Book Review: The Escape by C. L. Taylor

Book Review: The Escape by C. L. Taylor

Sunday, 16 April 2017

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C.L. Taylor is probably one of my favourite new additions to the psychological fiction/crime fiction genre. I’ve read 3 of her books prior to the one (and reviewed The Lie, here) I’m about to unveil and loved each and every one of them and I’m pleased to say that her newest book, The Escape, is no exception to the rule. The Escape was a bit of a spontaneous buy whilst I was perusing the shelves in my parents’ local Tesco- it was on offer and I had a train journey ahead of me, so I whacked it in my basket and it wasn’t long before I was 100% stuck in and a million percent addicted.

Our protagonist, Jo, finds herself instantly transported into what is arguably every parent’s nightmare: a woman approaches her, threatens her daughter’s safety, and disappears without a moments thought. Having lost her first child whilst pregnant, naturally Jo is incredibly protective over her daughter Elise, practically wrapping her up in cotton wool, and struggles to put herself in difficult situations because of the agoraphobia she suffers from. This woman, who we learn is called Paula, knows a lot about Jo and her life: her husbands name, her daughters name, where they live… all terrifying stuff. She also has in her possession a glove belonging to little Elise – all of this more than enough to scare Jo to her wits end and report back to her husband, Max. Before long, Paula seems to be affecting the happenings of her life on a detrimental scale and it’s all Jo can do not to run away from the terror to a safe haven. Things take an even bigger turn for the worse when her husband, worried about the safety of their daughter, files for sole custody. When no one seems to believe that Elise’s life is in danger, Jo makes the decision to run to the only place where she has ever truly felt safe, her motherland Ireland, averting police and the course of justice as she does so.

I absolutely loved Jo as a character- she was hearty and gutsy when she needed to be, putting her daughter before anything and everything that stood in her way. I sympathised with her immediately and everything that went against her irritated me to no end- how could they be so cruel to a woman who clearly cares for her daughter so dearly? On the other hand, Paula is the standard villain: terrorising and unnerving, she made even me feel uncomfortable and cautious.

This book was incredibly good. It was one of those books where I knew from the offset that I wasn’t going to put it down until I’d devoured the very last page. I found myself telling my customers all about it when I was at work, I’ve recommended it to pretty much all of my friends and I’ll likely ship a copy over to my mum to read at some point too. If I could shout from the rooftops about it without being assumed insane, I probably would. Psychological fiction is the genre that I turn to when I’m relying on something consistent and satisfying, so finding a book that exceeds even my own expectations is remarkable. Every little hint towards what was going to happen made me want to read even more: the book was quick paced and extraordinarily exciting, every page that turned unravelling a new twist in the tale. I am notorious at guessing what’s going to happen and while I got the “twist” pretty early on, that didn’t make it any less exciting when all the pieces of the jigsaw came together. I liked the flip between different perspectives – it definitely added a completely different dimension to the novel and gave you a small break from all the drama.

An excellent, exciting novel which will satisfy every thriller loving reader immensely.

4.5/5

Book Tour: Burned and Broken by Mark Hardie

Book Tour: Burned and Broken by Mark Hardie

Monday, 23 January 2017

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And I’m back again with yet another crime fiction blog tour! This time, I have the pleasure of hosting Burned and Broken by Mark Hardie, recently released on eBook and set for a May paperback release from Little, Brown books. I was lucky enough to be gifted an early paperback copy of the book, so thanks very much to Clara Diaz and Little, Brown for my advance copy of the book.

I set myself the task of reading this over the course of the last week, whilst I was on a late at work and it was the perfect book to really indulge in on a slow and seemingly never-ending shift. I did find the book a little confusing to get into at first: we initially learn of the apparent murder of a Police officer, DI Carragher, in Essex. We then skip backwards four days and begin to unravel the goings on that have led to the crime taking place. The book is told from the alternating perspectives of two other police officers, Pearson and Russell, and a young woman, Donna, who is committed to finding the answers to another, seemingly connected crime; the murder of her best friend Alicia. She is sure that Alicia’s death has more to it than meets the eye and will under no uncertain terms stop until she has the answers that she is looking for. It comes to light that DI Carragher’s own actions might not be as innocent as one would expect from a Policeman. As an audience we start to unravel a web of corruption, deceit and plain old trickery. The two tales intertwine with one another and come together in ways which don’t sit well with the police.

I found Pearson and Russell to be very likeable characters and I’m looking forward to reading future books following them; they’re a good pair and I enjoyed reading each of their chapters throughout. They were incredibly believable characters which definitely makes all the difference. Pearson’s backstory intrigued me particularly: a recently separated man undergoing tests to discover whether he has cancer. Contrast this with Russell’s determination to protect Carragher, her former partner, at all costs and we have a very intriguing concept upon us.

You find yourself, as is the case with most crime, trying to guess throughout. I am actually pleased that I figured out a lot of what was going on this time: by no means is the book predictable, I’m just a crime fiend that will stop at nothing to discover the truth! I found it interesting to discover that Mark Hardie started writing fiction upon losing his eyesight; the amount of descriptive text in the story is arguably reflective of this. I love strongly worded, descriptive texts and this one left absolutely nothing to the imagination – in a very good way. Appreciating that this is a debut novel, I think it’s fair to say that while some aspects fell short of the perfect crime novel, the book is a very good contribution to an enormous genre and definitely stands its own in amongst the best. A very promising debut.

3.75/5

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Book Review: Holding by Graham Norton

Book Review: Holding by Graham Norton

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

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If you know me in person, you’ll know that I love a good laugh. I find certain types of humour uncontrollably hilarious and I love watching comedians and TV shows with the sole purpose of making myself have a good old chuckle. When I saw that Graham Norton, the TV comedian and all-round Irish hero was releasing a work of fiction, I jumped at the chance to review it and put my request in immediately. When I actually had a proper look at the book, I realised that it wasn’t comical (or at least, it wasn’t set out to be) in any way, shape or form. Luckily for me, this piece of fiction was crime based and as we all know too well, I love a good crime book.

The story is set in the small Irish town of Duneen, in County Cork. Norton makes it perfectly clear from the start that nothing much happens in this tiny little place- nothing, that is, until builders uncover the remains of a body on farmland. Upon further inspection, it’s revealed that the bones have been there for over two decades. The townspeople gossip and whisper and come to the conclusion that the bones must be those of the mysterious Tommy Burke, a former inhabitant of Duneen who went missing without a trace. The story follows the perspective of a number of different characters, principally PJ Collins, an Irish Garda Sergeant. It focuses on the tales told by a number of women who live in the village, all with stories which are relevant to the surrounding plot. Two of the women contributing to this are former lovers of Tommy – Brid Riordan, who Tommy sought out simply for her farmland and Evelyn Ross, the girl completely besotted by him and his charms. The inspectors from Cork make an appearance, pushing a disgruntled PJ to the side-lines in his moment of glory.

I absolutely loved this story. It wasn’t half what I was expecting but surprisingly, that’s what made is so likeable. I was expecting to be bowled away with the smart wit that we see from Graham Norton on television. The book was, at times, incredibly funny and I actually snorted out loud on more than one occasion at particularly crass comments. However, the tale was also one which was thoughtful and well-written and really met (and exceeded) all of my expectations. PJ’s character was loveable and I found myself cheering him on when he rose to the occasion. I loved the flipping between characters as it really gave a different edge to what could have been a simplistic tale. There wasn’t much complexity attached to the story- it wasn’t horrific, or gory, or over exaggerated. It’s simplicity most definitely added to its allure. It was easy to follow, the characters were introduced adequately and all of them had their relevance. I wasn’t expecting one of the twists that came towards the end of the book, although the other I saw coming a mile off.

I’m hoping and praying that this is the start of a little series from Norton – there’s always a place in the market for crime fiction and this one fits perfectly into an already incredibly rich genre. I’d love to see PJ develop as an inspector and be entrusted with a more disturbing crime in the future. Thanks to the guys at Hodder and Stoughton for my review copy of the book!

4/5

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