Press

What the critics say

Sacrifice is one of the best thrillers ever, and made me not notice I was nearly in a plane crash (seriously!).
- Sophie Hannah

Splendidly crafted, deeply disturbing first novel...will deservedly be a bestseller
- The Times

A really creepy plot based on one of the Shetland Islands’ nastier legends . . . The combination of folklore and forensics works well, and the story grabs from the very beginning and holds on tight
- Literary Review

Masterly… gripping
- Literary Review

A dazzling debut in thriller-writing: fast paced, gripping and full of atmosphere
- Classic FM

This eerie tale had me so hooked I was reading it through the night . . . brilliantly written and carefully crafted
- Peterborough Evening Telegraph

CSI-meets-The Wicker Man . . . there is enough forensic pathology, both animal and human, to keep even fans of Patricia Cornwell happy . . . Sharon Bolton grabs the reins and steers it home by cranking up the suspense with a skill that is remarkable for a first novel
- Birmingham Post

Sacrifice is a real find. The Shetland setting is beautifully evoked, the complex plot is adroitly handled, and - best of all - S.J. Bolton has created an entirely believable and different heroine. At the heart of the book is Tora Hamilton, a contemporary woman absorbing the pressures of career and relationships, strong-minded - indeed bloody-minded a lot of the time. Her honesty and awareness of her own failings make her a mesmerising character to follow through the dark corridors of the sometimes gruesome story. I very much look forward to S.J. Bolton's next book
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Fairy legends associated with island races are fascinating - and none more so than the Kunal Trows of the Shetlands . . Sharon Bolton has hit the ground running in this debut novel
- Nottingham Evening Post

Sacrifice is an intense, fast paced thriller with numerous wonderful twists and turns that confound the reader throughout
- Crimesquad.com

Sharon Bolton hits the ground running . . . a CSI-meets-The Wicker Man thriller with an intelligent and feisty heroine . . . I had an idea that S. J. Bolton could plot. And she can, like the best
- www.shotsmag.co.uk

...scary late night reading and riveting stuff. The plot twists and turns like a snake trying to wriggle free, only at the very end does the author enlighten us as to the exact details of the gruesome truth . . . This is an unmissable, un-put-downable debut novel from S J Bolton . . . I haven’t seen this level of talent in a new writer for some years – it’s bloody brilliant
- The Truth About Books

A chilling, mesmerising debut thriller. S. J. Bolton is one to watch
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Part forensic-thriller, part medical-thriller, Sacrifice combines both elements to great effect in this atmospheric and original debut
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Pulsating story...twists and turns on every page...a thriller not to be read alone!
- Lancashire Evening Post

Impressive debut . . Bolton creates an unsettling, claustrophobic atmosphere of brooding menace as the plot unfolds, giving us a mystery thriller that hits all the right buttons
- Yorkshire Evening Post

This slick, fast moving thriller has a cracking opening scene and goes on to develop into a gripping story of intrigue and adventure . . . An interesting and skilful debut
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Grabs from the very beginning and holds on tight
- Literary Review