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Running Towards Danger
Karen's life is abruptly thrown into chaos when her flatmate is gunned down in front of her in the street where they live.
Within days she is forced to take drastic action to ensure her own safety. She criss-crosses New Zealand to evade the killers, changes her appearance and settles into a small community as 'Cara'. But danger still stalks her and she is forced to make dramatic choices in the face of threats and brutal violence.
Can she trust the man she is attracted to or has he been sent by the killers? A dramatic series of events test Cara to the extreme limits of her endurance when her life hangs in the balance and every decision is crucial.
Within days she is forced to take drastic action to ensure her own safety. She criss-crosses New Zealand to evade the killers, changes her appearance and settles into a small community as 'Cara'. But danger still stalks her and she is forced to make dramatic choices in the face of threats and brutal violence.
Can she trust the man she is attracted to or has he been sent by the killers? A dramatic series of events test Cara to the extreme limits of her endurance when her life hangs in the balance and every decision is crucial.
309 pages, Paperback
First published February 26, 2015
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 22, 2015
The central premise of RUNNING TOWARDS DANGER is a fascinating idea. What would you do if the flatmate that you knew very little about, and saw even less of, is suddenly gunned down in front of you, and the investigation into his death starts to reveal some very worrying facts about his life? Which again, you knew nothing about, but everybody, including the police, don’t believe you.
Would it be to suddenly go into hiding, head off into a small community and try to settle into that world using a different name (Cara), in the hopes that dropping off the radar will ease the threat? You can definitely imagine that somebody might panic and run to friends / family / somewhere you feel safe, but into the unknown?
Whether or not you can accept that Karen / Cara does exactly that, and with, it has to be said a considerable level of expertise and prescience of mind, will be a large part of the key to whether or not RUNNING TOWARDS DANGER will work for you. That and whether you think the idea that the mysterious appearance of a man that she instantly becomes attracted to whilst simultaneously worrying he might be one of the bad guys fits with everything else you’ve found out about Karen/Cara up until that point.
As you can probably tell this reader wasn’t 100% convinced by some elements, and thoroughly hooked by others. Definitely feeling the urge to cheer for Cara (let’s settle for that name), there was something odd about much of the setup of this novel at the same time. Not the idea that she would be so clever as to effect the getaway - to change her identity, to find somewhere safe, and somewhere she can fit in. But that somehow this same woman, with the brains and guts to actually do all of that, then dithers around over the sudden appearance of a bloke who may or may not be one of the bad guys. Especially as readers will probably be forming some pretty good theories about what’s going on by then.
To be fair though, the plot elements as they are were tightly delivered and there’s a good sense of pace, and menace, if you’re prepared to forgive some of the wilful ignoring going on. There’s a twist in the tail which fits perfectly into the build up, playing fair with readers who like to play the guessing game. All in all, an interesting character study and premise, that would work well if you’re happy to head any disbelief off at the pass and bury it in a deep hole.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
Would it be to suddenly go into hiding, head off into a small community and try to settle into that world using a different name (Cara), in the hopes that dropping off the radar will ease the threat? You can definitely imagine that somebody might panic and run to friends / family / somewhere you feel safe, but into the unknown?
Whether or not you can accept that Karen / Cara does exactly that, and with, it has to be said a considerable level of expertise and prescience of mind, will be a large part of the key to whether or not RUNNING TOWARDS DANGER will work for you. That and whether you think the idea that the mysterious appearance of a man that she instantly becomes attracted to whilst simultaneously worrying he might be one of the bad guys fits with everything else you’ve found out about Karen/Cara up until that point.
As you can probably tell this reader wasn’t 100% convinced by some elements, and thoroughly hooked by others. Definitely feeling the urge to cheer for Cara (let’s settle for that name), there was something odd about much of the setup of this novel at the same time. Not the idea that she would be so clever as to effect the getaway - to change her identity, to find somewhere safe, and somewhere she can fit in. But that somehow this same woman, with the brains and guts to actually do all of that, then dithers around over the sudden appearance of a bloke who may or may not be one of the bad guys. Especially as readers will probably be forming some pretty good theories about what’s going on by then.
To be fair though, the plot elements as they are were tightly delivered and there’s a good sense of pace, and menace, if you’re prepared to forgive some of the wilful ignoring going on. There’s a twist in the tail which fits perfectly into the build up, playing fair with readers who like to play the guessing game. All in all, an interesting character study and premise, that would work well if you’re happy to head any disbelief off at the pass and bury it in a deep hole.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
August 9, 2020
Enjoyed this quick read set in the area I live. It was nice to recognise the places mentioned in the book even if Riverton was so obviously Clive.
November 29, 2023
I always like finding New Zealand crime writers I haven't read before - not sure why I haven't come across Tina Clough, as she's had several novels published, and this one came out in 2015.
Anyway I was drawn in by the opening pages - the book starts out with a tense and dramatic passage from later on in the book - a device now frequently used by crime writers to provide a tiny taste of the story, without giving too much away.
Then the book proper starts with a sudden and unexpected shooting that the innocent bystander protagonist Karen witnesses, and soon she becomes a target herself, and stages her own disappearance, changing how she looks and going to great lengths to evade the killers.
Great premise, although near the beginning I found there to be not enough sense of fear, danger and urgency around leaving; the tension sagged a bit at that point with too much mundane detail about her preparations to leave and erase her tracks.
However the pace picked up and it was easy to read - I wanted to find out what happened, although some of the story line was predictable. There was also a bit of repetition when she gradually let others in on her predicament. As readers we had already heard the story and didn't need it to be repeated. There was also an unnecessary foreshadowing of an episode towards the end.
Something I was slightly annoyed by was the naming of this community (near Napier) as "Riverton". It seemed odd, as we already have a Riverton in New Zealand, and it's nowhere near there. Could the place have simply been given its real-life name? Or a name not otherwise used here?
Almost everything was neatly wrapped up at the end - the only thing left hanging was [SPOILER ALERT] that the identity of the informer within the police ranks was not revealed, although a kind of eye-of-God comment showed that someone knew who it was. Or did I just miss something?
Overall a good read that keeps up the action and tension towards a dramatic climax.
Anyway I was drawn in by the opening pages - the book starts out with a tense and dramatic passage from later on in the book - a device now frequently used by crime writers to provide a tiny taste of the story, without giving too much away.
Then the book proper starts with a sudden and unexpected shooting that the innocent bystander protagonist Karen witnesses, and soon she becomes a target herself, and stages her own disappearance, changing how she looks and going to great lengths to evade the killers.
Great premise, although near the beginning I found there to be not enough sense of fear, danger and urgency around leaving; the tension sagged a bit at that point with too much mundane detail about her preparations to leave and erase her tracks.
However the pace picked up and it was easy to read - I wanted to find out what happened, although some of the story line was predictable. There was also a bit of repetition when she gradually let others in on her predicament. As readers we had already heard the story and didn't need it to be repeated. There was also an unnecessary foreshadowing of an episode towards the end.
Something I was slightly annoyed by was the naming of this community (near Napier) as "Riverton". It seemed odd, as we already have a Riverton in New Zealand, and it's nowhere near there. Could the place have simply been given its real-life name? Or a name not otherwise used here?
Almost everything was neatly wrapped up at the end - the only thing left hanging was [SPOILER ALERT] that the identity of the informer within the police ranks was not revealed, although a kind of eye-of-God comment showed that someone knew who it was. Or did I just miss something?
Overall a good read that keeps up the action and tension towards a dramatic climax.
May 24, 2020
Easy to read, and the voice was reasonably authentic written in the first person. The story held my interest, from the get go with the heroine witnessing a shooting right in front of her, and then having to disappear after being beaten up when the 'baddies' were trying to find out where the money was hidden. In the middle the narrative was quite low key but so then was the heroine, living an ordinary life in hiding. Later on in the book the action gets intense. Well worth a read. The characters are believable and likeable, mostly. A very good NZ drama.
April 29, 2023
Riverton being knowen as the oldest settlement in southland and having lived there I wish the author had chosen another name . It's not a North Island name for a town . The story it self is neat and I enjoyed it . It's not a bad read . I picked this up in new Zealands coolest 2nd hand book shop in Chertsey. https://g.co/kgs/wgPpss
June 15, 2019
Fast paced, action packed book. Great to read a thriller based in New Zealand. Believable characters. Great read
December 10, 2023
An action-packed story with intriguing characters, beautiful settings, and exciting twists and turns. Crime, romance, and everything in between. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
January 18, 2024
3.5 stars (library book)
April 29, 2024
3.5 stars
June 27, 2024
3.5 stars
June 10, 2016
Life with a broken arm isn't all bad when you can spend a day absorbed in a book of this calibre. I liked Tina's evocative small town NZ setting & her well rounded likable characters. Loved Cara! Pacy page turning read with good twists & satisfying ending. Will be recommending this book to all mystery lovers and have just bought Tina's other book, The Girl Who Lived Twice, on Kindle.
December 30, 2015
So far fetched unbelievable!! Really annoyingly written won't be reading any other books by her
April 13, 2017
Good simple read
I choose this book for its NZ connection and found it a simple good page turner. It did not have depth of characters and nuances that other good books have but was a tight plot and an easy read. I thought it deserved more than a 3.
I choose this book for its NZ connection and found it a simple good page turner. It did not have depth of characters and nuances that other good books have but was a tight plot and an easy read. I thought it deserved more than a 3.
April 27, 2017
Straight forward crime, hide from perpetrators, book set in North Island, goodish plot, characters not too deep. Easy read.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews