Escape And Evasion by Christopher Wakling @chriswakling @FaberBooks #EscapeAndEvasion

City banker Joseph Ashcroft has stolen £1.34 billion from his own bank.

He has given it - untraceably - to impoverished strangers worldwide, and has fled.

Why has he done this? And will he get away with it?

Joseph knows that if he leaves the country, he will easily be tracked down. So he opts for hiding close by - first in the city, then in the woods near the home of his estranged family. An ex-soldier, he's adept at the art of camouflage.

On Joseph's trail is Ben Lancaster, the bank's head of security and, as it happens, a former army friend with whom he shares a violent, guilt-ridden past.

The hunt is on.

Escape and Evasion is a tragicomic tale of buried secrets, the lengths a man will go to win back those he loves, and the fallout from a monumental change of heart.

Escape And Evasion by Christopher Wakling is published in paperback by Faber Books on 3 May 2018. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.

This is the first time that I've read anything by Christopher Wakling, I have enjoyed every minute of it, and I have to admit that it's really not the sort of book that I'd usually pick up. It's incredibly well written; funny and poignant, deals with some dark issues and races along at a pace that can be quite breathtaking at times.

One of the joys of going into a book 'blind' as it were, is that warmth you get as a reader when you discover a story that resonates, that makes you feel good about yourself, and is a bloody good read. That's exactly what happened for me as I was reading Escape And Evasion.

Joseph Ashcroft; City Banker; wealthy, hugely successful, but unhappy. The story opens as Joseph presses a button that will make him a thief. He's taken over a billion pounds from his employers and distributed it across the world. He's left no trace, the recipients will not know where it came from.

What follows is Joseph's escape from the world of flash cars and obscene amounts of money, but what also follows is a carefully crafted story of a man and his history. The reader is witness to Joseph's greatest fear, and also to his madness, vulnerabilities and his kindnesses. There's humour, and sadness and tension that absolutely grips the reader throughout.

Escape and Evasion is a modern story, totally relevant and perfectly pitched. I loved it and can't wait to find more from this author.

Christopher Wakling is a novelist and travel writer whose previous books include On Cape Three Points, The Undertow and Towards the Sun.

Born in 1970, he was educated at Oxford, and has worked as a teacher and lawyer. He lives in Bristol with his wife and children.

Find out more at www.christopherwakling.com

Follow him on Twitter @chriswakling