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Choke: A Psychological Thriller
When nursing assistant Kerry Stine is blamed for the death of a hospital patient, her life goes into freefall - fired, wanted by the police, and a stranger is squatting in her apartment who believes she has a priceless historical treasure. Dr. Adrian Calhoun has developed a controversial cure for lung cancer, making him a target and a liability to the pharmaceutical industry. Kerry’s search for the truth about her squatter leads her to a different truth – about a part of her past she’s not ready to face and a precious jewel that can’t possibly be hers. Adrian must protect not only himself but his secret formula and his vulnerable control group, before Pharma gets to them first. In an unpredictable turn of events, the destinies of Adrian and Kerry collide to produce stunning revelations that change their lives forever.
274 pages, Paperback
Published February 12, 2023
2 people are currently reading
696 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Towles
12 books165 followersLisa Towles is an award-winning crime novelist and a passionate speaker on the topics of fiction writing, creativity, and self care. She has eleven crime thrillers in print including Terror Bay - a psychological thriller published in November of 2023. Her previous thriller, Salt Island, was the winner of The BookFest, Pencraft, Readers Choice, Readers Favorite, and Literary Titan awards. The Ridders (November, 2022) won an American Fiction Award, and her psychological thriller Hot House (June 2022) was a #1 Amazon Kindle Bestseller. Lisa is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers and is deeply committed to supporting other writers. She is Board President of a Bay Area nonprofit (Bridgegood.org) and speaks frequently to groups of business leaders and writers about her platform Strategic Self Care. She has an MBA in IT Management and works full-time in the tech industry in the San Francisco Bay area. Learn more at www.lisatowles.com, strategicselfcare.blog, or follow Lisa on social media: linktr.ee/authortowles.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 3, 2023
Choke by Lisa Towles is a psychological thriller that will leave you wondering what’s real and what’s not.
Kerry Stine is living a normal life working at San Francisco General Hospital, but suddenly everything turns upside down for her. A patient is missing, and she’s the number one suspect. Confused and not understanding what’s happening, she has to run from the police as strange occurrences are happening around her. Dangerous men seem fixed on getting something from her, but she can’t even begin to understand what they could possibly be needing her for.
Just as all this is going on, Grace Mattson, a botanist, and her friend Adrian Calhoun are in serious trouble. Adrian has secretly researched and found a medical treatment that may change the lives of many for good. Now influential people are risking everything to put their hands on Adrian’s research and control the narrative. Paranoid, they have to watch their backs and try their best to find their way out. Both storylines eventually come together, making sense of the characters’ experiences.
Thrilling and with a good pace, this book captures the readers’ attention from the start. Every event described is confusing yet interesting, leaving one with the expectation of seeing more. The story has lots of ramifications and suspense; it’s hard to guess what will happen next or where the story is going. The perspectives are also constantly changing in every chapter, allowing the reader to see a different intriguing angle that will eventually intertwine with the overall story.
While reading, one immediately falls in the position of the characters, who are confused and don’t understand what’s happening to them. They often even question their mental state, making them unreliable and leaving the readers on their own journey trying to figure out what’s real. Because of this, the story is gripping and constantly changing, giving interest to every little detail. Furthermore, with time the attachment to the characters starts to grow, and their relationships solidify in times of uncertainty, providing a new dimension to the entire story and making it even more appealing.
What can be trusted? You’ll have to thoroughly read the story to find out. I give Choke by Lisa Towles 5 out of 5 stars. A psychological thriller and hard to put down, this is the sort of book that one will inevitably want to finish in one sitting to finally find out the whole truth.
Kerry Stine is living a normal life working at San Francisco General Hospital, but suddenly everything turns upside down for her. A patient is missing, and she’s the number one suspect. Confused and not understanding what’s happening, she has to run from the police as strange occurrences are happening around her. Dangerous men seem fixed on getting something from her, but she can’t even begin to understand what they could possibly be needing her for.
Just as all this is going on, Grace Mattson, a botanist, and her friend Adrian Calhoun are in serious trouble. Adrian has secretly researched and found a medical treatment that may change the lives of many for good. Now influential people are risking everything to put their hands on Adrian’s research and control the narrative. Paranoid, they have to watch their backs and try their best to find their way out. Both storylines eventually come together, making sense of the characters’ experiences.
Thrilling and with a good pace, this book captures the readers’ attention from the start. Every event described is confusing yet interesting, leaving one with the expectation of seeing more. The story has lots of ramifications and suspense; it’s hard to guess what will happen next or where the story is going. The perspectives are also constantly changing in every chapter, allowing the reader to see a different intriguing angle that will eventually intertwine with the overall story.
While reading, one immediately falls in the position of the characters, who are confused and don’t understand what’s happening to them. They often even question their mental state, making them unreliable and leaving the readers on their own journey trying to figure out what’s real. Because of this, the story is gripping and constantly changing, giving interest to every little detail. Furthermore, with time the attachment to the characters starts to grow, and their relationships solidify in times of uncertainty, providing a new dimension to the entire story and making it even more appealing.
What can be trusted? You’ll have to thoroughly read the story to find out. I give Choke by Lisa Towles 5 out of 5 stars. A psychological thriller and hard to put down, this is the sort of book that one will inevitably want to finish in one sitting to finally find out the whole truth.
March 8, 2023
An amazing maze of a story .
Lisa Towles' pre-release of this early work is a marvelous gift to those of us who discovered her talent by beginning at the newest end of her works. Her undeniable skill for interweaving what appear to be equally interesting, yet initially apparently unrelated, thrillers until springing an utterly unexpected connection in an entirely credible manner is nearly unmatched. It is easy to see why critics and award committees have embraced her writing. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
Lisa Towles' pre-release of this early work is a marvelous gift to those of us who discovered her talent by beginning at the newest end of her works. Her undeniable skill for interweaving what appear to be equally interesting, yet initially apparently unrelated, thrillers until springing an utterly unexpected connection in an entirely credible manner is nearly unmatched. It is easy to see why critics and award committees have embraced her writing. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
December 27, 2017
I received this book via a goodreads giveaway.
While I feel that this book has a great deal of potential, I also feel that it is not yet fully developed. It was like reading two separate books which barely touched one another in a couple of spots. It also left many, many unanswered questions.
Both the characters and storyline, if more fully developed would be amazing. This is a good start, but as is; leaves the reader a bit confused. I hope if the author does further development I will be informed, I would love to read it.
While I feel that this book has a great deal of potential, I also feel that it is not yet fully developed. It was like reading two separate books which barely touched one another in a couple of spots. It also left many, many unanswered questions.
Both the characters and storyline, if more fully developed would be amazing. This is a good start, but as is; leaves the reader a bit confused. I hope if the author does further development I will be informed, I would love to read it.
February 13, 2023
Choke won A Big NYC Book Award in 2018 and has been cited as a”compelling story” and “a smoking’ good read”. I totally agree. The second edition is an Indies United Publishing House reprint that was originally published by Rebel Publishers in 2017. I loved it then and again! In typical Towles-style, this fast-paced psychological thriller is a puzzle for the reader to piece together. Through snappy dialog, characters’ on-going internal anguish and tightly crafted and complicated plotting, Choke is a thrilling ride guaranteed to keep you awake way too late. Lisa Towles is one of the edgiest thriller writers today. I can't get enough of her piece-together-the- puzzle plots, quirky, likable characters, and speeding bullet pacing. I highly recommend Choke—and all of Lisa Towles‘s thrillers.
July 10, 2017
Fast moving and fun
The latest from Lisa Towles is a tease of her true skills as a writer. This is a great quick read that will leave you wanting more
The latest from Lisa Towles is a tease of her true skills as a writer. This is a great quick read that will leave you wanting more
February 4, 2023
Thrilling!
You never know what's going go happen next in Towles' psychological thriller. Nothing is as it seems...or is it? She keeps you guessing right until the end.
You never know what's going go happen next in Towles' psychological thriller. Nothing is as it seems...or is it? She keeps you guessing right until the end.
August 12, 2022
Choke by Lisa Towles is a psychological thriller that will leave you wondering what’s real and what’s not.
Kerry Stine is living a normal life working at San Francisco General Hospital, but suddenly everything turns upside down for her. A patient is missing, and she’s the number one suspect. Confused and not understanding what’s happening, she has to run from the police as strange occurrences are happening around her. Dangerous men seem fixed on getting something from her, but she can’t even begin to understand what they could possibly be needing her for.
Just as all this is going on, Grace Mattson, a botanist, and her friend Adrian Calhoun are in serious trouble. Adrian has secretly researched and found a medical treatment that may change the lives of many for good. Now influential people are risking everything to put their hands on Adrian’s research and control the narrative. Paranoid, they have to watch their backs and try their best to find their way out. Both storylines eventually come together, making sense of the characters’ experiences.
Thrilling and with a good pace, this book captures the readers’ attention from the start. Every event described is confusing yet interesting, leaving one with the expectation of seeing more. The story has lots of ramifications and suspense; it’s hard to guess what will happen next or where the story is going. The perspectives are also constantly changing in every chapter, allowing the reader to see a different intriguing angle that will eventually intertwine with the overall story.
While reading, one immediately falls in the position of the characters, who are confused and don’t understand what’s happening to them. They often even question their mental state, making them unreliable and leaving the readers on their own journey trying to figure out what’s real. Because of this, the story is gripping and constantly changing, giving interest to every little detail. Furthermore, with time the attachment to the characters starts to grow, and their relationships solidify in times of uncertainty, providing a new dimension to the entire story and making it even more appealing.
What can be trusted? You’ll have to thoroughly read the story to find out. I give Choke by Lisa Towles 5 out of 5 stars. A psychological thriller and hard to put down, this is the sort of book that one will inevitably want to finish in one sitting to finally find out the whole truth.
Kerry Stine is living a normal life working at San Francisco General Hospital, but suddenly everything turns upside down for her. A patient is missing, and she’s the number one suspect. Confused and not understanding what’s happening, she has to run from the police as strange occurrences are happening around her. Dangerous men seem fixed on getting something from her, but she can’t even begin to understand what they could possibly be needing her for.
Just as all this is going on, Grace Mattson, a botanist, and her friend Adrian Calhoun are in serious trouble. Adrian has secretly researched and found a medical treatment that may change the lives of many for good. Now influential people are risking everything to put their hands on Adrian’s research and control the narrative. Paranoid, they have to watch their backs and try their best to find their way out. Both storylines eventually come together, making sense of the characters’ experiences.
Thrilling and with a good pace, this book captures the readers’ attention from the start. Every event described is confusing yet interesting, leaving one with the expectation of seeing more. The story has lots of ramifications and suspense; it’s hard to guess what will happen next or where the story is going. The perspectives are also constantly changing in every chapter, allowing the reader to see a different intriguing angle that will eventually intertwine with the overall story.
While reading, one immediately falls in the position of the characters, who are confused and don’t understand what’s happening to them. They often even question their mental state, making them unreliable and leaving the readers on their own journey trying to figure out what’s real. Because of this, the story is gripping and constantly changing, giving interest to every little detail. Furthermore, with time the attachment to the characters starts to grow, and their relationships solidify in times of uncertainty, providing a new dimension to the entire story and making it even more appealing.
What can be trusted? You’ll have to thoroughly read the story to find out. I give Choke by Lisa Towles 5 out of 5 stars. A psychological thriller and hard to put down, this is the sort of book that one will inevitably want to finish in one sitting to finally find out the whole truth.
June 12, 2017
This book has a terrific concept: a tobacco product that can cure cancer and of course big tobacco and big pharma are trying to stop it going public. At least that is what is supposed to be happening, except that reader doesn’t get to know this information until more than a third of the way through the book. And in the meantime, the reader is subjected to lots of cloak and dagger type action that makes no sense based on what they have already read.
Choke is written as though the Ms. Towles already envisions it as a film noir detective B movie and ends each chapter with a cliff hanger perfect for a commercial break. She does all but add camera direction: “Kerry wiped more tears from her eyes. ‘Why do you care what happens to me?’ ‘Personally, I don’t,’ Rex cut in. ‘Because now…’ Bill paused, ‘you have to disappear.’” (fade to commercial)
I’ve given a total of 5 1-star ratings out of approximately 1000 ratings on Goodreads. I don’t give them lightly. Among those, I believe I really wanted to DNF 2 of the books. This would have been the 3rd but I accepted the book with the understanding that I would read and review it.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Rebel ePublishing in exchange for an honest review.
Choke is written as though the Ms. Towles already envisions it as a film noir detective B movie and ends each chapter with a cliff hanger perfect for a commercial break. She does all but add camera direction: “Kerry wiped more tears from her eyes. ‘Why do you care what happens to me?’ ‘Personally, I don’t,’ Rex cut in. ‘Because now…’ Bill paused, ‘you have to disappear.’” (fade to commercial)
I’ve given a total of 5 1-star ratings out of approximately 1000 ratings on Goodreads. I don’t give them lightly. Among those, I believe I really wanted to DNF 2 of the books. This would have been the 3rd but I accepted the book with the understanding that I would read and review it.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Rebel ePublishing in exchange for an honest review.
November 18, 2017
An interesting story with too much story for this size book. There are three themes, and while the author is trying to overlap and then bring the themes together, it felt fractured. This made trying to follow the three themes difficult. There may have been a lot of editing that messed up the story. There are some gaps that trips up the flow.
Met the author at Ruby's. She asked me to tell her what I thought.....
Met the author at Ruby's. She asked me to tell her what I thought.....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2024
Obsessed with psychological thrillers lately, I found this book while scrolling the endless options on IUHP. Reading a novel by Lisa Towles never disappoints.
A real page turner, finished in one sitting. Almost every chapter ends in a cliffhanger and you can't really stop reading until you find out what is going one. It gets a bit confusing at times but it's not until the very end that everything is connected and finally makes sense. Nicely done. I'll be Definitely reading more from this author.
A real page turner, finished in one sitting. Almost every chapter ends in a cliffhanger and you can't really stop reading until you find out what is going one. It gets a bit confusing at times but it's not until the very end that everything is connected and finally makes sense. Nicely done. I'll be Definitely reading more from this author.
January 22, 2023
This is really a cool concept and incredibly creative. Lisa always comes up with unique crimes and angles that make it hard to put the book down. So many interesting characters intertwined throughout the entire story. Nicely done.
January 15, 2024
gripping, fast read
Lisa Towels once again delivers a truly thrilling story of secrecy and conspiracy. From page one to the end, the story is very captivating. Not only that, but the two stories weave together nicely in a surprising twist. Mostly, anyway. One question is left unanswered, which I won’t reveal here so I won’t spoil it. Still, highly recommend to anyone looking for a delightfully quick thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Lisa Towels once again delivers a truly thrilling story of secrecy and conspiracy. From page one to the end, the story is very captivating. Not only that, but the two stories weave together nicely in a surprising twist. Mostly, anyway. One question is left unanswered, which I won’t reveal here so I won’t spoil it. Still, highly recommend to anyone looking for a delightfully quick thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
April 20, 2017
Great story line. Interesting characters. For fans of well-written thrillers with fresh plot concepts. Highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews