The Perfect Escape by Daniel Hurst
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 18th September 2023
Published: 15th July 2023
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
I just wanted a place where we could get away from it all. But coming here was one of the worst mistakes of my life...
After the year Aidan and I have had, we needed some respite. My husband is overworked, whilst I'm anxious about the past, so renting a night at this converted barn house in the countryside seems like the perfect place for the pair of us to relax and unwind. It might be situated at the bottom of a large garden, but it's private enough that we don't have to mingle with the homeowners who live nearby. Or at least that's what I thought...
No sooner have we checked in for our peaceful stay, Aidan and I are invited to share a drink with the owners, Bridgette and Logan, in their opulent home. I want to politely refuse. After all, we came here to get away from people. But Aidan accepts the invitation and that's when things start spiralling out of control. That's when I realise that this is not going to be the perfect escape after all...
A fast paced and gripping psychological thriller from the author of The Couple In The Cabin, My Daughter's Boyfriend and the number one bestselling novel The Doctor's Wife.
MY THOUGHTS:
The perfect escape? Or the perfect nightmare...?
It goes without saying that Daniel Hurst is one of my favourite authors. If I'm not on one of his tours, then I'm auto-buying his books. I don't even read the premises when I pre-order them because I just know I'm going to be in for one hell of a thrill ride. And this one was no different.
Fay and Aidan are on the lookout for the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of every day life. So when Fay came across an advertisement for the barn house in Kent - with no mobile phone coverage, no internet, no television, no technology at all - she knew it was perfect for their needs. However, little did Aidan know that she had secreted her phone away in the bottom of her suitcase "just in case".
Meanwhile, Aidan has taken himself out for a walk with nature into the woods...to secretly try and get some mobile signal to make a call he's pretty sure Fay would be annoyed about. That's why he bought this pay-as-you-go mobile when they stopped for fuel. But the voice that answers isn't one he expected, and he hangs up and turns the phone off before they could ring him back.
But both of these secrets they are hiding are only just the beginning and are nothing compared to what's about to befall them at the behest of their kindly hosts Bridgette and Logan. Fay was annoyed with Aidan for accepting Bridgette's impromptu invitation for drinks this evening because this was supposed to be a getaway from everyone. But Aidan couldn't say no and felt it was only polite to accept.
Little did they know what a Pandora's box they opened when they stepped into the cottage that evening...and just what it would cost them.
I have literally only had about two hours sleep and didn't think I would be able to devour this book as easily as others when more awake...but Daniel has the ability to wake me right up, no matter how little sleep I've had. My eyes were propped open by matchsticks as I raced through the pages in practically one sitting to see how this tangled web unravelled. And boy, did it unravel.
Hurst has the ability to take a seemingly ordinary situation and put a twist or three on it and make it something sinister and creepy. I even felt the echoes of John Nicholl in this one, particularly when it came to the basement (Nicholl loves basements in his thrillers). But even so, Hurst's thrillers are incredibly easy to read and so easy to devour in one sitting. Every single person in his small cast of characters always has something to hide and he cleverly weaves each of their secrets into the story and then stealthily pulls a single thread as we watch it quickly unravel.
From the first moment, we are drip fed information about each of the characters in such a way that it feels as if we know everything there is to know about them. But in true Hurst fashion, he has plenty of other cards up his sleeve to pull out further down the line. And while I piece together some of the story, he still surprises me with how he threads everything back together to create something of a different picture.
I had to chuckle at one of the other reviews who stated "Far too long. I skimmed through most of it after the first few chapters." Long? It's only 216 pages!
Once again, Daniel Hurst thrills and chills with this somewhat sinister and creepy tale nestled in the Kent countryside. It may be far fetched, as many of his tales are, but they are fun and entertaining and are quick and easy reads. He never fails to thrill and he never disappoints. Can't wait to see what he has lined up for us next, which in Hurst's true prolific fashion could be in a fortnight.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.
Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.
Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.
A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.
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