The Hit List

by Holly Seddon

[zooloo1983]

I went into this book blind, I saw this was a “listen now” on NetGalley and thought why the heck not. I loved the cover and I briefly looked at the blurb. When you see the opening line saying someone wants you dead and there is a hit list, I was intrigued. I did not expect the journey down the dark web and the truths we would learn.

The narration done by 5 different people really brought the characters to life. It added to the story to have a different voice for them. This story, however, is really Sam’s story. Yes, we start our adventure meeting Marianne, who is at the anniversary of Greg, her husbands’ death or was it murder? We follow her and Sam in the first part of the book. The second part it’s Sam and Greg’s story and the final part is well just explosive.

It took me a while to get into the book, because well my reading mojo has gone, but the book kept its grips in me. I mean how would you feel if you ever found a way to get on to the dark web and then on a website, a hit list and find your name. Marianne then enters a world she is just not ready for. I know I wasn’t ready for it!

My heart broke for Greg, just a guy trying to do the right thing. His intentions are there but he is sucked into a dirty, lewd world that I did not see coming for miles. This was hard to listen to at some points, well mainly because you know he has died. But more, as you see who he is, what is trying to do, not how Marianne saw him and all the guilt he carries with him.

I love how everything was kept hidden from the reader. Holly slowly started linking the people and the storylines together. She teases it out slowly ensure you are hooked, ensure you are enveloped in the characters lives before she practically implodes their (and your) worlds.

Despite everything we learn about Sam, I have to say I liked her. Believe it or not, she had morals and she has a code. It is not until later on that we see the bigger picture of what her little missions impacted, but by then it is too late. But not only in what she is engineering but how her life outside of this has been impacted

The clanger in the final part, I did not have a scooby. Maybe I should have but I didn’t, I loved that I learned everything when Marianne did. Head blown. It is the cat and the mouse story, but do you even know who the cat really is?

This is my first book by Holly and I have a few more I will be checking out. The writing is engaging and it really does make you question, I mean what the frick would you do? As I said earlier, the audiobook was really brought to life by the narrators and I do love productions where we have more that one narrator. It gives the story a bit more oomph as the voices add their own spice to the story. I am looking forward to my next outing with Holly and her books.