Ten years ago, sixteen-year-old Gemma Toombs was kidnapped from Bangkok Airport by an infatuated drifter, Tyler MacFarlane, who took her to a secret den in the Australian desert. Now her name is Kate Stone and it’s her turn to confront Ty and try to find answers to the questions that have obsessed her since her ordeal. What is the legacy of this coercive relationship? Who holds the cards now? In the confusion of past and present, will Kate remain trapped in a deranged dance of desire and revenge? Or will she regain control and find release?
Set in both London and Perth, a courtroom drama and a road trip in the searing heat of the West Australian desert, Release is the story of two people confronting each other, each intent on destruction and survival. This gripping psychological thriller explores a young woman’s discovery of the complicated truth about a relationship that once seemed alluring.
Release is a companion to Lucy Christopher’s bestselling YA novel Stolen, which hooked readers over a decade ago with its chilling depiction of Gemma’s kidnapping and Stockholm syndrome. Stolen received numerous accolades including a 2011 USBBY Outstanding International Book Award and the UK’s Branford Boase Award. Christopher went on to write more YA novels and teach Creative Writing in universities. But throughout this time, she couldn’t shake the story of Gemma and Tyler, spending years imagining what might happen to them after the conclusion of Stolen. The result is Release, Christopher’s first novel for adults, featuring these same complicated, troubled characters. It’s worth the wait – it’s a disturbing, suspenseful ride.
Release moves at a fast pace, shifting between the Supreme Court in Perth where Gemma is taking the stand to months earlier when she is attempting to live a new, anonymous life in London as Kate. When she tracks down Tyler upon his release from ten years imprisonment in Perth, the novel takes twists and turns that you won’t see coming.
Anyone who enjoyed Stolen will devour Release, but it can also be read as a gripping standalone thriller. It’s perfect for readers of Gillian Flynn, S.J. Watson and Helen Fitzgerald.
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