Don’t Breathe by Heleyne Hammersley #BookReview #BloodhoundBooks #5*

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.

Taut, Tense & Thrilling!

Here’s an author who knows how to keep her readers on their toes – and no more so than with this book!

Donna Frith teaches in a Cumbrian school; she loves her job. As she completes registration with her senior class one morning, armed gunmen burst into her classroom. With the police on the scene taking charge, the rest of the school is evacuated and only then do both the headteacher and his deputy realise that each of them has a child among the hostages. When the news comes through that a student has been injured, they both fear the worst and it undoubtedly affects their judgement. But the big question is – what do these gunmen want and how many more casualties will there be?

This is not my first novel by Heleyne Hammersley so I expected my brain to be given a bit of a workout, but this one is as taut as a violin string! As the story begins to unfold, it gets even more puzzling – the possibilities are mind boggling. There is a fine cast of characters, each harbouring unknown secrets and I was convinced I knew what was going on – several times over. With more than a few surprises along the way, it’s fair to say that when the truth was revealed, I was gobsmacked! A tense thriller, beautifully written and one to keep every reader on their toes. Highly recommended and definitely worth all five shining stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

Tags: psychological fiction

• Format: ebook, paperback
• Size: 266 pages
• Publisher: Bloodhound Books
• Publication Date: 10 March 2021
• Book Links:
• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56280986
• https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/fiction-poetry/dont-breathe,heleyne-hammersley-9781913942328
• https://www.waterstones.com/book/dont-breathe/heleyne-hammersley/9781913942328
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Breathe-tense-thriller-hooked-ebook/dp/B08XC3SNTL

Author Details

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.

• Website: https://www.heleynehammersley.com/
• Twitter: @hhammersley66
• Facebook: @heleynehammersley66

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