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Over The Line
'The heroine of British athletics, tainted by doping and death. Couldn't happen? Read Over The Line and decide. Absorbing.’
- Michael Calvin, Independent on Sunday.
'A gripping tale from a masterful storyteller'
– Jamie Owen, broadcaster and author.
‘What a great read.’
- Katharine Merry, Olympic 400m bronze medallist, Sydney.
Published early in 2015, this gritty thriller anticipated the issues that have surfaced in the doping crisis engulfing the Rio Olympics.
But Over The Line is more than a novel about an Olympic star under suspicion and facing trial by media. Detectives want to interview Megan because they think she's hiding something about the death of her troubled childhood friend Matt, who used steroids not for sport but to look 'ripped'.
When they reopen the case just weeks before Rio, she panics and goes into hiding - only to resurface in her home town of Newport arm-in-arm with Will, a rugby-playing ex-boyfriend who's failed a drugs test.
Megan's coach, Liam, doesn't know what to think - he wants to believe in her, and he wrestles with his doubts, but she doesn't make it easy for him as he tries to get to the truth.
Over The Line is the poignant story of an athlete who grew up in a South Wales city where steroids are as common as alcopops and big money is being made from them.
She pursued her sporting ambitions so ruthlessly she has hurt people she loves. Now she must face her mistakes, but - the trouble is - Megan's biggest mistake takes even her by surprise.
'An informed, fast-paced tale of suspicion, bereavement and betrayal that tackles steroid abuse head-on.’
- Nigel Walker, former Olympic hurdler and Welsh rugby international, now National Director of the English Institute of Sport.
'A proper page-turner! Very good.’
- Matt Slater, BBC Sports Correspondent.
'A good old-fashioned story, with characters you will care about and a plot that will keep you turning pages until the very end'
- Dylan Moore, writer and critic.
‘Had me gasping with its surprises from the first page.’
- Jamie Baulch, Olympic silver medalist.
- Michael Calvin, Independent on Sunday.
'A gripping tale from a masterful storyteller'
– Jamie Owen, broadcaster and author.
‘What a great read.’
- Katharine Merry, Olympic 400m bronze medallist, Sydney.
Published early in 2015, this gritty thriller anticipated the issues that have surfaced in the doping crisis engulfing the Rio Olympics.
But Over The Line is more than a novel about an Olympic star under suspicion and facing trial by media. Detectives want to interview Megan because they think she's hiding something about the death of her troubled childhood friend Matt, who used steroids not for sport but to look 'ripped'.
When they reopen the case just weeks before Rio, she panics and goes into hiding - only to resurface in her home town of Newport arm-in-arm with Will, a rugby-playing ex-boyfriend who's failed a drugs test.
Megan's coach, Liam, doesn't know what to think - he wants to believe in her, and he wrestles with his doubts, but she doesn't make it easy for him as he tries to get to the truth.
Over The Line is the poignant story of an athlete who grew up in a South Wales city where steroids are as common as alcopops and big money is being made from them.
She pursued her sporting ambitions so ruthlessly she has hurt people she loves. Now she must face her mistakes, but - the trouble is - Megan's biggest mistake takes even her by surprise.
'An informed, fast-paced tale of suspicion, bereavement and betrayal that tackles steroid abuse head-on.’
- Nigel Walker, former Olympic hurdler and Welsh rugby international, now National Director of the English Institute of Sport.
'A proper page-turner! Very good.’
- Matt Slater, BBC Sports Correspondent.
'A good old-fashioned story, with characters you will care about and a plot that will keep you turning pages until the very end'
- Dylan Moore, writer and critic.
‘Had me gasping with its surprises from the first page.’
- Jamie Baulch, Olympic silver medalist.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2015
2 people are currently reading
702 people want to read
About the author
Steve Howell
6 books32 followersSteve Howell is a journalist and author of four books, his latest being Cold War Puerto Rico, which is due to be published by the University of Massachusetts Press on May 1, 2026 and is available for pre-order now.
Steve's account of the UK's 2017 General Election - Game Changer: Eight Weeks That Transformed British Politics – was a Guardian political book of the year in 2018. He is also author of two novels: Over The Line (2015), which tells the story of an Olympic athlete caught up in a drugs scandal, and Collateral Damage (2021), a political thriller set in Libya, London and Lebanon in the 1980s.
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Steve has appeared as a political commentator on the BBC, ITV, Sky News, LBC and in podcasts for The Times, Guardian and Daily Mirror. He has also contributed Op-Eds, features and reviews to The Nation, Jacobin, Big Issue, Tribune and the Guardian.
A graduate of Sheffield University, he has worked as a campaigner and media consultant before concentrating on writing. Born in Wallasey, England, he has dual UK-US citizenship and family on both sides of the Atlantic. He lives in Wales with his wife, Kim.
Contemporary novelists Steve admires include Attica Locke, Kamila Shamsie, Jane Smiley, Mohsin Hamid and Pete Dexter. He likes the gritty realism of much US literature, particularly as seen in the work of the great Californian writers John Steinbeck and Dashiell Hammett.
Steve's account of the UK's 2017 General Election - Game Changer: Eight Weeks That Transformed British Politics – was a Guardian political book of the year in 2018. He is also author of two novels: Over The Line (2015), which tells the story of an Olympic athlete caught up in a drugs scandal, and Collateral Damage (2021), a political thriller set in Libya, London and Lebanon in the 1980s.
.
Steve has appeared as a political commentator on the BBC, ITV, Sky News, LBC and in podcasts for The Times, Guardian and Daily Mirror. He has also contributed Op-Eds, features and reviews to The Nation, Jacobin, Big Issue, Tribune and the Guardian.
A graduate of Sheffield University, he has worked as a campaigner and media consultant before concentrating on writing. Born in Wallasey, England, he has dual UK-US citizenship and family on both sides of the Atlantic. He lives in Wales with his wife, Kim.
Contemporary novelists Steve admires include Attica Locke, Kamila Shamsie, Jane Smiley, Mohsin Hamid and Pete Dexter. He likes the gritty realism of much US literature, particularly as seen in the work of the great Californian writers John Steinbeck and Dashiell Hammett.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
December 26, 2016
Thank you for the giveaway copy.
This was easy to read, fast paced and gripping. Megan is an interesting character who continually surprises. Liam was bland, but the perfect lens to tell this story. His actions were ultimately secondary to the main plot. It was the perfect book to read while studying full time.
This was easy to read, fast paced and gripping. Megan is an interesting character who continually surprises. Liam was bland, but the perfect lens to tell this story. His actions were ultimately secondary to the main plot. It was the perfect book to read while studying full time.
May 26, 2017
I received a copy of this book from the author in a giveaway on Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
So I’ll be honest and say that it took me a while to get into this one, simply because I not only know practically nothing about sports in general, much less athletics, but also because I usually only ever have any interest in them when they’re the focus of an anime. But after the first 100 pages, I admit that I was hooked.
The story may start slow, and it does take a while to adjust to the writing style for those of us more accustomed to the fancy and flowy words of high fantasy and YA and the technical and scientific language of sci-fi, but once it picks up, it get’s good. After a bit of background, a few character introductions, and the initial issue being presented - basically, the reader being primed, or the stage being set - the mystery and intrigue of it all sweeps you along so that you end up devouring a couple hundred pages the night before a linguistics test. My only issue was that while the story picks up and becomes interesting enough to have you wanting to know what comes next- all the action is condensed in the final hundred pages of the novel so that the rest of the novel was essentially just a very long build up. You feel a slight deflation by the end of it all.
The writing style felt real. I don’t know how else to put it. Usually, you’ll hear me describing writing as lyrical or poetic or whatever, which works really well for fantasy and YA contemporaries and such, but is a pain in the butt for genres with a more everyday appeal to them. It just makes the story difficult to relate to the “real world” it’s supposed to portray. This is why the simple and realistic style Howell makes use of works so well.
He also gives his characters life from the time he introduces them. There’s always a lot of complaints from readers about characters with potty mouths or “unnecessary” cussing from the narrator, but personally, I find a thirty/fourty-something-year-old that cusses every second sentence more realistic than the sixteen-year-olds that can only muster a mild “damn” at their angriest that YA is peppered with. The characters’ responses to each arising issue and obstacle are another thing that brought them to life. Their thought processes, their actions, all of it makes for a host of believable and very human characters and an admittedly pleasant break from the perfect heroes of most of what I read. I did have a minor issue with the sudden influx of new characters towards the end. Granted, they were only important for like three or so chapters, it was still confusing keeping track of all of them and trying to tell the difference between them.
All in all, this was a fairly entertaining read and quite informative too. I’d recommend it to mystery and sports fans.
So I’ll be honest and say that it took me a while to get into this one, simply because I not only know practically nothing about sports in general, much less athletics, but also because I usually only ever have any interest in them when they’re the focus of an anime. But after the first 100 pages, I admit that I was hooked.
The story may start slow, and it does take a while to adjust to the writing style for those of us more accustomed to the fancy and flowy words of high fantasy and YA and the technical and scientific language of sci-fi, but once it picks up, it get’s good. After a bit of background, a few character introductions, and the initial issue being presented - basically, the reader being primed, or the stage being set - the mystery and intrigue of it all sweeps you along so that you end up devouring a couple hundred pages the night before a linguistics test. My only issue was that while the story picks up and becomes interesting enough to have you wanting to know what comes next- all the action is condensed in the final hundred pages of the novel so that the rest of the novel was essentially just a very long build up. You feel a slight deflation by the end of it all.
The writing style felt real. I don’t know how else to put it. Usually, you’ll hear me describing writing as lyrical or poetic or whatever, which works really well for fantasy and YA contemporaries and such, but is a pain in the butt for genres with a more everyday appeal to them. It just makes the story difficult to relate to the “real world” it’s supposed to portray. This is why the simple and realistic style Howell makes use of works so well.
He also gives his characters life from the time he introduces them. There’s always a lot of complaints from readers about characters with potty mouths or “unnecessary” cussing from the narrator, but personally, I find a thirty/fourty-something-year-old that cusses every second sentence more realistic than the sixteen-year-olds that can only muster a mild “damn” at their angriest that YA is peppered with. The characters’ responses to each arising issue and obstacle are another thing that brought them to life. Their thought processes, their actions, all of it makes for a host of believable and very human characters and an admittedly pleasant break from the perfect heroes of most of what I read. I did have a minor issue with the sudden influx of new characters towards the end. Granted, they were only important for like three or so chapters, it was still confusing keeping track of all of them and trying to tell the difference between them.
All in all, this was a fairly entertaining read and quite informative too. I’d recommend it to mystery and sports fans.
July 18, 2018
Thank you GoodReads and Steve Howell for this book in return for an honest review. I enjoyed this book. I read the last half within an afternoon - could not put it down. It has a nice steady pace with plenty of surprises that make you want to reach in a shake a character... well written characters!
September 14, 2016
I won this book through Goodreads and I'd like to thank the author for this copy.
Also, I'd like to apologize in advance for any mistake I could make while writing this review because English is not my first language.
I'm not so much into sports in real life, but athletics is something I like to watch on TV.
I was surprised when I started to read the book and I realized the story was told to us by Liam, Megan's coach. And I think it was a great choice made by the author because when everything goes down after the trials, Liam finds himself in a situation when he's in doubt about everything.
Is Megan really clean when it comes to drugs? How much of her old life can get in the way of their dreams of a gold medal in Rio?
When the case about the death of an old friend of Megan's gets re-opened and she runs away, Liam realizes he doesn't know almost anything about Megan outside athletics and that's why I think the author made a great choice: we're the same as Liam.
We don't know anything either about Megan and while he and Mimi - Megan's PR - try to get Megan to open up about her past and what happened that night of two years ago, we also try to get the facts alongside them.
I won't lie: I often wanted to slap Megan when she had a burst of anger towards Liam for no apparent reason or when she gave him a bad attitude while he and Mimi were only trying to help her. And gosh, she was so blind about the truth laid before her own eyes!
Everytime Liam had a bitter thought about those around her or the general situation, I completely agreed with him. He often shut his mouth to give Megan space and to not spooke her into disappearing again, but I really wanted to talk some sense in her brain.
But I also wanted to slap Liam when it seemed he was only thinking about the chances to go to Rio and not about Megan as... still a naive girl. So I liked when he acted sorta like a big brother or a paternal figure.
It was really an interesting reading, with a nice pace - where the focus is not (only) on "Megan Tomos has something to do with Matt's death or not" but it stretches along the week and it's not only about a twist after another twist to get the story going, but the book takes its time to explore athletics and its darkest corners.
It takes its time to explore our characters when it comes down to tell all the truth - something Megan seems to have troubles with.
I'm grateful I could read it and it doesn't happen very often that I read a book set outside USA, so it was a nice change.
Like I said before, English is not my mother tongue - I'm an Italian girl and I started reading full novels in English three years ago. Across the last two years, I stumbled upon books where British terms were hard for me to understand, since I was used to their American counterparts - I have to say though it became easier after a while.
So this book is set in Wales, such a nice change of scenery for me - I have to say nothing bad about the language Steve Howell used because everything was clear and understandable.
Also I really liked to read Megan speaking Welsh - even though I know nothing about it - and the following translation of her speech.
Over the Line is a good book and again, I'm sorry about any possible mistake I could've made in my review.
Also, I'd like to apologize in advance for any mistake I could make while writing this review because English is not my first language.
I'm not so much into sports in real life, but athletics is something I like to watch on TV.
I was surprised when I started to read the book and I realized the story was told to us by Liam, Megan's coach. And I think it was a great choice made by the author because when everything goes down after the trials, Liam finds himself in a situation when he's in doubt about everything.
Is Megan really clean when it comes to drugs? How much of her old life can get in the way of their dreams of a gold medal in Rio?
When the case about the death of an old friend of Megan's gets re-opened and she runs away, Liam realizes he doesn't know almost anything about Megan outside athletics and that's why I think the author made a great choice: we're the same as Liam.
We don't know anything either about Megan and while he and Mimi - Megan's PR - try to get Megan to open up about her past and what happened that night of two years ago, we also try to get the facts alongside them.
I won't lie: I often wanted to slap Megan when she had a burst of anger towards Liam for no apparent reason or when she gave him a bad attitude while he and Mimi were only trying to help her. And gosh, she was so blind about the truth laid before her own eyes!
Everytime Liam had a bitter thought about those around her or the general situation, I completely agreed with him. He often shut his mouth to give Megan space and to not spooke her into disappearing again, but I really wanted to talk some sense in her brain.
But I also wanted to slap Liam when it seemed he was only thinking about the chances to go to Rio and not about Megan as... still a naive girl. So I liked when he acted sorta like a big brother or a paternal figure.
It was really an interesting reading, with a nice pace - where the focus is not (only) on "Megan Tomos has something to do with Matt's death or not" but it stretches along the week and it's not only about a twist after another twist to get the story going, but the book takes its time to explore athletics and its darkest corners.
It takes its time to explore our characters when it comes down to tell all the truth - something Megan seems to have troubles with.
I'm grateful I could read it and it doesn't happen very often that I read a book set outside USA, so it was a nice change.
Like I said before, English is not my mother tongue - I'm an Italian girl and I started reading full novels in English three years ago. Across the last two years, I stumbled upon books where British terms were hard for me to understand, since I was used to their American counterparts - I have to say though it became easier after a while.
So this book is set in Wales, such a nice change of scenery for me - I have to say nothing bad about the language Steve Howell used because everything was clear and understandable.
Also I really liked to read Megan speaking Welsh - even though I know nothing about it - and the following translation of her speech.
Over the Line is a good book and again, I'm sorry about any possible mistake I could've made in my review.
July 20, 2015
The premise of this novel didn't excite me hugely - the abuse of drugs in athletics.
I've never been much of an athletics fan per se - and our heroine, Megan Tomos, is a 100m hurdler. I struggle enough running 100m, so trying to do it with 10 hurdles in between, before we even mention my vertigo, is just too much I'm afraid.... And drugs in sport, well, maybe I should take more of an interest, but to be honest, I'm pretty black and white on the subject - there's no room for drug cheats in sport, so anything which might even begin to try and create some sort of justification for it is dead in the water as far as I'm concerned.
But as I got more and more into this book, how pleasantly surprised was I that none of my preconceived prejudices were justified?
This was in fact a fast moving thriller, set mainly in or around Newport and Caerleon, populated by very real characters and a convincing storyline which neither tried to justify drugs in sport in anyway - nor gave me vertigo!
It's always a lot easier to read a novel that is set in familiar terrain - maybe its simply saving some brain processing time trying to picture and create environments that are alien to us? Or maybe putting a new story in a scenario we know well stimulates our senses in different ways? Or maybe its just nice reading about places we know, in the same way we like seeing familiar places on TV, for similar reasons that we like looking at Photographs? Who knows - I certainly don't, obviously - but that's one of the many positives about this book - it happens in our own square mile, and it's better for it.
Our heroine is likeable, despite all her flaws, and our narrator is similarly empathizeable, even if that is a made up word. Most of the other characters are well developed, and it all adds up to a pretty satisfying read. I enjoyed it, despite my initial reservations around the subject matter, and I look forward to what the author has to offer us as his second novel.
I've never been much of an athletics fan per se - and our heroine, Megan Tomos, is a 100m hurdler. I struggle enough running 100m, so trying to do it with 10 hurdles in between, before we even mention my vertigo, is just too much I'm afraid.... And drugs in sport, well, maybe I should take more of an interest, but to be honest, I'm pretty black and white on the subject - there's no room for drug cheats in sport, so anything which might even begin to try and create some sort of justification for it is dead in the water as far as I'm concerned.
But as I got more and more into this book, how pleasantly surprised was I that none of my preconceived prejudices were justified?
This was in fact a fast moving thriller, set mainly in or around Newport and Caerleon, populated by very real characters and a convincing storyline which neither tried to justify drugs in sport in anyway - nor gave me vertigo!
It's always a lot easier to read a novel that is set in familiar terrain - maybe its simply saving some brain processing time trying to picture and create environments that are alien to us? Or maybe putting a new story in a scenario we know well stimulates our senses in different ways? Or maybe its just nice reading about places we know, in the same way we like seeing familiar places on TV, for similar reasons that we like looking at Photographs? Who knows - I certainly don't, obviously - but that's one of the many positives about this book - it happens in our own square mile, and it's better for it.
Our heroine is likeable, despite all her flaws, and our narrator is similarly empathizeable, even if that is a made up word. Most of the other characters are well developed, and it all adds up to a pretty satisfying read. I enjoyed it, despite my initial reservations around the subject matter, and I look forward to what the author has to offer us as his second novel.
June 10, 2016
As an athletics fan, and a thriller reader, I enjoyed this debut novel that brings the two together. It's a story that rattles along, with engaging characters, opening up the world of top class athletics, tabloid coverage of sporting stars, and steroid abuse in gyms. It's well researched (although Crystal Palace is an anomaly as a Diamond League venue in 2016!!!). There's tension, there's issues to grapple with, there's the very human story behind Olympic athletes. My only gripes were the numbers of missing words and the weird line formatting on my Kindle edition, and the ending. The end of the epilogue was very satisfying in an ironic way, but the culmination of the final chapter went one way, when in the context of the book it would have been just as satisfying if it had gone a different way, but I'm sure there will be divided opinion.
July 9, 2016
'Over the Line' tells the story of how Britain's favourite to win the Olympics, hurdler Megan Tomos, is forced to confront her past when the case of the death of her steroid-abusing ex-boyfriend is reopened. And as if it couldn't get any worse, it is in the run-up to the Rio Olympics.
Despite not being especially interested in athletics, as an avid reader of murder mysteries and thrillers, I loved that angle. The novel is told from the perspective of Megan's coach, Liam, who is torn between his loyalty to Megan and his new discoveries of the case and the life she left behind.
It is one of my favourite genres and is handled extremely well: fast-paced, realistic, and highly personal, with a touch of humour. I would definitely recommend it.
Despite not being especially interested in athletics, as an avid reader of murder mysteries and thrillers, I loved that angle. The novel is told from the perspective of Megan's coach, Liam, who is torn between his loyalty to Megan and his new discoveries of the case and the life she left behind.
It is one of my favourite genres and is handled extremely well: fast-paced, realistic, and highly personal, with a touch of humour. I would definitely recommend it.
November 30, 2016
This book has been received as a Giveaway prize in 2016. This is a nice piece of a detective story genre, the author gently tackles the ambivalent issue of drug abuse and reputation matters in professional sports are well as complexity of interpersonal relations. The story depicts one of the basic philosophical concept: in order to estimate the value of anything, it’s necessary to find the value of it, then to forecast its value in the future, not forgetting to estimate its connections. And here what we’ve got is that unhappy connections can literally destroy the career.
As a non-native English speaker, I really enjoyed exploring some purely British expressions, as well as clear and straightforward language of the story.
As a non-native English speaker, I really enjoyed exploring some purely British expressions, as well as clear and straightforward language of the story.
August 13, 2016
I won this book as a GoodRead Giveaway and am glad I did as I probably wouldn't have found it otherwise. Well written and a consistently steady pace from the first page to the last. Also enjoyed reading it while the Rio Olympics are on as the athlete in this book just qualified for Rio when her past starts coming back to cause problems. Would recommend. Looking forward to seeing more by this author.
October 25, 2016
WAITING TO RECIEVE THIS BOOK ,LOOKINGFORWARD TO READING IT. anticipation was not displaced ,I received this book 2 weeks ago and couldn't put it down .the story was well written and held my interest till the final page , I am not really into sport or the Olympics but this did not matter as the book did not expect me to have any great knowledge of such and was well explained .I will certainly be looking for more books by Steve Howell
September 4, 2016
Drew me in with just the right amount of suspense and "competition". An Olympic year is a great year to read it!
Read
August 6, 2021First book I’ve read by this Author who I discovered on Twitter which is where I ordered his books from. OVER THE LINE was a book I decided to read based on sport and steroids.
Training from school age and through my adult years I used many gyms where I realized a lot of elite sportsman and the ordinary guy in the street used Steroids. Different reasons, performance and appearance but seems to be more commonplace now as for the young casual gym users some of school age. Getting back to this book I enjoyed the storyline and characters and read the book in two days leaving housework etc for another day.
That’s because I was so engrossed in the storyline and content.
Halfway through this book I went back onto Twitter and ordered COLLATERAL DAMAGE by this author from his website as I have enjoyed his style of writing. I usually read autobiographies and non fiction titles but definitely recommend as an alternative read for anyone who enjoys a well thought out, interesting story
Training from school age and through my adult years I used many gyms where I realized a lot of elite sportsman and the ordinary guy in the street used Steroids. Different reasons, performance and appearance but seems to be more commonplace now as for the young casual gym users some of school age. Getting back to this book I enjoyed the storyline and characters and read the book in two days leaving housework etc for another day.
That’s because I was so engrossed in the storyline and content.
Halfway through this book I went back onto Twitter and ordered COLLATERAL DAMAGE by this author from his website as I have enjoyed his style of writing. I usually read autobiographies and non fiction titles but definitely recommend as an alternative read for anyone who enjoys a well thought out, interesting story
August 2, 2017
Drugs in sport is a topic I've long been interested in and have read a number of non-fiction works, mainly biographies, on the subject (I would highly recommend Tyler Hamilton's 'The Secret Race' if you're at all interested in drugs in cycling, for instance) so the concept appeals and I approached this with eager anticipation. Unfortunately I was left disappointed.
The plotting is pedestrian, the characters flat and charmless. Most disappointingly there's no 'arc'; no sense of where the story is going or how it hangs together. Avoid.
The plotting is pedestrian, the characters flat and charmless. Most disappointingly there's no 'arc'; no sense of where the story is going or how it hangs together. Avoid.
July 9, 2018
I received this great book in a Goodreads giveaway. The fast paced tale deals with some very current issues - the abuse of drugs in every level of sport - and the role the media plays in our current celebrity obsessed society. The main character Meg who is destined for the Olympics has made some rather questionable decisions on her way to the top and as these come back to haunt her, her team have to deal with the fallout. She has a coach, a press officer, sponsors and her public relations lady Mimi who has to hold it all together. A very interesting eye opening read.
December 17, 2017
I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. I found it a very interesting read. The slow start was worth the intriguing events that happened towards the end of the story. Lots of buildup and suspense as the story unfolded. It was easy to read, without too many characters to keep track of. The writing allowed you to feel like it was happening around you and very current. An enjoyable read.
March 2, 2017
In “Over the Line”, we understand the challenges of Megan Tomos as she prepares for the Rio Olympics. During this crucial period, the police are re-examining the death of her friend Matt; he was a known steroid user.
Many of the people on Megan’s team are stressed when they realize she has disappeared. As well, they are concerned whether the reappearance of her ex-boyfriend (Will) has anything to do with her disappearance. At the same time, is there any connection to Will and the death of Matt?
The on-going tension faced by Megan, her coach and others are well-presented in this realistic portrayal of an Olympic athlete’s life.
Thank you GoodReads for the book.
March 3, 2017
A great 'who-done-it' set to the back drop of pre-Rio olympics UK track and field training. I couldn't put it down and it took less than 9 hours to read. Very well written.
September 29, 2016
I was impressed to receive this book free in a Goodreads Giveaway as it is further along in the publishing process and actually resembles a "real" book, rather than the first draft you sometimes end up with. That said, there were still a couple of formatting errors remaining (beyond those helpfully pointed out in the publisher's Erratum).
An issue for me is I'm not sure what genre the story itself fits into. It was part sports drama, part murder mystery. Except the problem with that is we never get the conclusion of either part of the story. Each is left deliberately unresolved which led to a rather unsatisfying ending, and not much reward for readers having made it through 300 pages up to that point.
I was anticipating some bolder, wide-reaching statement on doping in sports, but the book focused more on this one particular athlete caught up in a suspicious death case. So then I started thinking, right, we're on to a crime thriller then... but nope, it kept going back to Megan's Olympic hopes and not solving the mystery. The book fell into a sort of grey area.
I didn't particularly enjoy the romance element either. Of course the jaded middle-aged coach and the well-dressed hotshot PR were going to get it on, having been thrust together by the turn of events. It was just so obvious from the get-go and bit lazy.
All that aside(!) the writing was good and the story was something of a page turner. I wouldn't have known this wasn't a more established author writing so kudos for that. The book definitely passed the time, I just found it a bit muddled in where it was going.
An issue for me is I'm not sure what genre the story itself fits into. It was part sports drama, part murder mystery. Except the problem with that is we never get the conclusion of either part of the story. Each is left deliberately unresolved which led to a rather unsatisfying ending, and not much reward for readers having made it through 300 pages up to that point.
I was anticipating some bolder, wide-reaching statement on doping in sports, but the book focused more on this one particular athlete caught up in a suspicious death case. So then I started thinking, right, we're on to a crime thriller then... but nope, it kept going back to Megan's Olympic hopes and not solving the mystery. The book fell into a sort of grey area.
I didn't particularly enjoy the romance element either. Of course the jaded middle-aged coach and the well-dressed hotshot PR were going to get it on, having been thrust together by the turn of events. It was just so obvious from the get-go and bit lazy.
All that aside(!) the writing was good and the story was something of a page turner. I wouldn't have known this wasn't a more established author writing so kudos for that. The book definitely passed the time, I just found it a bit muddled in where it was going.
December 22, 2016
Megan, an Olympic level runner, is getting ready to compete in Rio. All seems to be in her favor, until her ex-boyfriend, Matt, is being investigated, along with Megan, in the death of their mutual friend, Matt. Megan goes on the run and makes it hard for anyone to find her, including her coach and her PR person. Matt and Will were involved in steroids, which casts a shadow on Megan and raises questions about whether or not her success on the track is due to nature and hard training or if she had a chemical boost.
The story is told from the point of view of Megan's coach, Liam. He is not just a vehicle for telling the story, but a fully developed character whose actions are not completely dependent on Megan. It is nice that the story is not told from Megan's point of view because it keeps the uncertainty about if Megan used steroids alive. By following Liam, it keeps the unknowns about Megan unknown until they are brought to light by the press, the police, or Megan herself.
It did take me a couple chapters for me to get fully interested in the story, but I'm glad I kept reading. The story is slow to get going, but well worth the wait. There are many twists and turns that keep the reader in suspense up to the very last pages.
I would recommend this book to middle school age and above. There is mentioned drug use, violence, death, and some sex (although not graphically written). It would make good reading to those involved in sports and hopefully steer them away from using chemical performance enhancers.
I received this book through the Goodreads Giveaways program. Thank you to the author.
The story is told from the point of view of Megan's coach, Liam. He is not just a vehicle for telling the story, but a fully developed character whose actions are not completely dependent on Megan. It is nice that the story is not told from Megan's point of view because it keeps the uncertainty about if Megan used steroids alive. By following Liam, it keeps the unknowns about Megan unknown until they are brought to light by the press, the police, or Megan herself.
It did take me a couple chapters for me to get fully interested in the story, but I'm glad I kept reading. The story is slow to get going, but well worth the wait. There are many twists and turns that keep the reader in suspense up to the very last pages.
I would recommend this book to middle school age and above. There is mentioned drug use, violence, death, and some sex (although not graphically written). It would make good reading to those involved in sports and hopefully steer them away from using chemical performance enhancers.
I received this book through the Goodreads Giveaways program. Thank you to the author.
September 16, 2016
This book came quite in time for the Rio olimpics. I liked it very much.
It holds the suspect and suspense until the end.
I really like the main theme of the book. The drug problem within youth circles. Overdose which takes many lives day after day. Because of money, self problems and many other facts. I heard such disastrous consequences that were horrible, and distroyed families for a whole life.
/Spoiler/
The ending of the book, the whole /not going to Rio, THAN going?/ was written quite rapidly, I thought the case would show us how the culprits punishment. I really wanted to read more about that: their life, why did they do it, a little bit of opening to their characters as well. They had very fiew screen times.
The fact that Megan and her coach, Liam got their chance at the olimpics, is their way of getting their reward. And all is well.
The sad thing and because of that this books theme can be harsh and can get to everyone is the fact that these can be everyday problems as well. Drug is all around us. Even if we dont see it for real. Drug dealers can be everywhere. And there are distroying people, familys, youths for their own selfishness and all just for money.
As a student who studied media I can tell the media representation was shown well, also the way how the articles, the lies affect people, celebrities souls, can be really thought on people and their surroundings and family.
All in all, I recommend this book. It has its team, and it can put you on the thinking.
It holds the suspect and suspense until the end.
I really like the main theme of the book. The drug problem within youth circles. Overdose which takes many lives day after day. Because of money, self problems and many other facts. I heard such disastrous consequences that were horrible, and distroyed families for a whole life.
/Spoiler/
The ending of the book, the whole /not going to Rio, THAN going?/ was written quite rapidly, I thought the case would show us how the culprits punishment. I really wanted to read more about that: their life, why did they do it, a little bit of opening to their characters as well. They had very fiew screen times.
The fact that Megan and her coach, Liam got their chance at the olimpics, is their way of getting their reward. And all is well.
The sad thing and because of that this books theme can be harsh and can get to everyone is the fact that these can be everyday problems as well. Drug is all around us. Even if we dont see it for real. Drug dealers can be everywhere. And there are distroying people, familys, youths for their own selfishness and all just for money.
As a student who studied media I can tell the media representation was shown well, also the way how the articles, the lies affect people, celebrities souls, can be really thought on people and their surroundings and family.
All in all, I recommend this book. It has its team, and it can put you on the thinking.
December 12, 2016
I was delighted to win this book as a Giveaway, even more so when I read the synopsis as I am a keen athletics fan and also lived for a number of years in the location in which the book is set around Caerleon and Newport in South Wales. I regret to say that this book did not enthrall me, the author seemed to be more concerned with descriptions and places of interest, e.g. the Roman amphitheatre, and the two poshest hotels in the area. I found the plot, about an athlete who was on the possible selection for the Rio Olympics being involved with a drugs case which had happened before she became famous, quite mundane and I found the characters quite shallow. I am afraid it did not really grip me and the end was foreseeable.
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November 21, 2016Why had a not heard of this book before?
From the first page you can identify with likable and believable characters. As the story unfolds there are subtle twists that challenge assumptions you may already have made about the plot and how friendships and loyalty might influence the choices we make.
This is a book that explores and exposes issues we might all have some knowledge, and opinions about.
This is a very enjoyable easy read, without the gratuitous violence that so often characterises crime or thrillers today..........and its doesn't conclude with you asking 'where did that come from'?
A good read that deserves wider recognition.
From the first page you can identify with likable and believable characters. As the story unfolds there are subtle twists that challenge assumptions you may already have made about the plot and how friendships and loyalty might influence the choices we make.
This is a book that explores and exposes issues we might all have some knowledge, and opinions about.
This is a very enjoyable easy read, without the gratuitous violence that so often characterises crime or thrillers today..........and its doesn't conclude with you asking 'where did that come from'?
A good read that deserves wider recognition.
January 20, 2017
Thanks to the author and Goodreads for giving me the chance of reading this book.
This book is narrated from the point of view of Liam McCarthy, Megan Tomos' coach. She's an athlete, favourite girl for the Olympic Games in Rio. The mystery revolves around the death of Matt Davies, Megan's friend, and about what actually happened that night of his death.
This story will catch you from the first chapter. The genre, I'd say it's mystery, but as it revolves around sports, it's also an unique, exclusive and original story. It's nothing like I've read before.
100% recommended!
This book is narrated from the point of view of Liam McCarthy, Megan Tomos' coach. She's an athlete, favourite girl for the Olympic Games in Rio. The mystery revolves around the death of Matt Davies, Megan's friend, and about what actually happened that night of his death.
This story will catch you from the first chapter. The genre, I'd say it's mystery, but as it revolves around sports, it's also an unique, exclusive and original story. It's nothing like I've read before.
100% recommended!
November 29, 2016
Over the Line is a well written and engaging book. Steroid use by athletes and Britain's Olympic hopeful in the 100m hurdles are only part of the whole story. There is murder, mystery, secrets and suspense as the author tells the story through the heroine's coach. There are a few twists and turns, some humor and every once in a while you will want to shake or slap someone and have them wise up. You are left to your own imagination at the end without it being a true cliffhanger. Over the Line is a good and fast paced read that keeps you interested from start to end.
September 11, 2016
I was given this book as a First Reads prize. This is a topical book set around the story of an athlete preparing for Rio whose past comes back to haunt her. Megan Tomos is the "poster girl" for the Olympics and the story is told from the perspective of her coach and gives an interesting insight into the team and events that surrounds an elite athlete as well as being a detective novel. The novel discusses steroid abuse in sport and those who become caught up with it. I enjoyed this.
September 15, 2016
First, i have to say that I won this book as a GoodReads Giveaway.
The book don't dig very deep in the drug use in athletics and the characters are not very appealing, in my opinion. But it's a book easy to read.
The book don't dig very deep in the drug use in athletics and the characters are not very appealing, in my opinion. But it's a book easy to read.
September 30, 2016
Won this as part of the good reads giveaways.
An interesting read full of twists and turns. A good page turner with a good plot
An interesting read full of twists and turns. A good page turner with a good plot
October 1, 2016
I really enjoyed this book although I usually am not one for reading books to do with sport or athletic themes.....but I really did enjoy the plot in this book and thought it was a great read
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October 20, 2018Won in Goodreads Giveaways.
September 9, 2016
i won this book in an goodreads giveaway and i really loved it
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