Spiked: The Furious Feminist Thriller

by Caroline Campbell

'Spiked is that rare a book that successfully addresses a dark and difficult theme via an engaging story, narrated succinctly with wit and humour.'

'Once I started to read this brilliant book I couldn’t put it down... A book every feminist should read. Spiked addresses gender inequality and the violence that men subject women to, but with such a clever writing style and with such dark humour that the story never feels hopeless.... I couldn't stop turning the pages.'

'A blistering, and yes, raging, feminist thriller that makes uncomfortable (and necessary) reading.'

'Utterly gripping thriller - funny, horrifying, scary and moving. Written in a style I really enjoyed. The ending - oh if only!!'

"I tried to outrun you," she said, "but I realised it was impossible, because you are everywhere."

It starts with a body, as so many stories do. It ends with one, too, but we'll get to that. Daniel lies dead in a flat in London, his life brought to a violent end at the hands of his girlfriend, Daisy. He’s no loss to the world, but now she’s going to need her parents’ help to cover up the crime.

Maeve’s been dreaming of this road trip across Europe since she was a teenager. On it she’ll research a story she thinks the world urgently needs to hear, and try to fix her broken marriage to her bullying husband Simon at the same time. She just hadn't planned on bringing the bloody evidence of the crime their daughter committed with them, evidence that’s definitely passed its best-before date as their journey takes them from the nightclubs of Berlin and the darkest corners of Venice to the piazzas of Rome and the sun-soaked beaches of the Amalfi coast.

But someone knows what they’ve done. Someone is stalking them, someone who knows about Daniel. And as the couple travel south, and their persecutor’s threats grow more twisted and deadly, back in London the police are asking Daisy questions she can’t answer about Daniel’s disappearance.

The world needs to brace itself for the rage of a woman who’s had enough. From Prague to Munich, Venice and Rome, Maeve meets women who have devastating stories to tell about the awful things men do behind closed doors. And as the net closes in on Maeve and her family, she realises she's finally ready to turn a lifetime's worth of fury into a vengeance that will shake the world.


"Fleabag meets Gone Girl in this electrifying and emotional feminist thriller, pulsing with wit and suspense, that will put fear and rage in your heart. It made me want to take to the streets and deal with violent men the way the book's heroines do."

"Angry, witty, heart-breaking and evocative, Spiked takes you on a thrilling journey across Europe and into the darkest corners of a world where men are women's greatest predators, in an original and fourth-wall breaking novel that I found myself unable to put down."

"I finished it feeling angry, yet hopeful. A must-read for anyone who cares about women's rights."

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 31, 2025

About the author

Caroline Campbell was born and educated in Belfast. She read Modern History at University College, Oxford, and subsequently received an MA and a PhD from the Courtauld Institute, on the iconography of 15th century Florentine cassoni. She was Print Room Supervisor in the Department of Western Art, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (1998-2000); Curatorial Assistant (2000-01) and Assistant Curator of Renaissance Paintings (2001-05) at the National Gallery, London. Caroline joined the Courtauld as Schroder Foundation Curator of Paintings in 2005.

Reviews

[Moona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spiked is an exciting and scary story about a girl named Daisy who makes a big mistake—she kills her boyfriend, Daniel. Now, she and her dad, Simon, have to figure out how to hide what she did. But things get even worse when someone starts following them, knowing all their secrets.

Daisy’s mom, Maeve, just wanted a fun trip across Europe, but now she is running from danger too. As the family tries to escape, Maeve gets braver and decides to fight back.

This book is full of surprises, danger, and strong women. It will keep you guessing until the very end!

[Catherine Day · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had potential but ruined by transphobia. In a book about cis male violence why did the author feel the need to punch down at trans people in a weird 5 page rant? Trans women are women and extremely vulnerable to male violence and I don't know why the author can't see we are all fighting the same fight.

Also contrary to the book jacket it is nothing like either Fleabag or Gone Girl.

[Mrs S J Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this.