The Cut

By Richard Armitage

Book Overview

The stunning new psychological thriller from novelist and multi-award winning film actor Richard Armitage.

You can't escape your past. The cut always reopens.

In the sleepy village of Barton Mallet, the old ruins of Blackstone Mill watch over the residents and their quiet lives. Ben Knot and his friends are looking forward to a summer of fun and freedom once their last year of high school is over. The class of 1994 have been through a lot together, but teasing turns to bullying when the Knot gang targets young Mark Cherry. As violence escalates, the group fractures and tragedy strikes. Before the summer is over, one of them will be killed. Murdered by someone they called a friend.

Thirty years later, Ben is an award-winning architect who has moved his family back to Barton Mallet. His girlfriend, Dani, is a lovely stepmother to his children--budding actor Nate and star athlete Lily--but even though the family is happy, Ben has never been able to forget the tragedy of the past. And it's a past that is quickly coming back to haunt him, with the murderer's imminent release from prison. Ben's glittering career is also starting to tarnish as some shady business deals have put him on the path to bankruptcy. With the killer's parole date approaching--and the banks calling in their loans--Ben struggles to keep a grip on his perfect life.

When Nate lands the leading role in a new horror film, Dani jumps at the chance to propel him towards stardom. But when the film crew descends on the village, the dream starts to turn into a nightmare. The film is not quite what it seems. Ben's children are being pushed to the limit, and his paranoia makes him question the film makers' motives. Ben is desperate for answers and will stop at nothing to keep his family safe.

If the first cut is the deepest, then the last cut is going to end it all.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1639369635
• ISBN13: 9781639369638
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Pegasus Crime
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

You can't hide from the camera!

This was one dark tale of bullying, racism, revenge, dark deeds, murder, secrets festering over the course of thirty years and a sneaky way to get the truth of the past to come out and bring about long denied justice. I was sucked into the story, despite not really liking any of the characters. And boy was that one awful school to go to back in 1994! I don't know how the teachers or parents couldn't see all the awful things being done to a few of the students. I guess that is what kept me reading, I had to see if the grand plan could get everything out in the open, even if they too seemed to skirt the edges of legality with using Nate and Lily for the film. So, great atmosphere for the book. I could feel the cold and dark and brutality of the kids and the starkness of the village. I wish there had been at least one likable character though. But other than that it was a good dark thriller that I found hard to put down.