The Escape cover art

The Escape

A Chilling, Gripping Winter Thriller And Richard & Judy Book Club Pick

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The Escape

By: Ruth Kelly
Narrated by: Meg Travers, Olivia Vinall, Ayesha Antoine, Daphne Kouma
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About this listen

'Dark, chilling, atmospheric . . . The Escape is this winter’s The Hunting Party' – Veronica Henry

From bestselling author Ruth Kelly, The Escape is an electrifying thriller of influencers, secrets and lies set in a grand mansion in rural France. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Sarah Pearse.

The Perfect Offer

When struggling influencer couple Adele and Jack post a crowdfunding video online, they’re amazed when a mysterious benefactor offers to buy them a crumbling French chateau. It’s the lifeline they need to leave all their troubles behind.

The Perfect Dream

For Adele, it’s a dream come true. She will post videos of the renovation as thousands of online subscribers follow their journey. But the chateau is not all it seems and the local community is far from welcoming.

The Perfect Nightmare

Then Adele’s videos suddenly stop. Her sister Erin visits to make sure she’s OK, but the couple have vanished. Between the obsession of Adele’s fans and the claustrophobic secrecy of the nearby town, Erin must unravel the shocking truth behind the couple’s disappearance . . .

'A deliciously dark look at the world of influencers set against the backdrop of a glamorous French chateau - tense and shocking' – Catherine Cooper, author of The Chalet

 Amateur Sleuths Contemporary Contemporary Romance Domestic Thrillers Fiction Genre Fiction Holidays Mystery Psychological Romance Small Town & Rural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Detective Dream

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Critic reviews

Dark, immersive, and tantalisingly atmospheric, The Escape is wholly absorbing and completely addictive (Andrea Mara, Sunday Times bestselling author of No One Saw a Thing)
The French countryside is well drawn and the structure of the book has a zippy contemporary feel. An original and fun read
I was gripped by the unravelling of the dark secrets in The Escape (Louise Jensen, bestselling author of The Date)
Dark, chilling, atmospheric and page-turning, The Escape is this winter’s ‘The Hunting Party’. Ruth has her finger on the (racing) pulse of contemporary thrillers, and has delivered yet another winner that reflects the zeitgeist of our somewhat twisted social media-driven age (Veronica Henry)
Devastatingly dark, I couldn't stop turning the pages (Nikki Smith, author of The Beach Party)
A beautifully paced and darkly twisted thriller. It’s like being in a deliciously crafted nightmare (Katy Brent, author of How To Kill Men and Get Away With It)
A deliciously dark look at the world of influencers set against the backdrop of a glamorous French chateau - tense and shocking (Catherine Cooper, author of The Chalet)
A chilling tale of a lost sister and a mystery benefactor overflowing with tension ramped up through gorgeous, atmospheric writing and epic twists. The perfect read for dark, cosy nights Loved it (Lucy Baker, author of The Other Side of Mrs Wood)
A slick, dark and chilling thriller, the tension dripped off the pages until the shocking reveal. I was on tenterhooks all the way! (A.A. Chaudhuri)
A deliciously addictive thriller that will hook you in like the best – and scariest – reality TV show you’ve ever seen (T. M. Logan, author of The Holiday and The Mother, on The Villa)
A Pacy page-turner
A terrific page-turning thriller for dark winter nights (B.P. Walter)
An electrifying thriller of influencers, secrets and lies set in a grand mansion in rural France
A deliciously dark and contemporary thriller that sets the more twisted side of social media alight with tension and suspense
The Escape is a dark, atmospheric and menacing thriller that makes the most of its wintry French setting. You’ll really feel the chills with this one
Gripping
A clever look at the truth behind the facade when it comes to the world of being an influencer, and a real page-turner
All stars
Most relevant
I started to listen which normal take 3/6 days but this book I had listen to it in just one day . Wanting to no what happen next . Great read night recommend it

The escape

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I did enjoy the book but got annoyed with some of the characters. Still enjoyed listening/reading along to it though thanks!

Was annoyed with the characters

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Started good I thought I'd found a good author and was looking forward to reading their other books. Unfortunately it started to get silly especially with the Police man.

Really promising start but then changed to some teenage romance

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I rarely give up on books, but this has two of the most irritatingly self-centred and simply STUPID sisters I have come across in a long time. I kept listening hoping it would improve, but had to give up. Also there are refs to paedophilia which seemed gratuitously unpleasant. I wish I hadn’t wasted 7 hours on this…

Unbelievably stupid main characters

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First half, although none of the characters are people you want to root for, it is maybe plausible and possibly an interesting premise of an old house with used for unpleasant purposes, although not great literature by any stretch, the sky news elements annoyed me the most. However second half, entirely implausible and genuinely like reading an online story or fanfiction with kidnappings, drugging, murder, sex cults, knife attacks for 45 minutes and sudden appearance of police twice. I can dislike characters but still enjoy the story, but this was shockingly bad. So disappointing, and not entirely sure how a publisher agreed to publish this. Performance was fine.

Reads like fanfic

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