The Pact: The gripping thriller for readers who love dark academia and shocking twists

I give it 4 stars because I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. The twists and reveals are amazing but it just feels like the ending was so short and a bit rushed. Overall, excellent book, fast paced and very well written.

Great characters. Your not sure if you love them or hate them. What is the truth? Who are the real monsters? I loved this book. Read it in two days, I could barely put it down. A must read for Bolton fans. Also great read for any thriller reader. I wish I could tell all my friends about it.

This story is … weird. It was a good plot but at times over descriptive and confusing.It is also told from many POVs which weren’t broken up my the chapters (which I prefer) but later it was … like in the first 20 ish chapters the POV could be anyone in a single chapter but later, it was more clear that it was Xavier or Felix’s POV.Also, the cover doesn’t go with the story at all. It should be a car or a road but they hardly ever talk of swimming and if they did, it was at night.The end twist was a good one. I didn’t see it coming.

Could NOT put this down...page turner! BUT, the ending is confusing, left me asking why?

Six friends commit a gruesome crime & one takes the fall for all. Once their time is served, they are released and expect their “friends” to return the favor.This was an exceptional read! Though the characters are unlikeable, they all have distinguished personalities so it’s easy to keep up with who is saying/doing what. Didn’t not predict the ending & it was still believable. I recommend this book if you like physiological thrillers and mystery books.

GREAT STORY, believable characters, and terrific setting — I was completely sucked in and happily enthralled while reading.However: the ending felt so abrupt…! I flipped back and forth a few times trying to see if I’d missed a page or two but I hadn’t…it just kind of ended.Technically resolved, yes, but almost no denouement. I’m a new fan of Sharon Bolton and def will read more of her work but hope the sudden (not totally satisfying pace oft the) ending won’t be a consistent element.

This is a true mind blower! Just when you think you have it figured out, nope! I truly loved this book from beginning to end. No hurry up, feeble ending 😉

An intriguing premise that crumbles apart. I've read a lot of Bolton's novels and enjoyed them all. This one was a major disappointment. The way Megan was treated was terrible, none of the others having an ounce of compassion. And the ending made no sense. There's no explanation given, it was just over. Three stars for keeping me reading.

This book was a great psychological thriller with a good storyline and solid characters. It kept me at the edge of my seat and always questioning where the story was going and how it would end. Great story, well worth reading.

Je dois admettre avoir été captivée par le début de cette histoire. Après avoir purgé une longue peine de prison injustement à la place de ses amis, une femme revient dans la vie de ses amis. Alors qu'elle est restée loyale envers eux durant toutes ces années, ces derniers n'ont pas les mêmes valeurs concernant l'amitié. L'écriture est efficace, les multiples POV sont plutôt bien gérés. En revanche, le twist est totalement prévisible, et surtout plusieurs réponses restent en suspend. Certains personnages agissent de façon incohérentes, c'est bien dommage. Toutefois l'idée de départ est excellente!

The first question that came to my mind when I finished this amazing thriller was why nobody had made a film or series on it!This book is just toooo good; it's very different from all the thrillers I've read but it keeps you on the edge throughout.A fantastic read! DO NOT miss this one!

The Pact is a masterclass in thriller writing from Sharon Bolton and bristles with tension from the opening scene that never lets up in a meaty story with an abundance of twists, plenty of which surprise. Plotted with precision, tightly woven and populated by a cast of conceivable characters, it’s also a highly readable story with an involving moral dilemma at its core. Narrated in the third person to brilliant effect, Bolton gives her readers the opportunity to judge what unfolds for themselves by explicitly showing what happened rather than fannying around hinting at it.On the eve of receiving their A-Level results following a summer of basking in the certainty of the golden futures awaiting them, six pupils from a prestigious public school decide that the remaining member of their set must complete what has become a rite of passage with a dangerous driving stunt. The consequences are fatal and result in the death of a mother and her two children and suddenly the university places, careers and reputations of the largely self-absorbed set hang in the balance. Tal, Xav, Felix, Amber and Daniel make up the core of the group with inscrutable eighteen-year-old Megan, a scholarship girl from a single parent family, on the fringes of the pretty obnoxious clique. Deciding that one person should take the blame as opposed to all six saying goodbye to their futures, it is Megan, arguably the most gifted of the bunch, that steps forward on the signed agreement that each of the remaining five owe her a single favour, redeemable when she comes out of prison. Against initial expectations of getting off with a dangerous driving conviction and a few years inside, Megan is sentenced to life with a minimum tariff of twenty years, but crucially keeps her side of the bargain by never implicating the others.Twenty years later and the others are the success stories they were predicted to become and whilst they have all been emotionally affected by their actions that night, with guilt and unresolved trauma, it is a burden that has weighed far heavier on some than others. When Megan comes calling after being left to rot in prison by her so called friends, who were all quick to distance themselves from her, the welcome party is a frosty and reluctant one. Megan’s return disrupts all of her old friends lives as she quickly immerses herself into their worlds and the balance of power steadily shifts in her favour. Friction between the gang is ever present with a far from united front as to how to proceed following Megan’s return with ruthless Tal and outspoken Felix the loudest voices amongst the more empathetic and amenable element of the group. Watching the group handle Megan with kid gloves and attempt to get hold of the proof she secured twenty years ago, before it’s time to deliver on the favour requested of each of them, is all-consuming. I was constantly rethinking the options and second guessing how the story would end and kudos to Sharon Bolton for delivering a dazzlingly unpredictable conclusion in a terrifically plotted thriller full of well-drawn characters.

I couldn't wait to read on, this was such a thrilling story. One that also raises many questions about conscience, about right or wrong. I tremendously enjoyed the characters as well as the descriptions of Oxford. Highly recommended!