Once I knew the story began with the dreadful mistake of six privileged private school pupils, it seemed only sensible to base that school on one I knew well: Magdalen College School, a little to the south east of the city centre, founded by William Waynflete in 1480.

A Silence fell, as though Xav had voiced a truth they’d all known but had been keeping hidden; that they had been drawn together by nothing more than a smug acceptance of their shared privilege, that they were none of them particularly nice, certainly not good people” Six college students sitting top of their class at All Souls School in Oxford, face a future that appears full of possibilities and rewards. Talitha, Felix, Xav, Daniel, Amber and Megan plan their next step to University and after their A’ Level results the following day, have a summer of friendship and pleasure ahead. That night, however, is Daniel’s turn to undertake the dare they have each completed and drive the wrong direction between two junctions of the motorway. Only on this occasion, it results in the death of a mother and her two young daughters. Anyways, this was just what I needed after all my trials and tribulations. My fave is still Now You See Me. A BANGER.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.

I had fun with this book. With everything on the line, what would you do? This book has a lot of dread and tension. Several times while reading this book I was reminded of the saying "with friends like these...." The Pact has a cat and mouse merged with an everyman/woman for his/herself vibe to it. As everyone scrambles in this book, it was fun to watch as everything comes crumbling down around them. The Pact has a pacy and very intriguing storyline, one that could be all too real. It has plenty of twists and turns along the way– some predictable and some not, but then some have to be for the story to work and it does. Whilst I did guess the outcome long before it was revealed, there were enough twists and turn to just keep me never being quite 100% sure and second guessing. Six friends are throwing themselves an early celebration. It’s the night before their final grades are released and college life is just one step away. Time for them to play their favorite game. Each one takes turn at the wheel going the wrong way down the highway. (Brilliant.) It’s the predawn hours and virtually no one else is on the road. But when the final friend takes the wheel for his turn…not surprisingly, the game turns deadly. 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. The Secret History for Millennials - the twists start early and only get tighter in this compelling thriller about betrayal, crime and class." - Belinda BauerI couldn't wait to tweet this as #bookpost before diving in - then I devoured it in one sitting. The Pact is a brilliantly crafted thriller about some friends who make a promise that's hell to keep! Gripping from start to finish." - Michelle Davies Many. This is unavoidable in the crime genre. If a scene is difficult to read, you can be certain it was hard for the author to write. The Pact was especially tough because I learned to care for these six characters, flaws and all. I had almost motherly feelings of love for them. I wanted to wave a magic wand and make everything all right, in the way parents want always to smooth the paths of their children . year-old Megan takes the blame, leaving the others free to get on with their lives. In return, they each agree to a ‘favour’, payable on her release from prison. One confession leads to the wrong conviction, but the friends stand by their story that Megan did it thinking since she was young, she would get the minimum sentence and be released early. Wrong....... The psychological torment they each feel as their future dreams are wiped out before they even started, is brilliantly drawn, never mind the guilt of causing three innocent deaths. The turmoil of each character as they try to concoct a plan is palpable and each of the friends has a different suggestion, fear and finger to point, which is so cleverly weaved together in an unsettling drama, that you can feel the despair. Megan offers a solution – she will take the fall for them ALL and claim that she alone was in the car that night. The price for this is that they all owe her a favour of whatever she asks. She video records their testimony and signed proof of their complicity should she ever need to use it.

stars for an enthralling plot, that was gripping from beginning to end with twists galore that only set to heighten tension in this emotionally intense book of moral dilemmas. Twenty years later, Megan is released from prison. Her friends have gone on to complete college, have jobs, most have married, one has chidden, basically they have moved on. While Megan has health issues and a desire to reconnect. How will the others react? I'm always happy to reconnect with old friends, but this lot, well....A brilliant premise and relentless narrative, with a twist I didn't see coming at all." - Claire McGowan Megan offers to take the blame and claim she was the lone driver. Surely, it will be viewed as an accident, or at the worst, vehicular manslaughter with a short prison sentence. In return, the others must promise to fulfill unknown favours that she will demand when released from prison. To everyone's horror, Megan is sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of the three who died in the other vehicle. There is no early parole as she has been set up for blame for various infractions of which she is innocent. She is badly injured while incarcerated. In the meantime, her friends neglect to visit or write to her, withdrawing any emotional support. They all have achieved highly successful careers, but live with guilt, shame, and worry that they may be eventually implicated. They set up a secret trust fund for Megan after her release.