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LONG GONE
"I'm 33 years old and I'm getting ready to go on trial for my life the first time I hear, 'I love you Dad.' She had started to cry again as she hung up the phone and the dam broke through two strip searches and four flights of stairs. Once the tears started, it seemed like they were going to flow forever."
LONG GONE puts you behind the eyes and the criminal mind of Sammy Page, whose childhood playground of stolen cars and hot rides took the place of monkey bars, swing sets and slides. He learned to case neighborhoods, pick locks and sidestep high tech burglar alarms, but could barely see over the steering wheel of his first stolen car. At the tender age of nine, his father left him with nothing but his name, Texas twang and a mother so desperate for money she blackmailed thieves to take him under their wing and show him the ropes. For cigarette money and a six pack of Coke, she sacrificed his future as he began his hopscotch down a crooked path that would lead to life of crime.
Now at 32, he’s a loving husband to Marla, the woman of his dreams and has a special relationship with her daughter, Anita, who looks at "Sam I am" like he's a storybook hero. Feeling the pressure of love like he's never known, sends him desperately seeking to escape his felonious lifestyle, when he's identified on a surveillance tape at a crime scene where a husband-and-wife have been brutally murdered. Law enforcement, including three detectives who were Sammy's childhood friends, become frustrated and embarrassed trying to catch up with the smart and savvy Page, so they turn on Marla, charging her with obstruction of justice and threaten to remove Anita from the home. The thought of the love of his life behind bars and her little girl taken away drive him to turn himself in. After two years in jail and two near fatal trips to the infirmary, Sammy survives only to find his longtime partner and lifelong friends testifying to put him to death. .
LONG GONE puts you behind the eyes and the criminal mind of Sammy Page, whose childhood playground of stolen cars and hot rides took the place of monkey bars, swing sets and slides. He learned to case neighborhoods, pick locks and sidestep high tech burglar alarms, but could barely see over the steering wheel of his first stolen car. At the tender age of nine, his father left him with nothing but his name, Texas twang and a mother so desperate for money she blackmailed thieves to take him under their wing and show him the ropes. For cigarette money and a six pack of Coke, she sacrificed his future as he began his hopscotch down a crooked path that would lead to life of crime.
Now at 32, he’s a loving husband to Marla, the woman of his dreams and has a special relationship with her daughter, Anita, who looks at "Sam I am" like he's a storybook hero. Feeling the pressure of love like he's never known, sends him desperately seeking to escape his felonious lifestyle, when he's identified on a surveillance tape at a crime scene where a husband-and-wife have been brutally murdered. Law enforcement, including three detectives who were Sammy's childhood friends, become frustrated and embarrassed trying to catch up with the smart and savvy Page, so they turn on Marla, charging her with obstruction of justice and threaten to remove Anita from the home. The thought of the love of his life behind bars and her little girl taken away drive him to turn himself in. After two years in jail and two near fatal trips to the infirmary, Sammy survives only to find his longtime partner and lifelong friends testifying to put him to death. .
206 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 5, 2012
Sammy Page, a devoted husband and father, a loyal and compassionate friend, a man who we would all love to have in our corner.
Sammy Page, a mastermind in the art of grand theft, the skilled leader of his group of merry men, a product of his childhood and upbringing.
Sammy Page is all of these things, living his life in two different and distinct worlds with the hope that they never collide. Sammy is torn between the family that he loves and adores and the only world he has known since he was 10 years old. At the age of 32 he begins to embrace the notion that he needs to make a clean break from his past and his “occupation” for the sake of his family and himself.
In order to make a clean break Sammy needs one more big job. Just one more big profit will be more than enough to keep him and his family set. The caper of a lifetime falls into his lap and he is more prepared than he ever has been on any other job. The job has gone smooth and as Sammy is making his get-away Mother Nature has other plans and he is involved in a devastating crash as he is transporting the merchandise. He survives the crash but what he doesn’t know is that his last job was a set-up. He is captured on a surveillance tape at the home of a man and woman who were found brutally murdered. When Sammy finally awakens 48 hours after the accident his life is set on a course of unforeseen twists and turns that will keep you anxiously anticipating the next revelation.
Thomas Bryant’s portrayal of the characters in this book makes them come to life and develop into people that you will care about. You will laugh with them, cry with them and wish the best for them. You will live the story thru the eyes of Sammy as you are privy to his thoughts and emotions. The story is very fast-paced, suspenseful, humorous, sexy and very entertaining; I could not put it down.
Thomas Bryant has given us a story that grabs you, tugs you in and won’t let go till the very end. You will run the gamut of emotions as you cheer for this family to survive.
I absolutely recommend this book to all readers and I certainly hope that Sammy Page will be back very soon!
Sammy Page, a mastermind in the art of grand theft, the skilled leader of his group of merry men, a product of his childhood and upbringing.
Sammy Page is all of these things, living his life in two different and distinct worlds with the hope that they never collide. Sammy is torn between the family that he loves and adores and the only world he has known since he was 10 years old. At the age of 32 he begins to embrace the notion that he needs to make a clean break from his past and his “occupation” for the sake of his family and himself.
In order to make a clean break Sammy needs one more big job. Just one more big profit will be more than enough to keep him and his family set. The caper of a lifetime falls into his lap and he is more prepared than he ever has been on any other job. The job has gone smooth and as Sammy is making his get-away Mother Nature has other plans and he is involved in a devastating crash as he is transporting the merchandise. He survives the crash but what he doesn’t know is that his last job was a set-up. He is captured on a surveillance tape at the home of a man and woman who were found brutally murdered. When Sammy finally awakens 48 hours after the accident his life is set on a course of unforeseen twists and turns that will keep you anxiously anticipating the next revelation.
Thomas Bryant’s portrayal of the characters in this book makes them come to life and develop into people that you will care about. You will laugh with them, cry with them and wish the best for them. You will live the story thru the eyes of Sammy as you are privy to his thoughts and emotions. The story is very fast-paced, suspenseful, humorous, sexy and very entertaining; I could not put it down.
Thomas Bryant has given us a story that grabs you, tugs you in and won’t let go till the very end. You will run the gamut of emotions as you cheer for this family to survive.
I absolutely recommend this book to all readers and I certainly hope that Sammy Page will be back very soon!
September 12, 2012
Long Gone is written by Thomas A. Bryant and is published through Smashwords. The novel is approximately 108,000 words and 300 kindle pages in length.
Thomas Bryant received his education at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, CA. While studying political science, he began a love affair with books and discovered a passion for writing. Coming from humble beginnings with economic demands, he took an internship in the service industry as a heavy-duty diesel mechanic, which left him little time for books or writing. He sought challenges, including baseball, football and wrestling as a young man and loved speed on the water in a flat bottom race boat called BORN to be WILD. Two weeks before he entered Arizona Bail Enforcement Academy to become a licensed Bounty Hunter, he was involved in a near fatal automobile accident. Disabled and facing his toughest challenge, he returned to his first love of writing and found a whole new world in print and writing crime fiction/suspense novels. He lives in the Ozarks of Missouri.
It is late, so late it’s almost early and Karl and Sammy are nowhere near fore filling their order on time. All out of luck they are racking their brains trying to find the Silver Anniversary Edition 1978 L88 Corvette. Remembering the location of one they head off to boost the car.
Sammy Page aka Cowboy was brought up in this life, having never had a regular day job he knows nothing else. When his wife Marla decides she wants a baby its time decide what is more important family or the job. A decision that is not easily made. Deciding he’d rather die than loose Marla he sets his final job in motion, unfortunately for Sammy this job is about to ruin his life. Accused of murder, theft and absconding from the law the noose is tightening around his neck and with a past like his there seems no way out. With friends on both sides of the law will Sammy come out of this innocent or guilty? Will the truth be revealed? Or is he being set up? Friend or foe Sammy is about to face the toughest and most challenging moment in his life.
A story about friendship and betrayal, how childhood friends can become enemies in adulthood. This is a story about growing up and accepting responsibility for actions taken and accepting consequences.
When I first began reading this story I enjoyed it but after the first quarter I couldn’t wait to be on the final pages. There are events and moments within the story which are intriguing and interesting to read however for the majority I felt this book was not for me. I found at times I was getting confused between past-tense and pre-tense and was being bombarded with past experiences to explain present situations.
Whilst I am a fan of the movie Gone In 60 Seconds, I felt that this book was trying at times to portray itself as a movie in the wrappings of a book.
However for the last quarter of the book I found myself again hooked, I think if Mr Bryant had suggested such an intriguing court case in the first half of the story I would have been more glued to the pages.
I think this book would be suitable for any guy reading it aged over 18 years but I am not convinced it would appeal enough to females.
I give Long Gone by Thomas A. Bryant 4 out of 5 stars
By RN Hadley
(www.rnhadleybookreviews.blogspot.com)
Thomas Bryant received his education at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, CA. While studying political science, he began a love affair with books and discovered a passion for writing. Coming from humble beginnings with economic demands, he took an internship in the service industry as a heavy-duty diesel mechanic, which left him little time for books or writing. He sought challenges, including baseball, football and wrestling as a young man and loved speed on the water in a flat bottom race boat called BORN to be WILD. Two weeks before he entered Arizona Bail Enforcement Academy to become a licensed Bounty Hunter, he was involved in a near fatal automobile accident. Disabled and facing his toughest challenge, he returned to his first love of writing and found a whole new world in print and writing crime fiction/suspense novels. He lives in the Ozarks of Missouri.
It is late, so late it’s almost early and Karl and Sammy are nowhere near fore filling their order on time. All out of luck they are racking their brains trying to find the Silver Anniversary Edition 1978 L88 Corvette. Remembering the location of one they head off to boost the car.
Sammy Page aka Cowboy was brought up in this life, having never had a regular day job he knows nothing else. When his wife Marla decides she wants a baby its time decide what is more important family or the job. A decision that is not easily made. Deciding he’d rather die than loose Marla he sets his final job in motion, unfortunately for Sammy this job is about to ruin his life. Accused of murder, theft and absconding from the law the noose is tightening around his neck and with a past like his there seems no way out. With friends on both sides of the law will Sammy come out of this innocent or guilty? Will the truth be revealed? Or is he being set up? Friend or foe Sammy is about to face the toughest and most challenging moment in his life.
A story about friendship and betrayal, how childhood friends can become enemies in adulthood. This is a story about growing up and accepting responsibility for actions taken and accepting consequences.
When I first began reading this story I enjoyed it but after the first quarter I couldn’t wait to be on the final pages. There are events and moments within the story which are intriguing and interesting to read however for the majority I felt this book was not for me. I found at times I was getting confused between past-tense and pre-tense and was being bombarded with past experiences to explain present situations.
Whilst I am a fan of the movie Gone In 60 Seconds, I felt that this book was trying at times to portray itself as a movie in the wrappings of a book.
However for the last quarter of the book I found myself again hooked, I think if Mr Bryant had suggested such an intriguing court case in the first half of the story I would have been more glued to the pages.
I think this book would be suitable for any guy reading it aged over 18 years but I am not convinced it would appeal enough to females.
I give Long Gone by Thomas A. Bryant 4 out of 5 stars
By RN Hadley
(www.rnhadleybookreviews.blogspot.com)
August 22, 2012
Sammy Page has it all. A beautiful home. A gorgeous wife and a lovely daughter. His life couldn't be any better. Except appearances can be deceiving. Sammy learned from a young age how to get what he wanted by stealing it. His mentor had a chop shop and put Sammy to work young teaching him the rules of the game. Then, Sammy takes one job to many. He knows the job is dangerous but it's too good to pass up. Sammy thinks he's figured out every angle, but there is always a chance something will go wrong. Sammy gets caught and ends up in jail. What unravels from there is something he never thought would happen. Sammy is sure he's lost it all. His life, his family and his business.
This book gives a scary accurate account of car theft and what happens to people inside jail. The story keeps you enthralled while working it's way through some really tight spots. The characters remind you of people in your neighborhood. You'll enjoy the action in this book, but some of what takes place in jail/prison may surprise some. I recommend this book to anyone.
The only issue I found was it does drag in spots. The action needs to be spread out more.
I gave this one 4 out of 5 books because of the dragging.
This book gives a scary accurate account of car theft and what happens to people inside jail. The story keeps you enthralled while working it's way through some really tight spots. The characters remind you of people in your neighborhood. You'll enjoy the action in this book, but some of what takes place in jail/prison may surprise some. I recommend this book to anyone.
The only issue I found was it does drag in spots. The action needs to be spread out more.
I gave this one 4 out of 5 books because of the dragging.
November 29, 2011
Nail-biting suspense from page one. Very sexy & humorous!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews