The protagonist of the irresistible new novel by Kate Rhodes, Elly, is both an academic in Cambridge and an expert in stalking, as well as being a woman called upon by the media when an informed voice is required in her area of expertise. But – as one might expect in one of Rhodes’ characteristically vivid crime narratives – it is Elly who ends up being stalked. She finds the trust and reliability of those around her are in short supply, and the stakes could be fatal. Another Elly, the writer Elly Griffiths, has supplied an encomium for this one: ‘an absolute master of pace’ – and it’s impossible to disagree with that verdict. I wrote in the Financial Times: ‘Kate Rhodes is approaching pole position in the crime writing stakes with her beautifully plotted and elegantly written psychological thrillers’, and admirers of the writer’s earlier work need not hesitate – that assessment holds firm for this new novel. Even more kudos are due to a woman who must be used to receiving such things by now.
The Stalker by Kate Rhodes is published by Simon & Schuster
