Reviewed on Richard & Judy on Wednesday 11th July 2007.

A great opening which hooks you from the start and keeps you tight throughout. Refreshingly, the hero, Tom, is not a cop but an ordinary man (possibly the only non-boring IT software salesman in the world!) caught up in a whirlwind of events he had no part in generating. Along the way we meet evil henchmen, bent coppers, unfaithful bi-sexual wives, paedophile rings and dodgy judges, all embroiled in a fast-moving plot leading to an unexpected and clever ending. This is a crime writer heading for the top of the pile.

Similar this month: None but try Peter Temple.
Comparison: Mark Billingham, Reginald Hill, Peter James.

Comparison: Reginald Hill, Ian Rankin, Jake Arnott
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Synopsis

3 o’clock. It’s a normal Saturday afternoon. You’re with the kids in the garden when the phone rings.

It’s your best friend from school, the best man at your wedding. Someone you haven’t seen for a few years. It should be a friendly call making arrangements to see each other again, catching up on old times.

But it’s not.

This call is different. Your friend is speaking quickly, panting with fear, his breaths coming in tortured, ragged gasps. It is clear that someone is inflicting terrible pain on him.

He cries out and then utters six words that will change your life forever…the first two lines of your address.

What do you do? Do you run or do you hide?

Reviews

‘The pace is breakneck, the plot twists like a hooked eel … The sort of book that forces you to read so fastyou stumble over the words’ Evening Standard

'Great plots, great characters, great action and some spectacular violence. Simon Kernick might just be the best of Britain's new-wave crime writers.' Lee Child

'Kernick is no longer a writer to watch; he's an author to be reckoned with.' Mark Billingham

About the Author

Simon Kernick was our Guest Editor in February 2010 - click here - to see the books that inspired his writing.   Simon Kernick is one of Britain's most exciting new thriller writers. He arrived on the scene with his highly acclaimed debut novel The Business of Dying, and his big breakthrough came with his novel Relentless which became the bestselling thriller of 2007. Simon's research is what makes his thrillers so authentic. He talks both on and off the record to members of Special Branch, the Anti-Terrorist Branch and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency, so he gets to hear first hand what actually happens in the dark and murky underbelly of UK crime.   Author photo © Johnny Ring More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation