Synopsis

The Perfect Escape

When struggling influencer couple Adele and Jack post a crowdfunding video online, they’re amazed when a mysterious benefactor offers to buy them an idyllic 17th century French château. It’s the lifeline they need to leave all their troubles behind and patch up their relationship after a rocky period.

The Influencer

For Adele, it’s a dream come true. She will post videos from the fairy tale setting, renovating the grand building as thousands of online subscribers follow their journey. But the château is not all it seems and the local community is far from welcoming.

The Sister

Then Adele’s videos suddenly stop. Her sister Erin travels to France to make sure she’s okay but the couple have vanished. Between the obsession of Adele’s fans, the unsettling history of the building and the claustrophobic secrecy of the nearby town, Erin must unravel the shocking truth behind why the anonymous investor gifted Adele and Jack their dream home in the first place…

Review

What on earth just happened?

After Ruth’s last book The Villa, I was expecting another fast-paced thriller with a few twists, but goodness me The Escape is something else!

I’m fascinated by the power (and evils) of social media, so any thriller about an influencer immediately captures my attention. I’ve only seen a few episodes of Escape to the Chateau, but have always loved the idea of renovating my own piece of history in the French countryside…

After reading this, I still would but I’d definitely be doing it on my own terms!

This book has several POVs and starts off quite slowly, as we get to know Adele and Erin – two very different sisters. Kelly captures the (annoying) influencer voice of Adele perfectly, with plenty of the ‘guys – I’m obsessed’ and ‘OMG unreal’ we see on TikTok as she shows off the shiny polished part of her life.

It’s well-observed and written and is moving along nicely when suddenly – holy fuck – SOMETHING happens that knocks you for six! It’s so dark, grotesque and barbaric… you’ll love it. But I did not see that coming! Well done Ruth, very well played.

Gripping, disturbing and mind-blowing, with fantastic juxtaposition between the beautiful chateau and the ugly darkness taking place.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan for my copy. Opinions my own.

Other books by Ruth Kelly:

The Villa