ESCAPE

by C. L. Taylor

Paperback, 2017

Status

Available

Call number

823.92

Collection

Publication

HARPER COLLINS (2017)

Description

The Sunday Times bestseller returns with her most thrilling book yet, An unputdownable read for fans of Into the Water and The Girlfriend. "Look after your daughter's things. And your daughter..." When a stranger asks Jo Blackmore for a lift she says yes, then swiftly wishes she hadn't. The stranger knows Jo's name, she knows her husband Max and she's got a glove belonging to Jo's two year old daughter Elise. What begins with a subtle threat swiftly turns into a nightmare as the police, social services and even Jo's own husband turn against her. No one believes that Elise is in danger. But Jo knows there's only one way to keep her child safe - RUN. Praise for C.L. Taylor: 'A gripping and disturbing psychological thriller' Clare Mackintosh'Absorbing and disturbing' Alex Marwood'Loved it' Fiona Barton'Claustrophobic, tense and thrilling' Elizabeth Haynes… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member atticusfinch1048
The Escape – A Disturbing and Tense Thriller of the Highest Quality

The Escape is the latest psychological thriller from C.L. Taylor, and once again she delivers a disturbing and tense thriller of the highest quality. From beginning to the end Taylor has the reader feeling the same claustrophobic
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fears as the victim, her grip is stronger than a vice, that takes you on a massive rollercoaster of a ride before delivering a final knockout.

When Jo Blackmore is approached in the street by a stranger if it would be possible to give her a lift, and when she opens the door she soon wishes she hadn’t. The stranger, Paula, want Jo to pass a message on to her husband to return what he had stolen, and leaves her with a warning about her daughter Elise. Jo panics, and is confused when she arrives at her daughter’s nursery, and seems to be in the first stage of a breakdown.

Max Blakemore, Jo’s husband, is a crime reporter in Bristol and he loves both Jo and Elise deeply, even though at times Jo can be very testing. But Jo has had a rough time, her mental health is not the best, and she is very nervy, and quite testing for any man. He also is recently back at his desk after a time away investigating a dangerous thug who also happened to be a loan shark.

When Jo tells him about Paula, Max denies knowing anything about her or whatever she wants, as he would never put his family in danger of the criminals he investigates. What had begun as threats turned in to a nightmare situation for Jo, she does not know what or who to believe. Slowly a nightmare begins that Jo does not see a way out of, especially when the police and social service become involved, even turning her husband against her.

With nowhere to go, she cannot go to her mother’s as she is caring for her dying father in Chester, she takes matters in to her own hands and heads for Ireland. She may have been born in Ireland, but she left in the dead of night with her mother when she was 8 years old, and can remember very little about her family in Ireland, as they were not spoken of at home.

As her mental health begins to fail, or so it seems, she knows that she needs to fight to protect her daughter, from who she does not know. She is lost and confused and does not know who to trust as the world starts to close in on her. Will anyone believe she is an innocent victim? Will anyone believe she has only ever had the safety of her daughter as a priority? Will Ireland condemn her or be her saviour?

Jo is a conflicting character who at times makes you want to scream at her, but at the same time is how a carer feels to one of their charge if they have mental health problems. So, while you love her on one hand, admire her on another, her problems can make her erratic, problematic; Taylor really has got to grips with the character of someone with mental health problems.

The Escape proves why C.L. Taylor is the best thing to come out of Bristol since the Clifton Suspension Bridge! She is Bristol’s very own psycho queen.
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LibraryThing member bhowell
Great escapist read, popular in the UK

Language

Original language

English

Physical description

5.08 inches

ISBN

9780008118075

Barcode

91100000178941

DDC/MDS

823.92
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