A Time to Run (Constable Sammi Willis, #1) in Aussie Readers

Jun 09, 2015 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: net-galley, aussie-authors, 2015-release, read-on-kindle, thriller, recommendation-gr-friend, arc, own-read

The argument escalated between Samantha Willis and her long-time partner Gavin until he left the house for a run to cool down. Sammie decided she needed more than just a couple of hours break from Gavin – phoning her best friend Candy had her throwing some overnight bits and pieces into her car and heading the three hours to Candy’s place. Being a Friday night, Sammie knew the two friends would have a welcome night on the town – she hadn’t indulged in a long time, but it felt right after the fru The argument escalated between Samantha Willis and her long-time partner Gavin until he left the house for a run to cool down. Sammie decided she needed more than just a couple of hours break from Gavin – phoning her best friend Candy had her throwing some overnight bits and pieces into her car and heading the three hours to Candy’s place. Being a Friday night, Sammie knew the two friends would have a welcome night on the town – she hadn’t indulged in a long time, but it felt right after the frustration of yet another argument with Gavin. Several hours later after a few drinks Sammie’s thoughts had mellowed; they headed to a nearby pub for last drinks – but when it looked like Candy was tied up for the rest of the night, Sammie decided to catch a taxi back to her house to get a few hours’ sleep before heading back into Brisbane for work – her shift started at midday…

Gavin had continually tried to ring Sammie – but she wasn’t answering her phone. But as the hours counted down to when her shift began, he had an uneasy feeling that something was terribly wrong. Sammie would not miss work for anything – she was a cop and the ribbing she would get for just being hungover wasn’t something she would take a chance on. As the police began to get involved and Sammie was officially listed as a missing person, Gavin’s heart wrenching fear suddenly felt terribly real. What had happened to the woman he loved?

Detective Janine Postlewaite was lead in the investigation and immediately she felt a connection – this was a case she wouldn’t let go; she would find Sammie – her determination and fervour meant she had to succeed. But as the evidence mounted and the clues were slowly revealed, the police men and women weren’t hopeful they would find her alive. Was she the victim of a serial killer? Or was this just a random event? Either way Sammi needed to be strong; there was a madman out there and it was imperative they find him before it was too late…

Wow! A Time to Run is a brilliant debut thriller from Aussie author J.M. Peace! My heart was racing, the pages were flying past – I could not put this down. The plot is excellent; tautly woven and well executed, the tension continued to build in impressive waves. The setting in Queensland, Australia was wonderfully done; all in all a great police procedural. I have no hesitation in highly recommending this totally gripping thriller to all lovers of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ecopy to read and review. Thanks also to Reading, Writing and Riesling for my paper copy which I won.
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Apr 17, 2015 Tonile Reads 📚 rated it it was amazing

Hands down one of the best books I've read all year.

This review originally appeared at: http://mycupandchaucer.com/a-time-to-....

Police procedurals and I have a tenuous relationship. Countless times I’ve been lured in with a deceptive blurb or the ‘you must read this’ cries of a friend, only to remember halfway through that I find the detail of police procedurals too dense to stay interested. I’ve seen A Time to Run described as a police procedural, and to a certain extent it is, but it is expe Hands down one of the best books I've read all year.

This review originally appeared at: http://mycupandchaucer.com/a-time-to-....

Police procedurals and I have a tenuous relationship. Countless times I’ve been lured in with a deceptive blurb or the ‘you must read this’ cries of a friend, only to remember halfway through that I find the detail of police procedurals too dense to stay interested. I’ve seen A Time to Run described as a police procedural, and to a certain extent it is, but it is expertly balanced with a gripping and thrilling mystery to solve and doesn’t get weighed down by the details. Basically, it’s a police procedural, but a really, really, really good one.

The author is a serving police officer and this brings a refreshing authenticity to the writing. This isn’t a non-cop author showing you all the things she knows about policing; it’s a no-nonsense, realistic account of how missing persons cases are investigated and it’s written by an author who demonstrates an accomplished writing style not frequently seen in a debut novel. Peace draws from what she knows to create a wonderful cast of police officers. While the story does regularly switch viewpoints, all but the viewpoint of the suspect is a cop’s perspective, even the victim who is a cop herself. Quite frankly, it’s pretty heavy shit. But it’s good shit. The kind that keeps you up all night, racing towards the finish line because you need to know what happens.

I was completely floored by the ending. I started crying from page 200-ish and didn’t let up until the end. The relief I felt when the case was closed (no spoilers, but obviously a case has to be closed) was palpable. I reacted a bit like this once I read the final word:

In A Time to Run, Peace has created two compelling and strong female voices. Sammi, the police officer who is abducted, is the kind of person you’d want in your ‘end of the world, the zombies are here’ squad. She’s resourceful, calm, and rational. She’s most certainly not a robot and she does demonstrate the array of emotions I suspect most abduction victims experience, but she’s cool-headed and her viewpoint sections are chillingly believable. She is adamant that she was targeted–there is no victim-blaming to find here, and this is a poignant tip of the hat to current events in Australia. (Hey, Sunrise, I’m looking at you.) The other important viewpoint cop, the cop on team Find Sammi, is Detective Janine Postlewaite. Janine is badass, and I found myself hoping that Peace drew on some of herself for this character. If I ever suffer the unfortunate fate of being abducted, I hope a detective like Janine Postlewaite tries to find me.

Readers from South East Queensland will have the added thrill of recognising suburbs and landmarks in the story. As a former resident of Brisbane, I found the locational familiarity to be super creepy. This could be anyone, maybe even someone I know, such is the way A Time to Run is written. If you like police procedurals, pick up this book. If you like strong female characters, pick up this book. If you like tense reads that grip you and don’t let you go, pick up this book. If you believe in the power of Australian authors, pick up this book. Heck, just pick up this book. ...more

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Jun 01, 2015 Tien rated it really liked it

Shelves: thriller, crime, australian-author, own

A thrilling debut by J.M. Peace, A Time to Run tells of what happens when a police officer turns victim. As a serving police officer, Peace would have many experiences in policing and the challenge was to put all this in a book that engages the reader. And… it was so furiously engaging, I finished it in a day (a long time ago, I could’ve said, ‘in one sitting’, but with a job & 2 little ones… “a day” basically means “1 sitting”).

Samantha (Sammi) Willis is a dedicated police officer. You would ex A thrilling debut by J.M. Peace, A Time to Run tells of what happens when a police officer turns victim. As a serving police officer, Peace would have many experiences in policing and the challenge was to put all this in a book that engages the reader. And… it was so furiously engaging, I finished it in a day (a long time ago, I could’ve said, ‘in one sitting’, but with a job & 2 little ones… “a day” basically means “1 sitting”).

Samantha (Sammi) Willis is a dedicated police officer. You would expect that as such, she would be very aware of just how easily one becomes a victim. You would have thought her to be extra vigilant. This was the first part I struggled with in this novel. However, considering the circumstances (the drinks, the late hour, the weariness, the possible threat of something worse), I guess, sometimes, you’d let slip and ‘trust’ a stranger. Unfortunately, this time, it doesn’t turn out so good for Sammi.

An extract relating to the above paragraph can be found on J.M. Peaces’s blog, here

A Time to Run spans over one weekend. I compare it to 24 (tv series) but 72 instead. There’s a ‘snapshot’ of the day/time (bold headers) before each unfolding event. Each was short and sweet with alternating perspectives between Sammi, the bad guy, and the ones looking for them. This structure sets the pace and tone of the story -it was fast, tight, and exhilarating. There were a couple of instances that I thought she was fact-dropping about policing but that’s basically 2 sentences in 228 pages -they were kind of woven into the story but still stood out to me so that could’ve been done differently.

I found A Time to Run to be very realistic. I like that the ending isn’t all rosy, that such a horrific event will affect a person’s functions terribly and that the law isn’t perfect. I think the author has been very successful in being very convincing through multiple perspectives despite their varied backgrounds and very different intents. Overall, a terrific debut that will leave you wanting more. Thankfully, Peace is working on a sequel…or two!

Thanks to Macmillan Australia for copy of book in exchange of honest review ...more

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Jul 02, 2015 Janine rated it really liked it

I was lucky enough to win this book from the author in her online book launch! I am always very supportive of a new voice in Australian fiction and was not disappointed.

The author is a serving Queensland policewoman and I'm sure she weaved some police experience into this book, and it showed.

Sammi has an argument with her boyfriend and decides to have a night out with a girlfriend, little does she know the consequences of that night out. Bored with what was going on in the nightclub, she foolish ...more

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Sep 07, 2015 Robin rated it really liked it

This debut crime novel is an absorbing narrative, with plenty of tension and suspense. The thing I liked most about it was its realism, which was done so well that I could easily imagine the events happening in real life just as they're portrayed in the book.

This is testament to the fact that the author is a policewoman - the police procedures ring true and during the course of the story she corrects some common misconceptions about the way police operate. The characters are also very real and ...more

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