The Only Way Out is Death by Varun Gwalani - #blogtour #bookreview

 

I'm falling and my arms are waving wildly, an impotent struggle against forces far beyond my control. The wind tears at my skin and I'm hurtling towards the ground faster than I can imagine, and yet it seems impossibly far. I want the pain to end, I want to stop falling, I want to just crash and finish this...

***

Twelve powerful people are kidnapped and imprisoned in an empty hotel.

Each one of them has three choices:

Live out the rest of their days peacefully in the hotel,

Die by suicide so the rest of their companions can go free,

Or murder one of their companions so they alone can go free.

The Only Way Out is Death follows the story of these twelve people from the perspective of a young lawyer, Kiriaki, told as the events unfold. She has to forge messy alliances, navigate complex relationships and feuds, and, above all, try to stay alive. Meanwhile, the mastermind of this death game is lurking just out of view, watching them closely, making sure they are primed for murder.

Will Kiriaki find the mastermind before it's too late for her?

Will she outmaneouvre the cutthroats before they cut her throat?

There are twelve selfish lives in the hotel.

Will it end in twelve selfish deaths?

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BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner. I was one of the panellists last year and I was delighted to read this book. It isn't my usual reading fare but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

It is a real page-turner of a book, with a fast pace and lots of twists and turns. It kept me gripped from the beginning, and I was very keen to get to the bottom of what was going on.

Told from the perspective of Kiriaki, she gradually reveals the personalities behind her fellow captives. Throughout the book the characters held captive alongside her, reveal their reasons for being there, including Kiriaki herself. Based during the time immediately following the pandemic, each were in someway responsible for it's taking hold and killing millions of people. The malevalent mind behind the capture of the twelve captives has put them all in a position that if they leave the hotel in which they are held, they will initiate another, more devastating pandemic on the world.

The author demonstrates a collection of moral dilemmas which each character faces; to kill or be killed, to take their own life or to live forever within the walls of the hotel. It was such an interesting and different plot to the books which I normally read that I was gripped by it. As a reader it was impossible not to ask myself the question - what would I do in such circumstances? The book is a fascinating and thought provoking read, which I enjoyed very much.

This was an exciting novel from this author which I recommend to readers.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

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ISBN: 978 9392279676

Publisher:  Saga Publications

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  295 (paperback)

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About the Author:

Varun Gwalani is the author of six novels: Believe, The First Storyteller, The Story Circle, The Novel Year, Who Saves the Hero? and The Only Way Out is Death. Each book is a different genre, with his latest book "The Only Way Out is Death" being a murder mystery thriller.

In addition to being an author, Varun has been a teacher of creative writing and English for several years now. He's an advocate for mental health awareness, having given a TEDx talk and written several articles on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Varun also loves reading, board games and video games, and he can often be find blending these interests by playing a visual novel. He would also like to tell you about the thing he hates the most: writing in third-person.

(book and all media courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)