Sunday, July 11, 2010

Running Dark - A Book Review

About a year ago, I was privileged to receive an advanced copy of Jamie Freveletti's first published novel, "Running From the Devil" and was asked to post a review on this blog. What's the connection, you ask? Well, the main character, Emma Caldridge, is an ultrarunner who works as a chemist for a cosmetics company.

A few weeks ago I was again contacted to review Jamie's work - this time the follow-up to "Running From the Devil" titled "Running Dark". This time, Emma finds herself in Africa, dealing with Somali pirates. Unlike the first novel, which really didn't feature much in regards to ultrarunning, "Running Dark" begins with Emma running in the Comrades Marathon. However, like the first novel, the story hits the ground running (no pun intended). Right away one is yanked into a riveting plot, which is carried along by short but action-packed chapters. I found myself blazing through the novel as a ultramarathoner efficiently dashes through aid stations, not wanting to waste any time getting to the next leg of the race.

Freveletti's writing style is concise and wastes no time in unnecessary detail, allowing one's imagination to fill in the gaps. Yet, she manages to develop the characters well so that the reader forms and attachment and understanding of their personae. It's a writing style I truly appreciate, having read other books which drag on with needless description and conversation. As a result, I blazed through this thriller in a matter of days, much to the surprise of my wife (I usually take weeks to finish a book), who was chomping at the bit to get a chance to read Jamie's sophomore effort.

In the end, both my wife and I truly enjoyed "Running Dark". Once again, Jamie Freveletti has shown that she knows how to write a plausbile and riveting plot that engages the reader from cover to cover. The novel is now on the bookshelves of your favorite bookstores, so I'd strongly encourage folks out there to give it a read. If you haven't read the first of the Emma Caldridge series, "Running From the Devil", be sure to check it out as well. Thanks goes out again to TK , who gave me the opportunity to review Jamie's work.

Everyone stay healthy and happy out there and thanks for visiting my blog. I hope to see y'all out on the trails. Best wishes for a speedy recovery go out to Helen Lavin, congrats to all of the Afton Trail Race runners and R.D. John Storkamp for putting on a fantastic event again, as well as to fellow runner and blogger, Matt Patten who was blessed with an new career opportunity after having lost his job for the 2nd time in the past year and a half. Sweet! Lastly, best of luck to my brother, Kevin, who will be helping pace Iso Yucra at the Badwater 135 in Death Valley. Be safe and have fun, little bro!!

Still seeing red.....................................

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Steve, thanks so much for your great book review! I've tweeted it out, I hope you get a few hits to yoour blog... Are you on twitter?

Steve said...

TK, I am SeeingRed100 on Twitter. I'm not worried about hits on my blog, as it is really just a way of tracking and sharing my ultrarunning experiences with those interested. Thanks for the tweets, though!