Blog Tour: One Down by Diana Wilkinson

Genre ~ domestic mystery

Featuring ~ differing timelines, alcoholism, infidelity, voyeurism, rape references, death of a child

POV ~ single 1st & multiple 3rd person

Publisher ~ Boldwood Books

Release date ~ January 16, 2023

Page count ~ 377

Audio length ~ 10 hours 31 minutes

My rating ~ 2.5⭐

I am delighted to be on this blog tour ~ thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for organizing.

check out what my fellow bloggers thought of this one ⤵

My review:

Amanda is our 1st person narrator and we have multiple 3rd person ones, including her husband, Nathan (I won’t name them all as to not give spoilers). No one is very likable and all are unreliable.

Overall, not for me, but I did like the following:
~ unique premise
~ short chapters
~ how Amanda cared for her elderly neighbor, Mr. Beckles
~ the twist I didn’t see coming
~ the last sentence

This was very slow going for me and I wasn’t very invested in the story until about 80% in. I liked the interesting premise ~ will Amanda really be murdered on May 3rd as the crossword implies? With the multiple POV’s and flashbacks within the chapters, it took an awfully long time to find out. And once we do find out it left me with a lackluster impression. Luckily there was a small twist that I hadn’t figured out that gave me some excitement. Amanda struggles with alcoholism and she talks a big game of trying to get help, but really it didn’t seem like she wanted to quit. I liked the last sentence, but I won’t tell you why.

So again, overall not for me, but there are other reviewers that enjoyed this more than I did, so don’t let my thoughts stop you from giving it a try if it sounds like something you’d enjoy.

*Thanks to the author, Rachel’s Random Resources, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

Add to your never ending TBR  ~ goodreads

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read it.

Book blurb:

I’m not being paranoid! It’s all there in the crossword clues…in black and white. There’s no doubt the threat is real. Today, the answers spell out my murder.

May Third. Amanda. Silver Birch. Noontime. Assassination.

Is Nathan, my estranged crossword-setter husband, really planning to kill me? Or is it someone closer to home?

I check the door is bolted, slither to the ground, and count down the seconds to noon. There’s nothing left to do, and no one I can call. Who’d believe me anyway? The lady on the ground floor has already left the building, and my new boyfriend is on holiday. Or is he?

A tread of footsteps. A rap at the door, and I close my eyes, hold my breath…

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3DoDE45

Author Bio –

Diana Wilkinson is a graduate of Durham University, spending a short spell in teaching before taking up a full-time career in tennis development. A former Irish international player, she finally stepped off the tennis court to become a full-time writer.

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Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/diana-wilkinson

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