The First 48 Hours by Simon Kernick

 

The Vanishers are a skilled team of kidnappers. After they abduct their victim they demand a ransom, stressing that the abductee will be returned unharmed as long as the family does not contact the police. To date, they've kept their word. When Henry Day is kidnapped his parents turn to the police, breaking the rules set by the kidnappers.

I vividly remember reading my first Simon Kernick book. Back in 2007 Relentless was picked as one of the Richard & Judy summer reads and I couldn't put it down, I loved the action-packed story that never let up for a second. This set me off reading anything else the author published. It's only as I turned to  The First 48 Hours that it struck me that it's been a while since I've actually read anything by Simon Kernick, simply because there are so many other books out there.

While this is more of a police procedural than anything else, we learn very early on that it's a little different. The Vanishers pick their targets carefully, demand payment by Bitcoin and release their victim unharmed. It has been impossible to identify the criminals as they've left no clues. The reason they've been so successful is that the person organising everything is police officer Keith "Fish" Fisher. Not only is he a police officer, he's actually the head of the NCA Anti-kidnap team. 

The fact that the person masterminding the kidnappings is also trying to find the kidnappers means that Fish is aware that the family of the latest victim has contacted the police. This contact results in devastating consequences. Both the police and the public are made clearly aware that the kidnappers will follow through with their threats.

The book then moves to a completely different character, Becca Barraclough, a successful defense barrister who believes that everyone deserves the best defense possible, no matter what they've been accused of. It's her job to try and plant reasonable doubt in the jury's mind. You immediately wonder how Becca's storyline is connected to the Vanishers, and then her daughter is kidnapped. This time around it isn't money that the kidnappers demand.

There are very few redeeming qualities among the array of characters that feature in the story. Many of the characters come across as caricatures of criminals, their driving force is self-preservation and they are more than willing to double-cross each other if that means they'll escape. 

Despite the short time frame of the storyline, I felt that the pacing was erratic. It was only towards the end that I felt it picked up and there was an element of danger. Thankfully, the conclusion was very satisfying.

The First 48 Hours by Simon Kernick will be published on 9th November 2023 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for a review copy.