Review: Outside The White Lines

Well this is one sharp roller-coaster of a book. The only reason I ever put it down was for non-essential things like sleep, work, food, etc. Otherwise, nothing was going to pry this baby from my hands.

The motorways of England have become a killing field for a madman who preys on those who have suffered car breakdowns late at night. Thinking that someone has come to rescue them, instead they die in increasingly brutal fashion.

Andy Seer, a young constable only a few months on the job, is on patrol duty when the third attack occurs. He's also certain that he has just seen a shadowy figure trawling around, acting extremely suspicious, near where what ends up being the scene of the crime. But Seer's much older, far more jaded partner Ray Walker pooh-poohs the sighting as late-night hallucination. The image festers in Andy's mind, but every time he voices anything to his superiors, no one believes him.

Increasingly frustrated, about to lose his place on patrol and suffering from bouts of severe insomnia and anger, Andy decides the only way he'll show he's right and keep the job of his dreams is to hunt down the killer himself.

The suspense of OUTSIDE THE WHITE LINES is, from the first page, absolutely relentless. Simms accomplishes this by alternating the viewpoints between Andy, the Hunter; the killer, who turns out to be a fairly ordinary man with a wife, child, and ever-increasing rage; and the mysterious Searcher, who forages near the scenes of crime for hidden treasures and links to Andy and the killer in an unexpected and shocking fashion. Though in many other authors' hands this rapid shifting could get confusing, here it never does. The three main characters have such distinctive voices that I never lost track of who did what, and where they fit in.

The tension remains at maximum level because of the juxtaposition between the ordinariness of both Andy and the killer and the peculiarities of the Searcher. The prose, too, is lean and spare. Every sentence moves the plot along, and character development is accomplished in brief but effective strokes. Though this book comes in at only about 200 pages in hardcover, we learn so much about the trio. Not a word is wasted.

OUTSIDE THE WHITE LINES is a great thriller, but what's amazing is that it is Simms' first book. Frankly, it doesn't read like one--this is one polished effort. He is a writer to watch, someone who will carve his own unique voice in the crime fiction world.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Sarah - RAM

Book Review: Outside The White Lines