The Fear by C L Taylor

THE FEAR 

C L TAYLOR

The million copy Sunday Times bestseller returns with a taut, compelling psychological thriller that will have you glued to the edge of your seat

Oh yes, she's back. Oh yes, she's done it again. Oh yes, this is another brilliant, unputdownable novel from a writer who surely is the queen of the psychological thriller. Taylor's prose is flawless and compelling, flowing with a confidence that ensures the reader cannot turn away until the very last page. The storyline is expertly delivered with a perfect understanding of pace, timing and structure. The characters are convincing and the reader quickly forms a relationship with the main characters, eager to find out how the story may play out.

As always, Taylor comes up with a fresh angle for her thrillers and isn't afraid to tackle a subject that is automatically loaded with emotion and controversy. She's also not afraid to do something a little different with that story and challenge the reader with the various twists and turns which scatter themselves throughout the chapters. 

The Fear is the story of Lou Wandsworth, now 32 but still unable to move on from her traumatic past. When Lou was a school girl, she ran away to France with her teacher, Mike Hughes, who she thought was the love of her life only to find that he was not what he seemed. For me, who worked as a teacher and also remember a similar news story hitting the headlines in 2012, the premise immediately fascinated me. I could not resist wanting to see how Taylor would chose to portray and play out this scenario. 

The story moves between Lou as a teenager and Lou as an adult. The present day narrative deals with what happens when Lou discovers that Mike is involved with a teenager and decides it is time to confront him for the damage he has caused and the devastation he wreaked over her life. But Mike is a sinister predator, a really unnerving and dangerous character, and it isn't long before Lou finds herself once again becoming his prey as she desperately tries to bring him to justice. 

As I have already said, Taylor never fails to come up with an intriguing premise but as well as a scenario which is full of drama, tension, suspense and urgency, it is also a premise which offers her a chance to explore the psychologically of her characters. Taylor is interested in the characters' motives, interactions with other people and the repercussions of their actions or the effects of their life experiences. She effortlessly creates a story which not only delivers a suspenseful, chilling and twisting plot but also one where there is a real psychological thrill as she weaves more complex layers into the presentation of her characters. All captured in prose which is fast paced and highly engaging.

Taylor's polished writing means she handles different narratives with confidence and manages threads from the past and the present seamlessly. Her understanding of the psychological thriller is impressive as is her ability to include all the ingredients any reader of this genre craves. And yet, as with all her books, The Fear feels fresh, original, full of vitality and energy. 

 One thing was never in any doubt as I read The Fear was that Taylor would find a more unconventional way of exploring the story of an adult in a position of responsibility and a teenager. Here she has created something that is more complex, multi layered and with more depth than simply the story of a child being groomed by a trusted adult. Master of cliffhangers, suspense and tension, with this novel Taylor is now utterly in her stride. This book delivers a story with characters that provoke strong reactions from the reader and a story line that has you tearing at the next page.

A new book by Taylor is such a treat and always highly anticipated. She never fails to deliver. Once more, Taylor confirms herself as one of my go-to authors and secures a 5* rating. The Fear is a great book, highly readable and definitely worth adding to your reading this year. It's going to be a bestseller.  

The Fear was published on 22nd March 2018. 

My thanks to the publishers for an advance copy via NetGalley.