Buvusi policininkė, dabar privati detektyvė, sekanti neištikimus sutuoktinius, Emilija Heins turi paslaptį – negali atsitraukti nuo „Išpažinčių kambario“. Šiame internetiniame forume, turinčiame gausybę sekėjų, bet kas gali išpažinti savo nuodėmes be „jokių padarinių“. Tad vieni rašo slapta įsimylėję, kiti ką nors pavogę, o treti – netgi turėdami kėslų. Bet kartą šiame forume Emilija perskaito prisipažinimą įvykdžius žmogžudystę, jame įvardytos net dvi pavardės. Iš pradžių pamano, kad kažkas kvailioja. Bet randamas kūnas. Ir ne vienas.
Emilija suvokia aptikusi serijinius žudikus, gąsdinančius visuomenę, nes niekas nebėra įsitikinęs, kad nebus įvardytas kitoje išpažintyje. Mat jeigu tu turi paslaptį, žudikai tave ras – jie žino, kas tu ir ką padarei. Išpažinčių kambaryje išgyvena anaiptol ne visi, o forumo sekėjų skaičius tik auga.
Vadinasi, Emilijai lieka vienintelė išeitis – pamėginti žudikus sustabdyti...
The Confession Room is an online forum where people are invited to confess their deepest thoughts, desires and deeds.
It’s amazing the amount of wrongdoing that people fess up to on the site, but then one day someone confesses to murder, and it’s only the beginning of their story! The victims are named, but it doesn’t stop there, as more victims names are put forward, and the police have no idea who the perpetrator is, or indeed how to find them.
Who’s going to be next on their list? Will it be you? The public are starting to panic because if you are one of the online confessors, then you should be very afraid! The perpetrators know everything about you and they want you to pay. Ex cop Emilia Haines becomes obsessed with The Confession Room, and quite frankly, she’s getting a little too involved, but where will it all lead?
A unique premise that veers into the deepest darkest depths of the internet. The book started off really well and has some heart pounding moments, though I did feel it slowed a little midway. However, it really plays with the minds of those who confessed, (and with the reader) not knowing who’s the next potential victim, and demonstrates the fear that ensues when an unknown entity is out for revenge.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
The Confession Room is an online forum where people can post confessions ‘without consequence’. Many do, including Emilia Haines, ex-police, now a PI. Some posts are confessions to affairs, some are more chilling, especially the last one on a particular day in November. Nobody would publicly confess to a murder, would they??
From the very scary start, Lia Middleton rarely takes her foot off the accelerator in this blow your mind read. I’m all in from the beginning and it’s one of those books that are hard to put down as it’s so gripping. It’s a bloody freezing, fearful, dread inducing chiller of a thriller with calculated cold bloodedness that shocks to the core. Just as you think the tension and suspense couldn’t get any higher, it ramps up several notches. Twists? Oh yes and several that will blow your socks off and they keep coming right to the end.
This has a fantastic and original premise, it’s very well written, so it fully engages your attention and the storyline flows smoothly. The characterisation is very good with Emilia’s perspective and state of mind being very well done. Varied and understandable emotions swirl around her and despite it all you feel empathy for her. Ciaran, her ex, is a very likeable calm in the centre of a storm.
This is not just an outstanding thriller as it gives much food for thought such as on justice and there’s a commentary on what constitutes entertainment.
Overall, this is one cracking read to remember and if you like your thrillers that stray onto the darker side then this is for you. Fantastic!
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Intrigued initially but that wore off quite quickly.
I really liked the idea of this book. There is an Internet chat room where people confess things. Some things are probably the sort of things that people would not confess to in public but on the Internet that doesn't matter... Emilia is an ex police officer. It seems likely initially that her leaving the police relates to the fact that her sister was murdered and the killer has not been found. She seems to blame herself for her death. She is also addicted to the Confession Room.
The start of this seemed creative and intriguing to me. When someone confesses to a murder in the chat room Emilia is drawn to being involved and contacts a serving police man who she worked with (and was involved with). She tries to get information from him and then increasingly investigates herself.
In practice the deeper I went into this the more it frustrated me. In the end I found Emilia a less than complete character and not that credible. Other characters were very minor. The pace in this is excellent and I'm sure many will get caught up in it. The combination of "confession" and "justice" (or possibly revenge) should work but this felt rather superficial to me. I have read books that had some similarities that I definitely preferred but I'm guessing this one will do well enough with other readers.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random house, and the fantastic author Lia Middleton for an early copy of her book to read.
This is the first book I've read from this author, The storyline looked intriguing. I thought this book was repetitive until half way when I was hooked and couldn't put this book down.Emilla Haines an Ex cop comes across a site called the confession room,she didnt realise it was to become real murders,who is behind this ? Will she find out? Theres many twists and turns that gets you excited to find out what's going to happen next.fantastic writing even after I've read it,its still in my mind so I'm rating this book 4.5 stars.highly recommend this book,and cant wait to read more of her books.if you like a good thriller read this book you wont be disappointed.
This book will be reviewed on goodreads and Amazon UK.
OMG. What a book. I find it fascinating how authors, of any genre, manage to think up plots that are so original and unique. This is a perfect example of such a plot. Prepare to be gripped. This one will stay with you when you are doing other things, and will linger long after finishing. I was consumed by this, and in the second half, I was giddy with how much I was enjoying it and the twists that came out. I want friends to read this so I can discuss it. Thoroughly enjoyable, and in my books of the year. This book deserves to be HUGE.
Man labai patinka psichologiniai trileriai. Kuo daugiau žaidžiama mano suvokimu, bei juslėmis, tuo labiau man patinka knyga, visada tikiuosi būti apgauta arba kaip nors netikėtai suklaidinta.
Kada perskaitai ne vieną ir ne du psichologinius trilerius, natūraliai imi juos lyginti tarpusavyje, "Išpažinčių kambarys" mane sudomino, nes esu skaičiusi knygų, kuriose transliuojamos išpažintys arba deja egzekucijos, tad išties panorau susipažinti su L. Middleton kūryba. Gaila, bet ši knyga mane nustebino tik pačioje pabaigoje, visos knygos metu nujaučiau kokia bus pabaiga, bet paskutinis skyrius mane išties maloniai nustebino 🤭 Žinoma, kiekvienas skaitytojas šią knygą išgyvens kitaip, tačiau panašaus siužeto jau buvau skaičiusi, todėl manęs pernelyg nesužavėjo. Labiau buitinio stiliaus trileris, mėgstantiems ramesnį siužetą ši knyga bus įdomi, man deja pritrūko. 3.5⭐/5.0
I could not warm to this book despite really trying to. I kept hoping it was going to get better. The plot sounds so interesting. Someone is posting confessions of murders, including victims names in a dark hidden chat room. Enter our main character, Ex Police Emilia Haines. She’s been fascinated by this chat room, where people can anonymously confess to anything from stealing to cheating..and murder.
I found her character flat and very unrealistic. Despite no longer active in the police Emilia emerges herself in the hunt for the killer and the next victims. It’s totally unrealistic. Why? She embarks on tasks that interfere with the real police work, really crossing boundaries despite being warned off. She’d be charged in real life for obstruction I am positive.
It becomes like an amateur sleuth story rather than an intense thriller. The pace is S..L..O…..W. Tedious going. It got worse instead of better unfortunately. I didn’t feel research into true police procedure and regulations where citizens are pushing into investigations was done, or not well. The ending was just not good to say the least. This lacks lustre and bored me to tears. I plodded on and wished I had not bothered. Just nope. A generous 2 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy of this novel.
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A new author for me and a striking premise drew me in.
The idea of an Internet forum allowing people to post their confessions anonymously seems like mildly harmless fun.
Our main protagonist, Emilia Haines became obsessed with the site, manly due to the reason why she'd left the police force. Once someone confesses to murder on the forum, Emilia feels duty bound to try and solve it.
The novel takes slightly surprising turn as the case escalates into a cat and mouse chase.
I quite liked the fast paced writing style, though never completely warmed to the main character. Some interesting ideas in an overall entertaining read.
Emilija Heins - buvusi policininkė, kuri šiuo metu dirba privačia detektyve. Ji niekaip negali atsitraukti nuo internetinio forumo, kuris pavadintas - "Išpažinčių kambariu". Jame žmonės anonimiškai gali išpažinti savo nuodėmes. Ten rašantys žino, jog yra anonimai, tad mielai atskleidžia tamsiausias savo paslaptis. Kartą Emilija perskaito prisipažinimą įvykdžius žmogžudystę ir yra paminimos dvi pavardės. Tuomet randamas kūnas. Kiek vėliau ir dar vienas. Moteris supranta, jog viskas darosi rimta.. Nors ji ir buvusi policininkė, tačiau darbas yra "jos kraujyje". Tad ji imasi to, ką geba daryti geriausiai.
Skaitant vis daugiau psichologinių trilerių, nėra lengva atrasti tokį, kuris nustebintų savo tema. Negalėčiau pasakyti, jog šios knygos siužetas buvo pats originaliausias, tačiau skaityti buvo įdomu, vietomis net šiurpu. Charizmatiški veikėjai, kurie parodomi tokie, kokie ir yra šiandieniniai žmonės. Su savo ydomis, klystantys ir nebijantys pripažinti darantys klaidas. Emilija man pasirodė tikrai įdomi asmenybė, kuri mane šiame trileryje tikrai sugebėjo nustebinti. Taip pat man patiko ir tai, kaip vyko "Išpažinčių kambario" aukų atranka. Greitai perskaičiau šią knygą ir likau tikrai maloniai nustebinta. Ir faktas, jog ne viskas šimtu procentų mane įtikino šioje istorijoje, tačiau nutariau smarkiai nesikabinėti 🤭 Kad ir kaip to nenorime, tačiau po truputį artėja vėsūs bei tamsūs rudens vakarai. Manau, jog šis trileris bus puikus pasirinkimas tokiems vakarams.
First of all I would just like to thank, NetGalley, Lia Middleton, Michael Joseph and Penguin Random House for an ARC of “The Confession Room” in exchange for an honest review.
Here we find an online forum called “The Confession Room”, a place were anyone can anonymously post their darkest confessions. However, someone has now started confessing to murders before they’ve happened, and they seem to be targeting pairs of people with plenty of secrets to hide.
I absolutely loved the concept for this book, it’s such a wonderfully terrifying idea. As well as this, it is scary to think that people do often find violence entertaining when it’s not happening to them.
Unfortunately, after leading with a strong start, I’d sort of lost interest by the second half of the book. I don’t think this was helped by the fact that I struggled to empathise with the protagonist, Emilia. I found her to be infuriating at times and her decisions slightly irritating. I unfortunately also felt that the ending was slightly predictable.
However, it does a really good job of twisting your sense of right and wrong, whilst forcing you to ponder what does justice actually look like in a situation like this? It is a very well thought out investigation of justice and how it is interpreted differently by everyone.
In my opinion, if you liked Eeny Meeny by M.J. Aldridge, you’re sure to like this, it has very similar vibes😊
“The Confession Room” comes out on the 31st of August! 📚
I enjoyed the last 2 books by Lia Middleton, so I was really excited to get my hands....eyes...on The Confession Room.
This has an interesting premise and I was immediately taken by it. Emilia lost her sister tragically a few months ago. She used to be a Police officer, but quit soon after her sister's death, because she just could not be in that environment anymore, and she also blames herself for not saving her sister. Emilia is now a private detective and spends her nights trawling the internet and specifically a website known as The Confession room, where people post all sorts of confessions.....from stealing, to cheating....and then one day....to murder.
This was the opposite of a slow burn....heck, even faster than a page turner, because I could not swipe fast enough to the next page. There was a lot of tension and I enjoyed that about the book. The 2nd half starts to drag a bit though and I found myself a bit less invested than I was at the beginning.
Emilia....I was frustrated with her and her desire to just cross boundaries, to act recklessly and to just have zero regard for the decisions and the consequences of those decisions.
That aside, this was an interesting read and I think it really gives the reader a lot to think about when it comes to justice and what that means to you.
This book had me glued to my seat. It really questions our morals and what is deemed right or wrong. Credit to Middleton, she has done is again. A simple book of plots, with unexpected twists.
The book is about Emilia Haynes, a PI who was once a police detective. Her sister Sophie was murdered in her home by a stalker whilst she was on duty. Ever since, Emily goes on forums in her spare time and stumbled across a forum called The confession room. A place were people anonymously confess to secrets. Some are minor, but than one day someone posts about murder with the names of the two victims are presented. Everyone thinks it’s a hoax, and is quickly dismissed by the police. However, a video is uploaded after the post bringing credibility to their claims. But it doesn’t stop there, more victims and videos are posted online. Emily gets too obsessed in the forum and things begin to turn sour. It’s not a Lia Middleton book if there’s no twist and more importantly no legal court house drama.
I highly recommend this book if you want a quick read, the more you read, the more the plot sucks you in to finish it. I couldn’t just stop knowing that more was yet to come. If anyone had read Chris carters book before, it had a similar vibe. It’s dark. It’s creepy but the book was suffocating. The atmosphere presented in this book is claustrophobic. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that has made me feel this type of way. I found the book unpredictable, not knowing what will happen next. I was truly on a ride with this book. Worth a read.
SO. FREAKING. GOOD! What a unique concept. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and it pulled me right out of my slump! I will definitely be adding Lia's other books to my tbr 😍
Prasidejo idomiai ir skaitesi greitai, bet po to tas pastovus Emilijos verkslenimas ir tu paciu zodziu pasikartojimas kas pora pastraipu jau man rove stoga... Kaip zmogus, kuris yra buves policininkas- Emilija visiskai neatitinka nei vieno policininko bruozo. Puse knygos ji zyzia, verkia, bijo ir kramto snarglius...pabaiga ale netiketa, bet po tiek leksto teksto jau kazkaip net ir juokinga, kad autore taip nusprendzia nutraukti ir uzbaigti visa sia kankyne... Is tikruju vienintelis patikes personazas knygoj man buvo Kyronas, visa kita paliko daug klausimu. Knyga tikrai ne psichologinis trileris, greiciau pasityciojimas is jo.
What a fantastic read. Lia Middleton is without a doubt, one of my favourite thriller writers and The Confession Room didn’t disappoint.
Former police officer Emilia Haines, lost her sister and the killer was unknown. Confessions start to appear online on a forum and she still has the detective in her despite no longer being in the force. Is she letting things get personal?
It started off at a nice pace and then about a third of the way through it really does pick up and oh my word I cannot even explain how much my heart was racing at one point - I couldn’t decide if I needed to put it down so I didn’t have nightmares 🤣 or carry on because I NEEDED to know what was going to happen. (Let’s just say I carried on!).
The people responsible for the confession room and the disappearance of the victims were a few steps ahead of the police and I loved the whole determination of the detectives and also Emilia in the background trying to catch up with them.
A very well written book with so much tension and suspense. Continuous twists that really grab your attention and is really hard to put down. Thoroughly enjoyed and one I absolutely recommend!
If you want your body to feel it is being violently shaken on a rollercoaster, this book is for you. My stomach was clenching the whole time. This is completely absorbing. A very original plot. I need time to recover from this mentally.
"Sveiki atvykę į Išpažinčių kambarį. Saugi aplinka atgailai ir išpažinčiai be padarinių. Išpažinčių kambarys - tai gyvybė arba mirtis. Visi, kas atsidūrė Išpažinčių kambaryje, pateko čia dėl tam tikrų priežasčių. Nekaltasis, kuris tyli, galop vistiek yra kaltas. Vienintelis teisingumas-akis už akį".
Labai įdomi, iki vidurio knygos kažkiek panašumu priminė anksčiau skaitytą trilerį, bet kažkur nuo vidurio - prasidės tokie netikėtumai, kad sunku bus tiesiog atsitraukti, nenuspėjamas siužetas privers aikčioti, o pabaiga - tiesiog paliks be žado. Man labai labai patiko!!!
ein sehr spannendes, packendes Buch ohne klassischem Happy-End🫠 normalerweise spricht mir der Vogelperspektiven-Schreibstil nicht so zu, aber das hat die Spannung nicht geschmälert - außerdem klärt sich die gewählte Form am Ende ohnehin dann auf😉
I never tend to write reviews on here, however I felt absolutely compelled to review this. This is the first book I have read from this author and wow, I’ve been searching for a book this gripping since I read The Silent Patient years ago! I think I ended up reading this in 5 hours, I could not put it down. There were points I threw my Kindle to take a minute to BREATHE! I must admit, the first 50% of the book is so intense, I don’t think I took a breath the whole time. Unpredictable, gripping and so intense.
Well this was an interesting ride, finding it difficult to write a review without any spoilers as there seems to be so many twists and who can you trust. This is such a scary premise but it worked really well and I was engrossed it was a definite afternoon read for me as I wanted to see what happened and why. It all made sense in the end.
I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.
I requested this on NetGalley because it sounded right up my street, and boy oh boy did it deliver! The tension and suspense is real, I was in bed late at night reading this with my heart hammering in my chest and fully creeped out.
I was so engrossed in this story, following an ex-police woman who becomes obsessed with reading The Confession Room posts and feels duty bound to try and solve the mystery of it all.
It was fast-paced, gripping, it has all the emotions. I felt genuine fear reading this!
I loved the way it all unravelled and the solution to the mystery. Knocked of half a star for the very ending of the book which I felt kind of unnecessary. But I couldn’t recommend this more to thriller lovers out there!
The Confession Room has a brilliant premise and I really wanted to love it but there was just something that didn’t quite work for me. Apart from the fact I hated the ending, I found it didn’t have the same addictive effect on me that the authors other books have had. I couldn’t relate to Emilia and found her not a sympathetic as I should have done considering her situation. Her relationship with her ex was probably the most positive aspect of the storyline for me but it couldn’t carry the plot completely on its own. This is not a bad book but it just didn’t grip me like I’d expected.
Started out good but slowly lost its way a little. The premise was exciting but as usual I got frustrated with the police in this! The ending added an extra half star because it was satisfying All in all a decent thriller but one that I could easily put down for a while and not bother to pick up quickly.
Brief overview: Emilia Haines left the police force following the brutal murder of her sister that left her unable to work. When an anonymous user starts confessing to murders they have not yet committed online, Emilia becomes fixated on solving the case and saving innocent people. She’s then named as the next victim…
Ok. I need a minute because WOW. This book had me HOOKED from the very first page until the last! I finished this in just 3 sittings because I NEEDED to know what the f*ck was going on.
Whilst some bits were actually a little predictable, it didn’t ruin the flow or the actual story and there were still plenty of unguessable twists thrown in. I ended thinking ok, cool, great read. AND THEN I READ THE EPILOGUE.
💬 ‘The innocent who do nothing are still guilty after all’