Wrong Time, Wrong Place

by Simon Kernick

Have you ever been in the wrong place at the wrong time? You are hiking in the Scottish highlands with three friends when you come across a girl. She is half-naked, has been badly beaten, and she can't speak English. She is clearly running away from someone. Do you stop to help her? This book deals with these questions.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Short Stories, Horror, Mystery Thriller

112 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2012

About the author

Simon Kernick (born 1966 in Slough, Berkshire) is a British thriller/crime writer now living in Oxfordshire with his wife and two daughters. He attended Gillotts School, a comprehensive in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Whilst he was a student his jobs included fruitpicker and Christmas-tree uprooter. He graduated from Brighton Polytechnic in 1991 with a degree in humanities. Kernick had a passion for crime fiction writing from a young age and produced many short stories during his time at polytechnic. After graduating Kernick joined MMT Computing in London in early 1992, where a relative was the Chairman and Managing Director. Kernick was a key member of the sales team and was very highly regarded. However, he left the company after 4 years in the hope of trying to secure a publishing deal. Despite interest from a number of publishers Kernick was unable to secure a deal, so he joined the sales force of the specialist IT and Business Consultancy Metaskil plc in Aldermaston, Berkshire in 1998 where he remained until he secured his first book deal (The Business of Dying) in September 2001. His novel Relentless was recommended on Richard & Judy's Summer book club 2007. It was the 8th best-selling paperback, and the best-selling thriller in the UK in the same year

Reviews

[Lance Greenfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pacey, tense, horrific and unpredictable

The pace is fast. The tension is tense. The violence is horrific.

From the moment that a dysfunctional quartet of hikers in the Scottish Highlands rescue a young, naked East European woman from her pursuers, they are in serious danger. It is not long before the blood is spattering all over the place.

It is very unlikely that you will predict the ending.

This is one of the better quick reads. You'll read it in one sitting as you won't be able to put it down until you've read the last word.

[Constantine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5/5.0

A short story about two couples who go to spend a holiday in the forest and find a naked injured girl who cannot speak English. Their holiday turns to a nightmare! The story is very short, there is no character build up. It feels generic like many horror stories and movies I have seen yet it is enjoyable and has the chilling atmosphere expected. Was a fun quick read.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐ = Good.

Now I'm notoriously hard to please when it comes to enjoying short stories but this was clever.
Very fast paced, filled with tension and had a great ending. Well done, SK!

[Ashley says Free Palestine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was infuriating.

[Erica⭐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

When hiking in the Scottish hills you come across a girl who is running like her life depends on getting away, she is naked, desperate and doesn't speak English but what can you do, you're here on holiday. 4 friends decide that they will take her to their holiday home and try to help her but if she is running from something then won't that something come for them too?

[Rossy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read, fast-paced, but as it was a short book, the characters weren't developed so I felt no emotion towards them. Also, the plot was predictable.

[Mónica Cordero Thomson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Como ver una película de estas de Antena 3 el sábado por la tarde.

[✩ zahara ✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

jeezus
my heart was pounding for like 80% of that

[Mikayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, but nothing special. Read just as a quick read for a readathon which surged it's purpose. If I had the time for this as a full length book with fully fledged out characters and storyline I would've loved this.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a Simon Kernick story and I've got to say I didn't enjoy it. I rated this book 2/5 stars as I didn't like the story line, I found it quite horrific and a bit too far fetched. None of the characters were described at all during the story so I felt no connection to them like I usually would. I have to admit it was gripping and I did want to know what happened next, but when it came to the end I was really disappointed. It ended sharply and made me feel like "Oh is that it?!" I don't recommend this book to anyone and quite frankly I wish I hadn't read it.

[Paige Bookdragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminds me of a movie I watched years ago. A group of hikers were in hiking somewhere in Scotland and they (to make a long story short) found a girl buried in an underground room. They saved her but the kidnappers found out and the they were hunted blah blah blah.

Though I wasn't really attached to the characters, the story was nice and easy to read.

[Liz Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t realise just how short this would be! 92 pages of large font it was a bit like reading a school essay. It was ok but very predictable and as many others do it made the police look very stupid!

[Amber Saleemi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, part of Galaxy quick reads, I read another book by this author and had to buy a couple more of his books! This was just great, short and sweet, tense, and fast-paced. This would make for a good film! And the twist at the end? I was flabbergasted

[bo regeer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt so rushed and unbelievable. Bad thing after bad thing happened and it just didn't do something for me😭 It was a quick read but that's about it.

[Tim Orfanos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μια νουβέλα (2012) 92 σελίδων καταιγιστικής περιπέτειας και αγωνίας με έντονα στοιχεία horror που έχει ως κεντρικό θέμα το trafficking και την καταδιωκτική ατμόσφαιρα των δασών και της βρετανικής υπαίθρου. Ο Κέρνικ έχει εξελιχθεί σε ένα δεξιοτέχνη του μυστηρίου και του σασπένς.

Βαθμολογία: 4,2/5 ή 8,4/10.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I have enjoyed at least one of Kernick's books, on the whole I've found them to be too over-the-top on the action side & with things happening at a too fast pace....I half expect KAPOW & BAM to be flashing up like in the old Batman TV series!

Despite this being only 90 pages long it was certainly packed with events but had the feel to me of a longer tale that had been chopped down. I quite often say that books could benefit from some condensing but surprisingly this is one that I think I would have appreciated better as a full length novel where the characters could have been developed....and if I'm brutally honest, some of the dialogue was a bit cheesy, as in this exchange...

Ash "You'll never get away with it"
Dora " Oh we will get away with it, my love. Don't you worry your pretty little head about that"

Just missing an evil mwahhahaha & the appearance of some meddling kids!

[Alexia Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this short in a matter of hours yesterday. Steady paced and gripping none the less. So unpredictable loved every page of it! Simon Kernick has a great hooking writing style that leaves you wanting more. He has found a new fan in me will definitely be reading more of his books!

[Between The Pages (Gemma M) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was brilliant. It had me jumping at every sound around me, I was literally immersed in this story. For me this was more a horror. The stuff of nightmares. Petrifying. Tense. Dark. Brutal. Deathly. I loved it. A real page turner and would highly recommend. Another quick read at 100 pages. But one that doesn’t end well (like they usually do). Literally is running fot your life in this book. Imagine seeing everyone you love killed before your eyes. Awful, but gripping.
A well deserved five stars from me. Don’t think I could forget this one if I tried.

[karla_bookishlife · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great short thriller with a chilling conclusion. Perfect for reading in one sitting.

[Charlotte ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Fast paced and interesting to begin with but faded out towards the end.
I was disappointed with the ending, though I could see where the author was going with it.

[Tracey Pearce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow what a book, did not expect the twist at the end! However it was set it the Highlands so dont understand why the Strathclyde CID would be sent to investigate.

[Romy Ling · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Very Fast paced, short read. Really good ending.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever been in the wrong place, at the wrong time? Ashleigh Murray and her husband Nick, along with his old college friend Guy and his wife Tracy, suddenly are when, on a hike in a seemingly remote part of Scotland, they are approached by a naked Polish woman who we (the reader) know has just escaped from some kind of incarceration. Helping her, they manage to incur the wrath of the people who were supposed to be guarding the frightened woman and suddenly, none of them are safe. This is a gruesome thriller (that edges into horror territory at times) told at a cracking pace, though sadly the characterisation suffers for that and we don’t find out much about any of the cast, even the “final girl”. Also, unusually for the quick reads series, some of the writing here feels really loose (“This whole thing felt unreal, like stepping into a nightmare. Except it wasn’t a nightmare. It was actually happening, right now.” and Ash pulls “a thick knot of matted hair out of her eyes.”), which surprised me. Having said that, if you want a straightforward thriller that ratchets the tension up all the way through, this isn’t a bad read at all.

[Megan Wintrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a quick read, especially after you've been reading some hefty size books 😂

I really wanted to punch Guy and Tracy in the first couple of chapters, such whining babies urgh!

This was such a gripping read, I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was such a great story I really liked Ash's character such a strong willed woman!

I loved it.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by admitting that I am a huge Simon Kernick fan and believe he deserves higher recognition for his excellent novels. This quick read (100+ pages) is full of action, strong characters and lots of tension. For me Simon Kernick is one of the few writers who can write good short stories that are fully developed and contain so much action and intrigue. I find most short stories either lack crafted characters or developed plots or both, this can not be said of Simon Kernick.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon Kernick is pure genius ....

A remote weekend getaway for two couples soon turns into a nightmare when they accidently discover a naked woman running through the woods. Being the good samaritans that most people are they take her in, believing they will help her only for her kidnappers to turn up on their doorstep instead, determined to leave no witnesses.

Gripping, an ingenious idea with a great twist at the end ...

[KL Caley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Premise: Ash and Guy are hiking in the Scottish Highlands with their couple friends who they are quickly becoming irritated with. The couples come across a girl. She is half-naked, has been badly beaten, and she can't speak English. She is clearly running away from someone or something. The couples argue whether to leave her or help her when Ash makes the decision they should help her and they take her back to the holiday home they are renting. However, unbeknownst to them the girl is being followed and the follower is determined to cover their tracks at all costs.

I liked this book. It is part of the “quick reads” collection which I have began looking through lately. The idea of this collection is exactly as it says on the tin (or should that be cover), a shorter than normal book by world leading authors. One of the things I quite like about these books are that they force the authors to cut out a lot of the waffle that sometimes goes on in books. This keeps the stories quite fast paced with a lot happening in less time. Wrong Place, Wrong Time is no exception with a clear cut storyline and fast paced plot it meets the quick read criteria perfectly.

The only downside to this (and the main reason I haven’t given it 5 stars) is that in this book particularly you aren’t really given the time to really like or hate any of the characters. Ash who seems to be the main character/hero of the book, I couldn’t remember the name of and I had to flick back through the book to find it out before writing this review. I have read a few books in the quick reads series now and others seem to manage this slightly better.

I always think it is useful to see an extract of an author’s writing and in this book there are quite a few action focussed parts to choose from but I thought this one is quite interesting as its intriguing without giving too much plot away:

The last thing she remembered was the current driving her into the shallows where she could feel the ground beneath her feet. Then, finally, everything went black.

This book takes place in the Scottish Highlands and I think the author manages to capture the sense of remoteness and isolation very well in this book.

I liked the ending of this book. It was not what I expected at all and I love when a book can still surprise me. All in all a pretty good read. A great introduction to this author and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Please leave a like if you think my review/feedback of the item was helpful to you. Alternatively, please contact me if you want me to clarify something in my review.

[Shannon Bavister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have become such a fan of quick reads; they make for a great change from longer novellas, I can pick them up and devour them in one sitting and this has been a truly great book to start the year with.

This book starts with an Albanian girl trafficked to the UK and now trapped by shackles in a basement after being kidnapped two weeks earlier: the only friend she had made has been taken away and presumed dead and Tara knows she is next.

She manages to escape, naked and afraid, and runs directly into the path of four hikers - Nick, Ash, Guy and Tracy - Tara speaks no English, so the group has no way of knowing the horrors she has been through, and the horrors that will await them for helping her escape her captors.

Wow! Simon Kernick has produced a fast paced, thrilling and gruesome thriller without an excellent storyline and poignant characters within a total of 91 pages. Like goldilocks, I don’t think this book was too short or too long, it was just right!

There is some extreme graphic violence including brains exploding, flesh slicing and face smashing; so if you’re not a fan of blood and gore perhaps this is not for you.

I loved Ash as a character and her determination to survive; even when her morals were compromised - she was definitely not going down without a fight.

There was superb twists in the book and the final chapter, I have no words, other than incredible.

Possibly the best book to start 2024 with and I would highly recommend!

[Jodi Wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was keen to try this Quickread, and older book that I had not yet read and a new author for me too. When a group of holiday makers see a girl running towards them naked they know something is wrong, they have to help her. They take her back to there log cabin in the woods where they are staying to ring for help but with severe consequences that no one is expecting. A great quick paced story that will keep you gripped until the end.

[Elizabeth Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good for how short it was! Because it’s so short, I can’t really say much without giving it away lol but man this story really is all about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the ending? 🤯🤯🤯 If you’re into short stories, definitely check this book out! It’s only $1.95 on Amazon and in my opinion, pretty worth it for a $2 book lol it’s also included in the Spotify free audiobooks if you haven’t premium 🫶🏻❤️