My apologies to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press and Mr. Lee. I was given an arc of this story a long time ago and attempted to read it, but set it aside. I don’t remember why.

Long story short, I finished it recently and it kept me on pins and needles for a couple of days. It was an interesting, if not solid, contemporary thriller. Sure, there were moments of disbelief, but I often wondered if parts of Runner could be true. As in, scary truth.

We live in a world of twisted beliefs and conspiracies and politicians who express xenophobic and rambling rhetoric. Could a corporation like the fictitious Western Dynamics come up with a plan to ‘develop’ beings like Rachel? Would members of our government support the idea? The thought is chilling. I enjoyed this story enough and will follow Sam Dryden in Signal and Dark Site.

Retired Special Forces operative, Sam Dryden, is looking to live a quiet retirement in his seaside Southern California town, but when he sees a young woman being chased by armed men down near the boardwalk, his instincts and skill kick in.

The men with the weapons, bent on killing the young woman, are highly skilled and clearly trained, but Dryden, with his background in Special Forces, Delta Ops, and off-record special ops missions, is more than up to the task of getting the girl away. But it quickly becomes clear that the young woman, Rachel, is no ordinary girl when she reveals her ability to read Dryden's mind. But other than this ability, Rachel doesn't remember much about her past - only that she is trying to get away.

Sam Dryden will need to use all his skills to keep the two of them safe while also trying to learn more about Rachel's background - which may be the only way to help her get truly free.

This was an absolute thrill ride!

Author Patrick Lee wastes no time establishing place and character and instead drops us in on the very moment of conflict intrusion and it ramps up from there. We get to know the principle character (Dryden) through his actions and interactions, and we get to know Rachel as Dryden does (we even get to learn things about her that she doesn't know).

There's a pretty high body count which shouldn't be surprising given that the book starts with men with guns, and there's just a fair bit of luck involved (specifically when Dryden finds a doctor, out of office, willing to listen to his story and trust him, despite the constant news reports of how dangerous he and Rachel are), but most of the book really does rely on Dryden's skill and his ability to read others (who can be trusted and who can't).

It shouldn't be a surprise or a spoiler to learn that Rachel is being chased because of her mind-reading ability and after the initial meet and escapes (which are a tremendous hook) the book revolves around trying to get information about her abilities. This makes the book take an interesting turn and while it at first looks like it's going to be a standard 'chase' thriller (especially with a title like Runner) it's much more involved and interesting.

I don't know why I went into this not expecting a whole lot - likely because I haven't read a lot of thrillers - but I was hooked early and always wanted to read 'one more chapter'. The book does slow down just a bit, and not in the best way, when Dryden gives up a little bit of control and trusts in others rather than relying on his own skill set.

I definitely want to read the next book in the Sam Dryden series.

Looking for a good book? Runner, by Patrick Lee, is a thriller that is non-stop excitement. Dropped into the action the book reveals the back story as the action (and danger) ramp up.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Great start to a thriller series that has just a hint of science (almost feels like science fiction at times). I really enjoyed the heart stopping thrills and adventure and look forward to more books about Sam.

About- An ex-military man leads a quiet life until one night when he bumps into a young girl who’s running away from something that terrifies her.

Thoughts- I enjoyed this book. It was a quick and thrilling read- the action starts almost immediately and doesn’t really stop until the end. As you find out more information about the girl he runs into, you may think you know where it’s headed, but there was a twist in the last third of the book that totally surprised me. This book made me think of the movie, Taken. I think Liam Neeson could totally play the main character of this novel.