the authour is amazing as I'm hoping to recognise a few local places.
This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Anthony Mailer. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.
'The Father' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book John discusses/includes child abuse, strong language and domestic abuse.
OMG!!!! Yet another fantastic success by John!! What a read!! Just Wow!!! This is one of the best psychological thrillers and series I have read in a long time,in fact that I have ever read!!!
The book is written perfectly and with such vivid descriptions it really feels that Anthony is sitting next to you telling you what is happening while he is doing it or was doing it. I absolutely LOVED that Anthiny is talking directly to me as a reader. It really immerses the reader into the storyline. This is very hard to achieve correctly but John absolutely smashed it!!!
Clear your schedules before picking this up because you won't be able to put it down!!
This is the third and last book in the 'Doctor Galbraith' series and wraps up the series perfectly. It can be read as a standalone but for those who wish to go back and read it in order these are the books you want to look out for:
Book 1. The Doctor. This was previously published as White Is The Coldest Colour. In this book we first meet Doctor Galbraith, Cynthia and Anthony along with several other characters we come across throughout the series. This book is written through the eyes of Doctor Galbraith and I would say is the most chilling and disturbing of the three. Doctor Galbraith is a consultant child psychiatrist, a pedophile, sexual predator and murderer.
Book 2. The Wife. This was previously published as When Evil Calls Your Name. In this book we see through Cynthia's (Doctor Galbraith's wife) eyes and what she suffered through the hands of The Doctor including how she met him and what she thought was going on. This book contains alot of domestic abuse which I personally think will help others see the signs for themselves and for others.
Book 3. The Father which is what I will discuss in this review.
In this book we are 'spoken to' by Anthony who was the little boy that Doctor Galbraith set his eyes on in The Doctor. Anthony is now an adult who works as a journalist and has a family of his own. Anthony has decided to write a book about what happened to him and what he went through and wants questions answered. To do this he must delve into his past and interviews several of the characters who was involved when he was a child. These include Molly (his mother), Mike (his father) , Sian (his sister) , Cynthia, Gary Davies (a paedophile who was in the same ring as Doctor Galbraith), Mel Nicholson (ex-child protection social work manager) , Pam Forsyth (police officer), Sharon Breen (Galbraith’s former secretary), an anonymous senior female officer, Phillip Beringer (child care team manager) , Detective Sergeant Pam Forsyth and former Police Constable Bethan Williams.
It was fascinating to see Anthony's story told from the perspective of the majority of the team involved in his case and it wrapped the whole trilogy up perfectly. An absolutely fantastic conclusion to one of the best series I've ever read!! This book is fiction but the author John Nicholl is an ex police officer and child protection worker. John's experiences and expertise provides a great depth to this series and gets the reader thinking how much is really fiction and if some is sadly based on fact. This book is dedicated to survivors across the world.
The storyline is absolutely addictive and gripping. I seriously WOULD NOT even start this book unless you have cleared your schedule because you will not be able to put it down!!! I absolutely blew through it in one sitting and it genuinely was unputdownable!!! A true page turner absolutely rammed with suspense, tension and everything you want when you read a psychological thriller. This would be absolutely amazing if turned into a movie, if done right of course!!! Not only is this a gripping and addictive storyline but it is immensely thought provoking. Without revealing too much of the storyline it is hard to say what I want without exposing the story too much and spoiling it for other readers.
This whole series has been thought provoking and has ended in a twist I would have never seen coming. While each of the books can easily be read as standalones I would, personally, recommend reading them in order for the full 'experience'. However, on saying that this book perfectly wraps up every moment in Anthony's life from childhood to adulthood and is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture. This series is poignant, heartbreaking and sadly extremely realistic. What happens in this series is something that should shock the reader but as most have come to discover is something that goes on throughout the world and has done through history. It is disgusting and sadly this series also shows what happens behind the scenes and how much work has to go in to ensure these monsters are arrested and put in prison which sadly takes time. While all the evidence is being collected the abuse continues and many other children are harmed. This leads to frustration, anger, damage, abuse and much more. It shows and makes the reader understand how difficult it must be for people that work in this sector and how frustrating their job can be at times This series really does make you think. How far would you go to protect your loved ones? Would you do anything different from Cynthia and Anthony? Who is right and wrong? Is justice ever served? So many questions that will stay with the reader long after they close this book. As always with John's novels and this series it is one that really grasps the reader's attention and will be one that never fully leaves you. It is a chilling, harrowing and unsettling story that readers won’t be able to put down!
Although this is the third book in the series I had would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
I really cannot compliment and recommend this book more. It is a heart racing, nail biting, suspense packed psychological thriller that will stay with you for one hell of a long time.
Congratulations John on yet another absolutely addictive nail biting edge of your seat novel. This is exactly why you are on my favourite author list!!! As always I'm looking forward to reading your next page turner!!!
Overall a unputdownable, heart racing, nail biting and addictive psychological thriller
Genres covered in this novel include Thriller, Hardboiled Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Fiction Mash-ups, Mystery and Crime Thriller amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as Charlie Gallagher, Mark Edwards and anyone looking for a page turning series.
235 pages.
This book is just £1.89 to purchase on kindle which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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@John Nicholl @BoldwoodBooks @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio
John Nicholl is an award-winning,bestselling author of numerous psychological thrillers and detective series, previously published by Bloodhound. These books have a gritty realism born of his real-life experience as an ex-police officer and child protection social worker. Boldwood will be publishing the new title in his Galbraith series in September and a new psychological thriller in November 2022. Alongside these, they will be reissuing his bestselling backlist from May 2022.
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