The Warning

by A.J. Wills

One text message. A chilling warning. A husband’s deadly secret.

After a devastating house fire leaves their lives in tatters, Justin and Megan are looking for a fresh start.

They’ve lost everything in the fire and are desperate to rebuild their lives and repair the cracks in their marriage.

But the old lodge they move into on the Treloar estate, with its crooked chimneys and dark foreboding walls, is more sinister than Megan ever imagined.

She tries to make the best of it for her husband’s sake, but the house is haunted by the secrets of Justin’s past.

And when she discovers a phone hidden in the loft, her world is turned upside down once again.

A chilling, anonymous text message carries a warning she can’t ignore.

Whatever you do, don’t trust your husband…

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Ebooks

397 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2023

About the author

***Book bloggers join my ARC team and never miss getting your hands on a review copy of my latest books. You can sign up here: bit.ly/bloggersalert ***

AJ Wills writes standalone psychological thrillers with twisty plots.

He’s a former journalist who wrote in his spare time, before and after work for ten years, until he was finally able to fulfil his lifelong dream of becoming a fulltime author in May 2021.

He’s never looked back and now runs a small independent publishing company, Cherry Tree Publishing with his wife, AJ McDine, also a thriller writer.

He said: “I've always loved thrillers, but psychological thrillers hold a special interest for me because they're about the scary, insane, disturbing things that happen to ordinary people - and we can all relate to them on some level.”

He lives in Kent in the south east of England.

You can download AJ Wills’s psychological thriller, His Lost Wife, for free by visiting bit.ly/hislostwife

You can find out more about him on his website: ajwillsauthor.com, his Facebook page AuthorAJWills or on his Instagram account ajwills_author

Of course, you can always contact him directly at adrian@ajwillsauthor.com, where he loves to answer messages from genuine readers.

And don't forget to follow him on BookBub for his new releases: bit.ly/BookBubAJWills

Reviews

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a page turner!

The Warning was a fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing. Nobody seems happy to see Justin return to the Treloar Estate near Cornwall. He spent his childhood holidays here and when the chance to rent the cottage on the estate came up it was a chance too good to pass up. Megan and Justin lost everything in a house fire 9 months ago and are still grieving but trying to make a new start. Megan can't understand why nobody is happy to see her husband, when all he has is great memories of his time there. Then she finds a phone in the loft with a warning, Don't trust your husband. IT all begins to spiral from there.

From the beginning you get the sense that there is a lot that Justin is not telling his wife. Megan is broken after the fire and just wants a chance to start new. The cottage is so isolated, and she has no friends. It is a tense and wild story that will keep you reading well into the night.

Thanks to the author for my advanced copy of his book to read. The Warning was published on April 1st and is available on Kindle Unlimited.

[Jayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

A warning about "The Warning":

Very, very, eye-rolling and OTT.

The book showcased waaay too many "this would never, ever happen in real life" moments.

Also, the portrayal of the book's female protagonist was unrealistic.

The female protagonist recently lost two of her young sons in a devastating house fire.

Yet, one year later she casually laments about the loss of her two young sons. (Huh?)

I am usually a huge fan of this author so perhaps my expectations were too high.

I listened to the audiobook read by Charlie Sanderson who did an outstanding job with the narration.

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a rough read. Extremely triggering topics that were just casually glossed over. If you are planning to read this just know it deals with abuse, child death, and sexual assault. If you can manage to stomach it past that, the plot was like five different topics picked out of a hat. It was hard to keep up with what was going on and then by the time it got to the 'twists', I was completely uninterested. I would give this one a big pass.

[Donna Mallery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hit by Wills. I read it continuously in an afternoon until I was finished! It held my interest throughout. A couple who just lost their children in a fire decide to rent a home in the husband’s (Justin) childhood town. While the wife, Megan, isn’t thrilled with the house, she tries to be positive. But things start happening as soon as they move in. There was a squatter who had been living there, and a phone is found that sends warning messages about the husband. What is happening and why are the neighbors so upset that Justin has moved back to the area? Thank goodness Megan has befriended the realtor who handled their rental. But there is much more going on than what it seems. And you will be dying to know who is the hero and who is the villain!

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay but very repetitive

The beginning is good and makes you wonder what is going on and who is the person trying to tell Megan the supposed truth about her husband.
As it gets to the second half of the book things get extremely unbelievable. Megan is a very annoying character who is so clueless about everything that it's irritating and her ability to forgive anyone for anything made me want to scream at her!
The issue was the repeat of scenarios that it becomes so far fetched that I almost stopped reading. The chances of it happening twice within 2 days made so question why I was still reading.
It was extremely hard to get to the end.

[Alisonbookreviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

After a fire burns their house, Justin and Megan tragically lose their two sons in the fire.
They decide to move back to where Justin grew up temporarily.
Megan finds out Noone liked Justin, but she doesn't know why.
Megan befriends Harriet as Justin is away working most of the time.
One day, Megan hears a phone in the attic telling her Justin shouldn't be trusted.
She wants to know who put the phone there and why she's told not to trust her husband.
Not a bad suspense.

[Ashley Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The warning: this book is terrible. I cannot believe that the 4 and 5 star reviews are for anything other than because it was a free book thanks to net galley or whoever.

The main character is a DV victim (spoiler), and I actually wanted her to die just so the book would end. She's too stupid to survive. "My husband just tried to kill me" "should I call the police?" "What?! No." She thinks karma will get him. Dumb. And then the very ending. It's like one of those trite stories "and then everyone clapped".

Don't bother

[Virginia Claire McCruden · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible. Weak main character who was such a wet, walked over fish, that I hated her instantly. More than enough opportunities to escape her entrapment. The writing of the other two main characters was so confusing. The story could of been so good but it was so badly told. Also, the important parts of the story that would of been an opportunity to talk about abusive relationships and narcissistic behaviours, were the parts that were glossed over. Why any woman would forgive a partner for sleeping with a prostitute at the start of a relationship and then go on to forgive the same man of attempted rape and murdered is beyond believable. I despised all the characters, even the flash back story characters were pathetic. Just a truly terrible book. Don’t waste your energy reading it.

[D S Donegan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started well, ended ridiculously

This book started well, but the second half was ridiculous, veering from one unbelievable crisis to another. Weak heroine, big holes in the storyline. Sped through to get to the ending.

[Jessica Huntley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up and was eager to start having heard good things. The author is self published which I have huge respect for (being self published myself).
The writing is gripping and fraught with tension. Well written and brilliantly executed.
Short chapters make for easy reading and the cliff hangers are nail bitingly addictive!

What I struggled with was the plot and the twists and the main character herself.
It started off well and I imagined it being a 5 star read but I'm afraid the decisions that the MC made and her internal thoughts were so frustrating and unnecessary.
The twists I found predictable and guessed them all. I found two of the characters very one-dimensional and just couldn't understand why Megan didn't see what was happening.

I really wanted to love this one but the more I read the more unbelievable and ridiculous the plot became.

I will be trying more books from this author though! Definitely a gripping and tense thriller...so I would recommend it but be prepared for a crazy ride!

[Tammy davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frightening story

Megan can't catch a break. Our poor hero is stuck between rocks and hard places. My thought is unfortunately, I wish the writer would have given her a backbone. She must be broken after the kids, but really. As a woman, I wish our girl would have behaved a bit more like a woman. To go back? Really? Pure mush. It was an interesting story premise. Read it and see what you think.

[Jeanette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Struggled To Finish

Not sure where to begin. Protagonist makes so many stupid decisions. Keeps rationalizing other’s behavior over and over. New bow this would end 1/2 way through. Stayeduntil the end - which was a real struggle through excessive rumination in the protagonist’s mind, far fetched cat and mouse chases. And can we please get some mystery stories that don’t rely on ‘then’ and ‘now’ narration?

[Anita · Rating 1 out of 5]

If not for the pleasant narrator, this would have been DNF.

[Phyllis Fried · Rating 5 out of 5]

From page one to the end this book is a thriller that I couldn't put down until I read the final page. A couple trying to rebuild their lives and start over after the death of their two small children in a house fire move into a dreary cottage on an estate where the husband remembers happy times as a teenager on summer vacations. The atmosphere is chilling and quite descriptive and the tension keeps building. On move in day the wife receives a warning message on a hidden phone about her husband being a monster and urging her to get out. Certain the message is meant for someone other than her she ignores it. Then as another message come in it mentions her husband by name so she's sure it's meant for her. But who could have sent such a message. Her Justin is a loving caring man who is devoted to her and their marriage. Little by little as the story unfolds the twists and turns take the story in a different direction. And the twists keep coming to the very end. This is a domestic thriller at its best. I highly recommend it and if you think you know what will happen, think again. I loved this book.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Warning . . . Stay away . . .

I really hate to leave a bad review but this book was terrible. Megan was too stupid to breath. The whole story is unbelievable. I could go into detail but its just not worth my time. There is a bonus chapter to download to see how Megan gets away from Justin. I could care less!! Zero stars.

[Kelly Machnik · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know how I even finished this honestly. The main character Megan was awful. Just pitiful and stupid at times. The storyline went a little bonkers with the series of events that happened to Megan. I was glad to reach the ending which was honestly the only good part about it. When Megan finally has some clarity that the reader knew was there all along.

[Rica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my fave A.J. Wills novel. Wordy and repetitive. Don't waste your time.

[Brittney Isbell · Rating 1 out of 5]

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First, Megan is delusional. I know she is upset and depressed from losing her children in their house fire, but geez! 😒 Her husband isolates her from her friends and moves her to the middle of nowhere. Then, he gets angry one night and strangles her. The next morning he forces her to have sex and locks her in their house, but she still trusts him and wants to go back to him. She even convinces herself that he hasn’t done anything wrong, and he will be her savior after Harriett kidnaps her. The more I listened, the more annoyed and angry she made me. What an idiot!

Second, Harriett was obviously crazy and obsessed with Megan! How couldn’t she see that?! After kidnapping her and locking her up, Megan finally escapes her only to go back and check on Harriett because she is worried that she killed her instead of calling the police!! 🤦🏻‍♀️ She finally leaves in one of Harriett’s vehicles and is elated when Justin is calling Harriett‘s cell phone Megan stole from Harriett’s purse. She is so happy that she begs him to come save her!😒🙄

Finally, Harriett runs Megan off the road and she crashes. Harriett comes to pull her out of the car, and Megan still believes that her precious Justin will save her. Megan tries to run (again🙄🙄🙄) and falls in a hole, injuring her ankle. Justin drives up and Megan is so happy (sickening) and thinks to herself how wonderful he is to her, how he could never hurt her. Megan is devastated when Harriett stabs Justin, and he is slowly dying.

One more thing, the fire! The fire is so suspicious! Clearly, her husband started the fire that killed her boys! It’s even more obvious after she learns of his past. He blamed Megan, but he is responsible for the fire. Megan finally realizes what he did after he forces her to revisit their home. She confronts him, and Justin tries to strangle her AGAIN when she tells him that she wants a divorce. BUT, Megan STILL DOESN’T call the police! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Megan finally comes to her senses at the end, but it’s too late. The damage of reading this novel is done because it makes emotional, physical, and sexual abuse seem normal and okay. Megan clearly needs therapy and needs to learn how to love and believe in herself. Justin also needs therapy and some jail time to teach him that he cannot control and abuse women.

[Christina Faris (books_by_the_bottle) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a devastating fire leaves Megan and Justin’s life in shambles, they need a fresh start. Justin is eager to move Megan to a home on the Treloar Estate, where he spent his childhood summers. The house is old and haunted with secrets from Justin’s past, but Megan tries to make it work for her husband’s sake. Still, she is grateful for the friendship of their realtor, Harriet, if just for someone to talk to while Justin is at work. Then one day, she finds a phone hidden in the attic with a chilling text message: “don’t trust your husband”. Megan is disturbed but ultimately ignores the message. Then more keep coming.

This was a twisty, atmospheric thriller! I loved the setting of the cabin and the whole idea of a phone with creepy messages, that no one knew where it came from! As Megan explored the estate and met people from Justin’s past, it became clear her husband wasn’t who she thought he was. While I had some ideas where this was going, I did not see the ending coming at all!

Thank you to AJ Willis and Cherry Tree Publishing for the book! This book is out now.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Warning was a compulsive story of a woman who receives a text message about her husband and second guesses who she married and what he’s hiding.

This was my first book by A.J. Willis and I was glued to the story. I loved his writing style with the relatable characters, the twisted turns and how seamless the dialogue flowed. Additionally, this story was packed with twists and unpredictable turns (and some predictable turns) that had me guessing until the final page; but overall the plot was a gripping one. With Willis’s entertaining writing, there’s no question I will be reading/listening more from him. (Audio)

[Jen Dixon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Omg I’ve never hated a main character more

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be a real page turner, what was going on in the house, why was everyone so resistant to Justin being back and who was it safe to trust?!

It's only 99p to pre-order! Highly recommend.

[Tish · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am quite disappointed in this book. My first read from this author. The main character seemed to repeat her thoughts all the time and the storyline ended up being strange in parts and very predictable.

[AGilden · Rating 3 out of 5]

One can sail an ocean liner through the plot holes in this novel, and the main protagonist is one of the stupidest characters any author has ever written. Throughout the whole book, she made only two decisions that made sense to me. Given that I have a psychology degree, I know I should work harder to understand women like this, and while I try in real life, it's too much to take in the fiction I read. Incredibly, at the very end of the book, she still doesn't call the police, even though she learned at least three times earlier in the novel that it was the best thing to do. Notwithstanding all that, I can say that I was never bored. There was plenty of action to keep me interested, especially in the second half. I also enjoyed the flashback to Justin's childhood. 2.5 stars.

[Becsta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.8.
This wasn't a bad book, but i found myself getting frustrated with the main female character.
In the first 50% of the story, it was clearly evident that the husband was a controlling POS, yet she was so naive to not see it...
In one part, it was clear that he r*ped her, but it was never addressed and connected to what was attempted with Arabella.
It was a fast-paced book which I do enjoy though. Did I enjoy it, and am I glad that I read it? Yes! - it's not a book that I would read again though.

[Kathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

just ok really

This could have been so much better. I finished it so that’s says it wasn’t awful but the main character is rather pathetic and seems to be a bit unbelievable honestly. Then there’s the “twist” which is intended to make you think you didn’t have it figured out from the very first page, but it goes much to far to really work. All in all, I was disappointed because I expected a much better story.

[Pam Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing read

Unrealistic story with multiple unresolved plots and characters.... Don't recommend this book. Disappointing and not very entertaining. May try another by this author.

[Ms D · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t get past a few pages - so cliched and immature.

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

The started out really good…but midway it fell flat. Totally unbelievable…Megan was so frustrating. Seriously who can be that naïve? It was hard to finish the book.

[~ Ina · Rating 1 out of 5]

….uuuuugh. Utterly unbelievable characters, repetitiveness and weird pacing. To finish this was hard work.