“Would you sign up to a medical trial if you didn’t know the possible side effects?

18-40? PAID CLINICAL TRIAL IN THE CANARY ISLANDS – UP TO £20,000 TAX FREE

It seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. An all-inclusive luxury trip abroad, all you need to do is take a pill every day and keep a diary.

Except you don’t know anything about the drug or what its side effects might be.

The headaches start, a dull ache at first. Every day worse than the last.

Then a body is found.

Everyone is a suspect. Anyone could be a killer. Even you . . .

2022’s biggest summer thriller, for fans of Alex Michaelides, T. M. Logan and JP Delaney”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Trial by S.R. Masters. The Trial was published by One More Chapter last week (that’s Thursday 7th July 2022) and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Trial but that has in no way influenced my review.

So the question is, would you? Would you sign up for a clinical trial without knowing what the drug you were going to be ingesting was? Or the possible side effects? No, nor me. But oh my goodness, that blurb had my attention immediately! The blurb combined with the striking cover, the fact that I read and enjoyed the author’s debut and once again, THAT BLURB ensured that I couldn’t let The Trial pass me by. I had to read this book and I’m so glad I did!

Elle really needs a holiday! Following a frightening experience at work she decides to book a well-deserved break. But her plans fall through when her holiday money is needed elsewhere. So whilst in a bad mood one evening, most of the way down a bottle of wine, Elle sees a Facebook advert for a clinical trial. The ad promises four relaxing weeks at a luxurious resort in the Canary Islands, plus £20,000 tax free on completion of the trial. Elle can’t see the harm in signing up. She knows they’re bound to be inundated with applications so it’s unlikely she’ll be chosen. So when a confirmation email arrives, Elle can’t believe her luck. As she boards the private plane she begins to wonder what she’s let herself in for. What drug are they being given? What are the side effects? And will all twelve subjects make it out alive…?

The Trial is an intriguing thriller with a different yet highly compelling edge to it which kept me turning the pages late into the night. The author has expertly created a cast of mostly unlikeable characters who the reader can’t help but doubt the integrity of. This is particularly so after the discovery of a body. Elle is clearly out of her depth and the only member of the group who seems to realise that things in paradise aren’t as perfect as they were made out to be. As the situation worsens and things really start to spiral out of control, she and Benji (who is employed by the trial organisers to oversee the health and well-being of the participants 24/7) realise that they very much need to watch their own backs.

The plot is well-written throughout and introduces the reader to the many different personalities on the island. The first two thirds of the book are a slow build setting the scene, allowing the reader to see what makes each trial participant tick, along with finding out a little more about the support staff. The last third of the story is where the author really ramps the tension up and I found myself holding my breath on several occasions. I have to confess that this book was one of my holiday reads – we went to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands (the location of the book although not the same island!) for a week – and at times I perhaps did regret choosing it. I won’t say anymore for fear of spoilers but events were maybe a little too close to home.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Trial is a well-written, intriguing story which I enjoyed. I do wish I hadn’t read it on holiday but that’s my fault, no one else’s. I was able to predict what the drug they were testing was for but there were still several twists and turns along the way I didn’t see coming. I would happily read another book by this author and look forward to seeing what Masters delivers next. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Trial. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Trial by S.R. Masters was published in the UK by One More Chapter on 7th July 2022 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | Book Depository | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop |

S R Masters grew up around Birmingham in the UK. After studying Philosophy at Cambridge University, he worked in public health. He currently lives in Oxford with his wife and children.

His short fiction and novels have been published internationally. Labelled as “a writer to watch” by Publishers Weekly, his books include THE KILLER YOU KNOW (Sphere) and the forthcoming THE TRIAL (HarperCollins).