Split Second by Sophie McKenzie

I glanced at my phone. It was almost three p.m.

Three p.m. was when the bomb would go off.

Published by Simon and Schuster in September 2013

Pages - 356

Bound together by the devastating consequences of a terrorist attack on a London market, teenagers Charlotte (Charlie) and Nat appear at first to have much in common. But, as Charlie gets closer to Nat and his family, she begins to wonder if perhaps he knows more about the attack than he has let on. Split Second is an action-packed thriller that shifts between the perspectives of its two main characters as their courage and their loyalties are tested to the limit.

*****

Only one word to describe this book – EXPLOSIVE!

From the very first couple of sentences you are hit by an almighty panic, catapulting you through the story to find out why one of you main characters is frantically searching for a bomb. This book has been glued to my hands for the past couple of days as I nervously jumped between the dual narratives of Charlie and Nat as one moment in time alters their live for ever, as well as tying them together for eternity.

I loved the way the relationship developed between Nat and Charlie. I was also really pleased to discover that Charlie stood out as the stronger character of the two; she was more focused and in control of her emotions than Nat, who was more likely to suffer with doubts. I wondered if that was because Charlie had suffered a lot more than Nat, making him a little more wary, where as Charlie had a score to settle.

The plot keeps you on your toes through the book. It’s actually like being on a high speed train, heading to an unknown and dangerous destination. You think you are going to take one route and then the author switches tracks. The writing is sharp and tight. Each chapter often not more than a couple of pages long,but grabbing your attention and pushing you further into the story.

I think Sophie McKenzie has done an excellent job of creating a realistic story of what could happen in our country – it almost had an eerie premonistic feel to it, in the same way George Orwell’s  1984 did. A gritty, thrilling and fast paced novel that makes you worried about the future – I just hope our country has the sense to pull back before we end up living like this.