This is a good story starts of in a London newspaper called the Post
Casey is a good new raw investigative journalist, she gets a whiff of a story about rich men going out to kill innocent poor people. She wont let this rest she digs deeper uses all her skills and teams up with her colleague Miranda and a potential boyfriend called Ed who is suffering from PTSD. They fly out to Africa befriend the ex pats who are the creators of this Human safari, They drive to remote Refugee camps and take one shot to kill an innocent person.

These are very dangerous people, Ed and Casey witness them do this and escape from them in the middle of the Libyan desert, with the help of Miranda. They get back to London with the Diaries of one of the bad men , the Post publishes this story. The Baddies are in London and are trying to get Casey but she survives.

Good book bit far fetched in places. ( )

‘To The Lions’ is everything a thriller should be. It’s a gripping, convincing thriller and mixes a dynamite plot with believable detail. Holly Watt has delivered an extremely impressive first novel that I struggled to put down.

The plot is simple, but powerful and effective. Journalist Casey, who works for fictitious London paper The Post, overhears a conversation in a bar that suggests that rich businessmen are committing murder for kicks. The book follows her investigation as it crosses continents and, inevitably, puts her own life in danger. It’s a brilliantly paced book and heart-stoppingly exciting at times, whilst never using cheap gimmicks to achieve its thrills. The prose is distinctive and punchy, with a sometimes aggressive rhythm that suits the subject matter perfectly.

What impressed me most, though, was the human angle. This extends both to the cast of believable characters and to the excruciating dilemmas Casey has to face as she tries to uncover and document the truth. She’s an easy character to identify with, facing the classic modern quandary of having to balance her career with her private life. Her determination puts her in horrific situations, but I never found myself doubting her motivations. Whilst the villains of the piece are far from sympathetic, they are similarly convincing. So too are the rich cast of lesser characters, Casey’s colleagues at the post and the innocents whose lives are touched by her investigation.

That investigation is itself fascinating. Watt is a journalist by trade and it shows. The book is packed with fascinating detail on the tricks of the trade. Much of it is incidental to the plot, but I found every titbit a delight.

At its heart this is a book about the nature of human evil in the modern world. Watt spends time covering the vast gulf between rich and poor, but the book never feels preachy. Instead it’s powerful and effective and made me think more than a thriller has for a while. Make no mistakes though, this is a thriller. It’s a page turning tour de force told with passion and conviction and one of the most impressive debuts I’ve read for a while. ( )

This was exciting initially, but it began to feel quite long and by the end I was exhausted. Since this featured reporters trying to get a story out, rather than police detectives trying to identify and prosecute the perpetrators, I suppose the ending marked a success, but it didn't really feel like it to me. There were some very powerful sections about refugees, and the ethics of what Casey and Ed respectively were comfortable with, and I thought the writing generally was very good. ( )

A very fast paced thriller with an investigative journalist rather than a detective at the helm. This approach makes the book exciting, though the crime itself doesn't bear thinking about. I certainly felt the thrill of what it must be like for a reporter to follow a tip off or similar encounter. ( )

Holly Watt takes no prisoners in this Dagger winner. Straight-up, this book’s subject matter is not for the faint of heart; the author's journalistic background and field experience, only adding to the weightiness and believability of this fiction. Stylistically though, I found it refreshing reading.

To The Lion‘s 400+ page staccato, rapid-fire prose is no-nonsense, just like undercover investigators Casey, trailblazer Miranda and their Post newsroom peers. The punchy chapters are comprised of brief vignettes, advancing the investigation and the reader’s understanding of what both motivates and haunts Watt’s enigmatic lead. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2020/05/to-the-lions-holly-watt-takes-no-pr... ( )