#Blogtour Clickbait – L.C. North

‘We’re not famous anymore. We’re notorious.’

For over a decade, the Lancasters were celebrity royalty, with millions tuning in every week to watch their reality show, Living with the Lancasters.

But then an old video emerges of one of their legendary parties. Suddenly, they’re in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons: witnesses swore they’d seen missing teenager Bradley Wilcox leaving the Lancaster family home on the night of the party, but the video tells a different story.

Now true crime investigator and YouTuber Tom Isaac is on the case. He’s determined to find out what really happened to Bradley – he just needs to read between the Lancasters’ lies . . .

Because when the cameras are always rolling, it won’t be long until someone cracks.

Clickbait is an absolutely fantastic read and I think it might just be my favourite from Lauren. It’s hard to say as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all her books! I particularly like how Clickbait is written – it’s not your traditional prose but instead is told by a number of different ways – e-mails, transcripts, comments on social media. It fits perfectly with the explosion of use of text and social media and I felt it made the story race along. The family at the centre of the story are the Lancasters – a family more or less famous for being famous and building themselves into a brand by being media savvy and carving out opportunities for exposure and further fame. Life is going well until an old video throws up a tragedy from the past and now all eyes are focused on the family but for new and darker reasons. The power of social media can be used for many things, but can it help get to the bottom of an old disappearance?

With so many books being published every week I imagine it can be hard for writers to keep coming up with fresh ideas and ways to stand out. Whilst I know there are other books written in a similar fashion, this one really jumped out at me. I’m not a massive reality tv fan, a brief interest in Made In Chelsea back in the day, but I’m very well aware of how popular these shows are, and how they can catapult the participants from relative obscurity into household names! I think Clickbait has been very clever in adapting this concept into a compelling thriller which feels like something you might conceivably watch unfolding via your smartphone. I like how it flowed and how you get the opportunity to see many sides of the Lancasters – the curated public image is of course managed well to show only a sliver of reality, much more is firmly pushed out of view and shut away. There is a sense of frustration that money speaks and will allow a young life to just disappear without trace, yet despite this, Tom the investigator continues undeterred. He is risking all he holds dear but something is compelling him to keep chipping away despite time not being on his side!

I think this would be an ideal read for readers who want an engrossing read with a delightfully modern approach. You definitely don’t have to have any interest in celebrity culture at all, but I think you’ll enjoy Lauren’s clever takes on how this world functions and some of the crazy things people will do to make sure they stay front and centre no matter what.

About L.C. North: L.C. North studied psychology at university before pursuing a career in Public Relations. Her book club thrillers – The Ugly Truth and Clickbait – combine her love of psychology and her fascination with the celebrities in the public eye. When she’s not writing, she co-hosts the crime thriller podcast, In Suspense. She lives on the Suffolk borders with her family. L.C. North is the pen name of Lauren North. Readers can follow her on Twitter @Lauren_C_North and Facebook @LaurenNorthAuthor.