The Pact: A dark and compulsive thriller about secrets, privilege and revenge

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To start. What we have here is a bunch of highly privilege students, with the exception of one of them who comes from a working class, single parent household. They are all the best of friends. Well, they were when the book starts. With a number of the friends dying under very suspicious circumstances, nerves, tension and blame builds as some fight to suppress the truth from events twenty years ago, and others want to be free from the burden of the lies they told and lives that were shattered. Sharon Bolton is one of my favourite authors of intense books of psychological suspense, well-defined characters, and surprising twists. This was a riveting, compelling story full of dread, tension, and shattered dreams. Most of the characters were unsympathetic and made unfortunate choices but I did not wish for a terrible outcome for them. This was a gripping, unputdownable read. The ending was unpredictable but seemed rushed and not entirely resolved. I thought some of the motives and behaviours were not always clearly defined. A clever, compelling and unexpected story with a rich cast of diverse characters. I've long been a fan of Sharon Bolton's writing, but she has excelled herself with The Pact." - Rachel Abbott I loved this creepy, twisty, compelling read. Sharon Bolton is the queen of ultra-tense, claustrophobic stories and characters you care about even though they are far from snow white. Needless to say I did not see the ending coming.— Cressida McLaughlin

Although she wasn’t the one driving this time, 18-year old Megan decides to take the blame. She will take full responsibility and let the others go on with their lives…as long as they each agree to owe her a favor when she is released from prison. It can be anything she wants and with no questions asked. Megan documents their agreement for proof, and is swiftly taken into custody. The Secret History for Millennials - the twists start early and only get tighter in this compelling thriller about betrayal, crime and class.— Belinda Bauer, author of EXIT I loved this creepy, twisty, compelling read. Sharon Bolton is the queen of ultra-tense, claustrophobic stories and characters you care about even though they are far from snow white. Needless to say I did not see the ending coming." - Cressida McLaughlin A clever, suspenseful exploration of responsibility, retribution, and friendship tested to destruction." - Cara Hunter A clever, suspenseful exploration of responsibility, retribution, and friendship tested to destruction.— Cara Hunter, author of THE WHOLE TRUTHThe Queen of the psychological thriller, Sharon Bolton, serves up her latest delicious and irresistible novel examining the nature of love and friendship amongst a close knit group of young friends, experiencing the golden summer of drink and drugs after the end of their A level exams at the exclusive All Souls School in Oxford. They are certain, after their lives of privilege, of the glittering future awaiting them, nothing stands in their way, the world at their feet. They are members of the senior prefect team, with the cleverest and beautiful 18 year old Megan as head girl, and unlike the others, a scholarship girl from an impoverished single parent family. For her, Felix, Xav, Amber, Daniel and Talitha, their lives stand to burn and shatter into tiny pieces one night when a dare goes hideously wrong, resulting in the deaths of GP and mother, Sophie and her two young daughters, Lily and Maisie. Anyways, this was just what I needed after all my trials and tribulations. My fave is still Now You See Me. A BANGER.

In The Pact, it is a moment of stupidity that destroys the golden future of my six characters. Fuelled by alcohol, drugs and an arrogant belief in their own invincibility, they give into a moment of mindlessness, and their actions lead to the deaths of three people. In a heartbeat, everything is changed and my six young friends have gone from the crest of the mountain to scrambling in the dirt at the very bottom. A highly enjoyable thriller about privilege, blame and the consequences of lies.— CS Green, author of SLEEP TIGHTTheir joyride(s) end with the death of a woman and her two young children. Life isn't so fun anymore. Scrambling, worried about their futures, eighteen-year-old, Megan steps up to take the blame for all of them. Is she their best friend ever or is she a naïve young girl who wants their friendship? That terrible, tragic night, after Megan steps up, she tells them that they will owe her a 'favour' when all is said and done. A golden summer, the most prestigious school in the country and a group of six teenage friends waiting for their exam results. Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? Possibly the start of a teenage romantic comedy? Not really, it is something else that is much more enjoyable. The six friends have gathered together the night before final exam results, doing what a lot of 18 year olds will do: drinking and having fun. That is until the fun takes a much more sinister turn and an ill-conceived game of dare and a driving accident leaves a family dead and six teenagers who face their lives being ruined forever. What no one was expecting was that the young woman would end up being charged with murder and being sentenced to life in prison.