Adam Colclough lives and works in the West Midlands, he writes regularly for a number of websites, one day he will get round to writing a book for someone else to review.
Laurie Bateman witnesses what she thinks is a horrific accident on the London tube. Later she comes to realize it could have been something else - it could have been a murder. Drawn to investigate the crime Laurie finds herself at the centre of a deadly game in which her life and those of her family are at risk.
Toby Faber's debut novel plays some clever riffs on the crowds and alienation of modern London, and the way life can unfold unexpectedly, while you’re busy making plans. Some of the cards fate deals, can result in events pushing ordinary people to do the extraordinary - maybe even the shocking.
Faber shows a distinct knack for creating suspense. Some of the scenes set in the gloom of the tube tunnels are almost worthy of Hitchcock. He also appears to know at an instinctive level, that what really scares his readers. It isn't so much the killer in the dark that ratchets up the tension; it’s the certainties of everyday life being pulled from under our feet, and without warning.
This is a strong debut novel from a former publisher and writer of non-fiction.
Faber deploys a deft touch capturing the many faces of London, from the polished city tourists view, to the dark underbelly of the underground.
Faber also illustrates an exceptional ability to pull off the hardest and most satisfying trick of the thriller writer’s trade – extracting menace, from the mundane.
