Exile is the excellent, exciting and explosive debut novel by author Rachel McCollin.

It is an original smoothie of genres, best described as a revenge thriller set in a post-apocalyptic Britain.

The country has flooded and the survivors are separated into small isolated communities. One such community led by the villainous Robert Cope kidnaps four women from a neighbouring community led by siblings Jess and Ben. What follows is a story of escape, rescue and survival.

McCollin has crafted an addictive page-turner through her use of short, punchy chaptettes, which flit between either side of the rescue mission. Her range is shown through multiple narrative perspectives, including village leader Jess, imprisoned Ruth, reluctant villain Martin, and left-behind Ben.

All the while, the intrigue is maintained by a gripping central mystery: what is driving Robert Cope’s vendetta against Ben?

McCollin has a natural flair for writing action scenes, with an early rescue mission on choppy waves and a later escape attempt, particularly worthy of mention (and open mike performances).

I also get the impression that McCollin has built her world far beyond the borders of the two communities glimpsed in this novel, in which case I am keen to see sequels, threequels and spin-offs.

If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers then Exile is extremely worth your while.

If you would like Simon to review your book then check out his Review Policy for more information. Sign up to Simon's newsletter to hear more about his reading and writing projects.

Last January, I set myself five writing resolutions to keep me focussed in 2017. These were mostly successful, so I'm setting myself another five for 2018.

So, in the next twelve months, I will strive to:

1. Publish Breadcrumbs 2
2. Publish Breadcrumbs 3
3. Publish Nephos 3
4. Enter Room 204
5. Attend a writers' conference

I'm also going to blog less, which controversially goes against the content marketing approach, which we self-published authors depend upon.

However, it has to be said, blogging takes up stacks of time which could be spent writing fiction. Therefore, my monthly writing updates are going to become quarterly and I am dialling back on writing reviews.

I may also read a lot less.

I know all of this is a travesty but Steve Redgrave's famous Olympic strategy boiled down to one question: "Will it make the boat go faster?"

Steve did nothing unless it helped his goal of winning a gold rowing medal. My goal is to publish books, so everything else which is writing-related (blogs, reviews, reading, competitions) can take a backseat until that goal is achieved.

If you would like Simon to review your book then check out his Review Policy for more information. Sign up to Simon's newsletter to hear more about his reading and writing projects.