The Escape - C.L. Taylor

Reading Challenge Category: Book from Amazon Kindle Unlimited

Official Blurb:

"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.

My Thoughts:

When I first started reading this and realised it would be about a woman who is ignored by all around her, I was like, yawn, this has been done to death. She is paranoid, has a young child, and has a few mental problems, again all traits seen in so many stories in this genre. However, once I got into the book, the character was actually quite likeable. She made some questionable decisions, but despite being portrayed as weak, I actually found her to be quite strong and brave. This certainly made the story more fun to read rather than just being run of the mill.
The twist comes quite early on, and I even had to go back and read a few things from the beginning as I couldn’t believe I’d been duped. I was completely shocked, but once it’s revealed, it feels so obvious as something hadn’t been adding up. The intertwining stories that have been niggling throughout the book were very well presented as everything unravelled and was revealed perfectly.
This book utterly gripped me. I read it in just under 24 hours, and I really wanted to keep reading at 1.30 this morning but had to force myself to put it down!
I should never doubt Cally Taylor, she is a brilliant author, and she didn’t let me down with this one. A five-star read for me!