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The Exile, Allan Folsom
Time Warner
Reviewed by Lisa Hoult (Courtesy of Taranaki Daily News)

"Once you start The Exile, forget sleep," says Stephen Coontz, which is fairly daunting considering the dimensions of this book. A larger-sized paperback, this has 700 pages, so is not for the weak-wristed or lovers of an early night.

John Barron is the newest and youngest member of an elite undercover LAPD Homicide Squad. Their quarry is a cold-blooded killer who is travelling by train to Los Angeles and the squad must capture him without harming any other passengers on board. But their target is aware of their presence and plots a daring escape that, with a little help from fate, sets up the ultimate cat-and-mouse game.

The first 200 pages are packed with non-stop, nail-biting drama and I did devour it in one sitting (and subsequently was late to pick the kids up from school – sorry babes). Then, thank heavens, there's a bit of breather for the next few hundred as background is filled in and scenes are set. The frenetic pace then returns and builds to a huge finale.

If you're a fan of Frederick Forsyth's classic The Day of the Jackal, this is a must-read.
There are some incredibly long sentences throughout Folsom's tome – one I counted contained 70 words. I've never before found myself hunting for a comma or running mentally out of breath – fantastic feats of writing indeed – but the need to re-read them was a little disruptive at times.

Reading the story buried between these covers is the perfect way to spend rainy afternoons, so strap on the ultra-support wrist bands, stock up on the coffee and go for gold.