The Curfew: The utterly gripping Sunday Times bestselling thriller from the author of Netflix hit THE HOLIDAY

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I was born in Berkshire and grew up in Reading, the youngest of three boys and a fully-fledged bookworm from a very young age. I read history at Westfield College, part of the University of London, and went on to do a postgrad at Cardiff University. Will I be looking forward to TM's next offering "9 Years".? Well going by the preview chapter included at the end of the audiobook,it manages to be more exciting in a few sentences than the whole of "The Curfew"

Since five teenagers went into the woods that night, Andy and Laura aren’t the only ones who want to protect their child. And it seems that other parents are willing to point the finger at a scapegoat instead of telling the truth about what happened that night. But time is running out for Emily, and also for Connor. I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for ages now as I really enjoyed the T M Logan books that I’ve read previously.I have been completely unable to predict the events of this one. This is an element I love about Logan’s books- they are completely unpredictable. This is a book that has literally transported me, I feel as though I have known the characters. Additionally, I feel as though I have watched the events play out.

We are introduced to Andy, Laura, Connor and Harry in this one. I have loved Harry, she is just the perfect little genius and quirky in all her own ways. Andy and Laura are the parents who would do anything for their children. Andy and Laura do seem like good parents. We also meet Andy’s recently widowed brother Rob whose son Zac is close to Connor; along with parents of others present before the disappearance.TM Logan‘s books are definitely entertaining and they keep you guessing until the end. They are easy to read with snappy chapters that perfectly matches the action. There are many stories about the missing people but despite that this story felt fresh and interesting. I liked that it was easy to relate to the struggles of the main characters and the reader could wonder along with them what was going on; at the same time wondering how Iwould react in similar situation and what I would do. The Catch , my fourth book, tells the story of a father who becomes convinced his daughter is about to marry a man with terrible secrets. It has also been made into a four-part TV drama currently on Netflix and starring Jason Watkins, Poppy Gilbert, Aneurin Barnard and Cathy Belton. The narration is like listening to a rather mundane maths teacher, not bad but does not lend anything to lift this equally mundane story. Andy is the main protagonist throughout The Curfew– he is the father if Connor who initially goes missing. He’s a loyal father and Logan does a great job of expressing what I imagine would be his own honest reactions to the many life-altering things that happen throughout the book.

I’ve been in that position when my grown kids were out and the curfew was reaching over time in expecting them home. Then another hour passes. You text. You text again and ask them to ring. We have plenty of books with the trope of “how far would you go to protect your child” and this one was of no exception. All the references to the social media, the pandemic, teenager problems (e.g. the school bullying, date rape drugs), felt really relevant. This story is mostly narrated from the father's POV (Andy) but we also get glimpses from other character's POVs, so I had to change my mind more than once about the outcome of this story. I liked how author continue to build the tension, so towards the end I couldn't read fast enought to see what will happen next. Sadly I have found the last two thrillers also very disappointing "Reputation" by Sarah Vaughan and much hyped latest by Lucy Foley "The Paris Apartment" and this will be another one I find is not worth a credit.

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So this appealed to mystery-loving me. Someone goes missing. It’s not who we initially think. Or even who we next think. And even then there’s a weird silence around the missing person. Teenaged friends with them at the time are strangely silent when it’s obvious they should be doing everything they can to help them be found. Unless of course they have some other ulterior motive. But how on earth do you get a group of teenagers to keep a secret without one of them caving…. ? T.M. Logan knows exactly what emotions families go through when it comes to difficult situations and has wound his plot cleverly around the lives of a normal family. It happens all the time in real life too where a family suddenly find themselves thrown into their worst nightmare due to an unexpected tragedy and that’s why this felt so plausible. Andy and Laura are good parents, firm but fair, likeable and fun. Their children are poles apart in personality but seem to understand and respect their parents and enjoy being part of their family dynamics. The simmering undercurrent of fear felt by Andy was palpable as was his determination to keep his son safe and I defy any parent not to understand the decisions he makes even if they don’t always agree with those choices! Andy and Laura are good parents. They tell their son Connor that he can go out with friends to celebrate completing his exams, but he must be home by midnight. I enjoyed this and appreciated that Logan doesn’t take us where we expect. And where an author would be tempted to go. Logan also touches on some topical issues around bullying, spiking drinks as well as the pros and cons of social media, but it has to be said that my favourite thing about this whole book was Harriet. What a delight! Two weeks after it came out as an e-book, I discovered that my day job – by this point I was a deputy director in charge of the university’s communications team – was being made redundant as part of a restructure. That was when I decided to take the plunge into writing full-time, which I have been doing since summer 2017. It’s a job that I love.

I write the kind of books that I love to read – tense psychological thrillers in which bad things happen to regular people – and I’m inspired by writers such as Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay, Tana French, Michael Connelly and Lee Child. My books explore themes of loyalty and betrayal, love and hate, trust, jealousy, secrets and revenge. The Curfew focuses on Andy and the story of when his son misses his curfew and the incredible events that unfold after this. Everything has been fairly normal with their family until one night Connor goes out to celebrate the end of their exams, misses his curfew and then is arrested! The Curfew plot – 4/5 Scattered throughout the story was chapters that were written from the perspectives of various other characters including Connor, Emily and my favourite character Harriet who was Connor's highly intelligent,younger sister. Despite the fact that she was only twelve,her investigative skills put the so called professionals to shame but would her prowess as a amateur detective result in her own life being placed in jeopardy? This fast paced thriller is narrated predominantly from the perspective of Dr Andy Boyd who finds his life plunged into a living nightmare after one of the friends of his sixteen year old son Connor mysteriously disappears. Connor, his cousin Zac and their friends Emily, Drew and Olivia had been hanging out in the woods near Connor's home one night but after they went their separate ways only four of the teenagers had returned to their respective homes. Andy is horrified when it becomes apparent that Connor is the prime suspect in Emily's disappearance and is determined to uncover the truth and clear his son's name. A task that was made more complicated by Connor's refusal to talk about what had happened that night and cooperate with the police investigation. What secrets was Connor harbouring? Was he keeping quite to protect his cousin Zac? Why had did Adam's brother Rob suddenly appear to be ghosting him? Who knew the truth behind Emily's disappearance and what had actually happened to her? Was Connor as innocent as Andy and his wife Laura believed him to be or had their judgement been clouded by parental loyalty? The Curfew starts on one fateful summer weekend. Exams are over, school’s finished for 16-year-old Connor Boyd and he goes out to celebrate with a group of friends. First they go to a house party and then – as midnight approaches – five of them head up to the woods to carry on celebrating.

The Curfew

However, at the start of the novel it’s way too wordy and overdetailed which feels like unnecessary padding as it gets in the way of a decent mystery. The pace is a bit inconsistent for a while too. Thankfully, that stops not too far into the book and the suspense builds and it becomes gripping with good plot twists and a growing suspect pool and you find yourself fully immersed in the storytelling. There are some relevant issues explored such as toxic friendships and bullying. The are a number of scenes where the author creates an excellent atmosphere especially set around the local woods. Connor is allowed out to celebrate the ending of his exams. As parents do, they ask him to be home at a particular time.