ncteixeira's review
3.75
A fast read, no doubt about it.
I thought that it was cleverly written.
I appreciated the details of cyber crime and I hope that it will serve as a lesson to some readers.
I thought that the character development was well done, even though the main one is not all that likeable (but at the same time is easy to feel sorry for her).
Some parts were a bit repetitive, but the chapters are very short.
Not a flawless story, but we are presented with some believable characters and situations.
The author did an excellent job portraying someone with a mental illness.
A good entertainment.
TW: eating disorder
hollystrev's review
5.0
Great read
Was a fab read. Great twist too! Highly recommend
It was written superbly. 5* rating from me!! Well done chap.
Was a fab read. Great twist too! Highly recommend
It was written superbly. 5* rating from me!! Well done chap.
abookwormwithwine's review
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
I don't know what is going on, but I like it. I have been on a streak of really good mystery/thrillers and [b:The Regret|47553662|The Regret|Dan Malakin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565107625l/47553662._SX50_.jpg|72680894] by [a:Dan Malakin|14901397|Dan Malakin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1554167145p2/14901397.jpg] was no exception!
What it's about: Rachel Stone's world was shattered when she was just a teenager by a stalker named Alan Griffin. Now she has a three-year-old daughter named Lily and has rebuilt her life, but as someone seems to start stalking her again and ruining her life as she knows it, old demons will rise again to the surface and threaten everything.
I want to keep my summery short and sweet for The Regret because I think it is great to go into this book blind! There were a lot of surprises as I read it, and so many things that I never saw coming. I won't lie, this was also a really hard book to read. Rachel suffers from addiction and anorexia, and there were so many times I wanted to throttle her, but I know this is the disease that takes over a person's mind. It is hard to read, but I think it is also so important and I'm glad the author decided to tackle these dark issues.
I also really liked the bits of technology and hacking that were spoken about in this book. Even though parts of it gave me the heebie jeebies, it was also fascinating at the same time. I really hope lives aren't as easy to mess with as they are in this book because otherwise that is just downright terrifying!
I didn't love Rachel as a character, but when we got towards the end and things got really messed up, she managed to pull me around to her side. If you are looking for a badass female lead throughout the book it is not Rachel, but she definitely proves herself at the end which made me like her more overall. I also thought there were a couple other frustrating characters that were pretty awful, but they really make the story what it is.
One major reason that I am giving this a 4/5 is because I didn't like the loose ends at the end of the book. I had an idea of what was going on, but I wasn't completely right, and then I was disappointed when the author didn't get into the why of it all. Maybe it is just because I am really anal and want to know the facts, but I think it would have been much better if Malakin would have included more in the epilogue.
Song/s the book brought to mind: When It All Falls Apart by The Veronicas
Final Thought: Overall, The Regret was really fast-paced and it almost hurt to watch Rachel go into her downward spiral, but at the same time it was just done so excellently. If you like a book that has darker themes, with a tiny bit of gore the The Regret is the book to check out! As long as you can handle reading about addiction and just how far someone will sink before they pick themselves back up again...
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
I don't know what is going on, but I like it. I have been on a streak of really good mystery/thrillers and [b:The Regret|47553662|The Regret|Dan Malakin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565107625l/47553662._SX50_.jpg|72680894] by [a:Dan Malakin|14901397|Dan Malakin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1554167145p2/14901397.jpg] was no exception!
What it's about: Rachel Stone's world was shattered when she was just a teenager by a stalker named Alan Griffin. Now she has a three-year-old daughter named Lily and has rebuilt her life, but as someone seems to start stalking her again and ruining her life as she knows it, old demons will rise again to the surface and threaten everything.
I want to keep my summery short and sweet for The Regret because I think it is great to go into this book blind! There were a lot of surprises as I read it, and so many things that I never saw coming. I won't lie, this was also a really hard book to read. Rachel suffers from addiction and anorexia, and there were so many times I wanted to throttle her, but I know this is the disease that takes over a person's mind. It is hard to read, but I think it is also so important and I'm glad the author decided to tackle these dark issues.
I also really liked the bits of technology and hacking that were spoken about in this book. Even though parts of it gave me the heebie jeebies, it was also fascinating at the same time. I really hope lives aren't as easy to mess with as they are in this book because otherwise that is just downright terrifying!
I didn't love Rachel as a character, but when we got towards the end and things got really messed up, she managed to pull me around to her side. If you are looking for a badass female lead throughout the book it is not Rachel, but she definitely proves herself at the end which made me like her more overall. I also thought there were a couple other frustrating characters that were pretty awful, but they really make the story what it is.
One major reason that I am giving this a 4/5 is because I didn't like the loose ends at the end of the book. I had an idea of what was going on, but I wasn't completely right, and then I was disappointed when the author didn't get into the why of it all. Maybe it is just because I am really anal and want to know the facts, but I think it would have been much better if Malakin would have included more in the epilogue.
Song/s the book brought to mind: When It All Falls Apart by The Veronicas
Final Thought: Overall, The Regret was really fast-paced and it almost hurt to watch Rachel go into her downward spiral, but at the same time it was just done so excellently. If you like a book that has darker themes, with a tiny bit of gore the The Regret is the book to check out! As long as you can handle reading about addiction and just how far someone will sink before they pick themselves back up again...
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
ellie_bell's review
4.0
Wow! How has this author flown beneath my radar?
Rachel has a dark past which includes doxing, a stalker, an unresolved issue with her now dead mother, and a serious eating disorder. With the help of friends and family she has managed to move forward and rebuild her life with a small daughter, a serious boyfriend, and a nursing career.
In the blink of an eye it is all threatened as her smart phone is hacked and the hacker undermines every area of her life.
What follows is a taut, suspenseful and scarily believable plot where Rachel is unable to make people believe her and self doubt starts her spiralling downward into her dark past, putting her relationships and career in jeopardy.
I started the book with one suspect, and then it went to two and then three, back to two and then it stayed that way - constantly wavering back and forth - until the reveal.
Rachel has a dark past which includes doxing, a stalker, an unresolved issue with her now dead mother, and a serious eating disorder. With the help of friends and family she has managed to move forward and rebuild her life with a small daughter, a serious boyfriend, and a nursing career.
In the blink of an eye it is all threatened as her smart phone is hacked and the hacker undermines every area of her life.
What follows is a taut, suspenseful and scarily believable plot where Rachel is unable to make people believe her and self doubt starts her spiralling downward into her dark past, putting her relationships and career in jeopardy.
I started the book with one suspect, and then it went to two and then three, back to two and then it stayed that way - constantly wavering back and forth - until the reveal.
bwagner's review
5.0
This is my first book by this author, I enjoyed it right from the beginning. I loved that I was pulled into the story right from the beginning. It had me sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the book. The story is creative and well written. The characters are well develped and made the story feel real. Once you open an email you can't take it back as Rachel is about to find out. What happens when you open the wrong email? Rachel is about to find out. I highly recommend this book.
bookishbiker's review
5.0
I'm one of those fussy reviewers who rarely give 5 stars, but The Regret by Dan Malakin is definitely worth every one!
Mr. Malakin winds together wonderfully written characters with well-researched and believable backstories with enough misdirection, twists and turns to keep you guessing, then pulls it all together with one of the best (and surprising) endings I've read all year.
Terrifying, tense and emotional - this one will keep you up all night!
Mr. Malakin winds together wonderfully written characters with well-researched and believable backstories with enough misdirection, twists and turns to keep you guessing, then pulls it all together with one of the best (and surprising) endings I've read all year.
Terrifying, tense and emotional - this one will keep you up all night!
nietzschesghost's review
4.0
What a fantastic read this was! I mean what more could you ask for? There's the stellar cast, a beautifully plotted story and fascinating insight into the daily life of those who have been stalked or scammed and the knock-on effect this can have on their lives for the foreseeable future. Not only this but it packed a real emotional punch too. Right from the beginning, you are drawn into a tale it is easy to immerse yourself in and losing a couple of hours between the pages was very enjoyable. I particularly loved the short, snappy chapters as it makes it so much simpler to read a couple more and then keep on reading even though you know you should sleep. There are multiple threads establishing themselves throughout but they were so seamlessly interlinked and it was a doddle to keep it all aligned in my head.
The sensitivity and true compassion the author shows in relation to topics such as stalking, anorexia and online fraud through his words felt as though they came from someone who really understood these subjects and the complexity of them inside and out. I could relate to Rachel and felt for her quite strongly as she was dealing with such a lot. It's well written in a way that will appeal to many readers and is a captivating, harrowing and evocative read for sure. There were twists and turns aplenty and the conclusion was a surprise but also added to the visceral punch. All in all, The Regret is an excellent debut thriller, and Malakin focuses on more realistic nightmare-inducers more of us may be able to connect and empathise with. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bloodhound Books for an ARC.
The sensitivity and true compassion the author shows in relation to topics such as stalking, anorexia and online fraud through his words felt as though they came from someone who really understood these subjects and the complexity of them inside and out. I could relate to Rachel and felt for her quite strongly as she was dealing with such a lot. It's well written in a way that will appeal to many readers and is a captivating, harrowing and evocative read for sure. There were twists and turns aplenty and the conclusion was a surprise but also added to the visceral punch. All in all, The Regret is an excellent debut thriller, and Malakin focuses on more realistic nightmare-inducers more of us may be able to connect and empathise with. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bloodhound Books for an ARC.
stephbookshine's review
4.0
*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
If I end up with an ulcer I will be blaming this book!
From the very beginning the reader is plunged into tense anxiety for the main character, Rachel, as her story is interspersed by occasional glimpses into the mind of her terrifyingly competent stalker.
Poor Rachel is also tense from the start, as she has been stalked before. A compromising photo, thoughtlessly shared by a school friend went viral in her youth, and as a result she was harassed by middle-aged ‘fan’ Alan Griffin until he was caught and put away.
Now she is plunged straight back into the same nightmare again. But how did Griffin find her? What does he want now? And worst of all, how will she protect her own daughter from the consequences of that old mistake?
There is a definite trigger warning here, because as well as being a tense suspense thriller, Rachel’s precarious situation sends her plunging into a destructive spiral of a serious eating disorder and substance abuse problem, that she also thought she had left behind her. The author’s exploration of these issues is sympathetic, but also uncompromising in the distressing details. My own stomach lurched more than once as I read what Rachel was putting herself through in her desperation.
I can honestly say that I never managed to work out what was going to happen until it had, so I was along with Rachel for the whole terrifying ride. For most of the book, Rachel is a little passive – understandable with the stress she is under – but towards the end she really comes into her own and I was cheering for her to stay strong and see it through.
Then, on finishing the book, I was compelled to immediately update all of my own cyber security, using the helpful hints and tips scattered through the story as a guide for what to watch out for. So I can recommend this as both an exciting thriller, and an educational warning!
Want to know how to break into someone’s life?
Send them an e-mail supposedly from their bank, or Amazon, or eBay. Same logo, same corporate talk, some lines of scaremongering spiel. We have detected a problem with your account. If they’re dumb enough to click on the link, they’ll go to a web page hosted on your server, where an authentic-looking form will capture their login details.
That kind of phishing attack, it’s like a net. Throw it far and wide, and hope you reel in someone stupid. But if you want to target one person – let’s call her Rachel – and if she’s savvy enough to swim around the net, then the attack can be fired.
It’s called Spear Phishing.
This is how it’s done.
– Dan Malakin, The Regret
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2020/01/22/the-regret-dan-malakin/
If I end up with an ulcer I will be blaming this book!
From the very beginning the reader is plunged into tense anxiety for the main character, Rachel, as her story is interspersed by occasional glimpses into the mind of her terrifyingly competent stalker.
Poor Rachel is also tense from the start, as she has been stalked before. A compromising photo, thoughtlessly shared by a school friend went viral in her youth, and as a result she was harassed by middle-aged ‘fan’ Alan Griffin until he was caught and put away.
Now she is plunged straight back into the same nightmare again. But how did Griffin find her? What does he want now? And worst of all, how will she protect her own daughter from the consequences of that old mistake?
There is a definite trigger warning here, because as well as being a tense suspense thriller, Rachel’s precarious situation sends her plunging into a destructive spiral of a serious eating disorder and substance abuse problem, that she also thought she had left behind her. The author’s exploration of these issues is sympathetic, but also uncompromising in the distressing details. My own stomach lurched more than once as I read what Rachel was putting herself through in her desperation.
I can honestly say that I never managed to work out what was going to happen until it had, so I was along with Rachel for the whole terrifying ride. For most of the book, Rachel is a little passive – understandable with the stress she is under – but towards the end she really comes into her own and I was cheering for her to stay strong and see it through.
Then, on finishing the book, I was compelled to immediately update all of my own cyber security, using the helpful hints and tips scattered through the story as a guide for what to watch out for. So I can recommend this as both an exciting thriller, and an educational warning!
Want to know how to break into someone’s life?
Send them an e-mail supposedly from their bank, or Amazon, or eBay. Same logo, same corporate talk, some lines of scaremongering spiel. We have detected a problem with your account. If they’re dumb enough to click on the link, they’ll go to a web page hosted on your server, where an authentic-looking form will capture their login details.
That kind of phishing attack, it’s like a net. Throw it far and wide, and hope you reel in someone stupid. But if you want to target one person – let’s call her Rachel – and if she’s savvy enough to swim around the net, then the attack can be fired.
It’s called Spear Phishing.
This is how it’s done.
– Dan Malakin, The Regret
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2020/01/22/the-regret-dan-malakin/
kaz_loves_books's review
5.0
This is a well thought out and researched book, expertly written. The main character Rachel has anorexia which is covered in great detail and handled well throughout. There was a stalker a few years ago who managed to destroy her world once, now he is free, she will not allow him to do so again. But is he stalking her again now?
Rachel has managed to get her life together, is now a nurse and has a three year old daughter Lily. She has a boyfriend Konrad, let her dad back into her life for Lily’s sake and Lily sees her dad Mark often. She still sees her childhood friend Becca and is great friends with Spence from work. On this particular day, things have been going wrong for Rachel all day, It started with an email from work about checking that they had the right bank details to pay her wages into, then her phone crashed, she was late getting Lily off, getting into work, couldn’t get through to payroll. At least her phone rebooted but she had to log back into her email and other apps as it appeared she had been logged out. After work she went to the gym, she needed her work out tonight but then Becca had stood her up. Still, she would do it, it would do her good. When she got into the gym, she couldn’t believe it, Konrad’s mate Pete was there with a group of mates, they hated each other with a vengeance. Perhaps he wouldn’t notice she was there. Unfortunately for her, as she approached, he turned around, then started laughing and pointing at his phone with his mates. She stormed over to ask what he was laughing at. He told her to look at the picture she had just sent on snap. She snatched her phone off her arm but she hadn’t sent anything! Pete then sent her an indecent picture of himself. One she wished she hadn’t seen. She dropped her phone and ended up scrabbling for it under the weights bench. She then rushed to the changing rooms full of shame. She then got a phone call from Becca, ranting about the picture and that she was having a drink. The penny dropped. The naked picture of her had resurfaced! She said yes, the night was still on, bring some drink. She rang Konrad, voicemail, so she left him a message. This was the start of her life beginning to unravel once again.
This was a brilliant book, full of suspense, hacking and technological tricks. Makes you think how this could happen to someone - very scary. A fantastic twist towards the end makes for a great ending. A real eye opener, 5 stars from me, highly recommended.
Rachel has managed to get her life together, is now a nurse and has a three year old daughter Lily. She has a boyfriend Konrad, let her dad back into her life for Lily’s sake and Lily sees her dad Mark often. She still sees her childhood friend Becca and is great friends with Spence from work. On this particular day, things have been going wrong for Rachel all day, It started with an email from work about checking that they had the right bank details to pay her wages into, then her phone crashed, she was late getting Lily off, getting into work, couldn’t get through to payroll. At least her phone rebooted but she had to log back into her email and other apps as it appeared she had been logged out. After work she went to the gym, she needed her work out tonight but then Becca had stood her up. Still, she would do it, it would do her good. When she got into the gym, she couldn’t believe it, Konrad’s mate Pete was there with a group of mates, they hated each other with a vengeance. Perhaps he wouldn’t notice she was there. Unfortunately for her, as she approached, he turned around, then started laughing and pointing at his phone with his mates. She stormed over to ask what he was laughing at. He told her to look at the picture she had just sent on snap. She snatched her phone off her arm but she hadn’t sent anything! Pete then sent her an indecent picture of himself. One she wished she hadn’t seen. She dropped her phone and ended up scrabbling for it under the weights bench. She then rushed to the changing rooms full of shame. She then got a phone call from Becca, ranting about the picture and that she was having a drink. The penny dropped. The naked picture of her had resurfaced! She said yes, the night was still on, bring some drink. She rang Konrad, voicemail, so she left him a message. This was the start of her life beginning to unravel once again.
This was a brilliant book, full of suspense, hacking and technological tricks. Makes you think how this could happen to someone - very scary. A fantastic twist towards the end makes for a great ending. A real eye opener, 5 stars from me, highly recommended.
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