The Escape by C.L.Taylor.

                        The Escape by C.L.Taylor.

"She isn't afraid of going outside, she's afraid of situations where she can't escape or get help."
It seems that some things are impossible to escape: tragic incidents in the past, something we can all relate to. Bury the skeletons and what happens? Eventually, things will surface and we have to attempt to deal with the impossible. Taylor has created a credible character in the form of Jo. Blackmore, still grieving over the loss of her baby son and suffering from agoraphobia. Her husband, Max, an investigative journalist (or a crime reporter) is portrayed less sympathetically, seems to be far too protective of Jo and obsessive with his young daughter Elise.

He has been instrumental in the conviction of Ian White who had set up a national chain of money-lending shops that charged extortionate interest rates for vulnerable people such as single mums, pensioners and people on benefits. When they were unable to repay the loans they were threatened with violence: "coercion, drug-taking and violence were rife." Max went under-cover and collected evidence for prosecution.

The opening is dramatic with an unsavoury woman called Paula threatening poor, anxious Jo: "I've lost something. And I think your husband might know where it is." Her final ominous warning disturbs Jo: "You should keep an eye on your daughter's things…and your daughter." Jo becomes paranoid that this wicked person is going to kidnap her daughter and she blames Max for putting the family in danger.


It doesn't take long before the state of their marriage is laid bare: loveless and sexless. Jo indicates to her friend Helen that she wants a divorce. Max discovers this and tries desperately to keep his family together. He has had such an unhappy childhood and wants to prove he can be a wonderful father to Elise. His feelings for his wife are less convincing though.
A number of unfortunate incidents befall  Jo indicating that she may be incapable of caring for her daughter. Jo is convinced that Paula is behind all of this, too naïve to recognise the truth until it stares her in the face. But is it too late? The prospect of an arrest and losing a second child proves too much for her so she leaves Bristol in disguise, heading to Ireland, like a fugitive on the run from the police, social services and her husband, clinging to her daughter like a limpet until the bitter end.

More disasters though before  a tense finale. What happened to Mary, her landlady and who killed her child, the one that looked like Jo's daughter? Can Jo ever escape her past and provide a happy and stable environment for her daughter?
It's an excellent read and gripping as a psychological thriller from start to finish.

Publisher: Harper Collins. ISBN: 978-0-00-811807-5
REVIEW it by Carol Naylor.


Copyright 2017. Permission must be obtained from the author before any of this article review is reproduced in any form.

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