Review: Life or Death by Michael Robotham (4/5)

Thursday 7 August 2014
The chilling new psychological thriller from one of the most brilliant crime authors of today.

Why would a man escape from prison the day before he's due to be released?

Audie Palmer has spent a decade in prison for an armed robbery in which four people died, including two of his gang. Five million dollars has never been recovered and everybody believes that Audie knows where the money is.

For ten years he has been beaten, stabbed, throttled and threatened almost daily by fellow inmates and prison guards, who all want to answer this same question, but suddenly Audie vanishes, the day before he's due to be released.

Everybody wants to find Audie, but he's not running. Instead he's trying to save a life . . . and not just his own.

After reading Michael Robotham's first book a couple of years ago I've wanted to read more from this author but book lovers know a never ending TBR means you can't always get around to reading everything. So when I saw his new book on Netgalley was a standalone I didn't hesitate to request. I loved the cover and the sound of the blurb even more. I sat down to start reading one night, and as the sun rose the next morning I was almost at the end of the book! Absolutely brilliant stuff and incredibly addictive I was oblivious to the time and indeed the world around me whilst reading.

Audie Palmer has been in prison for a decade, with 24 hours before he is due to be released he escapes. As the blurb says 'Why would a man escape from prison the day before he's due to be released?' I certainly had no idea but it becomes clear his reason for escaping is to try and save somebody else's life and not just his own. And that's all I can reveal about the plot without ruining it for others. Thrillers such as these with an air of mystery surrounding them should always be started blind with no idea of the shocks or the twists that are to come.

I don't want to reel off all the old cliches but it's hard not to when they are so relevant to this book. Heart stopping, yes. Electrifying, absolutely. A page turner, without a doubt. With such well drawn and original characters this is a fantastic read and certainly one of the most enjoyable ones I've read so far this year. Flitting between the past and present we learn more about Audie and why he ended up in prison and follow him on his quest with the law, his best friend and other individuals breathing down his neck. You know the book is heading to a thrilling finale and you can't wait for it to get there. This book comes highly recommended by me.

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