Helen Giltrow

THE DISTANCE Charlotte Alton #1), debut by Helen Giltrow is a dark contemporary of a London socialite leading a double life. A secret identity. A criminal past. Moving at breakneck speed, a spy-type complex crime suspense thriller. 2.5 Stars

Charlotte Alton is a sophisticated Londoner with a secret identity. She is trying to put her secret criminal past behind her when a hit man, Simon Johannsen comes to her with a job she cannot refuse. He wants her help in creating an identity to infiltrate an unusual prison called The Program.

Years ago Karla wipes Simon Johanssen, an ex-special forces sniper from the face of the earth. Now he has resurfaced. His mission is to find and kill an inmate, a woman hiding in this experimental den of horrific criminals.

The story is told in alternative chapters between Alton and Johanssen who is inside the prison and readers hear some pretty violent scenes. A complex plot, a mysterious prisoner, terrorist, plus more. If you like this sort of spy, crime, violence, intelligence operative, or assassin thriller, you may enjoy. Unfortunately, is was not for me.

I will be honest, the reason for selecting the audiobook, was the narrator, Rachel Atkins. I just finished The Letter by Kathryn Hughes, narrated by Atkins and fell in love with her style. However, Atkins was at her best and her talents were better served with a romance suspense slower paced historical fiction, of The Letter, than this fast spy thriller.… (mais)

There is no doubt The Distance is a thriller. It is intense, exciting, and fast-paced. However, none of the action is explicit. Instead, Ms. Giltrow capitalizes on the phenomenon that a reader can typically imagine more horrific scenes than anything an author might put onto paper and deliberately keeps certain scenes ambiguous. In a world as dangerous as the one in which Karla does business, the end result is that those scenes are truly horrifying in spite of a lack of details.

Ms. Giltrow does not just deliberately obscure scenes that include bodily harm. Karla’s world is also shadowy. There is a definitive lack of specifics about Karla’s life that can be quite distracting as it lends itself to allowing readers to focus on trying to fill all of the missing gaps of Karla’s world. However, to do so means missing a fantastic story of intrigue, secrets, bad men, false trails, misdirections, and so much more. The reader is set down into Karla’s and Simon’s worlds with no preparation or warning and must maneuver their way through its dangers as well as its secrets. This creates an intimacy between the reader and Karla and Simon that one doesn’t expect but which makes the story so much more suspenseful.

One of the main themes explored throughout The Distance is the idea of guilt. Simon’s resignation to his fate inside the experimental prison colony underscores his personal feelings about the main crime for which he went into hiding. He may be a contracted killer, but he is seeking atonement for his first crime. does his occupation automatically make him a bad guy? Similarly, Karla uses information to blackmail and manipulate others and does so without compunction. Who is the worse criminal? Readers must decide for themselves, but it does make for an interesting ethical discussion.

The Distance is an excellent example of a spy thriller set in the computer age. The ease with which Karla obtains her information and manipulates situations for her benefit is truly frightening. American readers will also find the level of surveillance of British citizens equally disturbing. Simon’s experiences within the prison colony test the limits of human endurance and showcase mankind’s brutality. The story gains much from its very plausibility and the understated method of storytelling Ms. Giltrow adopts. The Distance is definitely an intense read and one that works well for a winter afternoon.… (mais)