To me Shaun Hutson has always meant extreme horror. That isn't the case with this book, or I have become completely desensitised and I honestly don't think I have. I don't need extreme horror to enjoy a book of course, but sadly this one was also over-crowded with characters and while the conclusion was a surprise it didn't really make it an unforgettable read. I read this for the DARKEST LONDON square so maybe it will help me win the bingo, fingers crossed,

Almost every chapter has a character name that I don't immediately recognise and have to think for a moment - now who are you? The story is marred by having to keep track of so many points of view. At least as a writer I'm reminded of the importance of keeping a manageable cast of characters.

This started out very strong and I still really enjoy reading Amy's chapters, but Hutson has introduced a lot of characters with their own chapters and even in these chapters we are handed multiple points of view. He even used one of my least favourite horror devices - introducing a character only to kill him off in the same chapter. I'll keep going, because a) it's Halloween Bingo - this one's for the DARKEST LONDON square, but also because I've enjoyed Hutson's novels in the past and want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but at the moment this book is around a 3 star for me.

With release day for Ribbons yesterday I didn't get much time for reading, but this is a very compelling story so far. I'm reading it for the DARKEST LONDON square on Halloween Bingo and it centres on the experiences of Amy a Shock Jock on a London radio station who everyone loves to hate.