Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Published by: Thomas & Mercer
Publication date: 1st July 2026
Content warnings: murder, blood, mentions of drug abuse and domestic abuse

“It wasn’t supposed to end in murder…”

YES, this was just fantastic!! 😍 One of my most anticipated reads of the year and it certainly lived up to my expectations. This book is the perfect example of my favourite kind of thriller – the kind where you don’t see the twists coming, the kind where you are always questioning character motives, the kind where you’re whisked off to a beautiful setting for a while (and the description, holy sh*it it’s good.) You NEED this book on your radar this summer! So happy to be sharing my review for The Date by T.H. Murdock!

About the book

A year ago, after a perfect date, Miles Deverill was charged with murder. The handsome young actor became front-page news when he was accused of killing Caira Kennedy, a social worker he had just met that night.

Now acquitted, Miles can’t escape the past. He tries to rebuild his life, but journalists won’t leave him alone. And then the threatening messages start―in Caira’s own voice: this is not over. Is she still alive or is someone playing a twisted game?

Desperate to escape, Miles joins friends on a remote road trip. But deep in an isolated forest, one of their group is murdered. Someone close to Miles knows exactly what happened on his date―and this time he has to face the truth. Guilty or innocent, there is nowhere left to run…

The beginning

I love reading a debut novel. There is something exciting and refreshing about discovering what could potentially be a new favourite author, a new favourite book. And because Tom is a mate, I was even MORE buzzing to read this and I have been for months! But jesus christ I was not prepared for just how much I would be sucked into this right from the prologue and I am not surprised there are so many early reviews praising the shit out of this! We meet young actor Miles who, a year ago, was charged with the murder of his date, Caira. He’d never met her before that night. They’d had the perfect date. He certainly didn’t kill her. After being acquitted, he now has to rebuild, to get his life back on track, but with journalists knocking, pestering him for interviews, to tell his side of the story, it was never going to be easy. There are multiple POVs; Miles, his friends George, Elis and Reubyn, as well as his sister, Polly. On paper, five different perspectives may seem like a lot, but they were crucial POVs, and it was flawlessly put together. Could one of them be connected to Caira’s murder?

“All actions require a motive. Even well-intentioned ones. And people choose not to reveal their motives for a variety of reasons, good and bad.”

Miles, his mates and his sister plan a trip to New Zealand. He needs to get away from everything. Even more so when, after reading through his emails, he discovers one so chilling that he just has to involve the police. An email that appears to be from Caira with a voice note attached. Someone was messing with him. Caira was dead, there was no doubt about it. My mind was constantly buzzing with why and how. It was clear he’d upset someone in some way and I was already so desperate to find out! I kept getting that feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach, the feeling I sometimes get over halfway through a book, but I had literally just started this one! As well as the chapters from these characters, we also get chapters from the trial sprinkled in, slowly building up a picture of what Miles had to go through, exactly what went down in the courtroom, and this worked brilliantly alongside the present day chapters. With every new chapter we get that little bit further to the truth and it was quickly becoming one of the most addictive reads of the year for me. I couldn’t get enough!

The middle

As their trip gets underway, we begin to feel a little rift between some of these friends, one that turned on my suspicion and had me keeping an eye on George in particular. I could see how he could be a nasty piece of work if provoked. I was also very interested in Elis, how he seemed to be the newest friend of Miles, why George felt the need to push his buttons, the need to exclude him and keep him at arms length. All of these characters were beautifully developed and I felt all of them maybe had something to hide. I felt the need to protect Miles as reporters still manage to track him down at the other side of the world, when someone in New Zealand seems to be watching him. As the group meet two girls, Jessie and Faith, and start getting closer to them, I thought it was only a matter of time before they found out who Miles was. What this trip was really about. The author’s writing is so captivating, so beautiful that I genuinely loved reading every word. I had no clue where things were going. I was desperate for the truth, yet loving the build up to whatever it was. Literally my perfect book!

“He opens his mouth to call her back, but no sound escapes his throat. And he’s glad of it. There’s no doubt it’s for the best. Because, just then, for a sickening second, it crossed his mind to tell her the truth.”

I loved a surprise chapter from “Alex”, the person who seemed to be stalking Miles. I got some Dexter vibes from this and it was just so damn good! But I got the impression that this person still thought Miles was responsible for Caira’s murder… and then I started questioning what I knew! Who was Miles, really? And what had he done? Stuck in a motorhome in the middle of nowhere with no signal and crappy weather, this group of friends start to clash. There are fall outs, arguments, and everyone is just desperate to move on with their trip. With another chapter from Alex stirring things up wonderfully, I was convinced this stalker was one of the people invited on this trip. Could Miles be blind to what’s right in front of him? I loved going back and forth, sizing each of Miles’s friends up and seeing which one of them could raise hell if they wanted to. I adored the consistent suspense, the gradual darkness clouding over them, the mystery. It was brilliantly written and had my mind working overtime trying to piece everything together. I just couldn’t predict the outcome. I needed the truth!

The end

Things get a bit mental here and there’s a brutal murder in such an isolated place, and christ this shook my theories up! I was holding my breath through such tense chapters, wondering what this group’s next move would be now their number had been reduced by one… Accusations are thrown around the group, the truth still so unclear. I loved the very short, sharp chapters, the sense of urgency, that exciting feeling of knowing how close we were to the big reveal. And when it hit, I was so surprised!! I think it’s safe to say you can’t really know anyone, not really… The suspenseful build up to this precise moment was just fantastic, the pacing spot on. And now we have another predicament. How could Miles get out of this alive? I loved the explanation of the whole thing and everything made so much sense here. Some of it was also surprisingly emotional which worked so well. There were things I wanted to shout and scream to keep Miles safe, and I was desperate for his friends to save him. His fate was uncertain and I couldn’t look away. Breathe Em, breathe!!

“Life comes with many signs and signals, and the trick is to figure out which ones to ignore and the ones to take heed of. But sometimes, it’s completely obvious. Sometimes, life takes you by the hand and shows you the way.”

I’d loved these characters all the way through the book, but it wasn’t until the end where you really see how deep their loyalty to one another lies. I especially loved the bond Miles has with his sister, Polly. I still had questions right up until the very end, and at times it felt like there would be a massive cliffhanger of an ending (which would have probably annoyed me 😂) but jeeez, do we get some shocking and satisfying answers, especially in the epilogue! There were so many jaw-dropping sentences and everything is laid bare, and I was very tempted to flick back through the book to some very specific moments to see if there were any subtle clues I’d missed. It was absolutely phenomenal! There are some debuts that appear and have you completely baffled as to how the hell they can be someone’s first published book as they’re so bloody good, and this one is certainly one of those moments. T.H. Murdock is one to watch and I already know this book is going to fly! If you love a thriller with a deep mystery (or two, as is the case with this book!) then this is a must for the TBR.

Overall thoughts

The Date is a twisty, tightly-plotted triumph of a debut that I could not put down, and I guarantee you won’t be able to either. It is literally my favourite kind of book and is one of the best I’ve read this year! Everything from the multiple POVs of a friendship group with plenty to hide, to the author’s gorgeous exploration of New Zealand kept me reading, and from that intense prologue to that shocking epilogue (I mean 🤯) I was hooked. A year ago, Miles was charged with the murder of his date, and has just been acquitted. In a bid to get his freedom back and rebuild his life, he, his friends and his sister plan a trip to New Zealand. But things don’t go to plan. He’s being stalked, threatened, and this trip of a lifetime quickly turns into a nightmare situation.

I loved every single character for different reasons and even so, I think I suspected every one of them at one point or another! Tom is brilliant at throwing you off the scent, making you think one thing, then proving you wrong. Oh, and that second theory you have going on? He’ll tread all over that too 😅 It’s a book full of secrets and mystery, the twists shocking and so satisfying, especially at the end! I found it so atmospheric, and the pacing and short chapters in this book are everything you want in a psychological thriller. It’s bloody glorious! An unforgettable, immersive thriller drenched with tension and oodles of suspense.

Huge thanks to the lovely T.H. Murdock for my copy! You can order your own copy of The Date right now on Amazon* or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following Tom on Instagram for more updates!

* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks so much for your support!

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