Peter Ash is back in a big way! Nick Petrie delivers another brilliant character-driven novel in The Runaway, a modern tale of genuine altruism vs. unadulterated malevolence violently battling for the soul of a young woman on the brink. This excellent thriller sucks you in early and never lets up, continuing one of the best and most underrated series in the thriller genre today.
Peter Ash is driving his old green 1968 Chevy pickup from Oregon to Wisconsin when he comes across a damsel in distress on a gravel road in the middle of Nebraska. Being the kind of guy he is, Peter doesn’t hesitate to offer a ride to the young pregnant woman. However, he learns the situation is more complex than just a broken-down vehicle and quickly finds himself trapped between two cars of armed men with his only means of escape diving off a bluff and into the ice-cold river below. After the harrowing escape, Peter can’t just go on his merry way. Drawn to danger like a moth to a flame, Peter continuously – and willingly, almost gleefully – puts himself in harm's way to rescue the woman from the clutches of a brilliantly evil man. Even with help from June and Lewis, it’s a fight Peter might not survive but one his moral compass and propensity for violence will not let him shy away from.
The Runaway is bursting with all the things that fans love about Nick Petrie’s books. First, Peter Ash is once again driven to do the right thing, attempting to save someone stuck in a threatening circumstance while simultaneously engaging in perilous conflict with a cunning foe just to feel alive. Next, the antagonist is one bad hombre with genius tendencies that allow him to outsmart his opponent and set traps left and right, creating one difficult test after another for our hero to overcome. Then there’s June Cassidy and Lewis. While they don’t feature prominently in the entirety of the book, they arrive with no questions asked and a flourish of expletives to help Peter do what he needs to do. Which is why they are two of my favorite supporting characters of all time! Lastly, this novel is superbly written and an absolute joy to read due to pacing that continually ratchets up the intensity and puts every single character in the crosshairs. You can barely catch your breath, let alone put this book down.
Seven books into this special series, The Runaway confirms what we already knew: Nick Petrie is one of the best in the business at developing compelling characters and delivering exhilarating stories that resonate with readers. He’s got a gift with the pen and we’re all the lucky recipients. Long live Peter Ash, June Cassidy and Lewis. May they wreak havoc and save the day for many years to come.
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