The Pact: The gripping thriller for readers who love dark academia and shocking twists

Rating: 4.1/5This novel grabbed my attention from the off. There is no slow burn here as the author sets the scene with an ill-conceived game of dare. The participants are a group of "A" Level students, who all excel academically and who appear to have the world at their feet. But it is all about to go tragically wrong and the aftermath of their daredevil antics will affect all of their futures, for many years to come.Events take place across two timelines: Initially at the point where the students are in their late teens and engage in the dare, and then subsequently 20 years later, when most of them are now pursuing successful careers. The cast of characters is engaging. Each is flawed to varying degrees and there are plenty of reasons for disliking most, if not all of them ... but that makes the "Schadenfreude" element all the more appealing during the later time frame. The narrative is both pacy and intriguing, with plenty of twists and turns ... some of which you will probably see coming, others that are somewhat more unexpected.With "The Pact" Sharon Bolton has succeeded in delivering a quality thriller that is quite filmic in style and not only makes for great reading, but would also lend itself incredibly well to being adapted as a television mini-series. Only time will tell whether that option is taken up, but in the meantime treat yourself to an entertaining piece of thriller writing with this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.It is disturbing on many levels. First there is the original 'incident' which I have to admit haunted me somewhat. Then there is the sadness of lives 'spoiled' by poor decisions, regret, guilt and fear. The characters are brilliantly drawn and I found I cared about all of them in different ways and was genuinely hating what was happening to them as they became more and more embroiled in the drama. I was saddened by the fate of some of them but in the end, I think the outcome was reasonably fair.The twists are placed perfectly and though I did guess the outcome before the end there was enough doubt to keep me wondering until almost at the last chapter. Great book - highly recommended.

I'm a Sharon Bolton fan. At her best, she's the best in the business. But this is far from her best and in all honesty, if this were the first of her books I'd read, I'd never bother reading another. The plot is ridiculous right from the get-go, the suspense is non-existant, and the plot twists which Bolton usually does so well are completely predictable. I kept reading because I thought it had to get better, there had to be more to it that this. But it didn't, and there wasn't. Very disappointed.

I thought that 'The Split' Lifted Sharon Bolton well above anything she had achieved previously. Here she reaches an even higher level. Don't turn to this novel expecting realistic credibility. It is very far from a routine police procedural. Rather, it is a most gripping and inventive psychological thriller. The characters, all would-be Oxford students, are highly individualised, each a complex being in themselves with their convincing histories and frailties. The chemistry between the group is subtle and ever shifting, as is the plot with its twists and wholly compelling conclusion. Time forbade swallowing it all in a single reading, but if ever a novel in this genre was designed to deny sleep, this is it. To equal the quality of this novel will be a real challenge for both SB and her rivals in this field. I can't imagine reading a better thriller this year.

The Pact by Sharon Bolton was utterly gripping. She starts the novel with a bang, and the tension and action get going right from the first page. We’re presented with a horrifying scene when a group of students drive the wrong way up a road, and they collide with another vehicle. A woman and her two children are killed in the collision. The group are horrified by what has happened. They are more concerned, though, by what this will mean for their futures and the reputation of their families. They come from wealthy and high profile families. One girl, Megan, a scholarship student, decides to take the blame for the accident and goes to prison. This is on one condition that when she is released, they all have to do her a favour, and it can be anything she chooses.Once the group had made this decision, I wanted to know just how much of an impact it would have on the rest of their lives. They came across as really unlikeable, and I couldn’t believe that they would much rather think about themselves rather than the woman and her two children who they had just killed. Even though Megan is willing to go to prison, you can see that she is only doing this for herself. But I wanted to know what favour she would ask of the rest of her friends when she is eventually released. They know they will have to agree to whatever she says as Megan has the cards which will destroy their lives.Twenty years on from the crime and the group of friends are all successful and have happy families. But they always have this shadow hanging over their shoulders. I flew through this book as I waited to see what Megan was going to demand of them. The rest of the group are all on tenterhooks as they wait to find out as well.Although I didn’t like any member of the group, I thought the favours which Megan asks of them were utterly horrifying. I almost wanted the group not to give in to her demands, and I wanted to see if they would try to do anything to get out of them. You can see them all weighing up the options they had, and it makes for really tense reading as they come to a decision.Sharon Bolton explores some very dark areas as she continues to peel back the layers and as we get to know the group of friends more. There are some shocking and disturbing revelations as the book reaches the conclusion, and it made me see the story in a very different light.I really enjoyed this book. If you’ve enjoyed Sharon Bolton’s previous books, then you will love this. I highly recommend it for psychological thriller lovers.

This is, in my opinion, a return to form for Sharon Bolton. I was disappointed in The Split, feeling the subject had been handled better by other authors, not least Belinda Bauer. I read The Pact in a couple of days and thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns, never knowing who could be trusted. I don’t want to give any plot spoilers so I’ll leave it there, suffice to say, it’s a cracking read - ‘pact’ full of surprises 😉