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Monday, 6 April 2015

The Distance by Helen Giltrow

The Distance
By Helen Giltrow 
Published by Orion (26 February 2015)
ISBN: 978-1-4091-2734-5




Publisher's description
They don't call her Karla any more. She's Charlotte Alton. She doesn't trade in secrets, she doesn't erase dark pasts, and she doesn't break hit-men into prison.

Except that is exactly what she's been asked to do.

The job is impossible: get the assassin into an experimental new prison so that he can take out a target who isn't officially there.

It's a suicide mission, and quite probably a set-up.

So why can't she say no?

My verdict
The Distance is definitely one of my five star reads for 2015.

Charlotte Alton inhabits a brutal world of sinister dealings and espionage, where no one is necessarily what they seem. She has instructions to send a hit man, Simon Johanssen, into a self-governing prison where inmates rule the roost. But the target isn't on any prison records, and Charlotte is determined to discover why.

In The Distance, there are many different characters, often with shadowy pasts, and it took me a while to remember who they were, occasionally flicking back a few pages to remind myself.  But this didn't detract from the book. The Distance's complex storyline has various layers seamlessly weaved together. This intelligent thriller is fast paced, with twists and turns and some violent scenes.

The Distance reminded me of an episode of Spooks, with a roller coaster ride until the end. I found it difficult to put the book down and hope to meet Charlotte Alton and Simon Johanssen again.

I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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