By Any Name

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This is a gripping romantic thriller, packed with tension and danger. From the first page, when a man covered with blood is running the wrong way down a motorway, the action never stops. The point of view moves between the amnesiac hero, called ‘John West’ by the hospital staff, and Elizabeth Santer, the psychiatrist treating him. When his police guards are ruthlessly executed, John goes on the run, taking Elizabeth as a hostage. Britain is hosting a vital international peace conference and, afraid that John is a terrorist here to attack it, the army moves in, and the novel becomes a cat-and-mouse chase between John and the armed forces. Brecon is the only place John recognises and so they head there, hoping it will bring back his memory. When they are cornered, Katherine John makes very good use of the Brecon Beacons, as John and Elizabeth struggle to hide on the hills in the depths of winter. Elizabeth is the only witness that John isn’t guilty of at least some of the murders he’s been accused of, and their relationship deepens as they are forced together, and as the extent of the secrets and treachery is finally exposed. This is a fast-moving, intense adventure and Katherine John is particularly convincing on the military and John’s survival training. Because it is a romantic adventure, Elizabeth’s trauma at being held hostage, having a gun at her head and being bound and gagged is skimmed over, not to sour the developing relationship, but the truth behind the killings is convincingly grim and nasty when it is revealed. Altogether, I would recommend this to all thriller fans as exciting, vivid and gripping from beginning to end. Janet Thomas  A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.