One Must Die by Mark Tilbury

It's my stop today on the blog tour for Mark Tilbury's latest twisted offering, One Must Die. I had the pleasure of beta reading this one a couple of months back and it certainly had me hooked!

The Blurb

I have both your sons, Mr Levitt. One of them must die. You choose.

Widower Sean Levitt receives the ominous message in the post a few days after his teenage boys go missing on their way to army cadets. As time progresses, the abductor makes increasingly horrific demands of Sean by sending him DVDs, and telling him to post videos online of the shocking assignments he sets him.

One Must Die is the story of one man’s fight to keep his sons alive, and the terrible lengths he must go to in order to do so.

Can Sean do what the police have failed to do and find his sons?
Or will the abductor achieve his twisted aim of destroying his entire family?

One Must Die will be published by Tilbury Publishing this Thursday and you can pre-order/buy it here.

My Review

You know when you're watching a horror film and you cover your eyes with your hands because you're scared, but then you peep through the gaps between your fingers because you don't actually want to miss anything? That's kind of how I feel when I read Mark's books! And this one is no different. 

Which one of your children should die? It's an impossible question to answer, except Sean Levitt is asked to do just that after normally reliable teenagers Peter and Ben don't come home from army cadets one evening. The abductor makes increasingly awful demands of Sean, sending his instructions on DVDs. Although advised not to, Sean does contact the police but is unimpressed with their actions, or lack thereof. He feels forced to act...

This is a tough read as, like many of Mark's books, it features children at the centre, and I think that always tugs the heartstrings that wee bit harder, especially if you're a parent. So there were many moments that I held my breath and hoped... The boys really touched me, especially Ben, the younger of the two brothers. His fear and defeat really came across. Peter is definitely the stronger of the two, and we see his determination to try to keep the two of them alive. 

Back at home, Sean's desperation really came through. These kind of books always make me wonder how I'd fare if something awful happened to my children - similarly possibly, but more likely much worse. But we see Sean's physical deterioration as the ordeal takes its toll and that, understandably, the plight of the boys is all he can think about. I loved his relationship with father-in-law Brian - really good to see two male characters with a really strong bond. From the other characters, I defy anyone not to feel for Britney - I was shouting (well, whispering anyway) encouragement for that girl! 

If you've never read any of Tilbury's books (there are plenty to choose from!) then you need to know they are dark and twisted, and this one won't be for everyone. But they're really worth checking out. Reading One Must Die I went through every emotion - horror, fear, relief, frustration, shock and repeat! I really went through the wringer with this one. The perpetrator is suitably creepy and chilling and his interactions with the boys sent shivers up my spine. Actually, pretty much all his actions did! 

There is a lot of violence in this book, both threatened and actual, so do be prepared for that. It escalates, as does the tension, as the book progresses towards a very gruesome conclusion. 

One Must Die is an effective, claustrophobic and disturbing psychological thriller with a gripping storyline and plenty of tension. It is not for the faint hearted but that could probably be said for all of Tilbury's books! But if you like your drama on the dark side of dark (and plenty of us do) then this is a book for you. I really enjoyed it, although after everything else I've said it feels kind of wrong to say that! But it definitely kept me turning the pages and you can't ask for much more than that. 


The Author

 

Mark lives in a small village in the lovely county of Cumbria, although his books are set in Oxfordshire where he was born and raised.

After being widowed and raising his two daughters, Mark finally took the plunge and self-published two books on Amazon, The Revelation Room and The Eyes of the Accused.

He's always had a keen interest in writing, and is extremely proud to have had seven novels published by Bloodhound Books. His latest novel, The Last One To See Her will be published 4th June 2020.

When he's not writing, Mark can be found playing guitar, reading and walking.