(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Felicity "Flick" Lloyd is a 28-year-old glaciologist happily ensconced on the remote Antarctic island of South Georgia.  When the last boat of the season leaves, she always breathes a sigh of relief.  She's safe—at least temporarily—from her murderous ex-husband.

Flick isn't as secure as she thinks.  Unbeknownst to her, a man disembarked from the boat and now he's searching for her with dogged determination.  Despite the hostile landscape, he is closing in on Flick.  How will she survive alone in the empty, treacherous wilderness with worsening weather and a target on her back?

The Split, the newest thriller from Sharon Bolton, revolves around a simple premise.  Too simple.  It's Bolton, the queen of I-didn't-see-that-coming plot twists, so you know there's more to this tale than meets the eye!  I've read all of Bolton's books, so I wasn't blindsided by every swerve in the story, but The Split still kept me guessing and speeding through the pages.  I read the book in almost one sitting because I literally could not look away from it.  From its unique, chilling setting to its complex, intriguing characters to its tense, propulsive plot, this novel just plain swept me away.  It may, in fact, have unseated Little Black Lies as my favorite Bolton book.  Needless to say, I loved it.

(Readalikes:  Um, I can't think of anything.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, disturbing subject matter, and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Split from the generous folks at Minotaur Books (a division of St. Martin's Publishing Group/Macmillan) in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!