The Drop by S. R. Masters (Audiobook)

 

Cady is a risk-taker, all in the name of monetising her YouTube channel. When she's given the chance to be one of the first people to ride the world's biggest rollercoaster before a new park opens, she jumps at the chance. She soon discovers that it's all been a ruse by a friend to enact revenge.

I was intrigued as to how a whole novel could revolve around being trapped on a rollercoaster, so I relished the chance to listen to the audiobook of The Drop by S. R. Masters. The author has considered all the possible plot holes, resulting in a cleverly thought-out storyline.

The lead character, Cady, has drifted into thrill-seeking after leaving university. She has a successful YouTube channel where she reports back on theme parks and rides. Danson, a close friend from university, is working at a new theme park in the Middle East, which will feature the world's biggest rollercoaster. When Danson offers Cady the chance to be one of the first people on the new ride, she is elated, thinking about all the videos she can post to her channel.

Upon arriving at the theme park, she finds three other friends from university have also been invited. Cady doesn't think this is strange, it's just an opportunity for everyone to reconnect. It's once they board the ride that they realise that there may be more to their invites.

The ride stalls at the top. In the unrelenting heat, they have no way of contacting anyone. The park itself is deserted, a combination of construction work having been completed and tight security. It soon becomes clear that they are trapped and it's all in the name of revenge, revenge for things they did in the past. The friends reflect on what they did at university and how they have treated people. Dark secrets are uncovered involving blackmail and attempted murder. Despite the friends all going on to have successful careers, we soon discover that they aren't particularly nice people.

There is a claustrophobic quality to the story, the feeling of being trapped on a ride, despite being hundreds of feet in the air. Even more terrifying is the idea of still being trapped when the sun is blazing down, and you have no means of protection from its relentless heat. The narration adds to this pressure by starting each chapter with the time and temperature. Sacrifices need to be made, and the truth acknowledged if any of them are to survive.

Author Details

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).