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Run
Marc Bowman, a highly successful computer consultant and software designer, walks into his job at a major tech company one morning only to find himself fired on the spot, stonewalled by his boss, and ushered out of the building. Then things get worse: An explosive argument drives his wife away and a robbery threatens to yank a million-dollar idea—and his whole future—out from under him. In a matter of hours, Marc has gone from having it all to being sucker-punched by fate. But it’s only Monday, and before the week is over, he’ll be stalked, ambushed, wiretapped, arrested, duped, double- and triple-crossed—until he can’t tell enemies from allies.
Suddenly, the only thing standing between him and the wrath of everyone from the FBI to Homeland Security to his desperate ex-bosses is a flash drive full of data that might just be the holy grail of high-tech secrets—and a holy terror in the wrong hands. Now, as the gloves come off and the guns come out, turning back is hopeless and giving up is madness. The only person left for Marc to trust is himself. And the only thing left to do is keep running—or end up a dead man walking.
Suddenly, the only thing standing between him and the wrath of everyone from the FBI to Homeland Security to his desperate ex-bosses is a flash drive full of data that might just be the holy grail of high-tech secrets—and a holy terror in the wrong hands. Now, as the gloves come off and the guns come out, turning back is hopeless and giving up is madness. The only person left for Marc to trust is himself. And the only thing left to do is keep running—or end up a dead man walking.
269 pages, Hardcover
First published October 7, 2014
165 people are currently reading
688 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Grant
13 books404 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Andrew Grant (born 1968, Birmingham, England) is the younger brother of bestselling thriller writer Lee Child. After graduating from the University of Sheffield, where he studied Drama and English Literature, Grant founded a theatre company that produced original material, culminating with a critically successful appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Grant remained in Sheffield after graduating from university but now lives with his wife, the novelist Tasha Alexander, on a nature preserve in Wyoming.
Series:
* David Trevellyan
Andrew Grant (born 1968, Birmingham, England) is the younger brother of bestselling thriller writer Lee Child. After graduating from the University of Sheffield, where he studied Drama and English Literature, Grant founded a theatre company that produced original material, culminating with a critically successful appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Grant remained in Sheffield after graduating from university but now lives with his wife, the novelist Tasha Alexander, on a nature preserve in Wyoming.
Series:
* David Trevellyan
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
November 15, 2014
Thanks to the publisher for an advance reading copy.
While I know that I'm not the hugest fan of thrillers or suspense, I thought the premise of Run sounded intriguing. When I finally gave up reading 100 pages in, I could only wonder what kind of favors Lee Child had to call in to get this book by his younger brother published. Even though I logically recognized that many action scenes had happened in that first half and that many characters were introduced, the pacing still felt stagnant and boring. Marc is a wooden stock character who strangely believes that every person he encounters is who they claim they are. I was completely baffled by him because nothing he did made any sense. Nothing! Suspense/thriller dialogue is never great, but the nonsensical reactions and over-long speeches were so bizarre that I started hearing it in the voice of Tommy Wiseau. Yeah, it reminded me of The Room. That's not a good thing (or is it the greatest thing?).
I skimmed the last half of the book and actually laughed at the conclusion. I think the last time I read an ending like that was when we had to peer review each other's short stories in junior high. So bad.
While I know that I'm not the hugest fan of thrillers or suspense, I thought the premise of Run sounded intriguing. When I finally gave up reading 100 pages in, I could only wonder what kind of favors Lee Child had to call in to get this book by his younger brother published. Even though I logically recognized that many action scenes had happened in that first half and that many characters were introduced, the pacing still felt stagnant and boring. Marc is a wooden stock character who strangely believes that every person he encounters is who they claim they are. I was completely baffled by him because nothing he did made any sense. Nothing! Suspense/thriller dialogue is never great, but the nonsensical reactions and over-long speeches were so bizarre that I started hearing it in the voice of Tommy Wiseau. Yeah, it reminded me of The Room. That's not a good thing (or is it the greatest thing?).
I skimmed the last half of the book and actually laughed at the conclusion. I think the last time I read an ending like that was when we had to peer review each other's short stories in junior high. So bad.
December 12, 2020
Who would've not loved the corporate BS setting happening on both sides of the table and setting pace to a thrilling thriller (finally, I got one!).
The wife, going all on 'things without pulse' and how her hubby behaved around her office... Ugh, the wife from hell spot on.
The corporate bullshit is spot on:
Q:
They wouldn’t have hired me if they weren’t having problems. (c)
Q:
“There’s no guesswork involved. Just a finite number of known outcomes, and I’ve helped you plan for all of them. The work I’ve done for you—the customer behavioral analysis, not the boring cost-saving stuff—it makes you unique. Even if you come out of the auction empty-handed and have to sell the company, it’ll be worth five times what it was before I started. At least. No one can match the kind of insights I’ve given you. They’re gold dust. They put you light-years ahead of everyone else.” (c)
Q:
“Difficult choices? I’ve got news for you. You need a new dictionary, my friend. Because you’re confusing difficult with stupid. Have you got any idea how much money you’re setting fire to, letting me go? How many opportunities you’re going to miss out on?” (c)
Q:
My contract is being canceled? Great use of the corporate passive, I thought. (c)
Q:
“I cost you nothing. I take a percentage of everything I save you. And a percentage of everything extra you make, based on my ideas. Keeping me costs you nothing. Fact. And firing me will lose you money. Fact.”
“It’s not that simple, Marc.”“It is that simple. Without my analytics you won’t know where your inefficiencies are. And you won’t know where to aim your new products. If you’re worried about cost, firing me is the last thing you should do.” (c)
Q:
Now, a lot of your insights are fascinating. And those grenades you hit us with early on? Like that sales guy you found running an escort service on company time? Dynamite. (c)
Q:
If you can’t measure, you can’t manage. And without me, you can’t measure. Not as well as you can with me, anyway. (c)
Q:
I make my living by seeing what no one else even knows is there. I use my analytical tools to peek beneath the skin of companies and make sense of whatever’s hidden beneath. Here, I’d missed the simple things that were in plain sight. (c)
All the thrills didn't improve the story. The plot was seriously cartoonish. Just like the Lichtenstein'sworks. I am so very peeved by all the stuff getting seriously dumbassish towards the ending.
I'm entirely too lazy to list all the things that didn'r work and made no sense whatsoever but there are shiloads of those.
Other fun:
Q:
He was so indecisive I couldn’t understand how he’d made up his mind to leave his house in the first place. (c)
The wife, going all on 'things without pulse' and how her hubby behaved around her office... Ugh, the wife from hell spot on.
The corporate bullshit is spot on:
Q:
They wouldn’t have hired me if they weren’t having problems. (c)
Q:
“There’s no guesswork involved. Just a finite number of known outcomes, and I’ve helped you plan for all of them. The work I’ve done for you—the customer behavioral analysis, not the boring cost-saving stuff—it makes you unique. Even if you come out of the auction empty-handed and have to sell the company, it’ll be worth five times what it was before I started. At least. No one can match the kind of insights I’ve given you. They’re gold dust. They put you light-years ahead of everyone else.” (c)
Q:
“Difficult choices? I’ve got news for you. You need a new dictionary, my friend. Because you’re confusing difficult with stupid. Have you got any idea how much money you’re setting fire to, letting me go? How many opportunities you’re going to miss out on?” (c)
Q:
My contract is being canceled? Great use of the corporate passive, I thought. (c)
Q:
“I cost you nothing. I take a percentage of everything I save you. And a percentage of everything extra you make, based on my ideas. Keeping me costs you nothing. Fact. And firing me will lose you money. Fact.”
“It’s not that simple, Marc.”“It is that simple. Without my analytics you won’t know where your inefficiencies are. And you won’t know where to aim your new products. If you’re worried about cost, firing me is the last thing you should do.” (c)
Q:
Now, a lot of your insights are fascinating. And those grenades you hit us with early on? Like that sales guy you found running an escort service on company time? Dynamite. (c)
Q:
If you can’t measure, you can’t manage. And without me, you can’t measure. Not as well as you can with me, anyway. (c)
Q:
I make my living by seeing what no one else even knows is there. I use my analytical tools to peek beneath the skin of companies and make sense of whatever’s hidden beneath. Here, I’d missed the simple things that were in plain sight. (c)
All the thrills didn't improve the story. The plot was seriously cartoonish. Just like the Lichtenstein'sworks. I am so very peeved by all the stuff getting seriously dumbassish towards the ending.
I'm entirely too lazy to list all the things that didn'r work and made no sense whatsoever but there are shiloads of those.
Other fun:
Q:
He was so indecisive I couldn’t understand how he’d made up his mind to leave his house in the first place. (c)
September 17, 2014
Hmmm...compared to Harlan Coben and Joseph Finder
I received an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) of this book and it was compared to Coben and Finder. I find that a long stretch.
RUN was entertaining for the most part but unbelievable, had wooden characters and the worst ending I've read for a long time.
I liked the story concept, with Marc Bowman, nerdish IT consultant, on the run for his life, after pocketing a proprietary database from the company from which he was just fired.
What I didn't like was the one-dimensional characters in the story (and there were quite a few to keep track of), some twisty plot turns that were hard to follow, and as I mentioned - THE TERRIBLE ENDING!
At the beginning of the ARC, it also mentioned that the author is the brother of bestseller Lee Child. Hmmm...
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I received an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) of this book and it was compared to Coben and Finder. I find that a long stretch.
RUN was entertaining for the most part but unbelievable, had wooden characters and the worst ending I've read for a long time.
I liked the story concept, with Marc Bowman, nerdish IT consultant, on the run for his life, after pocketing a proprietary database from the company from which he was just fired.
What I didn't like was the one-dimensional characters in the story (and there were quite a few to keep track of), some twisty plot turns that were hard to follow, and as I mentioned - THE TERRIBLE ENDING!
At the beginning of the ARC, it also mentioned that the author is the brother of bestseller Lee Child. Hmmm...
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
October 14, 2014
This book was recommended by Lee Child in his monthly newsletter, and that was the only reason I bought it. Big mistake! This has been one of the most confused and confusing thrillers I have ever read. With a series of meaningless twists and turns that eventually go nowhere. If I had not been stuck on a long flight with nothing else to read, I may never have finished it. With all due respect to Mr. Lee Child - this was utter crap.
May 22, 2022
This is the sixth volume from Andrew Grant that I have read. I believe it is his only stand along work. I have read two he co-wrote with his brother, Lee Child, under the name Andrew Child, and also the first in each of his three series. When I started reading his works I was not sure if I would read each series sequentially or in parallel. It has worked out that I am reading them in parallel, and tucked this one in as the sole stand alone work. He has not published any book under this name in the last 2 years since he started co-authoring the Jack Reacher books. Grant has contributions to two anthologies. He has also contributed to one anthology as Andrew Child. I picked a few of his books after reading Even. This one is fairly different than most of his other works.
The description of this book is:
“Marc Bowman, a highly successful computer consultant and software designer, walks into his job at a major tech company one morning only to find himself fired on the spot, stonewalled by his boss, and ushered out of the building. Then things get worse: An explosive argument drives his wife away and a robbery threatens to yank a million-dollar idea—and his whole future—out from under him. In a matter of hours, Marc has gone from having it all to being sucker-punched by fate. But it’s only Monday, and before the week is over, he’ll be stalked, ambushed, wiretapped, arrested, duped, double- and triple-crossed—until he can’t tell enemies from allies.
Suddenly, the only thing standing between him and the wrath of everyone from the FBI to Homeland Security to his desperate ex-bosses is a flash drive full of data that might just be the holy grail of high-tech secrets—and a holy terror in the wrong hands. Now, as the gloves come off and the guns come out, turning back is hopeless and giving up is madness. The only person left for Marc to trust is himself. And the only thing left to do is keep running—or end up a dead man walking.”
I had not read the description before starting the book. An author friend calls me a ‘completionist’ in that when I find authors I like I tend to read everything they have publish. For example I read the first 23 Reacher novels in under a year, after reading the first. Grant’s writing is excellent and this one has quite a few surprises and twists. The story is really fun. As someone who works in IT I greatly enjoyed the Cyber elements in the story. I have had several coworkers that or reflected in Marc Bowman. In personality, heads down focus, and trying to solve the problem no matter the cost. And also Marc’s fascination with an lesser known artist. Marc is stuck between a rock and a hard place, several hard places to be exact, Homeland Security, Local Law Enforcement, Fake Homeland, Thugs. And to make matters worse his wife seems to be choosing her boss and company over him. But maybe he is looking through everything with the wrong lenses. And his assumptions about who is who and the reason for their actions might all be wrong.
This story was a race from start to finish. And it hammers home the message of never push a man who has nothing to lose. Some of the twists were magnificently written. The action was high octane. The story was a very fun read. In some ways there are echoes of the movie Hackers. But with much higher risk and maybe rewards. And the ending it was hilarious, pure gold!
I read this book over a few sittings over two days it was very hard to put down. It is another excellent read from the masterful pen of Andrew Grant. If you love a good crime, suspense, thriller with great action this is a book for you. I am certain fans of Reacher, Bourne, Jack Ryan could all appreciate Bowman and how he gets the job done. It is a great read from Grant’s pen!
The description of this book is:
“Marc Bowman, a highly successful computer consultant and software designer, walks into his job at a major tech company one morning only to find himself fired on the spot, stonewalled by his boss, and ushered out of the building. Then things get worse: An explosive argument drives his wife away and a robbery threatens to yank a million-dollar idea—and his whole future—out from under him. In a matter of hours, Marc has gone from having it all to being sucker-punched by fate. But it’s only Monday, and before the week is over, he’ll be stalked, ambushed, wiretapped, arrested, duped, double- and triple-crossed—until he can’t tell enemies from allies.
Suddenly, the only thing standing between him and the wrath of everyone from the FBI to Homeland Security to his desperate ex-bosses is a flash drive full of data that might just be the holy grail of high-tech secrets—and a holy terror in the wrong hands. Now, as the gloves come off and the guns come out, turning back is hopeless and giving up is madness. The only person left for Marc to trust is himself. And the only thing left to do is keep running—or end up a dead man walking.”
I had not read the description before starting the book. An author friend calls me a ‘completionist’ in that when I find authors I like I tend to read everything they have publish. For example I read the first 23 Reacher novels in under a year, after reading the first. Grant’s writing is excellent and this one has quite a few surprises and twists. The story is really fun. As someone who works in IT I greatly enjoyed the Cyber elements in the story. I have had several coworkers that or reflected in Marc Bowman. In personality, heads down focus, and trying to solve the problem no matter the cost. And also Marc’s fascination with an lesser known artist. Marc is stuck between a rock and a hard place, several hard places to be exact, Homeland Security, Local Law Enforcement, Fake Homeland, Thugs. And to make matters worse his wife seems to be choosing her boss and company over him. But maybe he is looking through everything with the wrong lenses. And his assumptions about who is who and the reason for their actions might all be wrong.
This story was a race from start to finish. And it hammers home the message of never push a man who has nothing to lose. Some of the twists were magnificently written. The action was high octane. The story was a very fun read. In some ways there are echoes of the movie Hackers. But with much higher risk and maybe rewards. And the ending it was hilarious, pure gold!
I read this book over a few sittings over two days it was very hard to put down. It is another excellent read from the masterful pen of Andrew Grant. If you love a good crime, suspense, thriller with great action this is a book for you. I am certain fans of Reacher, Bourne, Jack Ryan could all appreciate Bowman and how he gets the job done. It is a great read from Grant’s pen!
April 6, 2015
If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. The dialogue was simply not believable, nor were the characters. It was fast-paced but the main character was so stupid. I just found so much of this novel to be so implausible. I would strongly advise against reading the last chapter. And whatever you do, do not read the last few lines. However, many people WANT to write a novel and don't or can't. He has. And I heard his other novels are quite good so...let's just call this a hiccup. No harm - no foul.
October 31, 2014
This Joesph-Finder-ish thriller tells the tale of a genius programmer/financial analyst and superstar IT consultant, one Marc Bowman, who gets caught up in spiderweb of intrigue. it's also about a self-centered asshole, also Bowman, who happens to be married, at least in name, to a narcissistic exec from the company, AmeriTel, that just terminated him. They speak to each other in soap-opera-esque cliches, with a creepy impulsive horniness but nothing resembling affection. I've seldom seen characters so unsympathetically portrayed. They are little more than caricatures of overly ambitious business types.
Despite the disappointing characterizations, there are some really funny quirks in Grant's writing. For example, everyone seems to have country-club, waspish names, like a male Homeland Security agent named Jordan McKenna. Also humorously most everything you know about police and government agency procedures is ignored. For example, McKenna's DHS associates inexplicably wield double-barreled shotguns instead of their issued handguns and conduct in depth interviews seated in Bowman's Jaguar.
The intrigue started when Bowman left AmeriTel with a mountain of confidential data on a thumb drive, one of those USB sticks that you can pick up a your drugstore checkout. The data theft is innocent enough. He needs a large data set to test out a product idea he has just come up with independently. His former company needs it back and his wife, still working for AmeriTel, will do anything to get it back. He just needs to hand over the thumb drive and there will be peace in the valley once again. If not his wife morphs into the She-Hulk or Lilith, or maybe a hybrid of the two.
The problem underlying all this drama is that this tech whiz doesn't have the foresight to make a back up, to another $20 USB stick, or, better yet, to a secure cloud-based backup server. Either of which would allow him to hand over the original USB stick allowing his wife to revert to her semi-human form and for them to continue to nurture theIr "relationship", and turning this book into a very poorly written short story. It's all so idiotic and unlikely it makes it hard to swallow the rest of the narrative.
I can't help diving deeper into this lack of verisimilitude because it's what makes Run so special. IT genius Bowman has the computer savvy of an octogenarian who just learned about the Interwebs. For example, no back up for the program he wrote to test his world class product concept. Seriously... IT pros and especially programmers obsessively back up their work to remote hard drives or cloud-based servers, often automatically hour-by-hour if not more frequently. The story's premise might have been able to stand on wobbly legs 10 years ago, but not today with what is common knowledge to most experienced computer users. Another indication of Bowman's inherent dopiness is the Inexplicable lack of a security system at his multi-million dollar home. Not even video surveillance, despite having a multi-million dollar Roy Lichtenstein original hanging on the wall. Seriously Marc.
Page-by-page, Run started to read like a lampoon of a Finder thriller. Unintentionally, I'm sure, but somehow even funnier because of the author's sincerity. Frankly, Joseph Finder is a lot better at this, albeit not as unwittingly funny.
Despite the disappointing characterizations, there are some really funny quirks in Grant's writing. For example, everyone seems to have country-club, waspish names, like a male Homeland Security agent named Jordan McKenna. Also humorously most everything you know about police and government agency procedures is ignored. For example, McKenna's DHS associates inexplicably wield double-barreled shotguns instead of their issued handguns and conduct in depth interviews seated in Bowman's Jaguar.
The intrigue started when Bowman left AmeriTel with a mountain of confidential data on a thumb drive, one of those USB sticks that you can pick up a your drugstore checkout. The data theft is innocent enough. He needs a large data set to test out a product idea he has just come up with independently. His former company needs it back and his wife, still working for AmeriTel, will do anything to get it back. He just needs to hand over the thumb drive and there will be peace in the valley once again. If not his wife morphs into the She-Hulk or Lilith, or maybe a hybrid of the two.
The problem underlying all this drama is that this tech whiz doesn't have the foresight to make a back up, to another $20 USB stick, or, better yet, to a secure cloud-based backup server. Either of which would allow him to hand over the original USB stick allowing his wife to revert to her semi-human form and for them to continue to nurture theIr "relationship", and turning this book into a very poorly written short story. It's all so idiotic and unlikely it makes it hard to swallow the rest of the narrative.
I can't help diving deeper into this lack of verisimilitude because it's what makes Run so special. IT genius Bowman has the computer savvy of an octogenarian who just learned about the Interwebs. For example, no back up for the program he wrote to test his world class product concept. Seriously... IT pros and especially programmers obsessively back up their work to remote hard drives or cloud-based servers, often automatically hour-by-hour if not more frequently. The story's premise might have been able to stand on wobbly legs 10 years ago, but not today with what is common knowledge to most experienced computer users. Another indication of Bowman's inherent dopiness is the Inexplicable lack of a security system at his multi-million dollar home. Not even video surveillance, despite having a multi-million dollar Roy Lichtenstein original hanging on the wall. Seriously Marc.
Page-by-page, Run started to read like a lampoon of a Finder thriller. Unintentionally, I'm sure, but somehow even funnier because of the author's sincerity. Frankly, Joseph Finder is a lot better at this, albeit not as unwittingly funny.
June 30, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
"Fast-paced" would be an understatement in trying to describe this story. There's a lot going on at all times and just when I thought that the main character, Marc Bowman, had it all figured out, something else would happen and I would be wrong. It kept the story interesting, though admittedly, it frustrated me at times. I really did not like Marc's wife until it was revealed what she had been going through apart from him, which wasn't disclosed until the book nearly ended. Another character (no spoilers) ended up being the exact opposite of what I figured him to be as well. To me, these are some of the elements of a good suspense story.
I wasn't thrilled with the ending. There were too many unanswered questions in my mind. Overall, however, I thought it fit the bill for a great suspense novel.
"Fast-paced" would be an understatement in trying to describe this story. There's a lot going on at all times and just when I thought that the main character, Marc Bowman, had it all figured out, something else would happen and I would be wrong. It kept the story interesting, though admittedly, it frustrated me at times. I really did not like Marc's wife until it was revealed what she had been going through apart from him, which wasn't disclosed until the book nearly ended. Another character (no spoilers) ended up being the exact opposite of what I figured him to be as well. To me, these are some of the elements of a good suspense story.
I wasn't thrilled with the ending. There were too many unanswered questions in my mind. Overall, however, I thought it fit the bill for a great suspense novel.
August 16, 2017
I usually give a book more pages to redeem itself, but I could tell RUN was a lost cause by page 50. Stilted, unrealistic dialogue, wooden, flat characters, and a predictable, overused storyline made my decision to put this book down a no- brainer before I invested anymore time! Other authors have done this plot better ( see Joseph Finder).
September 12, 2018
I rarely give a book such a low rating. I try to find some redeeming quality about it. However, this is by far the worse book I’ve read. The twist and the ending both made me laugh. I found the characters, their dialogue, and interactions to be completely unrealistic. I would not recommend this book.
July 11, 2014
Check out my other reviews at Little Miss Bookmark!
The cover of this one really caught my eye. I was interested to see what this new (to me) author had up his sleeve because the concept of this novel sounded pretty interesting. Unfortunately, it just didn't hold my attention like I wish that it could have.
It's not a bad book ... even with it being an ARC it was polished. For those of you who don't know, an ARC is an Advanced Reader Copy ... it's basically just a copy of the book made specifically for reviewers ... there usually isn't a cover, there are probably still grammar/punctuation/spelling issues. It's main job is to get the book out there before it's actually published so that it can create a buzz before it hits shelves. Anyway ... finding an ARC without any issues is pretty rare and I was happy to see how well it was put together. But nothing else really added up for me.
Is it exciting? Yes. Is it fast paced? Yes. Is it quite confusing? YES! I'd like to think of myself as someone who isn't an idiot but I'm beginning to wonder if that is accurate at all because this book really gave me a run for my money ... haha ... run ... anyway ... there was just too much ... I don't know. Too much intrigue? Gosh. I guess the word intrigue will work ... I can't come up a good word to describe what I mean without spoiling something important.
Here's the deal ... it's like seeing a cat and knowing that it's a cat but then having someone come up to you and convince you that the person who taught you that it was a cat was totally lying to you and what you thought was a cat is actually a dog. But then the person who first taught you that it was a cat comes back and informs you that the person who told you it was a dog was just trying to fool you and that it actually is a cat and you start to believe them. But then a third person comes up and tries to convince you that the first two people are pulling the wool over your eyes and what you were told were cats and dogs were actually hippos. Are you confused yet? Yeah. That's what this novel was for me. There was just to much flip-flopping and it's not that I couldn't keep up with it but that it totally lost my interest.
I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters, they felt a little shallow to me ... almost like shells of a person because they just didn't have any depth in my mind. I didn't really care about the outcome of the novel because I just wasn't invested in the characters. It really pains me to say that since there is so much work that goes into writing a novel but there it is.
December 20, 2014
I never read books that were co-written by James Patterson and Andrew Grant. It was not until Mr. Grant branched out on his own that I discovered him and liked his writing. It had been a while since I have read a book by this author so I decided to jump back in with Mr. Grant's latest novel, Run.
While I liked this book there were some issues I had with it. First off I never fully embraced the characters in the story. This surprised me a little as I have never had this problem before reading a book by this author. Another thing is that this story moved too fast. It had a lot of back and forth twists that it was hard to keep who was the bad guys from the good guys straight in the beginning. Overall a good book.
While I liked this book there were some issues I had with it. First off I never fully embraced the characters in the story. This surprised me a little as I have never had this problem before reading a book by this author. Another thing is that this story moved too fast. It had a lot of back and forth twists that it was hard to keep who was the bad guys from the good guys straight in the beginning. Overall a good book.
March 19, 2019
Despite the formulaic plot, the author frequently meanders off-course, and the cast of characters are completely forgettable. The dialogue is forced and unbelievable, as are everyone's behaviors along the storyline, especially the lead who bumbles along like the stereotype clueless victim in a slasher film. It's also obvious the author had to pad out the word/page count, in the same way a freshman pumps up an undersized term paper, in several places you could skip ahead a dozen pages and not miss anything relevant.
Two stars because it wasn't so terrible that I quit in the middle of listening, largely because I was curious how the random threads and loose plot points would get tied back together - deus ex machina, as expected. Shame, the theme had lots of potential.
Two stars because it wasn't so terrible that I quit in the middle of listening, largely because I was curious how the random threads and loose plot points would get tied back together - deus ex machina, as expected. Shame, the theme had lots of potential.
August 9, 2014
I won an advance copy of this book in a first reads giveaway.
I think the story in general is good. The pacing is good and there are a couple of good action sequences. There are a couple of problems that outweigh the good for me though. I didn't like a single character. Marc is a jerk and I was hoping he would get caught and taught a lesson in prison. His wife was worse. She treats her husband like crap and for some reason he wants to make things work with her. The other thing that bothers me about this book is the dialogue. It is awful. It is forced and awkward. This story had potential, but it was poorly executed.
I think the story in general is good. The pacing is good and there are a couple of good action sequences. There are a couple of problems that outweigh the good for me though. I didn't like a single character. Marc is a jerk and I was hoping he would get caught and taught a lesson in prison. His wife was worse. She treats her husband like crap and for some reason he wants to make things work with her. The other thing that bothers me about this book is the dialogue. It is awful. It is forced and awkward. This story had potential, but it was poorly executed.
July 23, 2014
I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of Andrew Grant's latest, RUN. In a word--Fabulous. I could not put this book down. Read it in two sittings and wanted to go back to beginning and start all over again. It's just that good.
This is smart, intelligent clever thriller that will keep you turning pages and leave you with a surprising chill running through your body.
BRAVO!!! Cannot wait to read his next one!
This is smart, intelligent clever thriller that will keep you turning pages and leave you with a surprising chill running through your body.
BRAVO!!! Cannot wait to read his next one!
December 1, 2020
I didn't care much for this book -- way too much about computers-fraud-other illicit stuff. And none of the characters were at all likeable: Marc acted like an idiot most of the book, his wife was awful, and Homeland Security people who were FAKE. Or not. Who knew? Certainly not Marc. I'm sure some of that stuff happens to companies, but I hardly understood a lot of it. And didn't really care. And the ending? Puhleeeze.
December 19, 2014
A computer consultant gets fired suddenly, his wife leaves him and his world turns into chaos, so much so that he can’t go back home. Who do you trust? The police, the guys that say they’re Homeland Security or the other guys that say they are Homeland Security. Adrenaline-fueled, fast paced and the reader has to stop and take a breath once in awhile. The storyline will take your breath away.
March 16, 2015
I wanted to like this book. The story seemed interesting. However, the main character, who was supposed to be a high achieving tech guy, was just plain dumb. His thoughts and actions were like an Amish teenager in the modern world for the first time and not like a savvy tech professional.
May 29, 2015
Everything about computers are wrong, characters are bad and the ending, well looks like the author just gave up.
This is my first one star rating.
This is my first one star rating.
April 26, 2016
Didn't finish, didn't care for it.
January 13, 2018
This was the worst story I have ever read.
February 18, 2020
Synopsis:
Marc Bowman has been an IT consultant for AmeriTel, a telecommunication company when one day, all of a sudden he is fired without a proper explanation. What his previous employers didn't know is that he brought home two USB-sticks filled with seemingly innocuous and insignificant data. When his wife finds out about it, she urges him to bring back the USB data and Marc soon finds out that the information on it has garnered far more attention than he bargained for.
There really is no need for Andrew Grant to feel like he is standing in the shadow of his successful brother. He can be considered a talented writer in his own right and it shows in every syllable. I practically swallowed the book up whole, like a piece of cake.
You know you're reading something exciting when you put off doing housework or even checking your social media. I kept wanting to know what happens next, who was behind all of it and most of all, what the reason behind the action was. I liked that most of the answers were only revealed towards the ending, although some would say it was fairly predictable to a certain extent.
I personally found the Troye/Brian character intriguing and would have liked to know what happened to him and which part he played exactly.
The author conveys an excellent point, namely that sometimes innocent people are convicted of crimes they haven't committed and that we sometimes judge too quickly based on (incorrect) information the media feeds us. All in all, this is definitely a recommended read for thrill-seeking bookworms.
Marc Bowman has been an IT consultant for AmeriTel, a telecommunication company when one day, all of a sudden he is fired without a proper explanation. What his previous employers didn't know is that he brought home two USB-sticks filled with seemingly innocuous and insignificant data. When his wife finds out about it, she urges him to bring back the USB data and Marc soon finds out that the information on it has garnered far more attention than he bargained for.
There really is no need for Andrew Grant to feel like he is standing in the shadow of his successful brother. He can be considered a talented writer in his own right and it shows in every syllable. I practically swallowed the book up whole, like a piece of cake.
You know you're reading something exciting when you put off doing housework or even checking your social media. I kept wanting to know what happens next, who was behind all of it and most of all, what the reason behind the action was. I liked that most of the answers were only revealed towards the ending, although some would say it was fairly predictable to a certain extent.
I personally found the Troye/Brian character intriguing and would have liked to know what happened to him and which part he played exactly.
The author conveys an excellent point, namely that sometimes innocent people are convicted of crimes they haven't committed and that we sometimes judge too quickly based on (incorrect) information the media feeds us. All in all, this is definitely a recommended read for thrill-seeking bookworms.
August 31, 2023
I really wanted to like this book. A computer geek, consultant, on the run seemed like it could be good.
I didn't read other reviews until I was already in it, my mistake. Then it became a game of can I find all of the points the other reviewers disliked. I have a list of over 20 points.
For me, the biggest issue was the characters. I disliked the wife from the beginning. I thought Marc was clueless about interpersonal relationships and was presented as only interested in computer code with no idea about anything else.
The people hunting him were started off interesting then it was just...confusing...then I just didn't care. And some point new pursuers entered and I didn't care enough to figure out when or why.
There were several missed opportunities for making characters more interesting, the plot more interesting, etc. The ending didn't work for me on several levels, mainly because the shift seemed sudden without any setup. There were also MANY plot points unresolved which made me wonder why I'd continued on the journey.
To be fair, probably should be 2.5 because it made a memorable impression (even it was not overly positive), kept me engaged (if only to *rant* about dialogue and actions that didn't make sense) and the narrator did a good job.
Happy Reading!
I didn't read other reviews until I was already in it, my mistake. Then it became a game of can I find all of the points the other reviewers disliked. I have a list of over 20 points.
For me, the biggest issue was the characters. I disliked the wife from the beginning. I thought Marc was clueless about interpersonal relationships and was presented as only interested in computer code with no idea about anything else.
The people hunting him were started off interesting then it was just...confusing...then I just didn't care. And some point new pursuers entered and I didn't care enough to figure out when or why.
There were several missed opportunities for making characters more interesting, the plot more interesting, etc. The ending didn't work for me on several levels, mainly because the shift seemed sudden without any setup. There were also MANY plot points unresolved which made me wonder why I'd continued on the journey.
To be fair, probably should be 2.5 because it made a memorable impression (even it was not overly positive), kept me engaged (if only to *rant* about dialogue and actions that didn't make sense) and the narrator did a good job.
Happy Reading!
January 30, 2018
The only reason I completed this book was that it was so short. Main character Marc is billed as brilliant IT analyst but he is also abumbling fool, however he seems to outwit and out muscle all the evil-do'ers in unbeleibale fashion. Many plot twists and complications that are resolved so quickly and tritely it was hard to take. And if the character of his wife Carolyn was written purposley to be unsympathetic and unlikable, well then he got that right, but if not... And the entirety of their relationship was nails on a chalkboard annoying. Oh, then ending is weak and unoriginal and has all beleivability as a Hillary Clinton corruption denial.
The title, however should be heeded, RUN! away from this book.
The title, however should be heeded, RUN! away from this book.
May 9, 2022
This book was a real shock to the system. I've never read anything like it before.
My question is 'Am I supposed to take this seriously?'
I'm actually disappointed, as I was thinking that I might be on to a good thing and I'd be able to read all his books, but that's not going to happen.
I'm still convinced that we are not required to take this seriously, that it's just a rumble read and it's supposed to just be funny....I think. I may peep into one or two of his books at the library and maybe not.
My question is 'Am I supposed to take this seriously?'
I'm actually disappointed, as I was thinking that I might be on to a good thing and I'd be able to read all his books, but that's not going to happen.
I'm still convinced that we are not required to take this seriously, that it's just a rumble read and it's supposed to just be funny....I think. I may peep into one or two of his books at the library and maybe not.
November 15, 2021
I would rate this as a decent read--it has good parts and bad parts. I found myself liking Mark (some reviewers have called him a self-centered a-hole, which baffles me because he's anything but), but his wife--what a self-centered shrew bitch! I kept asking myself, "Why do you want to stay with this person?" The story has constant twists and turns--some to the point of being comical.
Overall I'm glad I read it and I'll try some of his other titles. 3 1/2 stars. I think.
Overall I'm glad I read it and I'll try some of his other titles. 3 1/2 stars. I think.
November 1, 2022
Not sure where this is set (did I miss it?), so the generic sense of place is a little disconcerting. The narrative runs at a manic pace over the course of just a couple of days so you have to admire the middle aged geek for his stamina and his presence of mind in the midst of all the violence, confusion and betray. The use of the command, "RUN!!" is certainly an attention getter with a cliff hanger ending for sure.
February 15, 2018
Well written plot. Would have given it a five but the scenes with his wife didn't help carry the story. In fact, the fight scene at the beginning of the book made me read the last two chapters to see if I even wanted to complete the book.
Definitely a book I'll pass on to one of my male clients. He might identify better with the male point of view about an argument.
Definitely a book I'll pass on to one of my male clients. He might identify better with the male point of view about an argument.
August 27, 2018
Well plotted thriller with an interesting premise, but just about everything about it felt thin... from the vanilla characters, to loads of little repetitions of both action and description, to the twists and turns. I liked the beginning and got through to the end, so it wasn't terrible or too predictable, but it was, well, slightly thin, slightly predictable, slightly ridiculous.
April 24, 2019
Fast-paced but a far-fetched story that numerous times was difficult to follow. The chases were crazy and totally removed from reality, and they went on and on. Yes, I read through to the end as I don't like to quit unless a book is really impossible to digest, but I won't be looking for more Andrew Grant novels anytime soon.
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