Holly Watt

This was exciting initially, but it began to feel quite long and by the end I was exhausted. Since this featured reporters trying to get a story out, rather than police detectives trying to identify and prosecute the perpetrators, I suppose the ending marked a success, but it didn't really feel like it to me. There were some very powerful sections about refugees, and the ethics of what Casey and Ed respectively were comfortable with, and I thought the writing generally was very good.

The premise of this novel was a good one: surrogate mothers 'sourced' from refugee camps in Bangladesh for desperate English couples through their private doctor with no one asking too much about the surrogate's agency, motivations or safety. My main issue with novels featuring journalists rather than law enforcement officers is the way journalists report what is happening rather than try to put things right. That is addressed head-on in these novels, and Casey does manage to put the world show more right for at least some of the refugee women, albeit in a sort of superhuman, bounce-back-immediately-from-traumatic-injuries way. Casey and her colleagues, who work well and competently together, seem to regard investigative journalism as something of a passion/vocation/mission, which makes them (for me) hard to relate to, but you do find yourself rooting for them. show less

‘To The Lions’ is everything a thriller should be. It’s a gripping, convincing thriller and mixes a dynamite plot with believable detail. Holly Watt has delivered an extremely impressive first novel that I struggled to put down.

The plot is simple, but powerful and effective. Journalist Casey, who works for fictitious London paper The Post, overhears a conversation in a bar that suggests that rich businessmen are committing murder for kicks. The book follows her investigation as it show more crosses continents and, inevitably, puts her own life in danger. It’s a brilliantly paced book and heart-stoppingly exciting at times, whilst never using cheap gimmicks to achieve its thrills. The prose is distinctive and punchy, with a sometimes aggressive rhythm that suits the subject matter perfectly.

What impressed me most, though, was the human angle. This extends both to the cast of believable characters and to the excruciating dilemmas Casey has to face as she tries to uncover and document the truth. She’s an easy character to identify with, facing the classic modern quandary of having to balance her career with her private life. Her determination puts her in horrific situations, but I never found myself doubting her motivations. Whilst the villains of the piece are far from sympathetic, they are similarly convincing. So too are the rich cast of lesser characters, Casey’s colleagues at the post and the innocents whose lives are touched by her investigation.

That investigation is itself fascinating. Watt is a journalist by trade and it shows. The book is packed with fascinating detail on the tricks of the trade. Much of it is incidental to the plot, but I found every titbit a delight.

At its heart this is a book about the nature of human evil in the modern world. Watt spends time covering the vast gulf between rich and poor, but the book never feels preachy. Instead it’s powerful and effective and made me think more than a thriller has for a while. Make no mistakes though, this is a thriller. It’s a page turning tour de force told with passion and conviction and one of the most impressive debuts I’ve read for a while. show less

At the beginning of the book Casey and Miranda are working on a data leak, thousands of documents, but the full investigation will take months. Casey is looking for something else. She always tips well so that waiters in cafes and restaurants will get back to her when they notice something she might be interested in. And then the phone call comes. Some men she has been watching out for have turned up at an exclusive night club.

This is the pattern of how Casey comes up with new stories. And show more she is always looking for something dramatic. This time she overhears something that may be the beginning of an entirely new story and she is off on the chase!

Parts of this story left me gasping for breath, so outrageous is the scenario it describes. And yet there is a touch of credibility about it. You can imagine that in well-heeled parts of the world it might just happen, because things like this, inhumanities are not new to human history. But then there are questions of morality. Questions about whether you would ever do it yourself. Questions about what Casey gets out of following the story. How dangerous is it for her?

Th author has used a device in the narration that has left me a little puzzled. At times 2 or 3 pages are in italics. I have assumed this Casey "thinking", but once or twice, even after careful re-reading, I wasn't sure exactly what was meant. show less