No Place To Run by Mark Edwards

Today I’m delighted to join the audiobook tour for No Place To Run by Mark Edwards. My thanks to publisher Thomas & Mercer, Brilliance Audio, and Rhiannon Morris at FMcM Associates for the tour invite and the advance copy of the book for review. Here’s what it’s all about:

About the Book

In this exhilarating thriller from four million copy bestselling author Mark Edwards, Aidan’s spent years looking for his sister. Will he ever find her?

Two years ago, on a trip to Seattle to visit her brother Aidan, fifteen-year-old Scarlett vanished into thin air. After years of false leads and dead ends, Aidan has almost given up hope. But then a woman sees a girl running for her life across a forest clearing in Northern California. She is convinced the girl is the missing Scarlett. But could it really be her?

Heading south, Aidan finds a fire-ravaged town covered in missing-teenager posters. The locals seem afraid, the police won’t answer any questions and it looks like another dead end—until a chance meeting with returned local Lana gives Aidan his first clue. But as they piece together what happened, Lana and Aidan make deadly enemies. Enemies willing to do anything to silence them.

Only one thing matters now: finding Scarlett—even if it kills him.

My Thoughts

I must admit that I came late to the books of Mark Edwards, but those I have read I have thoroughly enjoyed. No Place To Run is another stand alone tale, but one with a clear change in gear and focus away from his other books many of which have had that kind of other-wordly, vibe. This leans more towards a classic American Noir tone, something most definitely enhanced in the audiobook with the excellent narration by Will M. Watt. With that change in style comes a change in pace, and perhaps fewer twists and turns than you might be expecting, but for me that really worked. There are still surprises in store, an atmospheric tone and tension which ebbs and flows, building towards a startling and jeopardy laden final showdown.

This is the story of Aidan, an English expat in Seattle, whose sister Scarlett disappeared whilst she was visiting him. For years he has wondered what happened to her, long fearing the worst, but a chance sighting raises his hopes of finding her, and sets him on a journey which takes a decidedly sinister and unexpected turn. This is far from your typical girl gone missing mystery, and faced with corruption, deception and enemies who would kill to protect their interests, Aidan has to use all of his wits, a great deal of luck and the support of strangers who are in a very similar position, in order to survive.

I actually liked the slower pacing of this book. There is a lot of place setting, and also time spent in establishing the complicated relationships of the characters, but the slow and deliberate way in which the key information is shared, really suits the story. There are a lot of very relevant subjects touched upon in the book, exploitation of workers in a case of modern slavery, abuse, corruption and another edge which is the real heart and soul of the story. I won’t say quite what as it will giveaway too much of the plot, but despite the extreme nature of how it plays out, it actually has a real ring of truth and possibility about it too.

The narration in this audiobook really did work well for me. Will M. Watt really brought the characters and the story to life, capturing the essence of each person and giving them a distinct voice. His pacing and style are perfect for this story, and he really drew me into the book, making those moments of tension pop, and delivering the right amount of emotion to make the tension and the grief pop. I’ll definitely be looking out for more books narrated.

With plenty of moments of action, an atmospheric tone and a classic american noir vibe, this is another page turner (or chapter listener?), socio-environmentally relevant and right up my street. A recommended listen.

About the Author

Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers in which scary things happen to ordinary people.

He has sold 4 million books since his first novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013, and has topped the bestseller lists numerous times. His other novels include Follow You Home, The Retreat, In Her Shadow, Because She Loves Me, The Hollows and Here to Stay. He has also co-authored six books with Louise Voss.

Mark lives in the West Midlands, England, with his wife, their three children and two cats.

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