I became aware of this book by word of mouth, often the best kind of recommendation. Google the title and you will find literally hundreds of blog reviews. It is certainly a page turner. I sat down to read it one hot sunny day and raced through it.

The theme is running away. What place a woman has to be in to leave everything behind, the desperation, the guilt, the expectations for a new life, the logistics of running. Emily runs, and runs one step too far. The reason for her running is dangled in front of the reader like a carrot, hints, deceptions, and this is why you keep reading. Is it something she did, or something done to her? Is it criminal or emotional? The story of Emily’s escape, and the story of the reason for her escape, are told in parallel. I had my suspicions about her reason, and I was almost right. Almost, but not quite.

One of the intriguing things in the narrative mix is that Emily is a twin, and the two twin sisters do not get on. This added welcome spice to the tale of Emily’s childhood in Manchester, and her reinvention in London. The twin thing enables some convenient misunderstandings, doppel-gangers and threat of discovery. It turns out that Emily Catherine, and her twin Caroline Rebecca, are more alike than they realize.

A great holiday read.

Another Tina Seskis novel, A Serpentine Affair, will be published by Penguin on Kindle in the UK on February 12, 2015.

To watch the book trailer for One Step Too Far, click here.
For Tina Seskis’ website, click here.
‘One Step Too Far’ by Tina Seskis [Penguin]