The One You Love (Emma Holden suspense mystery #1) [Kindle Edition]

Paul Pilkington (Author)

Book Description

Emma Holden's nightmare has just begun. Her fiancé vanishes, leaving the battered and bloodied body of his brother in their London apartment. Someone is stalking her, watching her every move. And her family are hiding a horrifying secret; a secret that threatens all those she loves. In a desperate race against time, Emma must uncover the truth if she ever wants to see her fiancé alive again.

The One You Love is a fast-paced suspense mystery, full of twists and turns, following in the tradition of writers such as Nicci French and Sophie Hannah.

Since July 2011 it has been downloaded over one million times, has spent a full month at number 1 in the UK Kindle free download chart (July-August 2011), and reached the top of the US Kindle free download chart.

This edition (July 2012) has been professionally copy-edited. Those readers who purchased the previous edition can receive the update by contacting Kindle Support.

OUT NOW ON KINDLE: The One You Fear (sequel to The One You Love).

Paul's other suspense mystery, Someone to Save You, is also available on Kindle. Praise for Someone to Save You:

"An excellent read which I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to all lovers of thrillers." (four stars, Amazon.co.uk)

"...fast-paced and intricately plotted...the lead character Sam Becker is a likable, convincing protagonist." (five stars, Amazon.co.uk)

"I loved this one! A super novel which kept me up at night! Did not want to put it down until I'd read the next chapter, so much sleep lost!" (five stars, Amazon.co.uk)

"Seriously, my co-workers were laughing at me as I came back from a break this morning because I was still staring at my phone (with Kindle app) as I walked down the hall back to my desk. I just could not stop reading. Very suspenseful, so much so, that I'm sorry I've finished it." (five stars, Amazon.com)

Find out more about Paul's writing:

Like him on Facebook: www.facebook.com/paulpilkingtonauthor
Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulpilkington

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Pilkington has had material broadcast on BBC radio and ITV television, and was long listed for the 2004 London Book Fair Lit Idol competition. In 2004, Paul was inspired to write his first suspense mystery, The One You Love, through his love of emotional mystery thrillers, such as those by Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay, Nicci French and Thomas H Cook. His aim is to create fast-paced, twisting and turning fiction that stirs the emotions. His latest mystery suspense thriller, Someone to Save You, was released in 2011. The One You Fear (sequel to The One You Love), will be published in December 2012. Find out more about Paul's writing: Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulpilkington Like him on Facebook: www.facebook.com/paulpilkingtonauthor Visit his website: www.paulpilkington.com

Product Details

• File Size: 568 KB
• Print Length: 299 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1478295856
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004YDSL9Q
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #5 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Suspense

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

333 of 347 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars just okay July 16, 2011

By shira46

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is very readable because it was well written but I wasn't crazy about it. It's a long, slow moving psychological thriller. This could be a matter of taste, so I'm talking to readers like me who prefer faster paced action. This one just keeps going on and on about mysterious characters and oblique references to dark secrets in the past. There were many times when I was saying, "get on with it and make something happen."

I didn't find any of the characters appealing, especially the main character, Emma. She comes across as weak and insipid and does really stupid things, like going alone into a dark basement with a smell of decomposition, or turning down the acting role of a lifetime because the casting director won't tell her who referred her to him. The author may have been trying to show her reaction to the stress she was under but I just found it annoying.

Kept reading waiting for what I was sure was going to be a sucker punch ending, and I didn't figure out who did it beforehand, but by the end I just didn't care.

289 of 328 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Please learn English August 2, 2011

By Maeve

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Are most of these Kindle freebies self-published dreck? This was god-awful rubbish. The author doesn't know the difference between the words "exasperate" and "exacerbate" and kept using the latter in contexts that might have been humorous if I had not been so utterly disgusted with this waste of time. ("She was so exacerbated with the situation...") There is an occasional well-written gem in the freebie pile, but this isn't one of them.

87 of 96 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tasty Treat January 12, 2012

By racerxess

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

A simple enough recipe- take one disappearing fiancé, one reappearing ex-boyfriend, one resurfacing celebrity stalker, one brother with a troubled heart, one father who previously disappointed his children and a best friend who is too good to be true. Mix together, toss lightly, and enjoy.

Just when you think you know where this story is going the author skillfully throws a sneaky curve and slams you sideways. This is a true roller coaster ride complete with swift twists and jerking turns. For those who enjoy who dunnit mysteries, this one is served with meat. Well done. May I have another?

112 of 129 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars You Get What You Pay For October 12, 2011

By kygal1954

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I paid zero for this book. That is what it is worth. Poorly defined characters, poorly constructed plot and atrocious grammar sprinkled throughout the entire book. A waste of time and energy holding up the Kindle.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars I Don't Love _The One You Love_ December 31, 2011

By MamaBear

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I gave this book two stars because it was free. If I'd had to pay for it, I would have given it only one. I got the Kindle version, which may have been part of the reason it was hard to follow. Usually, when an author makes a big switch in character or time, he or she will use a large enough "white space" to signal the switch, and with the Kindle version the white space may have been eliminated when the file was converted into the digital format, so I tried to keep that in mind as I read.

The white space would have been helpful because there were a lot of shifts that were hard to follow. The narrator was talking about "he" doing or saying something, then a few lines later he was again talking about "he" doing or saying something, but it was a different "he" being discussed. I found this technique confusing and very frustrating. Several times I had to go back and read passages over again to figure out if the story was about the same character or if it had shifted to another.

The author made an attempt at creating complex characters and storylines, but he fell short in reaching his goal.

A good mystery/suspense should keep the reader guessing and even lead him to suspect the wrong person first. After all, who wants to figure out the mystery from the very beginning? However, the reader should not feel manipulated and the unraveling of the mystery should be logical. In this case, I felt like the solution to the mystery was contrived and unbelievable.

As I was reading, I kept thinking that the book must have been self-published and suffered from a lack of an editor. One or two grammatical errors can be forgiven, but _The One You Love_ had one or two DOZEN grammatical errors, which I find very distracting....

I have to disagree with the reviewers who said the book was well-written. In my opinion, character development was poor, and the storyline was hard to follow. Read more ›

43 of 49 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Expected more from this book October 9, 2011

By Jeff R. Granger

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

From the begging of the book it was leading up to something extraordinary. While the writing was enjoyable and easy to follow, it never arrives at a place I had hope or expected. Quick read, but I wish I had the time back as the ending seems like it was just tacked on.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars A Complete Waste of Time August 16, 2011

By S. Kares

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Is it possible to rate a book as less than one? Even free, this thing was overpriced! Insipid characters, no scene separation, and a convoluted plot with no real excitement. I would think it was written for teenagers but that would be an insult to teenagers.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars time i can't get back March 21, 2012

By ńancy

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I started this several weeks ago but couldn't seem to get involved. I started from the beginning today, read 20% and deleted it entirely. No character development at that stage of the game is not worth my time. I need to know my characters well enough to either like or dislike them. I scarcely knew their ages much less what they were all about. Two hours of my life I can't get back!

More About the Author

Paul Pilkington has had material broadcast on BBC radio and ITV television, and was long listed for the 2004 London Book Fair Lit Idol competition. Paul was inspired to write his first suspense mystery, The One You Love, through his love of emotional mystery thrillers, such as those by Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay, Nicci French and Thomas H Cook. His aim is to create fast-paced, twisting and turning fiction that stirs the emotions. His latest full length mystery suspense thriller, Someone to Save You, was released in 2011. The One You Fear (sequel to The One You Love), a 33,000 word novella, was published in December 2012.

COMING FALL 2013 - The One You Trust, the thrilling conclusion to the Emma Holden suspense mystery trilogy.


Find out more about Paul's writing:

Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulpilkington

Like him on Facebook: www.facebook.com/paulpilkingtonauthor

Visit his website: www.paulpilkington.com

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#45 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Suspense

#55 in Books > Romance > Romantic Suspense

#45 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Suspense

#55 in Books > Romance > Romantic Suspense