A thriller of an unusually classy calibre. Eloquently written, intensively researched ... Brabazon has crafted hugely gripping, thought-provoking yarn, grounding its outlandish elements in solid realism and vivid characterisation

The Break Line delivers a full-throttle exercise in tension

The Break Line is a distillation of a quarter of a century of travel with a camera in one and and a notebook in the other. Set in Sierra Leone, it sees Special Forces veteran Mac McLean on a mission that is non-routine even by his own black ops standards . . . It's so twisty and multilayered it would be easy to imagine it as a computer game.

Echoes of Joseph Conrad & Frederick Forsyth's Dogs of War: not for the faint-hearted, as ferocious a portrait of an assassin as you will find

Veteran war correspondent Brabazon brings his experience of the world's most dangerous places to this brutally compelling thriller . . . Andy McNab meets Heart of Darkness

A natural-born writer . . . strong, lucid, non-stop suspense

The Break Line punches you in the stomach on the first page and then plunges you into the most extraordinary and exciting world of covert operations that I have ever read . I have worked in those places and covered those wars... Brabazon's novel gets it exactly right. With a terrifyingly precise eye and an irresistible prose style, he has creates a world that is almost impossible to leave. I finished the book three days ago and feel like I'm still waiting for the choppers to come take me home...

A taut, razor-edged thriller, packed with granular detail and authenticity

Taut, tough and visceral - and, most of all, written with a breath-taking authenticity'

A natural-born writer...strong, lucid, non-stop suspense

A wonderfully crafted story of action, history, and secrets that is as imaginative as it is compelling

A brilliant debut thriller. He knows how to hook a reader and keep them hoovering up pages

An enchanting mix of mystery and folklore.

This pungently atmospheric, quietly smoldering thriller sensitively mixes superstition, oral storytelling and the emerging psychology movement of the 19th century.

Once Upon A River succeeds in doing what you hope every book will do - pull you in from the first page, hold you captive in the middle, then leave you satisfied and thoughtful at the end. I loved it.

This enchanting historical story is full of folklore and intrigue.

Though Setterfield writes emotions with marvellous truth and subtlety, her most stunning prose is reserved for evocative descriptions of the natural world, creating an immersive experience made of light, texture, scent and sensation.

Like Setterfield’s earlier novel The Thirteenth Tale, Once Upon a River is very much a story about the spellbinding power of storytelling...a deeply satisfying read.

As the story progresses - by turns slow and melancholy, fast and furious, like its river setting - Diane Setterfield dips beguilingly into the intertwined lives of her vibrant characters.

This dense, absorbing, beautifully atmospheric novel weaves a truly hypnotic spell.

Setterfield is a master of the medium. Like the river at its core, her plot twists and turns with ease and confidence, and her writing is beautiful.

Setterfield brilliantly captures a time and place on the cusp of modernity, plays bleakness and warmth off against each other to create a life-affirming tale of what it means to be human.

An exquisitely crafted multi layered mystery.

Once Upon a River is one of the most pleasurable and satisfying new books I've read in a long time. Setterfield is a master storyteller, her language flowing with a dark magic very like the river at the heart of her tale: swift and entrancing, profound and beautiful. Give yourself a treat and read it!

Once Upon a River is a delight, just marvellous. I devoured it in gulps.

Once Upon A River succeeds in doing what you hope every book will do - pull you in from the first page, hold you captive in the middle, then leave you satisfied and thoughtful at the end. I loved it.