Review: The Escape by CL Taylor

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.

Review: I was unbelievably excited for this new book from CL Taylor and as such wanted to allow myself time to read as much of this as possible in one sitting. I ended up reading all but the first few pages all at once and I am glad that I did. The storyline of a CL Taylor book is so tense and so gripping that I strongly believe all of her novels are best read in one sitting so that you can fully immerse yourself in the action and get the proper reaction to every moment in the book. That being said, I feel sure that this storyline will sick with you so much when you put the put down that you will absolutely be ready to dive right back into again upon picking it back up. 

One of the reasons I love CL Taylor's Psychological thrillers so much is because they generally have a slightly more domestic setting than other psychological thrillers I have read, meaning that there is a story that I can relate to going on alongside the action. The events take place in a normal household in a normal street or with a normal group of friends and I think because they are so relatable I find them so easy to read. This particular storyline surround a mother and her need to protect her daughter. There are a few issues with her anxiety and a few other issues in her home and work life but aside from that this is essentially what the storyline surrounds. 

I really liked getting to know the character or Jo, we experience the very first moments that this fear grips her, the need to escape is there right from the beginning and so we get to know what Jo is like and how she handles things very quickly. Husband max and their daughter are also in the action right from the word go and then we have the mystery situation for which Jo is trying to escape. I think Jo is like every other mother but also experiences the anxieties that a lot of us experience whether or not we are mothers and so we get  a very clear picture of Jo right from the beginning. 

A lot of this story is set in Bristol, with escapes to other cities which actually exist. The setting means that the story gets under your skin a lot more easily because we can picture the scenes taking place and imagine them happening just down the street from us, in our neighbourhoods and workplaces. I also loved the link with the title and the need for escape in the book. I loved the way the escape was interpreted throughout the story and without giving any spoilers away, I'm sure you will too. 

If you're not usually a psychological thriller fan, as I am not normally, then CL Taylor is a great place to start because her novels are so very easy to relate to but at the same time so compelling. I read this basically in one sitting, just like her previous 3 novels, which speaks for itself really. Her writing and her ability to twist and weave plots and characters just astounds me and I highly recommend picking up her latest novel right now!

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