“Only the bravest dare to ride the highest roller coaster in the world, Hysteria…

You’re a thrill seeker who loves an adrenaline rush.

You’re offered the chance to ride a roller coaster. The highest one in the world. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, after hours, no queuing, no restrictions.

But then the roller coaster stops. 200 metres above ground.

You realise no one is around. No one can hear your scream.

You’re stranded. There is no help coming. How will you escape?”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Drop by S.R. Masters. The Drop will be published by One More Chapter on 4th December 2025 in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of The Drop but that has in no way influenced my review.

The Drop is the fourth book by S.R. Masters that I’ve read. The author’s last release, How to Kill With Kindness, blew my mind! I loved it. So I was very much looking forward to getting stuck into The Drop. Particularly as the blurb is SO MY KIND OF THING! A rollercoaster thriller? Yes please, take all my money! I was so intrigued about how the author would build tension, how he would keep the suspense heightened and how, with the coaster being stuck fast, he would keep things….moving? (I know, I know…)

Cady has a popular YouTube channel where she rides the world’s biggest and best rollercoasters. So when an old university friend invites her on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Middle East, to ride the world’s newest, and more importantly, highest coaster, there is no way on this earth she can say no. So she boards a flight ready for the experience of a lifetime. But on arrival, she is surprised to learn that all of her university friends have been invited by Danson to ride Hysteria too. It’s lovely to see everyone. Last time the group met up, things became a little awkward, but that’s all water under the bridge now. Before long, the friends are strapped into the coaster. They can see for miles, there’s not another soul visible…which, seeing as the theme park is set to open for the first time in a few weeks, seems a little…strange. The ride starts, just as they’re cresting the first drop, the ride stops suddenly. There’s no help coming. No matter how loud you scream and shout. No one can hear you…

It’s the stuff of nightmares. I remember being at Alton Towers once when Oblivion stopped just as it had crested the drop. My brother and sister-in-law were in the queue waiting their turn at the time. Oh my days! I felt so sick. My knees went wobbly, and I wasn’t even going on the ride. I think it’s a fairly common fear for a lot of people, and this book plays into that perfectly.

The Drop is an intriguing revenge thriller with a cast of unlikable characters who, in order to escape their ordeal, need to forensically pick apart their shared past. The truth has been buried for long enough and now, someone wants answers. Alongside amusement park influencer, Cady, are Femi, who is a famous actor, Naseem, who is a famous novelist and Winston, who is a famous rock star. All have influence and come with a ready-made audience, which Danson hopes to tap into. But things aren’t quite what they seem as a joint trauma led to the death of an associate when they were at uni. Someone is prepared to go to extremes to discover what really happened. And if it means the death of one, or all of them, then so be it…

This is an interesting book with a great hook. The characters are well-written but totally unlikeable (when has that ever stopped me from enjoying a book?!). At university, they were all determined to take a creative path in life. In the case of Femi, he gives up on a medical degree in order to change courses to history. Keeping the swap secret from his family for a long time. The reader gets to see the characters in both the present and the past, getting a good feel of who they are as people. We also get to see the story from the different character perspectives. They end up in a bit of a pickle, and despite not particularly liking them, I did find myself feeling sorry for them.

Would I recommend this book? I would, but I would add a caveat. What you think you’re going to get with The Drop and what you do get are a little different. Not ‘bad’ different, not at all. Just different. The book presents as a rollercoaster thriller with death only moments away. Yes, there is an imminent, unpredictable threat very much present. But I’ve read this author’s books before and they’re always very character-driven and character-focused. The book has a lot of introspection, discussion about the past and picking over the details of what happened all those years ago. At times I forgot the characters were stranded 200 metres in the air. The threats are multiple, the one I’ve already mentioned plus the intense weather in the Middle East – enough to kill you without the necessary precautions, along with being stuck in the same position for hours on end (we all know that those rollercoaster seats are NOT comfortable, and what do you do when you need the loo? Read the book to find out!). Which one will finish them off first? I don’t want to say too much as it could be classed as a spoiler, but the situation does change slightly at one point, and I couldn’t help but be a tiny bit disappointed. All in all, this is an interesting psychological suspense thriller with a wonderfully unique setting, a cast of fascinating characters and a compelling plot. Recommended.

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

The Drop by S.R. Masters was published in the UK by One More Chapter on 4th December 2025 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 | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

S R Masters grew up around Birmingham in the UK. After studying philosophy, he worked in public health. He now lives in Oxfordshire 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), THE TRIAL (HarperCollins) and HOW TO KILL WITH KINDNESS (HarperCollins). His next book THE DROP arrives December 2025.