This is a literary thriller of the highest order.

Robinson brings his characters alive by the evocation of their expansive inner worlds, the reaction of each to the events that spiral out from Jawbone Lake. Even the landscape of the Peaks colludes in the shifting of perspectives, slowly revealing more secrets to the intertwined protagonists. This novel resounds long after the mesmerising final sentence completes its circle. On the surface, it’s a literary thriller. But Robinson uses the frame of taut, compulsive storytelling to reveal infinite space beyond – the fathoms that lie between us.

Robinson is very good on the odd dynamics of the relationships grown-up sons have with their fathers … the characters and the writing are so compelling. This book is also full of unexpected imagery … and amusing dialogue … that will linger happily in the memory

[A] lyrical novel about lives in a remarkable landscape.

A gripping, thought-provoking tale

Robinson seems to reinvent himself with each book. This time he has written an exemplary literary thriller. The clever bastard.

I became totally absorbed in this emotive and beautifully rendered novel... I would easily compare it to a writer such as Jim Crace in the rendition of its deep rooted emotional themes, and its pitch perfect evocation of place. A beautiful and affecting read.

A novel that ... knows how to thrill, even as it treats its thriller aspect as something strange and inscrutable ... another intriguing book from an author whose work should not remain a secret.

[A] very gripping literary thriller

Robinson is deft at capturing the nuances of…relationship[s]…[There are] endearing, memorable characters.

I simply could not stop reading the book…Robinson really captures the atmosphere of the Peak District which is at once incredibly beautiful and also dangerous and ominous. This ripples through the book and often informs the mood over the characters even if they don’t know it. I loved all this. There is a modern gothic nature to all of this, along with an earthy element that works wonders for me and I think Robinson is brilliant at… A deliciously dark literary thriller.

[A] fine thriller, a psychological study of a young woman who is reluctantly involved in the plot and brilliant word pictures of life at the blunt end of “poverty Britain”…I found myself quickly drawn into the plot, with brief word-pictures building up just the right amount of framework in my mind. An elegant and fast-moving narrative drove me on through the pages and yet somehow leaving me feeling that “this is good writing”.’

[Robinson's] latest novel is a literary thriller with traces of Enduring Love. It is cold and bleak and brilliantly done. He is one of the finest British novelists of his age.

A novel that knows how to thrill, even as it treats its thriller aspect as something strange and inscrutable. So that’s another intriguing book from an author whose work should not remain a secret.

[A] very human novel in which nearly everything is expertly understated ... The characters and storyline are completely absorbing and all of the drama is handled brilliantly making the novel seem almost like a true life account ... Jawbone Lake is a very deep and poignant tale that had me hooked from the start ... It is an emotional read with exceptionally well crafted characters and a lot of heart; I thoroughly enjoyed it.’

William Heming is cut from the same cloth as Barbara Covett in Zoë Heller’s Notes On A Scandal, another unreliable narrator with whom we really should not be siding, but who proves so engaging that we can’t help but go along for the ride... in this gripping, thrilling novel.

There is a delicious feeling of complicity in his misdemeanours: Heming gets inside your head as easily as he gets into his neighbours' houses... a superbly plotted and genuinely creepy novel. It deserves to be a bestseller.

A creepy and unexpected tale that will remain with the reader long after the book is finished.

Compelling, unsettling and macabre social satire.

A gripping psychological thriller that pegs out the creep-o-meter with its chilling, original plot ... Readers won’t soon forget this first-rate, white-knuckle suspense novel.

Channeling the socially detached and unnerving personality of Nabokov’s Humbert Humbert, Phil Hogan creates a character that will inspire intrigue as well as ire ... This perfect­ly paced psychological suspense story is a roller-coaster ride through paranoia and manipulation.

Our mystery and thriller preview is filled with unhinged killers, criminal masterminds, and relentless stalkers, but no one gives us the heebee jeebees like William Heming ... this tale will have you wanting to change your locks by the time you’ve turned the final page.

It is in Hogan’s handling of Heming’s slowly pointed self-revelation through his own voice that the brilliance of the novel is achieved … Hogan manages to create a voice both unreliable, amoral and almost charming ... A Pleasure and a Calling is an enthralling psychological thriller ... William Heming, a man no one takes notice of, is a man readers will remember

The word ‘creepy’ (attached to descriptive adverbs like ‘insanely’ and ‘diabolically’ or even ‘deliciously’) immediately comes to mind.

The first-person portrayal of a truly cold-blooded protagonist is a hard thing to pull off, especially one whose outward appearance is so benign but Phil Hogan has created an antihero horrifically ruthless and disquieting.

Hogan's fourth novel visits some dark places, and its enigmatic narrator and Middle England setting are brilliantly realised. This is a compelling read that leaves a prickle on the neck and doubts in the mind.

Strongly reminiscent of the disturbing thrillers of Patricia Highsmith, notably in the ways in which the truly malign can lurk beneath the most ordinary of people and circumstances.

The first-person portrayal of a truly cold-blooded protagonist is a hard thing to pull off but Phil Hogan has created an antihero horrifically ruthless and disquieting.

Raw and real start to a new series

What could be standard police procedural stands out for its excellent character work and the timely way it deals with hot-button political topics dominating the headlines

The plot is tight, the anger righteous but not worthy, and the action thrilling. Happily she has a new novel out next year

Gripping…Excellent book.

A fine, literary thriller; cold, at times almost nauseatingly disturbing

A fascinating, subtle, really original modern Gothic thriller