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Sam Dryden #1
Runner
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2014)Sam Dryden, retired special forces, lives a quiet life in a small town on the coast of Southern California. While out on a run in the middle of the night, a young girl runs into him on the seaside boardwalk. Barefoot and terrified, she's running from a group of heavily armed men with one clear goal—to kill the fleeing child. After Dryden helps her evade her pursuers, he learns that the eleven year old, for as long as she can remember, has been kept in a secret prison by forces within the government. But she doesn't know much beyond her own name, Rachel. She only remembers the past two months of her life—and that she has a skill that makes her very dangerous to these men and the hidden men in charge.Dryden, who lost his wife and young daughter in an accident five years ago, agrees to help her try to unravel her own past and make sense of it, to protect her from the people who are moving heaven and earth to find them both. Although Dryden is only one man, he's a man with the extraordinary skills and experience—as a Ranger, a Delta, and five years doing off-the-book black ops with an elite team. But, as he slowly begins to discover, the highly trained paramilitary forces on their heels is the only part of the danger they must face. Will Rachel's own unremembered past be the most deadly of them all?
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 29, 2014
About the author
Patrick Lee
9 books961 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Patrick Lee was born in west Michigan in 1976.He started writing by working on screenplays but eventually moved to novel writing.
Patrick Lee was born in west Michigan in 1976.He started writing by working on screenplays but eventually moved to novel writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,160 reviews
February 6, 2017
2,5 stars
Runner by Patrick Lee is the 1st in Sam Dryden Series and it's also the first book I've read by this author.
An action packed thriller with a bit of paranormal thrown in.
A lot happens in the first part of the story but then the plot becomes so implausible and beyond far-fetched....I "eye rolled" a couple of times.........all these gadgets and bad guys chasing around.........that's the reason why I didn't give it a full 3star rating!!
I did like Sam Dryden, the main character but there were so many secondary characters that made my head "spin".
By the time I reached the last page......I thought......
Runner by Patrick Lee is the 1st in Sam Dryden Series and it's also the first book I've read by this author.
An action packed thriller with a bit of paranormal thrown in.
A lot happens in the first part of the story but then the plot becomes so implausible and beyond far-fetched....I "eye rolled" a couple of times.........all these gadgets and bad guys chasing around.........that's the reason why I didn't give it a full 3star rating!!
I did like Sam Dryden, the main character but there were so many secondary characters that made my head "spin".
By the time I reached the last page......I thought......
Whilst I didn't hate this book..............I didn't exactly love it and I am not sure if I will read any other books by this author.
October 7, 2022
I needed a palate cleanser between the dark chocolate intensity of Novik’s The Golden Enclaves, and the crunchy deliciousness of Vo’s Into the Riverlands, which I wanted to re-read before reviewing. Enter Runner. And, almost as quickly, exit Runner. It’s a semi-supernatural take on a militaristic manhunt thriller that was for me, pretty silly. I mean, totally not judging you if you enjoyed it. We all need books that give us that escape, right? Personally, I lean towards escapist worlds–it’s not enough for me to dive into someone else’s head; I want to be on another planet if at all possible. Give me a spaceship, throw me into the apocalypse, introduce some fungi rapidly taking over the world and I am there. But a telepathic kid? No so much. But, you know, variety spice of life and all that, friend recommended, aforementioned palate-cleanser, blah-blah, why not?
Runner is extremely fast paced, so it has that going for it, for better or worse. Don’t like what’s going on? Don’t sweat it. Lee isn’t going to navel-gaze the scene and it’ll move on to the next mini-conflict in a couple pages. That can be fun. although because of the supernatural angle, it also can feel a little contrived, so it’s one aspect of the story that may not work for everyone.
Speaking of scenes, writing is generally competent, although honestly, if I was at Minotaur Books, I’d be considering a new editor. I almost quit after stumbling on the opening line:
“Just after three in the morning, Sam Dryden surrendered the night to insomnia and went running on the boardwalk.”
‘Surrendered.’ Damnit, lost my contact in the back of my head again. Thankfully, line two mostly regained my attention:
“Cool humidity clung to him and filtered the lights of El Sedero to his left, the town sliding past like a tanker in the fog.”
But there are lines like that every now and then, where it seems like Lee is reaching for something a little more literary and picked the wrong word out of the thesaurus.
One of the ways Runner stands out is that there’s an important emotional connection that develops. Not really well, but I liked the effort, saving it from being an airport-thriller level knockoff. I could have skipped the viewpoints of the anti-protagonists, but I suppose Lee was trying to show us how no one was really quite ‘evil’ in most of this scenario. There was a lot of this, where we learn one thing, and then learn another thing that is supposed to temper or change our opinion of what happened earlier. Except someone kind of was evil at some point to get to this one, so… fail? But that could have been on me, because I didn’t feel like giving it that much of my time. In chocolate terms, not worth the calories.
Runner is extremely fast paced, so it has that going for it, for better or worse. Don’t like what’s going on? Don’t sweat it. Lee isn’t going to navel-gaze the scene and it’ll move on to the next mini-conflict in a couple pages. That can be fun. although because of the supernatural angle, it also can feel a little contrived, so it’s one aspect of the story that may not work for everyone.
Speaking of scenes, writing is generally competent, although honestly, if I was at Minotaur Books, I’d be considering a new editor. I almost quit after stumbling on the opening line:
“Just after three in the morning, Sam Dryden surrendered the night to insomnia and went running on the boardwalk.”
‘Surrendered.’ Damnit, lost my contact in the back of my head again. Thankfully, line two mostly regained my attention:
“Cool humidity clung to him and filtered the lights of El Sedero to his left, the town sliding past like a tanker in the fog.”
But there are lines like that every now and then, where it seems like Lee is reaching for something a little more literary and picked the wrong word out of the thesaurus.
One of the ways Runner stands out is that there’s an important emotional connection that develops. Not really well, but I liked the effort, saving it from being an airport-thriller level knockoff. I could have skipped the viewpoints of the anti-protagonists, but I suppose Lee was trying to show us how no one was really quite ‘evil’ in most of this scenario. There was a lot of this, where we learn one thing, and then learn another thing that is supposed to temper or change our opinion of what happened earlier. Except someone kind of was evil at some point to get to this one, so… fail? But that could have been on me, because I didn’t feel like giving it that much of my time. In chocolate terms, not worth the calories.
April 2, 2016
Out for a nightly jog, a retired Special Forces member, Sam Dryden encounters a very frightened young girl of 12 as she slams into him. Gasping for breath, she begs him to hide her and not call the police. Although alarm bells go off, Sam sees the terror in her eyes and makes a swift decision. Grabbing her hand they start running searching for a place to hide as several men with flashlights are closing fast. Runner is classed as science fiction; however, Patrick Lee’s writing is quite believable as he cleverly adds technology and medical science to a realistic and convincing plot. Nonstop, heart pounding action throughout the entire book, it was a fast and exciting read.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
August 22, 2021This story started out exciting. A retired special force sees a girl while jogging. She's being hunted by the government people and he helps her escape. She's gifted (sounds like X-Men?). Not sure what happened, if it's the character or audio. Checked out after 25%.
DNF 40% ~ 3hr 30m
DNF 40% ~ 3hr 30m
April 19, 2015
This novel is like Jason Bourne meets Enemy of the State meets Minority Report.
In short, it's a kick-ass thriller. I inhaled this book in less than a day, pausing only to sleep. And even while sleeping, I was thinking about the story.
When Sam Dryden can't sleep, he likes to go for a jog. One night he runs smack into a young girl, who is fleeing in terror from some guys who want to kill her. Sam, who is ex-military, agrees to help her escape.
What follows is 328 pages of awesomeness. It turns out the girl, Rachel, has some special skills that the government wants to control. Sam grows attached to Rachel and thinks of her like a daughter, and he does his best to help. There are a lot of good twists to the plot, and there was a fantastic reveal to the mystery of the girl's powers.
I've been reading a lot of thrillers lately, and this was a great one. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good heart-pumping, non-stop action fest.
In short, it's a kick-ass thriller. I inhaled this book in less than a day, pausing only to sleep. And even while sleeping, I was thinking about the story.
When Sam Dryden can't sleep, he likes to go for a jog. One night he runs smack into a young girl, who is fleeing in terror from some guys who want to kill her. Sam, who is ex-military, agrees to help her escape.
What follows is 328 pages of awesomeness. It turns out the girl, Rachel, has some special skills that the government wants to control. Sam grows attached to Rachel and thinks of her like a daughter, and he does his best to help. There are a lot of good twists to the plot, and there was a fantastic reveal to the mystery of the girl's powers.
I've been reading a lot of thrillers lately, and this was a great one. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good heart-pumping, non-stop action fest.
March 7, 2014
The torrid pace produced eyestrain and finger cramps, as I flipped pages on my Kindle as fast as I could. I literally raced ahead as if I were a RUNNER, which I am on most days. And I might have forgotten who I was for about four hours or so. Or possibly longer. There’s no real way to tell. But my Kindle was juiced up and ready to go, and the story was filled with enough keyholes that I needed a better master than the one currently in my possession. I slipped and slid, and I might have even broken my neck were I not sitting down, as the story took off faster than a Viper on the open road.
Sam Dryden showed more heart from the word go than I expected from a former Delta Forces member, and he sure as shit didn’t mind hopping back in the game after an extended cooling off period. But maybe he’d never left the battlefield, or maybe all he needed was an excuse to strap a submachine gun to his chest and place himself in the line of fire. Or it might have just been the right cause at the right time. There’s always the chance a Jedi mind trick was shoved in his direction, but that’s all hearsay.
Rachel showed plenty of poise and heart and even a bit of warm liquid goo. She was the alpha without a true omega, and she might have needed saving. Or then again, she might not. But I liked her from the beginning, even if I didn’t always understand her motivation. Like the story itself, she kept me on my toes, as I danced around the landmines that seemed to await me every fifty feet or so.
While the ending may have fit the story perfectly, that doesn’t mean I have to like it. But it worked, just like all the rest of it. Now if I can bring my adrenaline rush back down to a more normal speed, I might save myself and my heart from further complications.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
Sam Dryden showed more heart from the word go than I expected from a former Delta Forces member, and he sure as shit didn’t mind hopping back in the game after an extended cooling off period. But maybe he’d never left the battlefield, or maybe all he needed was an excuse to strap a submachine gun to his chest and place himself in the line of fire. Or it might have just been the right cause at the right time. There’s always the chance a Jedi mind trick was shoved in his direction, but that’s all hearsay.
Rachel showed plenty of poise and heart and even a bit of warm liquid goo. She was the alpha without a true omega, and she might have needed saving. Or then again, she might not. But I liked her from the beginning, even if I didn’t always understand her motivation. Like the story itself, she kept me on my toes, as I danced around the landmines that seemed to await me every fifty feet or so.
While the ending may have fit the story perfectly, that doesn’t mean I have to like it. But it worked, just like all the rest of it. Now if I can bring my adrenaline rush back down to a more normal speed, I might save myself and my heart from further complications.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
November 19, 2013
I really enjoyed this thriller, which felt like a cross between Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity and Stephen King's Firestarter.
Out for a late night run, protagonist Sam Dryden winds up on the run, aiding a mysterious girl named Rachel who has escaped from a facility with no memory of her life before her time there, chased by men -- professionals -- with orders to kill her.
The book never lets up, making it hard to put down. Despite the breakneck pacing, there is a decent amount of depth to the characters, and in some cases they are not all they seem to be. The climax was excellent, and earned, and the ending was neither oversimplified nor saccharine, which I appreciated.
While the novel did not set up for a sequel, I would definitely enjoy reading more about its main characters, if the author chose to revisit them.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
Out for a late night run, protagonist Sam Dryden winds up on the run, aiding a mysterious girl named Rachel who has escaped from a facility with no memory of her life before her time there, chased by men -- professionals -- with orders to kill her.
The book never lets up, making it hard to put down. Despite the breakneck pacing, there is a decent amount of depth to the characters, and in some cases they are not all they seem to be. The climax was excellent, and earned, and the ending was neither oversimplified nor saccharine, which I appreciated.
While the novel did not set up for a sequel, I would definitely enjoy reading more about its main characters, if the author chose to revisit them.
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
November 24, 2015
Mala neobičnost, zašto pet ovoj knjizi?
U biti ovo je SF akcijski thriller (sami zemljani, nema nikakvih vanzemaljaca) s mogućom, znanstveno potkovanom, tehnologijom (i biologijom).
1. knjiga je 100% "ljepljiva" - teško se baca iz ruku i akcija je non-stop, dobro napisana što je već za jaku trojku do četvorku.
2. ono bitno što je donijelo peticu - nema nelogičnosti i glupih rješenja u tolikoj mjeri da mi nije baš najjasnije (ja uvijek nađem neku glupost, dosta sam zaj... pri teh. naukama i logici) jesam li površno čitao ili je stvarno tako, no kako je ukupni dojam odličan nisam htio dalje istraživati, ipak je ovo "pročitaj, dobro se zabavi i zaboravi" kategorija.
je to uobičajeno i često viđeno - ultra mega mužjak, ex black-op (Reacher, Bond i Norris sakrijte se), curica (12g) u nevolji, cijeli svijet te ganja no stvarno kako je to Lee zamislio je odlično.
meni vrlo zabavno pa probajte malo akcije u "ova sumorna vremena".
neobično mi je bilo drago da me netko ne pravi blentavcem (recimo "ne možemo pokrenuti motor čamca zbog manjka polariteta" sic!)
U biti ovo je SF akcijski thriller (sami zemljani, nema nikakvih vanzemaljaca) s mogućom, znanstveno potkovanom, tehnologijom (i biologijom).
1. knjiga je 100% "ljepljiva" - teško se baca iz ruku i akcija je non-stop, dobro napisana što je već za jaku trojku do četvorku.
2. ono bitno što je donijelo peticu - nema nelogičnosti i glupih rješenja u tolikoj mjeri da mi nije baš najjasnije (ja uvijek nađem neku glupost, dosta sam zaj... pri teh. naukama i logici) jesam li površno čitao ili je stvarno tako, no kako je ukupni dojam odličan nisam htio dalje istraživati, ipak je ovo "pročitaj, dobro se zabavi i zaboravi" kategorija.
je to uobičajeno i često viđeno - ultra mega mužjak, ex black-op (Reacher, Bond i Norris sakrijte se), curica (12g) u nevolji, cijeli svijet te ganja no stvarno kako je to Lee zamislio je odlično.
meni vrlo zabavno pa probajte malo akcije u "ova sumorna vremena".
neobično mi je bilo drago da me netko ne pravi blentavcem (recimo "ne možemo pokrenuti motor čamca zbog manjka polariteta" sic!)
January 22, 2014
Read my review here...
http://badassbookreviews.com/runner-b...
Or here....
Holy smokes, this book went from 0 to 60 in less than 2 pages and I loved it. Packed with non-stop action, this book had my heart rate going like I was the one running instead of the characters.
Action, suspense, and mind control?
Runner has a supernatural element that blended flawlessly into the storyline. I love paranormal and supernatural books so this was an added bonus. The supernatural element is so perfectly placed, even people who normally don’t take a walk down the supernatural side, will enjoy the storyline.
It’s good to know a super secret ex military man when you are on the run.
We have an ex-military former government agent that can fight the bad guys while maintaining a soft side for the girl he is trying to save.
Action, suspense, plus a storyline, oh my!
It has a good storyline made even better by two strong lead characters. One an adult, the other a child. One with no past, running from danger. The other with a past, running to forget. I loved Sam and Rachel. In the beginning you think Sam is saving Rachel but really, before Rachel came into Sam’s life, Sam wasn’t living. He was going through the motions. The story was simply suspense filled. The idea that the government could use people as weapons and then kill them off without a second thought is not so far fetched. The bad guys were icky bad, and the action was plenty.
The story itself is told from multiple points of view and it works effectively. I loved the pace, characters, and the ending. Definitely look forward to more in this series.
http://badassbookreviews.com/runner-b...
Or here....
Holy smokes, this book went from 0 to 60 in less than 2 pages and I loved it. Packed with non-stop action, this book had my heart rate going like I was the one running instead of the characters.
Action, suspense, and mind control?
Runner has a supernatural element that blended flawlessly into the storyline. I love paranormal and supernatural books so this was an added bonus. The supernatural element is so perfectly placed, even people who normally don’t take a walk down the supernatural side, will enjoy the storyline.
It’s good to know a super secret ex military man when you are on the run.
We have an ex-military former government agent that can fight the bad guys while maintaining a soft side for the girl he is trying to save.
Action, suspense, plus a storyline, oh my!
It has a good storyline made even better by two strong lead characters. One an adult, the other a child. One with no past, running from danger. The other with a past, running to forget. I loved Sam and Rachel. In the beginning you think Sam is saving Rachel but really, before Rachel came into Sam’s life, Sam wasn’t living. He was going through the motions. The story was simply suspense filled. The idea that the government could use people as weapons and then kill them off without a second thought is not so far fetched. The bad guys were icky bad, and the action was plenty.
The story itself is told from multiple points of view and it works effectively. I loved the pace, characters, and the ending. Definitely look forward to more in this series.
August 6, 2016
My first book by the author Patrick Lee.
Read many reviews and recommendations for this book including Lee Childs.
Did I really love this book...NO
Action thriller, maybe more a far fetched sci-fi thriller with lot of plot that becomes to far fetched, in fact maybe a little silly and quite heavy going.
It starts out with retired special forces Sam Dryden out for a run. He runs into this young girl named Rachel who is running from these men with guns. So he decides to help her. The longer he runs with her the more he learns about her and the people that are chasing her. The deeper he gets into this the harder it is to keep them a live.
Action parts, chase scenes and pace were good.. sometimes.
Over developed and over the top story, with too many characters that it becomes confusing.
I did like the main character in Sam Dryden, and believe this character will grow with the author.
But this books falls way behind on a collection of great action/thrillers I have read lately.
Not sure if I would recommend this book, maybe adding the far fetched plot in this book put me off.
So only 3 stars from me.
Read many reviews and recommendations for this book including Lee Childs.
Did I really love this book...NO
Action thriller, maybe more a far fetched sci-fi thriller with lot of plot that becomes to far fetched, in fact maybe a little silly and quite heavy going.
It starts out with retired special forces Sam Dryden out for a run. He runs into this young girl named Rachel who is running from these men with guns. So he decides to help her. The longer he runs with her the more he learns about her and the people that are chasing her. The deeper he gets into this the harder it is to keep them a live.
Action parts, chase scenes and pace were good.. sometimes.
Over developed and over the top story, with too many characters that it becomes confusing.
I did like the main character in Sam Dryden, and believe this character will grow with the author.
But this books falls way behind on a collection of great action/thrillers I have read lately.
Not sure if I would recommend this book, maybe adding the far fetched plot in this book put me off.
So only 3 stars from me.
February 21, 2017
3.25 stars
this is indeed a fast paced thriller
my main problem with it is a real need to suspend disbelief throughout. this novel would almost be better served as a screenplay as it has cinematic prose filled with lots of action the problem was in believiability more than anything and if you can overcome that and enjoy unadulterated occasionally absurd escapism this could be a title for you
this is indeed a fast paced thriller
my main problem with it is a real need to suspend disbelief throughout. this novel would almost be better served as a screenplay as it has cinematic prose filled with lots of action the problem was in believiability more than anything and if you can overcome that and enjoy unadulterated occasionally absurd escapism this could be a title for you
April 22, 2024
Another surefire winner from the new master of high-concept suspense thrillers Patrick Lee. I picked up this book to immerse myself in a quick-read action thriller for a few days, and Lee didn't disappoint. I guess that's an understatement, not only did Lee didn't disappoint, he crossed my expectations in leaps and bounds.
The initial plot sounded simple enough : Sam Dryden was an ex-soldier and some ex-deep black if-I-tell-you-I-have-to-kill-you stuff who lost his wife and daughter in an accident and since then was almost a living dead person. One night in an insomniac feat, he went on a midnight run on boardwalk beside the beach, and suddenly got himself collided with a twelve year old little girl who was running for her life. Some bad people were after her and wanted to kill her. They kept her locked inside a facility. She didn't know why, her memory was lost. She couldn't remember any thing beside her name: Rachel. In that instant, for the first time in so many years, Sam got someone to care for, to help. Of course he's going to help her. And so began a breathless, edge of seat, thrill-a-minute nonstop chase novel that would keep the reader glued to the words and the pages would almost go flyby themselves.
But that's only half the story. I know what many readers should be thinking right now (even while I was enjoying it greatly, I admit I was thinking the same thing), sure it is suspenseful, but still its nothing new. A dark, brooding lone hero who just happened to be in the right place at the right time to save an innocent kid from some despicable psycho killers? Its predictable, it happened many times before in various novels and movies. Yeah, not so much. One thing Patrick Lee's novels are NOT, that is being predictable. He has an amazing knack for starting a novel with a seemingly ordinary plot and then completely turn it's head on itself to make it anything but ordinary or normal. This one is no exception. For about the first half of the book, the story is essentially one chase sequence after another where the bad guys kept tracking the duo with ultra-modern satellite techs and Dryden kept invading them with increasingly ingenious ways. Run, run, run! While on the run, both of them tried to delve deeper into the forgotten realms of Rachel's memories to make a sense of everything, and this is where the plot took some wild turns to set itself apart from other conventional chase thriller to become something truly unique and extraordinary. And you do have to go 'Holy shit!' in some revelations, which in less capable hands could have easily been "Holy shit, its awful!", but from Lee it's perfectly became "Holy shit, its awesome!".
All that awesomeness not only lies with great storytelling, but also and much more importantly with some great characterizations to make the main characters seem real with flesh & blood and thoughts and happiness and sadness and everything that make them human, where Patrick Lee excelled in spectacular style as well. Because even though the book started as an action-thriller, make no mistake: this is a 100% character-driven thoughtful thriller where the main action is going in one's head (in more ways than one). The linchpin of the whole story is the relationship between Sam and Rachel. Both of these characters were painted with so much care and perfect detailing that you can almost touch the sorrow and pain behind Sam's hard exterior for the loss of his family and the love and fatherly affection he felt for Rachel. And in case of Rachel, the hardship and constant fear that went through her for her life, for her forgotten memories and for losing the only kind loving caring feeling from Sam that made her warm instead of the ever present cold, really makes the reader's heart ache for this little kid. The relation and the emotions of both of these two characters were so well drawn and realistic that you completely believe the decisions they made later on which were key to the storyline.
In case of bad guys, its not as black and white as one would think. Even more so that after a certain time the reader would totally not sure who was the actual good guy here and who's bad. That's another win for Lee, because he made the whole plot took place so completely in morally gray area that reader has to pause and think about the implications, about the ethics and what's right & wrong, and the basic human rights that should not, under any circumstances, be violated. The science-stuff and all the military experiments are truly scary and not as science-fictiony as one would think (The nonfiction book "The Men Who Stare at Goats" came to my mind while reading, for example). After 9/11, we are living in a new, unfamiliar dark world where the human moral values and what should or should not be done regularly get bulldozed by what needs to be done by any means necessary. I for one won't be much surprised if some of these stuffs really do come to fruition in the near future, or even already has become some form of reality in some dark corners of the world. When you set aside puny things like human-rights or ethical dilemma in the name of "greater good", any thing is possible.
All in all, I couldn't have ask for a better breakneck-speeding shot-like-a-bullet-and-never-let-up mindblowing thrillride from Patrick Lee. I loved his earlier Breach Trilogy, and since then to me he was one of the new thriller authors to look out for, and after Runner, he certainly became one of my new favorite thriller authors. The innovative plot, The smooth writing, the brisk pacing, the no-nonsense attitude in storytelling is so refreshing and addictive that each of he novels (as of now I read all of them: The Breach-Ghost Country-Deep Sky-Runner) grabbed me from the very first page and never let go until the very end. And speaking of end, I did have some major dissatisfaction with the ending of his last novel 'Deep Sky', but here the finishing was immensely satisfying, with some touches of heartfelt sadness. Although I think there are some minor loose ends, as I found out another Sam Dryden novel is due out this year, I'm guessing they will be addressed and resolved in the upcoming sequel or sequels. From today, I'm impatiently waiting for the next Sam Dryden thriller: Signal!
The initial plot sounded simple enough : Sam Dryden was an ex-soldier and some ex-deep black if-I-tell-you-I-have-to-kill-you stuff who lost his wife and daughter in an accident and since then was almost a living dead person. One night in an insomniac feat, he went on a midnight run on boardwalk beside the beach, and suddenly got himself collided with a twelve year old little girl who was running for her life. Some bad people were after her and wanted to kill her. They kept her locked inside a facility. She didn't know why, her memory was lost. She couldn't remember any thing beside her name: Rachel. In that instant, for the first time in so many years, Sam got someone to care for, to help. Of course he's going to help her. And so began a breathless, edge of seat, thrill-a-minute nonstop chase novel that would keep the reader glued to the words and the pages would almost go flyby themselves.
But that's only half the story. I know what many readers should be thinking right now (even while I was enjoying it greatly, I admit I was thinking the same thing), sure it is suspenseful, but still its nothing new. A dark, brooding lone hero who just happened to be in the right place at the right time to save an innocent kid from some despicable psycho killers? Its predictable, it happened many times before in various novels and movies. Yeah, not so much. One thing Patrick Lee's novels are NOT, that is being predictable. He has an amazing knack for starting a novel with a seemingly ordinary plot and then completely turn it's head on itself to make it anything but ordinary or normal. This one is no exception. For about the first half of the book, the story is essentially one chase sequence after another where the bad guys kept tracking the duo with ultra-modern satellite techs and Dryden kept invading them with increasingly ingenious ways. Run, run, run! While on the run, both of them tried to delve deeper into the forgotten realms of Rachel's memories to make a sense of everything, and this is where the plot took some wild turns to set itself apart from other conventional chase thriller to become something truly unique and extraordinary. And you do have to go 'Holy shit!' in some revelations, which in less capable hands could have easily been "Holy shit, its awful!", but from Lee it's perfectly became "Holy shit, its awesome!".
All that awesomeness not only lies with great storytelling, but also and much more importantly with some great characterizations to make the main characters seem real with flesh & blood and thoughts and happiness and sadness and everything that make them human, where Patrick Lee excelled in spectacular style as well. Because even though the book started as an action-thriller, make no mistake: this is a 100% character-driven thoughtful thriller where the main action is going in one's head (in more ways than one). The linchpin of the whole story is the relationship between Sam and Rachel. Both of these characters were painted with so much care and perfect detailing that you can almost touch the sorrow and pain behind Sam's hard exterior for the loss of his family and the love and fatherly affection he felt for Rachel. And in case of Rachel, the hardship and constant fear that went through her for her life, for her forgotten memories and for losing the only kind loving caring feeling from Sam that made her warm instead of the ever present cold, really makes the reader's heart ache for this little kid. The relation and the emotions of both of these two characters were so well drawn and realistic that you completely believe the decisions they made later on which were key to the storyline.
In case of bad guys, its not as black and white as one would think. Even more so that after a certain time the reader would totally not sure who was the actual good guy here and who's bad. That's another win for Lee, because he made the whole plot took place so completely in morally gray area that reader has to pause and think about the implications, about the ethics and what's right & wrong, and the basic human rights that should not, under any circumstances, be violated. The science-stuff and all the military experiments are truly scary and not as science-fictiony as one would think (The nonfiction book "The Men Who Stare at Goats" came to my mind while reading, for example). After 9/11, we are living in a new, unfamiliar dark world where the human moral values and what should or should not be done regularly get bulldozed by what needs to be done by any means necessary. I for one won't be much surprised if some of these stuffs really do come to fruition in the near future, or even already has become some form of reality in some dark corners of the world. When you set aside puny things like human-rights or ethical dilemma in the name of "greater good", any thing is possible.
All in all, I couldn't have ask for a better breakneck-speeding shot-like-a-bullet-and-never-let-up mindblowing thrillride from Patrick Lee. I loved his earlier Breach Trilogy, and since then to me he was one of the new thriller authors to look out for, and after Runner, he certainly became one of my new favorite thriller authors. The innovative plot, The smooth writing, the brisk pacing, the no-nonsense attitude in storytelling is so refreshing and addictive that each of he novels (as of now I read all of them: The Breach-Ghost Country-Deep Sky-Runner) grabbed me from the very first page and never let go until the very end. And speaking of end, I did have some major dissatisfaction with the ending of his last novel 'Deep Sky', but here the finishing was immensely satisfying, with some touches of heartfelt sadness. Although I think there are some minor loose ends, as I found out another Sam Dryden novel is due out this year, I'm guessing they will be addressed and resolved in the upcoming sequel or sequels. From today, I'm impatiently waiting for the next Sam Dryden thriller: Signal!
September 19, 2015
Sam Dryden, a former soldier, is out running one evening when he meets Rachel, an 11 year old girl who is being hunted by a Government agency. All she can remember about herself is what has happened to her in the last 2 months. Sam helps Rachel escape from her hunters and find out who she really is. He discovers that Rachel is a very dangerous little girl. The story is fast paced and action packed right from the start and doesn't slow down at all. I was never bored with it, though at times I had difficulty keeping up with the pace. This was probably due to not having much time to read. I really liked Sam. He was loveable and such a hero! The storyline was clever and surprising and I will definitely be reading the next one in the series. I recommend giving this one a go, particularly if you are a fan of Lee Child. I noticed some similarities in the way they write, though I much prefer Sam Dryden to Jack Reacher!
April 15, 2015
Runner was raved about by one of my Goodreads friends, so I picked it up from the library. This story is about a man who happens to be in the best place at the right time, and makes the decision to help a girl that changes his whole life.
Sam Dryden has this irresistible compulsion to go running at night, in a certain area. He's been drifting after his personal loss, and believes this is due to his restlessness, and perhaps an existential crisis. He meets a girl who begs him to save her life from her pursuers and makes a split decision to do exactly that. It's fortunate that he's not just a typical guy. He's highly trained in black ops work, and equipped with all the assets needed to keep Rachel alive. It gets more interesting from there. Because Rachel isn't your typical twelve-year-old. Not by a long stretch.
This novel has some really cool ideas. It's like the X-Files episode of Pusher with some heavy duty action thrown in. Rachel's psychic abilities are seriously scary! Sam is a bad*ss. Great combination. It reminded me favorably of one of my favorites series, The GhostWalkers (minus the romance and with a few different aspects).
The things I loved about this book was the bond between Rachel and Sam. Sam assumes a fatherly role, with a little bit of friend thrown in. Rachel definitely needs a parental figure who is honorable and willing to make enormous sacrifices for her, considering her past. One might at first take it for granted that Sam would go so far to defend a young girl. The reveal could have compromised my perception of Sam as a really good guy who acts as Good Samaritan. I thought at first it would, but in the end, I was okay with it. I definitely believe that things happen in our lives for specific reasons, and they were meant to come together, no matter how it happened.
I loved the action elements. I also liked that the story is far from predictable. You don't always know right away who exactly is the big bad. There are a few characters who are doing some nasty things, so it's a coin flip at some points. The story flips things around. All you know is that Sam is a good guy and the right guy to be the bodyguard to Rachel. Things get twisty in that we're dealing with people who can literally get anyone to do whatever they want. You wonder at what point are the characters doing something of their free will. I have some huge issues with control, and that's a very scary thought that someone could control me and make me do something I would never do otherwise. I think Lee understands how truly frightening that is.
Runner is probably equally suspense and action, with some paranormal/science fiction thrown in. It's a really cool premise. It looks like this will be a series, so I wonder what will happen in the next book. I do want to read more of this series and see where the author goes next with the characters he created in this book.
Sam Dryden has this irresistible compulsion to go running at night, in a certain area. He's been drifting after his personal loss, and believes this is due to his restlessness, and perhaps an existential crisis. He meets a girl who begs him to save her life from her pursuers and makes a split decision to do exactly that. It's fortunate that he's not just a typical guy. He's highly trained in black ops work, and equipped with all the assets needed to keep Rachel alive. It gets more interesting from there. Because Rachel isn't your typical twelve-year-old. Not by a long stretch.
This novel has some really cool ideas. It's like the X-Files episode of Pusher with some heavy duty action thrown in. Rachel's psychic abilities are seriously scary! Sam is a bad*ss. Great combination. It reminded me favorably of one of my favorites series, The GhostWalkers (minus the romance and with a few different aspects).
The things I loved about this book was the bond between Rachel and Sam. Sam assumes a fatherly role, with a little bit of friend thrown in. Rachel definitely needs a parental figure who is honorable and willing to make enormous sacrifices for her, considering her past. One might at first take it for granted that Sam would go so far to defend a young girl. The reveal could have compromised my perception of Sam as a really good guy who acts as Good Samaritan. I thought at first it would, but in the end, I was okay with it. I definitely believe that things happen in our lives for specific reasons, and they were meant to come together, no matter how it happened.
I loved the action elements. I also liked that the story is far from predictable. You don't always know right away who exactly is the big bad. There are a few characters who are doing some nasty things, so it's a coin flip at some points. The story flips things around. All you know is that Sam is a good guy and the right guy to be the bodyguard to Rachel. Things get twisty in that we're dealing with people who can literally get anyone to do whatever they want. You wonder at what point are the characters doing something of their free will. I have some huge issues with control, and that's a very scary thought that someone could control me and make me do something I would never do otherwise. I think Lee understands how truly frightening that is.
Runner is probably equally suspense and action, with some paranormal/science fiction thrown in. It's a really cool premise. It looks like this will be a series, so I wonder what will happen in the next book. I do want to read more of this series and see where the author goes next with the characters he created in this book.
December 20, 2021
This is a perfect example of its genre--a pot-boiler thriller. It's aptly named--the book is one chase after another, cars, helicopters, satellites, on foot in the dark, machine guns, missiles, parachutes. There are no dull chapters; there are no slow scenes.
The plot's okay too, though so far past credibility as to be more fantasy than science. A young girl has undergone a genetic modification that allows her to read thoughts. The military and their contractors are replicating this success, and they need to kill her because she knows things that can't come out. And so our hero, Dryden, fights his way in and out of trouble trying to protect her and find the bad guys at the center of this plan. The story suffers from the same leaps of faith books like this always have, where impossible traps are defeated by cool, calculated force and unbelievable technology doesn't quite work at the critical moment. Still, as fun to read as a Mission Impossible movie is to watch.
The plot's okay too, though so far past credibility as to be more fantasy than science. A young girl has undergone a genetic modification that allows her to read thoughts. The military and their contractors are replicating this success, and they need to kill her because she knows things that can't come out. And so our hero, Dryden, fights his way in and out of trouble trying to protect her and find the bad guys at the center of this plan. The story suffers from the same leaps of faith books like this always have, where impossible traps are defeated by cool, calculated force and unbelievable technology doesn't quite work at the critical moment. Still, as fun to read as a Mission Impossible movie is to watch.
October 10, 2014
This is one of those books that can cause lack of sleep due to excessive reading - it's THAT good. Sam Dryden, the main character, is an ex-CIA operative out for a midnight run when an interesting problem is dropped in his lap. A 12-year-old girl is on the run from shadowy figures that want her dead,and who does she - literally - run into? None other than our man Dryden. The girl has the ability to read minds, so she already knows he's the only one that can help her.
Later on, you find out why they really met the way they did - it was no accident. But this girl (Rachel) has other, far more menacing powers that she doesn't know about yet because they have been blocked from her memory. Why? Who are these people and why do they want to kill her? It's all very intriguing and you won't want to stop reading until you find out, believe me. Another winner from Patrick Lee!
Later on, you find out why they really met the way they did - it was no accident. But this girl (Rachel) has other, far more menacing powers that she doesn't know about yet because they have been blocked from her memory. Why? Who are these people and why do they want to kill her? It's all very intriguing and you won't want to stop reading until you find out, believe me. Another winner from Patrick Lee!
May 18, 2024
A decent starting book for a new series, a little sloppy in places but kept me entertained throughout. Ryder was a good character but something I have read time and time again. Rachel was also something that has been done before, a child with special abilities - I don't think this book stands out from the crowd.
I think where this book shined was the action sequences especially the foot-chases. There were moments where I didn't know who was who and why they mattered but it all came together in the end to make a pretty interesting plot-line, it wasn't anything overly complex but it wasn't completely simplistic either. The built in Sc-Fi moments were fun but not fully flushed out.
The ending was heart-felt and satisfying, I don't know where this series would go in the future, but I aren't fully invested to find out. I think if I was the second book in a charity shop for a couple of £ I would give it another go, but I won't be purposely searching for it.
I think where this book shined was the action sequences especially the foot-chases. There were moments where I didn't know who was who and why they mattered but it all came together in the end to make a pretty interesting plot-line, it wasn't anything overly complex but it wasn't completely simplistic either. The built in Sc-Fi moments were fun but not fully flushed out.
The ending was heart-felt and satisfying, I don't know where this series would go in the future, but I aren't fully invested to find out. I think if I was the second book in a charity shop for a couple of £ I would give it another go, but I won't be purposely searching for it.
August 27, 2024
This is my first time reading a Patrick Lee book. I was engrossed from the start. I know it's a bit far fetched at times but sure isn't that what you want something to keep you page turning. I'm re reading it as I usually do with books I like. Will look out for more from the same author. Characters were well thought out and went with the storyline. Five stars as I went back for more.
September 17, 2023
One part Action Thriller, one part Sci Fi. Reminiscent of Blake Crouch, or maybe if Orphan X cross-pollinated with Stephen King's The Institute or Firestarter. That's it! That's all you need to know.
If you don't have any hard feelings about psychic abilities, kids, or evil agencies out to neutralize psychic kids and the Special Ops-trained retired soldier who happens to cross her path and goes on the run to protect her out of the goodness of his heart, then this novel is for you!
Lots of far-fetched fun. I added the two other Sam Dryden books to my teetering TBR stack.
If you don't have any hard feelings about psychic abilities, kids, or evil agencies out to neutralize psychic kids and the Special Ops-trained retired soldier who happens to cross her path and goes on the run to protect her out of the goodness of his heart, then this novel is for you!
Lots of far-fetched fun. I added the two other Sam Dryden books to my teetering TBR stack.
June 25, 2016
This book is magnificently paced (so to speak), and the end has a nice (unspoken) circle to the beginning, not the compulsion to run but the kinder fates of Holly and Rachel relative to Dryden's wife and daughter.
I have three gripes about regional glitches: the first is Tulane University is still, 10 years out, recovering after devastating hurricane Katrina shut it down most of a year. Dissing Tulane is gratuitous and nasty. Second, what's north of Tulsa is less farmland and more hills, casinos, ranch land, and oil country. So "a farm north of Tulsa" doesn't work for me. The idea that an Oklahoma cancer patient go to Amarillo instead of Tulsa, since Amarillo is only half the population of Tulsa also doesn't make much sense.
Although I've given the glitches a paragraph, the writing, characterizations, technology, and changes in dialogue/action due to mind-reading in The Runner are masterful. I am looking forward to reading more of Patrick Lee's books.
I have three gripes about regional glitches: the first is Tulane University is still, 10 years out, recovering after devastating hurricane Katrina shut it down most of a year. Dissing Tulane is gratuitous and nasty. Second, what's north of Tulsa is less farmland and more hills, casinos, ranch land, and oil country. So "a farm north of Tulsa" doesn't work for me. The idea that an Oklahoma cancer patient go to Amarillo instead of Tulsa, since Amarillo is only half the population of Tulsa also doesn't make much sense.
Although I've given the glitches a paragraph, the writing, characterizations, technology, and changes in dialogue/action due to mind-reading in The Runner are masterful. I am looking forward to reading more of Patrick Lee's books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2015
This book has non-stopped action from the beginning to the end. Patrick Lee is a new author for me and I highly recommend this book to all action-seeking readers. Enjoy the ride!!
November 1, 2020
4,5
"Не беше правил опити да обясни своя��а гледна точка. Не беше разкрил, че да ти липсва някой може да се усеща и като пост, който някой те е пратил да заемеш. Че може да усещаш липсата като задължение."
"ОЧГ - така го наричаше Хейгър. Обикновени човешки глупости. През цялата си кариера се беше сблъсквал с тях под една или друга форма. Няма значение колко са възвишени твоите цели, колко точни са планирането и действията ти. Всяка организация на този свят е заразена с плесента на обикновените човешки глупости."
"Не беше правил опити да обясни своя��а гледна точка. Не беше разкрил, че да ти липсва някой може да се усеща и като пост, който някой те е пратил да заемеш. Че може да усещаш липсата като задължение."
"ОЧГ - така го наричаше Хейгър. Обикновени човешки глупости. През цялата си кариера се беше сблъсквал с тях под една или друга форма. Няма значение колко са възвишени твоите цели, колко точни са планирането и действията ти. Всяка организация на този свят е заразена с плесента на обикновените човешки глупости."
September 10, 2014
I read Mr. Lee's Breach Trilogy and liked it a great deal. So i went out (well actually I didn't go out. That's what we used to do, I actually sent to the library without leaving the house) and snapped this book up. Runner is the first in a new series of books about Mr. Lee's new protagonist Sam Dryden. The word "trilogy" hasn't been used so at this point I'm going with the assumption that this will be a continuing series.
Guess we'll see.
Sam is a mess. He lost his wife and child before the book opened and frankly he hasn't been able to pull it together since. He's the classic "is it all worth going on with life" former Special Ops super guy.
Then one night walking along the beach he "coincidentally" runs into a little girl fleeing people intent on killing her. She can't to the police or any authority as the people trying to kill her are the authorities (though she can't remember why they want to kill her).
Slowly Sam finds a reason to live.
Sounds hokey, maybe a little corny right? "And" maybe it could have been but the book was so well well written that it pulled my interest right in and held it. This is an excellent book. I/we are beginning to get to know Sam and we also (somewhat surprisingly due to reasons I can't tell you without it being a spoiler) get to know Rachel. The book opens with suspense and quickly segues into fast paced action. We get a well done page turner...brain candy yes, but very good brain candy.
I can recommend this one, enjoy.
Guess we'll see.
Sam is a mess. He lost his wife and child before the book opened and frankly he hasn't been able to pull it together since. He's the classic "is it all worth going on with life" former Special Ops super guy.
Then one night walking along the beach he "coincidentally" runs into a little girl fleeing people intent on killing her. She can't to the police or any authority as the people trying to kill her are the authorities (though she can't remember why they want to kill her).
Slowly Sam finds a reason to live.
Sounds hokey, maybe a little corny right? "And" maybe it could have been but the book was so well well written that it pulled my interest right in and held it. This is an excellent book. I/we are beginning to get to know Sam and we also (somewhat surprisingly due to reasons I can't tell you without it being a spoiler) get to know Rachel. The book opens with suspense and quickly segues into fast paced action. We get a well done page turner...brain candy yes, but very good brain candy.
I can recommend this one, enjoy.
October 26, 2014
5 star beginning to this novel, but a lot of the cat and mouse paranormal escapades that came after, IMHO, did not maintain that level of intrigue, suspense, or believability as did the first third of the book.
This author knows how to write the easy read "tech absorbed world" fantasy action fare, that's for sure (think X files writer) and I would guess Dryden will have a decent run.
He(Sam)seems overall to reach an average level of characterization for the hero role as the novel progresses. He doesn't come off flat exactly, but the language and feel is not there to context a unique individual with flaws, certain thought patterns, particular living habits etc.
Plots that hold so much of the mind control by drugs or tech or special talents or genetic differences or whatever, they just don't set my interest off as much as they do for many other readers. When it is fully sci-fi, I seem to have an easier time swallowing the gap. It lost an entire star for me on the supposed and given explanations. Rachel herself being prime.
Good escapist read.
This author knows how to write the easy read "tech absorbed world" fantasy action fare, that's for sure (think X files writer) and I would guess Dryden will have a decent run.
He(Sam)seems overall to reach an average level of characterization for the hero role as the novel progresses. He doesn't come off flat exactly, but the language and feel is not there to context a unique individual with flaws, certain thought patterns, particular living habits etc.
Plots that hold so much of the mind control by drugs or tech or special talents or genetic differences or whatever, they just don't set my interest off as much as they do for many other readers. When it is fully sci-fi, I seem to have an easier time swallowing the gap. It lost an entire star for me on the supposed and given explanations. Rachel herself being prime.
Good escapist read.
November 10, 2015
Runner by Patrick Lee was a very good thriller. It starts out with retired special forces Sam Dryden out for a run. He runs into this young girl named Rachel who is running from these men with guns. So he decides to help her. The longer he runs with her the more he learns about her and the people that are chasing her. The deeper he gets into this the harder it is to keep them alive. Over all I enjoyed reading this book. This was the first book I have read by Patrick Lee. Will be reading the second book in the series (Signal) next month. I gave Runner 4 stars.
June 7, 2014
Retired black ops specialist Sam Dryden is out for a late evening run when a young girl crashes into him while running for her life. Dryden helps Rachel escape her captors, becoming her protector as they are chased across the country by a powerful, shady members of the military industrial complex and government. Rachel has some repressed mind control skills, and everyone is scared of what she will do when she regains them. I liked that there were interesting plot developments throughout the book, especially regarding Rachel's past and present. Breakneck pacing. 4.5 stars.
August 31, 2015
Sometimes writers are really good at making up the unbelievable. In this case everything felt forced and coincidental. While I did enjoy it a little, it did not blow me away.
UPDATE 8/3/2015 - I forgot to mention when I first wrote this that it reminded me a lot of Stephen King's Firestarter.
UPDATE 8/3/2015 - I forgot to mention when I first wrote this that it reminded me a lot of Stephen King's Firestarter.
March 27, 2014
The Runner by Patrick Lee is out of control.
I mean really out of control...
I mean it's an: oh my god, my car has no brakes and I'm going 90 miles an hour down the Wellsville Mountains (located in Northern Utah and generally considered the steepest in the United States)on an oil slick ontop of 2 inches of solid ice in a blinding white-out blizzard/tornado/monsoon triple-hybrid while three wasps are flying around my head inside the car and the radio knob has broken off on a station playing nothing but Justin Beiber songs for the next 24 hours and why for the love of god is my leg cramping up so much kind of out of control.
But in a really good kind of way.
This is a quick read because it stays in 5th gear for 95% of the novel and that chapter you are going to finish and then hit the sack turns into another chapter then another and then it's 2AM and damnit you have to get to work tomorrow but now the two main characters, Dryden and Rachel are in trouble again and what are you going to do now?!!!
The story could have been improved with some fleshing out--I imagine Stephen King writing it and adding some background and weight to it (there already are borrowed aspects of some of his work such as Firestarter and his secret organization the Shop in it), but the streamlined version works just fine and the ending is suprisingly poignant.
If you are looking for a really fun summer-movie type of book to get down with, or if you are a sedentary slothful person looking to knock those empty ice cream cartons of Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby off your immense belly and work out your heart a little, maybe get your pulse up, go out now and get this book!
I mean really out of control...
I mean it's an: oh my god, my car has no brakes and I'm going 90 miles an hour down the Wellsville Mountains (located in Northern Utah and generally considered the steepest in the United States)on an oil slick ontop of 2 inches of solid ice in a blinding white-out blizzard/tornado/monsoon triple-hybrid while three wasps are flying around my head inside the car and the radio knob has broken off on a station playing nothing but Justin Beiber songs for the next 24 hours and why for the love of god is my leg cramping up so much kind of out of control.
But in a really good kind of way.
This is a quick read because it stays in 5th gear for 95% of the novel and that chapter you are going to finish and then hit the sack turns into another chapter then another and then it's 2AM and damnit you have to get to work tomorrow but now the two main characters, Dryden and Rachel are in trouble again and what are you going to do now?!!!
The story could have been improved with some fleshing out--I imagine Stephen King writing it and adding some background and weight to it (there already are borrowed aspects of some of his work such as Firestarter and his secret organization the Shop in it), but the streamlined version works just fine and the ending is suprisingly poignant.
If you are looking for a really fun summer-movie type of book to get down with, or if you are a sedentary slothful person looking to knock those empty ice cream cartons of Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby off your immense belly and work out your heart a little, maybe get your pulse up, go out now and get this book!
January 6, 2016
I've never really started any book without skimming summary first. But I guess there's always a first time for everything. Just after a disappointing read, I took a leap of faith and blindly (I mean literally, I didn't even see the name) started reading the first book my Kindle presented me. And what do you know?? It's just the type I like most, technological thriller with sheer suspense. There's action, suspense, mystery (nothing I couldn't solve though), technological bullshit and, last but not the least, love. It was all that my mind craved for.
The background may not be that strong, though I beg to differ. Also I couldn't quite comprehend the reason behind the name "Runner". Yeah yeah, there's a lot of running and all but certainly that can't be the sole reason for a book's name. A book's name should reflect something from the story. However, everything else was marvelous. While reading you may get the feelings "how's that relevant,that's stupid, why'd he do that, doesn't make sense" or something like that. But they all made sense to me at some point. All the parts matched splendidly. In the end it became a complete story.The ending was perfect. Lastly, many may consider this one as a cheap fiction. It might even be true. In that case I'm a cheap reader. I don't really care if I am. I read to enjoy and I enjoyed this book. That's all I really care. Happy reading
The background may not be that strong, though I beg to differ. Also I couldn't quite comprehend the reason behind the name "Runner". Yeah yeah, there's a lot of running and all but certainly that can't be the sole reason for a book's name. A book's name should reflect something from the story. However, everything else was marvelous. While reading you may get the feelings "how's that relevant,that's stupid, why'd he do that, doesn't make sense" or something like that. But they all made sense to me at some point. All the parts matched splendidly. In the end it became a complete story.The ending was perfect. Lastly, many may consider this one as a cheap fiction. It might even be true. In that case I'm a cheap reader. I don't really care if I am. I read to enjoy and I enjoyed this book. That's all I really care. Happy reading
September 8, 2015
Excellent fast paced thriller. Full review to follow erm..sometime. (I'm slammed and nobody is waiting for this one ha!)
Highly recommended though. Something a little different and an adrenalin rush of a book.
Highly recommended though. Something a little different and an adrenalin rush of a book.
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