No Escape - Hardcover

Cooper, Natasha

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 184737414X ISBN 13: 9781847374141

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd, 2009

Synopsis

The haunting new psychological thriller from acclaimed crime writer Natasha Cooper, introducing a brand-new exciting protagonist: psychologist Karen Taylor ...

About this title

Review:

'The category of 'psychological crime fiction' can often simply include books in which motives receive as much attention as actions. But N.J.Cooper's novel is a real 'psychological' in that clues, deductions, and conclusions are all as much dependent on examining human nature as material evidence. The result is a thriller that is both exciting and credible' Literary Review August issue 'One of Cooper's strengths is her ability to unpack ideas and issues, and here she focuses on the psychologist's concept of the brain as the seat of reason and emotion, set against -- in the person of her partner Will Hawkins -- the neurosurgeon's view of it as a purely physical entity. A fascinating, splendidly atmospheric read' Guardian 15/9 'The relaunch of Natasha Cooper features a new departure with this dark pshycho-thriller set in the Isle of Wight' The List 20/8 'No Escape' is a departure in mood, setting and issues, but successfully achieved... An altogether satisfying novel, with the bonus of showing the Isle of Wight in new light -- or, rather, darkness' The Times 12/8 'In this excellent novel, the first in a series by the creator of the lawyer-detective Trish Maguire, a beautiful but troubled forensic psychologist called Karen Taylor is staying on the island researching the murder of a family of four... Informative and entertaining' Telegraph 19/9

Synopsis:

One late-spring day, in a beautiful, remote patch on the Isle of Wight, a picnicking family is brutally murdered. All evidence points towards Spike Falconer: a local vagrant, the adoptive son of a wealthy, influential local couple. Diagnosed in childhood with Dangerous Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD), Spike has long-since been abandoned by his family and society. He is charged and convicted. Four years later, psychologist Karen Taylor is interviewing Spike in prison, as part of her research into DSPD. Not yet fully recovered from the death of her husband, and running from dark memories concerning the circumstances surrounding it, Karen hopes her summer on the Isle of Wight will be a welcome escape from university life on the mainland, as well as giving her the space she needs to think about her new, fledgling relationship with neurosurgeon Will. Her late grandmother's ramshackle chalet, situated in remote woodland, proves the ideal hideaway. But soon Karen begins to feel threatened. Local detective Charlie Trench is convinced whoever killed the picnicking family is responsible for a string of other murders and disappearances on the island.And Spike's family - Colonel Falconer, his fragile wife Sylvia, and their natural-born son Simon - are keeping tight-lipped, closing ranks.

Someone on the island doesn't want Karen getting too close to Spike. But could Spike really be innocent of these crimes, as Karen begins to suspect? Is he implicated as accomplice to a more dangerous psychopath, or is he someone's helpless puppet? Karen doesn't know who to believe. But when Spike escapes from prison, and Karen finds herself in the frame for murder, she knows she is going to need all her professional skills to out-smart a manipulative killer.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 184737414X
• ISBN 13: 9781847374141
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384