The Long Run

by Robert J. Brodey

Set in the mountain town of Vanquish, British Columbia, The Long Run follows Levi Fischer, a long-distance trail runner and computer whiz, who has fled his troubles in Toronto. His new life appears idyllic in Vanquish, where he hits the trails and hangs out with a no-nonsense rock climber named Sara Ng. But when a stranger comes to town, Levi must confront his past and his own instinct to run away from his problems. The Long Run isn’t just a thriller delving into the dangerous secrets of a sleepy town. It’s also a love letter to trail running, rock climbing, and a life lived outdoors.

Genres: Fiction

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2023

Reviews

[Shilo Goodson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This definitely wasn't the book I was expecting. I feel like it had the potential to be a really good book, but it just had a lot of issues. The biggest one is that it was confusing in parts. There were several places where I had to go back and reread parts to see if I'd missed something. Most of the time, I hadn't missed anything. There are a lot of flashback scenes. Sometimes it took a bit of time to figure out that we were in a flashback scene or that we were no longer in a flashback scene.

I won't ruin the book, but I will say that I feel like the title is a play on words. While our main character, Levi, is a long-distance runner, I feel like the title comes more from that he's running from something.

There is quite a bit of swearing in this book, including a lot of f-bombs. There's some violence. I would say the resulting injuries might be more disturbing than the actual violence. Some controversial or sensitive topics you will encounter include suicide, murder, drug trafficking, police brutality, and computer hacking.

I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway, and I provided a voluntary review.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Long Run” by Robert Brodey is a fiction novel with one main character, Levi, and multiple important supporting characters. While Levi is an avid trail runner, he is also running from things that happened earlier in his life.

I like the twists and turns - and seeing the beautiful nature in my mind.

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway, and recommend it to others who like quick-read fiction novels. Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read the book.

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, although I found it a little confusing at times. I think a little more detail would have helped. I am a trail runner, and I enjoyed the trail running in the book. I didn't care for Sara, but maybe I would have if more detail in their relationship was given. It took me a while to read it at first (nothing to do with the book), I took it on a camping trip and didn't want to put it down. I got about halfway through it. Then we went on another trip 2 weeks later to run a trail half marathon, so I time to finish the rest of the book while resting before and after the race. I stayed up to late the night after the race reading it. I would recommend it.

[Jean Stillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book grabbed my attention from the start! This was my first read from this author, but the book description sounded very interesting. I am so glad to have given it a try. I loved the characters, especially Sara, who is bad-ass, sassy, and too curious for her own good. The twists, turns, and suspense kept me reading straight though until I had finished it! There were a couple of places where the author lost me for a minute, but everything was soon revealed. So enjoyed this book!

[Daniel S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs a little tightening…

Leave out the politics next time, is my humble suggestion. Stereotypes of “Deplorables” do nothing to advance the plot or character development. I liked the action sequences!

[Stace · Rating 1 out of 5]

It rambles on

What the book says it is about, is nothing close to what I got out of it. The author repeats things in different ways within saying or adding more actual substance to the book. I had to reread things to try to figure out what he was trying to say.

[Melanie Roussel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Je n'ai pas aimé

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for our running bookclub, and it really had nothing to do with running. I didn't hate it, but it definitely wasn't my favorite.

[Marney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really what I expected from the description, but mostly ok. Chaotic and confusing towards the end though.

[Paula Hofmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

not so amazing but a quick read

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was not a book I would have gravitated to on my own, but I was given a copy to read in a professional capacity so...
Short version is that there isn't a single aspect of this story I enjoyed. If Goodreads let me rate books lower than 1 star I would have given that rating to this book.
I fully respect the time, effort, and dedication it takes to write a book and put it out into the world, but I also believe that not all books need to be published. Levi is bar none one of the worst protagonists I've ever had the misfortune to read with my own 2 eyes. Maybe it's because I'm a woman, maybe it's because I could care less about trail running, maybe it's because I have a modicum of self-awareness - I digress. It's a terrible story about an awful human being.
I won't get into how multiple people have gone missing on the same section of trail to the point where locals refer to it as the Bermuda Triangle of this area, even with extensive police presence and exhaustive search efforts. I certainly won't mention how the 1 time Levi runs this trail he stumbles across an obvious and active drug-manufacturing operation immediately beside the trail and how it's only through his "misfortune" that this incious activity is brought down.
What would we do with sanctimonious, mediocre white men with insufferable hobbies and overly-inflated egos?
(Don't answer that)