No Escape by
Hilary Norman
pbk out November 03
(Piatkus)
at £6.99
To the outside world, celebrity cook, Lizzie Piper, leads a charmed life: her cookery
books are best-sellers and she's a regular on television. She's also a mother of three,
married to attractive, eminent surgeon and philanthropist, Christopher Wade. A
happy family blessed with wealth: featured in glowing articles in the tabloids and
women's magazines. Even son Jack, who has muscular dystrophy, is cherished and
has bags of confidence. The reality is rather different though: Wade may be a loving
father but he is a brutal husband. Lizzie knows she will endure her suffering in order
to protect her children, and particularly Jack who worships his father. Prosperous
solicitor Robin Allbeury develops an interest in Lizzie Piper. He too has his
philanthropic side, helping women escape from their abusive husbands. But what
motivates Allbeury, who takes no money for this, and what are we to think when
someone he has helped is found murdered?
The theme of obsession runs through many of Norman's psychological thrillers and
she is an expert at developing page-turning suspense. She often writes about the rich
and successful and her books blend romance, contemporary women's fiction and the
menace and pace of the thriller in a winning combination. She takes the landscape of
family life and infiltrates it with the threat of danger. The contrast of domestic detail
and warmly recounted relationships with imminent violence is very effective.
Manchester Evening News 13.12.03
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries set on the mean streets of Manchester)
No Escape by
Hilary Norman
