Win or Die
Darren O’Sullivan
331 pages
Joffe Books
published April 16, 2025
About the book
One week. Nineteen thousand pounds. A dangerous game. Can she win or will she die?
Since their parents died, Cassie and Sam only have each other. And now Sam is in trouble.
Sam has got involved with the wrong guys and he owes them money. When he is found beaten and bloody, Cassie knows these people will stop at nothing.
Sam has one week to find nineteen thousand pounds.
There’s only one way to make that much money that fast: DareMe—a new social media craze that is sweeping the nation, where players film themselves completing reckless dares for money.
The only way Cassie can help Sam is to join the game.
But the deeper Cassie gets into the dares, the more dangerous they become.
Soon, Cassie isn’t just playing for money, she’s playing for her life.
A breathless, nail-biting thriller, perfect for fans of John Marrs, Blake Crouch, Squid Game and Black Mirror.
My Review
Can someone tell me why this book hasn’t gone viral yet?!?!? Seriously this is probably the best thriller I’ve read this year. Yes, there were a couple of moments where I thought did it really just go there, but it really is that good. I did not want to put it down. From start to finish I was invested in the plot and in Cassie. There were moments that made me gasp out loud. How often can you say that? I have a pretty decent track record of not being shocked, because I usually guess everything and everyone. But there were things I did not see coming.
It’s a unique premise in a genre that seems a lot of the time to be recycling plotlines. Tinkering with them to try for something different. This is fresh and stands out in the genre of domestic plots. Ultimately it is about a family. A sister trying to protect her brother, but it focused on more than that.
It’s pulse pounding and adrenaline filled. While I never thought about it during the read, it does have a little bit of a message about social media and has great opportunities for book club discussions. How far would you go to protect a loved one and does social media bring out the best or the worst in us.
There were a few moments later in the book that reminded me a little of The Purge and a play on a short lived US TV series that focused on crowd sourcing crimes.
I really can’t recommend this book enough. I flipping loved it and wish I could read it for the first time again. And based on that ending, maybe I can? I’d be all in to see where it would head if there was a sequel.
About the author
Darren O’Sullivan is a bestselling author, screen writer and award-nominated theatre director.
His books have sold over 150,000 copies and been translated into German and Polish and sold into America, Canada and Australia. Two of his novels were selected for the prestigious Karin Slaughter Bookclub. Darren has also contributed a short story, The Big Burn Bookclub, to EVERYDAY KINDNESS, a 2021 up-lit anthology with proceeds going to Shelter. Darren also writes under a pseudonym, B.B. Thomas. B.B’.s first book The Rain published in 2021exclusively for Audible and was an editor’s choice.
His first novel, Our Little Secret, is optioned by Rollick Film, and he is credited as the writer/director of the feature film.
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