Pursuit

by Jason Garrett

How far would you go for the one you love? That is the question Ryan Rayburn must ask himself after his wife, Aryn, is abducted. Though the couple is in the midst of a separation, when word of her disappearance reaches him, Ryan launches his own investigation. Upon his return to their home in Chapel Port, Ryan uncovers a clue that only he can decipher, and it sets him on an adventure across Bishop's Island. Since its settlement, Bishop's Island has been shrouded in mystery. Nathaniel Bishop built his empire on the Pacific Northwest island in 1873 by oppressing his fellow islanders. Three heroes led an uprising that brought Bishop and his henchmen to justice. For six generations, the citizens of the island have tried to bury the past, while the bloodlines of the first epoch have remained interconnected. Few know the legends better than historian Aryn Rayburn, the foremost authority on Bishop's Island. As a descendent of one of the families responsible for overthrowing Bishop, she learns that her abduction is connected to the very secrets on which the island was founded. Relying on remarkable intelligence and the faith that led her through a life-altering tragedy, Aryn, once again, must test her own strength as she risks her life to protect a secret she is more deeply connected to than she ever realized - a secret that, if revealed, could prove catastrophic to those she loves the most. The citizens of Bishop's Island welcome you to join the PURSUIT!

332 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2010

About the author

Since 2009, Jason Garrett has led readers on a series of thrilling journeys that began upon the foray into the world of Eric Kade in the novel HOMECOMING. Following the lives of two distinct characters, Jason's series immersed readers in a world of long lost love, faith and honor, betrayal and morality, and many other topics all beneath the clever guise of a horror tale. As seen through the eyes of demon-hunting preacher Eric Kade and the love of his life, Nickel Warren, HOMECOMING is an inspirational thriller sure to encourage and appeal to a vast audience of believers and non-believers alike.

In 2010, Jason led readers back to Bishop's Island for the tale of Aryn and Ryan Rayburn. With PURSUIT, his second novel under the Dream Big publishing logo, the history of Bishop's Island unfolds over the course of the abduction of beautiful historian, Aryn Rayburn. As her husband, Ryan, sets out to rescue her, she uncovers deeply buried secrets and treasures on their island home. This story of love and redemption has resonated with many readers and has opened up a whole new world for readers to discover.

Relying on his love of multiple genres and a belief that readers deserve to be treated to intelligent and complex stories with layered characters, Jason thrives on creating tales that resonate within the senses, the mind and the heart of the reader. Currently he is developing an expanded edition of his novel THE THREE as well as working on future titles.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pursuit: A Tale of Bishop’s Island by Jason Garrett
www.authorjasongarrett.com
4 ****
In the opening of this book, Aryn Rayburn is out running, as an ex-Olympic athlete running is her favorite thing to do. She is unobserved, out alone, thinking about her husband, God and how to fix her marriage. When she starts home she picks up the pace, and when she hits the house she makes preparations for an attack that she knows is coming, for she knew she was being observed by Sutter and Yost in the truck following her. She places a painting over her wedding pictures and the wedding pictures of her grandparents. She uses lipstick she finds in the bathroom while she is changing to write a messaged in glyphs to whoever comes looking for her on the bathroom mirror while she is quickly changing out of her sweaty running clothes. After a brief but violent scuffle at the house she gets away, taking her sports bike with no shoes.
When she arrives in town, intending to call Ryan, her husband, and tell him what was going on, she gets caught by Halle Bouras, the third member of the group. Sutter and Yost help her get Aryn’s bike and Aryn tied up and in the van. Sutter is impressed with her fighting spirit, Yost just thinks it will make her more fun to hunt down and break. Halle reminds Yost that he can’t hurt her; they need her in presentable shape. Makeing you think they are taking her to client or something similar.
They take her to their boss and his brother, not clients at all, but the younger of the brother’s, Connor Vilkova, fashions himself a gentleman and wants her unharmed. He wants her for her knowledge of the island and its history. He is trying to find lost treasure left by the founder of the island, Nathaniel Bishop.
I give this book four stars for the attention to the little in depth details going through the story line and the series Mr. Garrett has created. It is that attention to the details and history that create some problems in the book. In the history of the island that dragged the story line sometimes; it did not always propel the story forward. The personal history of Aryn got confusing, was there one accident that stopped her Olympic career and another after her husband had their large argument, or was it the same accident that almost took her ability to walk? The way Mr. Garrett talks about the accidents almost seems like their two separate events, and sometimes like they are one. I was completely confused in that aspect of the story. Ryan’s personal history was better laid out I think, except in relations to the accidents. The one time at the McMannis Memorial Prayer Garden that Ryan railed against God and told his best friend the tragedy of his parents death when the Hollis Bridge collapsed and he had to change his name was a very concise scene and also one of most emotion filled scenes in the book. I really felt the waves of agony and hatred coming off him, unlike the rest of the book which seemed a overly aggressive in painting Aryn’s faith and belief that God would get her through this abduction like he had gotten her through her accidents, seemed more words than feelings coming off the page.
A book with a very good story line, kept me guessing as to what the Vilkovas were truly after and how Aryn was keeping them away from it once she figured it out. Also how she was going to keep Connor from raping her as his patience thinned and his desire broke through his gentlemanly veneer. How Ryan was going to follow her clues and find her before anything worse happened also kept me reading this book. While part of a series it really didn’t seem to lean too much on previous books, but at the same time I wonder if some of the plot would have been a little clearer if I had read the earlier books in the series.
Review by Melissa.

[Galadriel Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Execution can kill a good story. Unfortunately, the way Pursuit, A Tale of Bishop’s Island by Jason Garrett was executed really took away from a good story. Won in a Good Reads First Reads giveaway, I was excited to start reading Garrett’s second installment on Bishop’s Island. I have not read the first novel set on the island and it was not necessary that I do so. This novel has drama, mystery, love, and action. This is where that execution takes its toll. Some areas are detailed to death; others do not have the detail needed to convey the situation/setting/emotion. I was also disappointed that the characters, although likable, were really caricatures of the roles they were playing. Religious struggles are given some prominence in the story, but I did not feel the depth was given to make it a viable focal point. There are many great aspects of this story, if proper attention can be given to flesh out the shallow points and skim off the unnecessary places, this could be a great mystery adventure. In short a good editor and some rewriting could make this mediocre novel an extraordinary one.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't think that the premise of the book was too bad and the unraveling mystery behind it kept me reading. At times I had trouble following the story and there were often unclear transitions which required that I go back and re-read the previous few lines to try to figure out the who/what/where. Another issue that I had was with the characters. Firstly, there were too many characters involved for the reader to keep track of and get to know. Secondly, I felt that some of the characters' actions were inconsistent with the opinion that I had formed of them and there was no explanation why they suddenly changed.

That being said, I haven't read Jason Garrett's other book Homecoming which does get referenced a few times in Pursuit. I don't know if that may have increased my understanding or not. All in all not a terrible read, but I think that it could have been better.

[Jeannie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating and Riveting

This book is captivating and fast paced with an exciting plot that takes readers on an emotional and adventurous journey for love and redemption. The author did a great job with his characters that you get to know on a personal basis, making you want to know more about them and what happens next in their lives. Jason's story-telling ability is exceptional in creating a novel that is both riveting, convincing and evokes a readers interest, attention, and admiration in a powerfully irresistible way.
Without giving away spoilers: If you want to know what true love is really like, read this book.
It is a very good read! Highly recommend to all.

[Rita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care that much for this book. The story seemed too detailed in some areas while not enough in others. There were so many characters, I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. If it wasn't for the fact that I was reading this book for a challenge, I might not have finished.

[Bob Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only fair. Really needed to have read the first book. Lots of details missing but referenced. Characters didn't seem real. Faith wasn't incorporated well. It seemed superficial and incidental — seriously, would a woman with as strong a faith as the main character had have married someone who was so adamantly opposed to Christianity? A few errors that would have been corrected with good editing.

[Cheryl]

Grabbed from Goodreads ad

[Georgina]

I'm intrigued, if only because Ryan's wife's name is Aryn. I love anagrams. (They're not quite as cool as palindromes, but they're still pretty awesome...)

[Hildegart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and considered giving it three stars, but there were many editorial mistakes in the kindle edition. Without the mistakes, this book is close to four stars.

[Linda Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb story!

This book got my attention at the very beginning and kept it all the way to the end. Romance, history and drama all rolled into one great book.