Helen Giltrow’s The Distance is a fast-paced thriller with  a crew of characters who keep changing alliances and identities, and a twisting plot involving murder, sabotage, and relentless secrets.

Wealthy socialite Charlotte Anton operates undercover as Karla, with her steady band of support staff – reminiscent of the “warriors” in the popular television show, Scandal.  They manage impossible uncover tasks, redefining and relocating identities – some not so savory.  Simon Johannsen, a former special ops sniper, has been hired to kill a woman prisoner inside a low security experimental prison.  He contacts Karla to get him in, under the cover of a prisoner.

As the action accelerates, Karla relentlessly pursues the reason for the hit – what has this woman done and who wants her dead?  Meanwhile, Johannsen faces his own problems inside the prison, as ghosts from his past threaten to reveal his cover.  As with any good thriller, no one is who they seem and their motivations shift continually.  Lots of fun – I held my breath til the end – when the unexpected reveals all.  And, as any Hitchcock fan will tell you, all the terror needs a release at the end – and Giltrow delivers.

I found this title on a list of 2014 published books that readers might have missed –  glad I found it.