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Thoroughly unique, this thriller has a fresh and vibrant readability that is unlike anything I have read before.

Michael Hollinghurst is a solicitor, – a charming, congenial, approachable kind of man. A loving middle-aged dad with a comfortable middle-class London life. The sort of man you would love to have for a friend or a neighbor.

All of that changes, viciously, when Michael falls victim to the horrific terrorist attack known in London as 7/7, – the bombings of July 7, 2005.

Without giving the plot away, (no spoilers here), Michael’s injuries are devastating and crippling, and as he struggles to face his new life, now in a wheelchair, this chair-man, our everyday-hero, (who never stops being completely and utterly poignant and relatable) embarks on a plan that will change his life, and those of his friends and loved ones, forever.

Teeming with terrorists, spies, secret intelligence and police, our grounding heroes are the ordinary vulnerable people who find themselves thrust into a world suddenly made surreal.

Through the eyes of this wonderful smorgasbord of characters, (many of whom I would love to meet again in a sequel), the author weaves a tale that is in parts bleak, tragic, and terrifying, as it is deeply unexpected and satisfying.

Written with great skill, each character (even the secondary ones), introduces new elements of color to an already intensely hued plot, living and breathing in their own tiny bubble of perfection – each so real and so rich with backstory that their intersection into the plot is as seamless as it is wondrous.

I loved this book, reading it almost straight through, and can’t wait to read more from this new (to me) author.

A great big thank you to the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.