The Token by Sharon Bolton

 

Seven strangers all receive a strange token and a letter informing them they are to be the beneficiaries of a billionaire's estate when he dies. The letters are just the beginning of a tumultuous series of events, including a treacherous journey at sea.

Author Sharon Bolton is someone whose novels I've always loved reading since discovering her writing (as S. J. Bolton) back in 2008 when I read Sacrifice. When I read the blurb for The Token, I was intrigued. Settling down to read the prologue left me gasping, wondering how on earth the author was going to resolve such an action-packed and riveting opening, and how it related to the synopsis. What followed was an intricate tale of greed, secrets and revenge.

After the explosive opening, the story jumps back two weeks and introduces us to the seven strangers. Each one is dealing with personal issues, from divorce through to addiction. For most of them, money is a major problem. Receiving the letter informing them of their future windfall is a welcome relief for many; however, like any normal person, they are initially skeptical, believing it to be some form of scam. Despite the personal problems they were each facing, I felt sympathetic towards each one. The author has made the characters feel very real and their predicaments the kind any of us could find ourselves in, as a result, I found myself wanting the best for each person.

By swapping between the different characters, the author takes the reader through all the different emotions that come with such surprising and life-altering news. The overriding question is "Why me"? Once the news becomes public, we also discover that it's a double-edged sword as others become jealous and lives are put in danger. The story makes you wonder how you would react in a situation like this.

A trip to meet their benefactors becomes a perilous journey. I was on the edge of my seat, particularly as I didn't want any of the characters to be harmed. Twist after twist leads us to a distressing tale of revenge and a conclusion that continues to offer shocks and surprises right up to the final sentence.

The Token by Sharon Bolton will be published on 6th November 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for a review copy.

Author Details

Sharon (formerly S J) Bolton lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and, occasionally, her grown up son and is working on her eighteenth novel; her eighth with Orion. Her first book, Sacrifice, was voted Best New Read by Amazon.uk, whilst her second, Awakening, won the 2010 Mary Higgins Clark Award (part of the prestigious Edgars) in the US. In 2014, she won the CWA Dagger in the Library. She has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger, the CWA Steel Dagger, the Theakston’s Prize for Best Thriller, the International Thriller Writers’ Best First Novel award, the Prix Du Polar in France and the Martin Beck award in Sweden.