the_coycaterpillar_reads's review against another edition
5.0
The Box is a one-of-a-kind novel that can only be described as INSTANT BUY.
When this beauty dropped through my letterbox, I was instantly excited. A missing daughter. A strange box structure imprisoning her. A handsome man with more than an air of danger. I haven’t read the author’s previous work, so I had no idea what I was in store for – boy was I in for the surprise of my life.
So, what does The Box offer? A hard and sharp look at society.
Ed Truman on the surface has it all. His law firm is thriving, he supports the victims of domestic abuse and does a lot of work pro bono. He is an upstanding member of the community. His home life, however, is less than perfect. His wife harbours resentment for only getting her career back on track now after raising their two children, Ally, and Mitchell. Mitchell is awkward and socially distant and has developed a certain distaste for his father. Ally is like any teenage girl…well she was before she started getting harassed by an Alt-Right group that has some very strange thoughts about women’s rights, and trans rights and they are extremely homophobic. Ed takes out an injunction against them and then his daughter goes missing, coincidence or connection?
Dan Malakin’s writing although of an incredibly dark nature feels incredibly right. The trajectory of the plot is like a rocket but somehow you know to trust the author’s vision. Let’s face it, there are so many new emerging voices in the thriller genre that it is very freeing to just trust the road they are taking you down. It might be dark and have many things that go bump in the night, but with resolve, you will get through it. I told you The Box was an experience.
Enter Detective Jackie Rose. Now, this is a characterisation powerhouse. She heads up the serious crimes division. She’s brave, intelligent, and resourceful. She suffers from PTSD and is haunted by visions of the past. When recruit to the division, Charlotte enters the fray, and they disagree with each other’s methods. Jackie thinks Charlotte couldn’t catch a killer even if they hand-signed a confession and Charlotte thinks Jackie partakes in too much aggression. She takes no shit from anyone!
The subject manner is a hard pill to swallow. The author sees a boundary and kicks it to the side. Men Together is an incel group that quite literally had my piss boiling. The part that is so utterly frightening is the fact that these people exist and are trying to get their message across to young boys and being the impressionable young men, they could be taken in by it. Intelligent individuals making preposterous claims are unfortunately believed in our right-wing media channels.
The Box is an unsettling and disturbing tale examining how society treats others that are different. It may only be the author’s second novel, but it has the finesse of a master.
When this beauty dropped through my letterbox, I was instantly excited. A missing daughter. A strange box structure imprisoning her. A handsome man with more than an air of danger. I haven’t read the author’s previous work, so I had no idea what I was in store for – boy was I in for the surprise of my life.
So, what does The Box offer? A hard and sharp look at society.
Ed Truman on the surface has it all. His law firm is thriving, he supports the victims of domestic abuse and does a lot of work pro bono. He is an upstanding member of the community. His home life, however, is less than perfect. His wife harbours resentment for only getting her career back on track now after raising their two children, Ally, and Mitchell. Mitchell is awkward and socially distant and has developed a certain distaste for his father. Ally is like any teenage girl…well she was before she started getting harassed by an Alt-Right group that has some very strange thoughts about women’s rights, and trans rights and they are extremely homophobic. Ed takes out an injunction against them and then his daughter goes missing, coincidence or connection?
Dan Malakin’s writing although of an incredibly dark nature feels incredibly right. The trajectory of the plot is like a rocket but somehow you know to trust the author’s vision. Let’s face it, there are so many new emerging voices in the thriller genre that it is very freeing to just trust the road they are taking you down. It might be dark and have many things that go bump in the night, but with resolve, you will get through it. I told you The Box was an experience.
Enter Detective Jackie Rose. Now, this is a characterisation powerhouse. She heads up the serious crimes division. She’s brave, intelligent, and resourceful. She suffers from PTSD and is haunted by visions of the past. When recruit to the division, Charlotte enters the fray, and they disagree with each other’s methods. Jackie thinks Charlotte couldn’t catch a killer even if they hand-signed a confession and Charlotte thinks Jackie partakes in too much aggression. She takes no shit from anyone!
The subject manner is a hard pill to swallow. The author sees a boundary and kicks it to the side. Men Together is an incel group that quite literally had my piss boiling. The part that is so utterly frightening is the fact that these people exist and are trying to get their message across to young boys and being the impressionable young men, they could be taken in by it. Intelligent individuals making preposterous claims are unfortunately believed in our right-wing media channels.
The Box is an unsettling and disturbing tale examining how society treats others that are different. It may only be the author’s second novel, but it has the finesse of a master.
kris27y's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
book_worm23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mayabee92's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
munchkim's review against another edition
5.0
I could not leave this book alone once I started reading, it's totally unputdownable!
It's an engrossing story which draws you in, makes you care about the main characters, need to know what is going on and why. It's not an easy book to read, it really shows the darkness that hides inside some people but once the ending comes so does relief from all the tension that has been expertly crafted to keep you on edge.
There are some guessable twists and some which were a total surprise but understandable really. I'm going to have to find more books by this author!
It's an engrossing story which draws you in, makes you care about the main characters, need to know what is going on and why. It's not an easy book to read, it really shows the darkness that hides inside some people but once the ending comes so does relief from all the tension that has been expertly crafted to keep you on edge.
There are some guessable twists and some which were a total surprise but understandable really. I'm going to have to find more books by this author!
noveldeelights's review against another edition
4.0
Ah, the box. It got your attention in that blurb, didn’t it? As it did mine. What is this mysterious thing not everyone comes out of alive? You get a sneak peek at it in the opening chapter and it’ll send chills down your spine. But after that, the box just kind of disappears until halfway through the story when you’re almost at that point where you completely forgot about it. My point being, if said box is the reason you’re picking up this book, you may end up being slightly disappointed because ‘The Box‘ is more not about the box than it *is* about the box. If you catch my drift.
The set-up of this story reminded me a little bit of something Harlan Coben might do. In ‘The Box‘, the reader is introduced to Ed Truman. Ed is a perfectly normal every day family man, married, father of two and working as a lawyer. But suddenly he finds himself in extraordinary circumstances when his daughter is the target of an alt-right incel organisation. Things get ugly really fast. Ed’s family home is picketed by members of Men Together, former clients turn on him and accuse him of sexual assault, he and his wife seem to do nothing but argue. And then Ed’s daughter disappears. He’s convinced Men Together have something to do with that but before he can act, Ed finds himself the subject of a manhunt when his DNA is found on the body of a murdered young woman. And now this ordinary man must find a way to survive these extraordinary circumstances, keep his family safe and find his daughter before it’s too late. Piece of cake, really.
Doesn’t Ed sound like a character to root for? Yet, I can’t say I entirely was. I didn’t particularly like him, to begin with, although I wasn’t quite able to put a finger on why. He made mistakes, seemed to miss things I thought were glaringly obvious and definitely wouldn’t be up for a Father of the Year award. No, my loyalties were elsewhere.
Enter Detective Jackie Rose. Intelligent, intuitive, relentless, determined and hugely damaged Jackie. This week couldn’t possibly be worse for her as she is forced to relive the worst day of her life but she has a job to do. Will she be able to keep her head on the task at hand? I got behind Jackie from the minute I met her. She has no time for rules, or new colleagues that drive her up the wall. Actually she came across a little bit as a total not-people person and boy, can I relate to that! Jackie has no time for your bullshit. She was a character I just really liked and if at one point maybe she could get another murder case to solve, I would not be averse to that. Not so subtle hint.
‘The Box‘ is a complex and unpredictable thriller. I struggled to get to grips with it at the beginning, I must admit. It felt as if I had been thrown in at the deep end, unable to find my bearings, not seeing which way was up. It was almost as if I’d somehow missed the set-up and I was dropped into the middle of this story where things seemed rather random and little made sense to me. Now obviously, this could just be me because if you’ve been reading my reviews lately then you know my one remaining braincell is barely functioning at half capacity these days. But on the off-chance that you happen to feel the same way when you start ‘The Box‘, stick with it. It will all start to make sense at some point. I promise.
This is an author who doesn’t shy away from current and tough subject matters. ‘Men Together’ will make your blood boil, especially because it’s unfortunately utterly believable and realistic. There were some things I didn’t see coming, there were some that were a bit too predictable. It’s a chilling storyline for sure but I think I could have done with a bit more suspense and tension. That said, I enjoyed my introduction to Dan Malakin’s work and I’ll be sure to check out more.
With thanks to the publisher!
The set-up of this story reminded me a little bit of something Harlan Coben might do. In ‘The Box‘, the reader is introduced to Ed Truman. Ed is a perfectly normal every day family man, married, father of two and working as a lawyer. But suddenly he finds himself in extraordinary circumstances when his daughter is the target of an alt-right incel organisation. Things get ugly really fast. Ed’s family home is picketed by members of Men Together, former clients turn on him and accuse him of sexual assault, he and his wife seem to do nothing but argue. And then Ed’s daughter disappears. He’s convinced Men Together have something to do with that but before he can act, Ed finds himself the subject of a manhunt when his DNA is found on the body of a murdered young woman. And now this ordinary man must find a way to survive these extraordinary circumstances, keep his family safe and find his daughter before it’s too late. Piece of cake, really.
Doesn’t Ed sound like a character to root for? Yet, I can’t say I entirely was. I didn’t particularly like him, to begin with, although I wasn’t quite able to put a finger on why. He made mistakes, seemed to miss things I thought were glaringly obvious and definitely wouldn’t be up for a Father of the Year award. No, my loyalties were elsewhere.
Enter Detective Jackie Rose. Intelligent, intuitive, relentless, determined and hugely damaged Jackie. This week couldn’t possibly be worse for her as she is forced to relive the worst day of her life but she has a job to do. Will she be able to keep her head on the task at hand? I got behind Jackie from the minute I met her. She has no time for rules, or new colleagues that drive her up the wall. Actually she came across a little bit as a total not-people person and boy, can I relate to that! Jackie has no time for your bullshit. She was a character I just really liked and if at one point maybe she could get another murder case to solve, I would not be averse to that. Not so subtle hint.
‘The Box‘ is a complex and unpredictable thriller. I struggled to get to grips with it at the beginning, I must admit. It felt as if I had been thrown in at the deep end, unable to find my bearings, not seeing which way was up. It was almost as if I’d somehow missed the set-up and I was dropped into the middle of this story where things seemed rather random and little made sense to me. Now obviously, this could just be me because if you’ve been reading my reviews lately then you know my one remaining braincell is barely functioning at half capacity these days. But on the off-chance that you happen to feel the same way when you start ‘The Box‘, stick with it. It will all start to make sense at some point. I promise.
This is an author who doesn’t shy away from current and tough subject matters. ‘Men Together’ will make your blood boil, especially because it’s unfortunately utterly believable and realistic. There were some things I didn’t see coming, there were some that were a bit too predictable. It’s a chilling storyline for sure but I think I could have done with a bit more suspense and tension. That said, I enjoyed my introduction to Dan Malakin’s work and I’ll be sure to check out more.
With thanks to the publisher!
beckys_book_blog's review against another edition
4.0
This was a cleverly written dark thriller which I enjoyed.
The story starts with the Truman family who are worried about their teenage daughter Ally who has disappeared after publicly provoking the leader of an Incel group. Ed, the father is forced to go on the run after he is accused of sexual harassment and then the murder of another girl.
Meanwhile D.I Jackie Ross is trying to find Ed and solve the murder.
What has happened to Ally? Is Ed involved and how is the leader of Men Together involved?
I found this slightly slow to get into but the book really picked up pace and I was gripped by the second half. I loved the short, pacy chapters. The characters were well written and very believable. I really felt for Ed who was trying his best to uncover the truth, save his daughter (and family) and protect her friend Phoenix. He did remind me slightly of Walter from Breaking Bad when he was on the run! Benedict was also a great villain.
There were lots of good twists towards the end and I found the storyline around the incel group fascinating.
The Box is not actually featured that much so the title is slightly misleading and I would have liked the dystopian element to have been explored more. It does features in the last part of the book though and this was my favourite part. The epilogue was a clever final twist! A great, tense thriller with an original storyline.
The story starts with the Truman family who are worried about their teenage daughter Ally who has disappeared after publicly provoking the leader of an Incel group. Ed, the father is forced to go on the run after he is accused of sexual harassment and then the murder of another girl.
Meanwhile D.I Jackie Ross is trying to find Ed and solve the murder.
What has happened to Ally? Is Ed involved and how is the leader of Men Together involved?
I found this slightly slow to get into but the book really picked up pace and I was gripped by the second half. I loved the short, pacy chapters. The characters were well written and very believable. I really felt for Ed who was trying his best to uncover the truth, save his daughter (and family) and protect her friend Phoenix. He did remind me slightly of Walter from Breaking Bad when he was on the run! Benedict was also a great villain.
There were lots of good twists towards the end and I found the storyline around the incel group fascinating.
The Box is not actually featured that much so the title is slightly misleading and I would have liked the dystopian element to have been explored more. It does features in the last part of the book though and this was my favourite part. The epilogue was a clever final twist! A great, tense thriller with an original storyline.
chapter1_page1's review against another edition
4.0
⭐️ 4 ⭐️
A slow-burning, addictive read.
I thought the first few chapters were slightly slow-paced and it took me a while to get into, but once it really got going I was hooked and couldn’t put it down.
I particularly like Dan Malakin’s fluid writing style; I found it extremely easy to read and the short chapters heightened the feeling of tension and suspense. There’s also a gentle humour in the mix that helped lighten the mood.
The Box features diverse, relatable characters and the dialogue between them always feels authentic and believable.
The title is a little deceiving as the box doesn’t actually feature that much in the book. Overall, it’s a dark, atmospheric thriller that will keep you guessing right until the very end.
Many thanks to the publisher for my proof copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
A slow-burning, addictive read.
I thought the first few chapters were slightly slow-paced and it took me a while to get into, but once it really got going I was hooked and couldn’t put it down.
I particularly like Dan Malakin’s fluid writing style; I found it extremely easy to read and the short chapters heightened the feeling of tension and suspense. There’s also a gentle humour in the mix that helped lighten the mood.
The Box features diverse, relatable characters and the dialogue between them always feels authentic and believable.
The title is a little deceiving as the box doesn’t actually feature that much in the book. Overall, it’s a dark, atmospheric thriller that will keep you guessing right until the very end.
Many thanks to the publisher for my proof copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book that stats with a bang, becomes a slow burning thriller and keeps you hooked till the end.
There's a lot going on, an average man involved in something very big and an interesting detective.
I loved the storytelling and the solid plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
There's a lot going on, an average man involved in something very big and an interesting detective.
I loved the storytelling and the solid plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine