Out of Reach by Adam Hamdy

Phase by Adam Hamdy
Buy Out of Reach by Adam Hamdy at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Thrillers
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: A dark thriller, which takes child kidnapping to an even more horrifying level, if that's possible. Great characterisation and a brutal twist in the plot which will leave you gasping.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 202	Date: January 2014
Publisher: Dare Books
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-0956502049
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It's ten years since Amber Schaefer was kidnapped and since that day Thomas Schaefer has devoted his life to finding his daughter and the people who abducted her. It's cost him everything - his marriage, his relationship with his son, his job and - in all probability - his sanity. He's reached the stage where - far from moving on - letting go is not an option and many of his actions are irrational. If any part of this can be described as having an upside it's that Schaefer has become an expert in finding missing people, particularly young adults who have become involved with cults. The tipping point is reached when an old friend refers to him a case which bears startling similarities to Amber's abduction.

Right from the start you'll understand Schaeffer. There is no part of him which can give up on the search for Amber. He doesn't care what risks he takes - or forces on to other people. He's never got over the anger stage of loss - in fact you sense that he's determined to keep a fire burning under his feelings. He can't - won't give up. His wife has done her best to move on, for their son's sake, but Oliver doesn't matter to Schaeffer, other than theoretically, and he resents the time he feels obliged to spend with him as it takes him away from the search. It's a superb depiction of a man on the edge. The impact of losing a child in these circumstances is unimaginable, but Adam Hamdy delves deeper than the stories we see in the tabloids and catches the very essence of the horror.

The plot is good too. The pace never slackens for a minute and there's no sense of Schaefer having a safe haven or people whom he can trust. The more you find out about Schaefer, the less you'll like him, but you'll never quite be able to kill your sympathy or stop hoping that he'll find Amber. The issue of cults and the dark arts is handled sensitively and not over-worked, which would have been an easy trap to fall into. The story twists and turns and it always happens before you see it coming - and there's a brutal twist at the end which will leave you gasping. We first experienced Hamdy's skills with Battalion - an espionage thriller - and it's exciting to see him extend his talents beyond that genre. Hamdy can certainly write action

You'll need to get past the cover of the book - the dark grey printing on a black background doesn't work for me - and a more effective proofreading would help the reading experience, but if the dark thriller genre appeals to you then you could enjoy this book.

For another look at child abduction we can recommend The Second Life of Amy Archer by R S Pateman.

You can read more about Adam Hamdy here.

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