Clickbait

by L.C. North

'We're not famous anymore. We're notorious.'

For over a decade, the Lancasters were celebrity royalty, with millions tuning in every week to watch their reality show, Living with the Lancasters .

But then an old video emerges of one of their legendary parties. Suddenly, they're in the spotlight for all the wrong witnesses swore they'd seen missing teenager Bradley Wilcox leaving the Lancaster family home on the night of the party, but the video tells a different story

Now true crime investigator and YouTuber Tom Isaac is on the case. He's determined to find out what really happened to Bradley - he just needs to read between the Lancasters' lies . . .

Because when the cameras are always rolling, it won't be long until someone cracks.

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Clickbait is told through mixed media, from video transcripts to diary entries, capturing a unique and addictive commentary on ruthless ambition and the dark side of fame.

COMING SOON AND AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW!


Praise for L. C.

'Fresh, compelling and searing in its exploration of the toxicity of social media and the reality of modern celebrity. Not to be missed!' Lisa Jewell , bestselling author of THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS

'A compelling read that will make you look at headlines in a different way' Glamour

'A startling thriller with a sharp edge. Fast and compelling, it leaves you gasping for breath' Daily Mail

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary, Fiction, Crime, Adult, Mystery Thriller

400 pages, Hardcover

Published April 11, 2024

Reviews

[Brooke - Brooke's Reading Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining mystery story that uses the setting of a podcast to look at an unsolved crime. The narrative is told entirely as podcast, video and interview transcripts as well as comments listed on social media which worked quite well in my opinion. The Lancaster family felt familiar with their reality show antics - think like the Kardashian or Osborne family reality shows. It becomes quickly clear that they are untrustworthy in relation to the disappearance of a young man years ago from a party at their home. I found this to be an easy and engaging read. I have to admit though I wasn't a huge fan of the end; I didn't hate it, but I just thought it was getting a bit too hard to be clever.
Overall: I quite enjoyed this book and would happily read another by the author.

[Sandy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I've now read by L. C. North Again written in a mixed media style only texts, podcast excerpts, police statements/ reports, diary entries etc and whilst clever I'm leaning much more to a more traditional script and story. All the Lancaster characters were nasty, the mother being the worst. Only Tom, who was completing his investigation in a docuseries, was remotely likeable. But it was a compelling mystery with plenty of lies to foil you. I particularly liked the second ending but did feel let down that the remaining Lancaster found American success. An enjoyable read

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preferred this to The Ugly Truth, though I have the same feelings about both overall: they are compelling if not necessarily ‘good’. Clickbait follows a family of reality TV stars caught up in escalating scandal when a true crime YouTuber investigates the case of a teenager who disappeared from a party at their house. Like The Ugly Truth, it’s told through various transcripts, documents, emails etc. Like The Ugly Truth, it has some issues: I found the Lancasters unbelievable, along with the nature of their fame (I just don’t think you can apply the logic of event TV to YouTube...) But Clickbait has a stronger story, better – or at least livelier – voices, and doesn’t just feel like it’s ripping stuff from the lives of real celebrities. Plus Tom is an engaging character; I wouldn’t at all mind if this turns into a series and he pops up in future books.

Having recently read Cara Hunter’s Murder in the Family, which is also a mixed-media thriller, I couldn’t help noticing how many similarities there are in the plots: both start in 2003 with the death or disappearance of a young man on the property of a wealthy family; both see a new investigation launched in the media twenty years later; both feature parents who are either dead or indisposed in the present-day storyline, and three now-adult children (two sisters and a brother). It’s obviously just a weird coincidence, but I wouldn’t recommend reading the books close together – this was all pretty distracting and I kept getting them mixed up. Anyway, my conclusion about both is pretty much the same: whatever their faults, I can’t pretend I wouldn’t read much more in the same format.

[WhatMichaelaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like reality tv you will love this!

[Natalie "Curling up with a Coffee and a Kindle" Laird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.
I am becoming rather addicted to books written in epistolery style! This one contains transcripts of police interviews and podcast episdodes revolving around the Lancaster family, after a man goes missing on his way home from one of their legendery parties. 20 years later, a seemingly innocent video that is released on social media sheds new light on his cold case.
After loving Lauren North's book The Ugly Truth, written in a similar style, I grabbed this one straight away.
I raced through this one. It is brilliantly addictive and I couldn't turn those pages fast enough. The way it comes together at the end had me grinning from ear to ear.
Highly recommended.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bradley Wilcox disappeared 20 years ago after a party at the fame hungry ‘Lancasters’ house, he got in a taxi with others and was never to be seen again…
But did he
Do the Lancaster family, now famous YouTubers with many years of success in their family no holds barred series know more than they are saying?
Tom Isaac, true crime investigator thinks so and is on a mission to find out….little knowing the chaos, secrets and ultimately the truth he will uncover
Written in podcast style throughout with emails, interview’s and fan reaction comments this book really got me going…it was easy to become involved and soon I too was a P.I. and wanted justice for Bradley and to see just what the Lancasters had/hadn’t done
Flowed like the Thames, encouraged reader participation and thought and was genuinely exciting, a very enjoyable experience which did not let up for one paragraph, even the last one….

[KnittingMamaBear-Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical who-dunnit in the age of Reality TV - a Podcaster follows the cold case of the disappearance of a teenage boy during a party at the house of this reality TV stars' family. It's now 20 years later, and the podcast is interviewing the kids of the family (3) and the mom about what really happened to Bradley. They find out. And uncover a couple more murder culprits in the process.

With actual pop culture references and many real reality tv stars mentioned, this read felt very current and captivating. Again, this is really written for the audio performance with a cast of characters.
Highly recommended for fans of True Crime podcast format books!

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about bingeable! I love epistolary novels and this one was sooo addictive 🤩

None of the characters were likeable, least of all Tom, who was my least favourite. (Has there been a more vain podcast host? 🙄 Also, why the hell would you announce an upcoming interview before the interview???) Yet I couldn't stop turning the pages.

There was layer after layer of mystery and intrigue, which I really enjoyed, along with the novel's dive into the dark side of reality tv, influencer culture, stardom and more. I also loved the way it explored abuse.

I felt let down by certain reveals at first. But let's just say... hang on tight for the ride. It's fun and wild and one that you won't forget anytime soon!

[EmmaReadsCrime · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

This is a mixed media style story. After a video is shown on reality show, Living With The Lancasters, it show’s different evidence to an old missing person case.

I thought this was an alright read but I just think there are better mixed media books out there!

[L.M. Chilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

When your whole lives are recorded for a reality TV show, how can you get away with murder?

“The Kardashians meets Serial”, this very clever murder mystery is told in the form of YouTube video transcripts and social media posts.

Extremely easy and fun to read, with characters that gradually reveal themselves (and their secrets) to be far more interesting than their real-life celebrity counterparts!

[Ashley Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

L.C North has quickly become one of my favourite authors

The format of her books are amazingly written and thought out to the T!

Clickbait is about the Lancaster family who have their own reality TV show. An old video surfaces and in that video you see the missing teen Bradley Wilcox even though the police wore told he left the part and 11:45pm so how could he still be there at 12:15pm ?

I would highly highly recommend clickbait!

[OllieObsessed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I freaking love mixed media mysteries focused on social media plot lines.

[Karen Chong · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 / 5.0

First book of 2025, not a bad start could have been worse. I’ve read the last book from North titled ‘The ugly Truth’, i found the way the book was written to be presented very unique and since then has always stood out to me. As a Gen Z who is in tune with YouTube and social media growing up I also felt the plot, suited hand to hand in my social media knowledge and usage. Again, we have a similar book to her previous book, but this book has more twists and drama than before. I have to admit the twist at the end I did not see coming. Overall, I do think with this ‘YouTuber/ influencer - reality show type book it does cater towards a specific audience- especially if you haven’t watched or heard of the Kardashian/ Jenners, TOWIE and my favourite, made in Chelsea it would be hard to understand the plot.

The plot follows the Lancaster’s- imagine if the YouTuber Zoella created a big brother type YouTube series with her family (very Gen Z language use here- I know!) with millions tuning in watch their weekly episodes. One episode in particular show cases an old video, which features missing teenager Bradley Wilcox who has been missing for 20 years prior to the old video surfacing. True crime investigator and YouTuber Tom Isaac is on the case determined to cut through the lies and found out what happened to Bradley. And you’ll be on a journey with what has been uncovered.

As I mentioned before, I think this book caters towards a very niche specific audience, if you don’t watch much YouTube or listen to many online social media influencers it’s hard to get into this book!

[bookmehnia · Rating 4 out of 5]

{30/2024} 4/5🌟 Crime Thriller/Fiction | 392 pages

“𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.”
“𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬.”

Halfway through the story, I was wondering what does the title have to do with it. I think, I only got the answer after 99% of the book - and boy, then it certainly made sense. To sum it up, the story is akin to if the Kardashians or the Beckhams were in a crime thriller movie, LOL.

Jokes aside, the story tells us of a family, dubbed the Lancasters, who were the internet royalties eversince their Youtube shows “Living with the Lancasters” started and now had already been entering their sixteenth season. They claimed they were even the pioneer for a reality tv show before the Kardashians, so they said. They owned a business empire which catered to designed and exclusive clothings. The head of the family, the matriach, Lynn Lancaster, was married to Ed Lancaster, who was once a football star with Manchester United and they had three beautiful children - Taylor, Locke and India. After Ed had passed away tragically, Lynn was the sole energy managing the three young ones. Taylor, the main forefront of the reality show, besides the brother, Locke, who was an aspiring TV presenter and India, an aspiring model.

An old video emerged during one the broadcasts of a particular episode from their reality show, an episode which paid tribute to the late Ed Lancaster, where Locke shared a never-before-seen video of his father during a party at their house. The video was supposed to focus on Ed Lancaster who was dancing, until some viewers noticed one particular person in the video. It was Bradley Cox, someone who had been missing for twenty years. He was said to be missing on his walk home from Ed Lancaster’s party that night. The investigation to his case came to a dead end after there was no lead. In the video, it was seen that Bradley Wilcox was seem to be having a heated discussion with Lynn Lancaster in the background. What really happened?

A true crime investigator also a Youtuber, Tom Isaac was keen on investigating the case after he was contacted bu Bradley Wilcox’s sister, Cassie. Tom knew he just had to do it as it felt personal since he and Bradley Wilcox went to the same school. Police had finally reopened the case because of this new finding but what made it more interesting, Lynn Lancaster when interviewed during a police investigation twenty years ago was adamant that Bradley Wilcox left the party at 11.45pm, but the time stamp on the video showing the heated argument was already after midnight, 12.15 am to be exact. Who was telling the truth? Was it possible for Bradley to leave and return to the party, or could someone be lying?

To be clear, this was an almost 400 pages of read that I finished in only one day which on some days would be impossible. Surprise, surprise! Yeah, I was surprised myself! However, there could be many reasons (for me) for that. First, it was in a genre I love, so my failing investigative brain was working hard. Secondly, the way I was looking at it, it felt like I was reading evidence transcripts. There were audio transcripts from phone calls, video, and interviews, there were transcripts taken from “Living with the Lancasters” extracts of selected episodes, transcripts of emails, transcripts of comments from social medias as well as transcripts from Tom Isaac’s podcast show “Tom Isaac Investigates”. There was no narrator in the story. No, first, second, or third POV.

So, it was quite fun for me reading through all these from a reader’s point of view, except that the timeline was in a jumble between each evidence, I needed to flip the pages back and forth several times to understand the flow of the case. I would say this is something fresh in my reading of crime thriller genre. No heavy elongated descriptive phrases and sentences.

Although there were parts which I thought would be impossible and illogical to happen in the real world, it was still an interesting read for the whole thing to turn out in the end, which definitely teaches us a lesson or two. Show businesses and the glam world certainly come with its own exclusive price. It’s okay to aim high, but we do not want to jeopardise other people’s life for the sake of our own dreams.

I can’t help but to have an alternate look between Victoria Beckham and Kris Jenner for Lynn Lancaster’s character, probably more on the latter as she could have been the most progressive momager out there. I can’t help but to be reminded of some scenes from KUWTK old seasons (yup, I used to watch them 🤦🏻‍♀️) reading through “Living with the Lancasters” moments - Kim K’s wedding, Kylie’s jealousy of Kendall’s modelling, and some other more. A recommended read if you need something new and fresh from the world of crime and thriller.

Thank you #timesreads for this review copy in exchange with my personal honest opinion.

#justreaddontbawang #bookmehnia #JuneReads #JuneTBRs #bookstagrammalaysia #bookstagrammy #malaysiamembaca #bookstagrammer #bookgram #bibliophile #bibliophilemy #bookish #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #bookish #readersofinstagram #goodreads #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookworm #heyjune #clickbait #lcnorth

[Nat thelowkeylibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this e-ARC of Clickbait.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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"Clickbait" by L. C. North is a rollercoaster story of truth and lies. The characters are all flawed but real (if slightly clichéd), but the story keeps you hooked with regular twists drip fed through out keeping suspense high.
The mixed-media, a blend of interview transcript, news bulletins, email messages and more adds a whole new layer of immersion to the story. The author cleverly drops clues in throughout the story, so the reader feels like they are investigating right along with Tom, but gets the balance right between revelation and concealment to keep you guessing until the very end, ensuring the ‘big twist’ moment hits with maximum impact. Oh, and of course any story with a dog in it gets extra brownie points from me! 🤭 Definitely worth a read if you want a fast-paced, modern and suspenseful mystery read.

**mild spoilers**
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“Be the smartest in the room. Be the one who knows everything. That’s what gives you power. Above all, don’t let anyone or anything get in your way.”

I loved the final few sentences and thought it was a really chilling way to end the story.

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of twists as expected kept me listening.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best reality TV trope books I've ever read and an entry point into the world of L.C. North as im about to devour everything they have written:) LOVED it. So many different things going on and different mediums to read it with makes this book a belter. Such a fun read that I read it in one sitting

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's oddly satisfying when you pick up a random book on a whim, and it turns out to be extremely engrossing and entertaining.
While the title and the author were completely unknown to me, reading the blurb made me feel like it's a book based on the kardashians (not a fan and haven't watched a single episode but I don't live under a rock either)
The author had an interesting style of structuring the story - the story is pieced together as a podcast interspersed with emails, TV and news show transcripts, detective investigation reports and journal entries, giving most of the book a sense of stability despite many of the characters lying and then rationalising their actions.
The story starts with a 20 year old party video posted online creating waves as it includes a missing teen having an intense conversation with his hostess. What makes it all the more captivating for the public are the facts that a) the teen was supposed to have left the party long before the video was taken and b) the hosts are long-time social media and reality TV stars of Britain.
As an online investigative journalist tries to solve the mystery of the missing boy, we learn more about the dynamics of the family and their rise to fame. Things take a serious turn when one of the prime suspects is found dead in her pool and is suspected to have committed suicide.
The story is engrossing and fast-paced, to say the least, and has an interesting twist in the end for those who felt that the ending was going to be timid and predictable.

[Nicola Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living with the Lancasters is a reality show on you tube and has been for 17 series with 5.7 million subscribers in the UK alone. You meet the main characters of the family, the siblings Taylor, Locke, India and mum Lynn. But there are loads of other important characters too. I loved the transcripts from sky news live and emails. You soon discover missing 18 year old Bradley. And understand Cassie his sister is campaigning to find out what happened to her brother 20 years ago.

Everything from the get go is 100mph. It’s really modern with the way social media is in this current generation. Tom Isaac Investigates, episodes on you tube and Spotify was an exciting part in this book. You get everything from a celebrity psychologist to a body language Expert. Gripping moments include an unexpected death, suspicious circumstances, potentially a murder. Can only mean one thing, another investigation.

Will the Lancasters remain solid or will the family start to crumble and fall apart? Hidden secrets and lies. Will the truth be revealed? I loved the flash backs to the fav moments. I couldn’t put the book down at all once I got to 60% everything started to unravel and it was addictive. I was living for the final few pages when the author writes ‘it was all just click bait’.

[Sarah Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review 📚

Clickbait L.C. North

Format - Audio 🎧

Star Rating 5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh my goodness, I couldn't not give this 5 stars the audiobook was a production !
If you're looking to read this book please consider the audiobook as it contains mixed media in the form of a podcast, news clips and more.

We follow Cassie and Tom as they try to uncover the truth about Cassies' brothers dissappearance after a party at the affluent Lancaster house a number of years ago.
The Lancasters insist that Bradley left the party to go to a night club, however a clip emerges online showing that he's still in the Lancaster household after he's apparently left, so who's lying and why ?

This was such a good read and the audiobook just really added to the experience as I felt as though I was actually in the story.

I would a million percent recommend this book and also think it would be a great book for someone who's looking to get into the thriller genre.

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

i really enjoyed the way mixed media was used throughout this story & i highly recommend listening to the audiobook if you have the chance! though it didn’t wow me, i did enjoy the overall premise & i was definitely invested at around the 20% mark 👏🏻

[Cerys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book sooo much! It felt like a murder mystery of the Kardashian’s, made even better that absolutely everything in the story was tied up in the end

Excited to read the authors other book ‘the ugly truth’

[Leona · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good,read and I enjoyed the format of the book. I enjoyed the interviews and the social media aspect. An easy but interesting read. I did think it was a bit slow at times but perhaps that was just me. 3.5⭐️

[Anthony Blanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up from the library when I was in a rush and just for something to read while on holiday. I actually expected it to be ‘rubbish’, which begs the question “why did I pick it?”!! I can’t answer that particular question but I can say I really enjoyed the book and think it is an excellent read. In a contemporary approach, using social media and common media to unfold the plot in this digital age, it tackles the rich and famous who have been caught up in acts of criminality and the lengths they will go to to protect their image, maintain their celebrity status and hold on to their wealth - Boy George and Michael Barrymore refer!! And is a classic case of ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover’!!! Read it and enjoy!!

[Leonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75*

[Cassandra Larsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

the audiobook for this was absolutely brilliant

[Becca Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good read - kept my intrigue throughout.

[Linde Bouma]

Oops, DNF

[Millie Akeroyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Addictive read but a fair few typos and I can't explain how frustrating some of the dialogue was..."totes"..."ridic"...