By Simon Kernick @simonkernick
Published by Headline https://www.headline.co.uk/ @headlinepg
389 pages ISBN 9781472292407
Publication date 9 November 2023
I was sent a paperback proof copy in exchange for a fair review. I would like to thank Joe Thomas from Headline for sending me my copy and of course the author.
The Cover
A clock just to hammer home the importance of The First 48 Hours. Clearly the reader can expect a lot to happen in these 48 hours.
My thoughts
Critics, reviewers and bloggers all stress the importance of the beginning of the novel. The author must grab the reader’s attention. This is especially important in the case of those who preview for the press, often they will receive dozens of books many of which they will not read. They all adopt a filtering procedure and for many that will be reading the first x pages or first chapter and they will only read on if its good. The prologue here includes a kidnapping that goes wrong, with disastrous consequences, so we are immediately up and running and in safe hands. It passes the reviewers acid test.
Much less is said about endings though, perhaps it’s the risk of giving away spoilers, but for me it’s a big disappointment to work your way through three or four hundred pages and then be fobbed off with a weak ending. Sometimes the ending might be ambiguous, as in setting up a sequel, which can be forgiven. Here the ending is simply superb, the build up to it is frantic, the action dramatic and the conclusion produces an outlet of bated breath. If you are reading in the privacy of your home you might want to do a little fist pump, nobody will look down on you. Bravo Mr Kernick, what a great ending, one of the best I’ve read this year.
The story revolves around a kidnapping, a crime much overlooked in the genre, and so the plot appears straightforward, and in many ways it is. However, there is a high degree of complexity added to the mix by relationships, knowledge and motivations, which keep being introduced to throughout the storyline. Each new piece of information changes the perception of what is going on. It is clear what has happened but who is pulling the strings and why is difficult to determine amongst all the bluff and deception.
The simplicity of structure allows much more space for the characters to fully develop and they are a fascinating and gruesome collection for us to delight over.
The kidnappee is a young woman called Elle who works as a nurse and is probably the most likeable one, someone who we can at least feel empathy for. Her mother, Becca, is a defence lawyer who has developed a bit of a reputation in achieving acquittals seemingly against the odds. Yes, there is the taxi rank rule (where when you make it to the top of the list you take the next job) and everybody deserves a good defence, but Becca pulls out all the stops. This means she has connections in low places, who ooze real menace, which may one day prove useful. The ransom demand confuses her, she feels she must deliver if she wants to see Elle again, but this comes after years of putting her job first.
The kidnappers, who have earned the sobriquet ‘The Vanishers’ are a delightfully grotesque (from the more original meaning) couple who provide much of the entertainment and slapstick moments in a story with few light spots. She is a part-time dominatrix, early middle-aged but still decidedly sexy, who survived her first husband and inherited his funeral directors business. Forthright and determined she has a heart as cold as liquid nitrogen. Her second husband is not exactly a charmer, but she has managed to knock off some of the rougher edges since she met him, when he was known as ‘The Slice’ for being adept with a craft knife. Now he is her submissive and something of a loyal puppy. A decidedly odd couple they appear to be and they harbour secrets.
The crack police team on their case are specialists from the National Crime Agency (NCA) Anti Kidnap and Extortion Unit, the two principles having their ranks flipped following the initial disaster laid bare in the prologue. One of them has a secret though and is not all he seems to be.
There is a lot of activity crammed into the novel, with two incident packed days, but even so it is one you glide through with ease. Not quiet as full on as Relentless, but then few novels are, even so you will not be discarding this once you have started, and the final few chapters will have you on the edge of the seat.
It is said that the first 24 to 48 hours are vital in the cases of missing persons and kidnaps and that is clearly apparent from the storyline. The constant risk of discovery or detection, the anxiety and frustration waiting for the next call with instructions are truly gripping. This must clearly have a devastating effect on loved ones in real life situations.
The First 48 Hours is a gripping crime thriller from one of the best in the business.
The First 48 Hours can be purchased via the publisher’s website here
The author
Simon Kernick is a number one bestseller and one of the UK’s most popular thriller writers, with huge hits including KILL A STRANGER, GOOD COP BAD COP, RELENTLESS, THE LAST 10 SECONDS, SIEGE and the BONE FIELD series.
Peter turns the page 