Running From the Past

by Alan Orloff

After selling his company for millions, Colby Walker takes his family—and his son’s friend Jess—on vacation, wanting nothing more than to unwind in the sun and surf. But he spots the alarming signs in short order: Jess’s downcast eyes, a familiar passivity, and angry red welts marching across the boy’s bare back. Walker understands what they mean because he’d been that boy, many years ago.

He’d suffered in silence, too.

Can Walker stand by and let the torment continue? Does he trust the authorities—the same ones who had failed him in his youth—to take care of Jess?

Hell no.

With Jess in tow, Walker packs up the minivan and takes his family on the lam, keeping one step ahead of Jess’s cruel father and unhinged ex-con aunt. When the stakes escalate and his headstrong actions put people’s lives in jeopardy, Walker must finally conquer his past before he can save those he loves.

He can run no longer.

348 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2015

About the author

Before Alan stepped off the corporate merry-go-round, he had an eclectic (some might say disjointed) career. As an engineer, he worked on nuclear submarines, supervised assembly workers in factories, facilitated technology transfer from the Star Wars program, and learned to stack washing machines three high in a warehouse with a forklift. He even started his own recycling and waste reduction newsletter business. Now he writes fiction.

His debut mystery, DIAMONDS FOR THE DEAD, was a finalist for the Best First Novel Agatha Award. He writes the Last Laff Mystery Series: KILLER ROUTINE (#1) and DEADLY CAMPAIGN (#2), and has three e-book originals, THE TASTE (horror/thriller), FIRST TIME KILLER (thriller), and RIDE-ALONG (suspense).

He wrote the thrillers RUNNING FROM THE PAST and PRAY FOR THE INNOCENT (winner of the ITW Thriller Award for Best E-Book Original).

His novel, I KNOW WHERE YOU SLEEP was a Shamus Award finalist for Best First P.I. Novel.

His YA thriller, I PLAY ONE ON TV (Down & Out Books), won the Agatha Award and Anthony Award for Best YA Novel.

His novel, LATE CHECKOUT, is an Anthony Award Finalist for Best Paperback Original.

His short fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including JEWISH NOIR, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, CHESAPEAKE CRIMES: STORM WARNING, Mystery Weekly, NOIR AT THE SALAD BAR, Black Cat Mystery Magazine, five consecutive issues of the BEST NEW ENGLAND CRIME STORIES, THE NIGHT OF THE FLOOD, MICKEY FINN, and MYSTERY MOST GEOGRAPHICAL.

His story, “Rule Number One” (SNOWBOUND, Level Best Books), was selected for the 2018 edition of THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES anthology, edited by Louise Penny.

His story, "Dying in Dokesville," won a Derringer Award, and his story "Rent Due," won an ITW Thriller Award.

Alan recently moved to South Florida. He loves cake and arugula, but not together.

For more info, please visit his website: www.alanorloff.com

Alan is sorry he wrote this bio in the third person.

Reviews

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should start by saying that I won this book via the author's blog.

Here's what worked

The writing is quite smooth and nicely paced with a pleasing use of language. I liked the premise and I thought the protagonist was well done. The topic, child abuse, is a poignant one.

Here's what didn't work

While I think the topic of child abuse is poignant, I felt the portrayal of both the victim and the perpetrator (and his evil sister) were a tad cliché/made for TV 1980s style (although not necessarily a bad thing for all readers). Obviously, stereotypes exist for a reason, but I just felt with such fertile ground the author could have gone so much deeper and brought something new to the discussion.

The story (to me) was the best when told through Walker's (the protagonist's) eyes and I wish the author had stayed there. The other POV characters weren't nearly as interesting or as believable.

The ending pushed the limits of believability. Sure this is a novel and life is crazy, but having Jess' bleeding father show up at the compound after having been left for dead was just too much left me saying "no, no!"

Bottom line

This was a winner in Amazon Kindle's Scout program, and as a whole it was a decent read despite some of the flaws I noted. The author is a competent writer, and though the story line left me wanting, it is still worth reading particularly if you are a fan of this genre/type of writing and/or enjoy tight and fluid writing that attempts to explore a serious and layered topic.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will take you on an emotional ride because of the child abuse both Colby Walker and Jess have suffered. I've known of people who have locked their children in the basement, which is horrible, but the abuse these two characters endured goes well beyond that. Colby, however, irritated me in the actions he took. Despite the horrors he experienced as a child, I would have expected him to not take matters into his own hand. I'm glad his wife was a voice of reason and insisting the authorities get involved. As the story winds down, things get even more dramatic, and there's a good twist at the end.

[Dorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Running From The Past🍒🍒🍒🍒
By Alan Orloff
2015
Amazon Prime

Chilling, heart-thumping story of the Walker family beach vacation, gone horribly wrong. This is one vacation they will never forget...and will try hard to erase from memory.
Murder...abduction...family....love. This book has it all, with a twist.
Great read!
Free with Kindle and Amazon!

[The Behrg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well executed thriller about a family on vacation who learns their son's friend, who is with them, is being physically abused at home. Orloff tackles a weighty subject matter by filleting it open without holding back, and with the father of the family himself having come from an abusive home, it adds another dimension to the "what should we do?" adage. This is one of those thrillers where you're constantly questioning what is the right choice, discovering perhaps that there might not be one. My first read of Orloffs. Won't be my last.

[Terry Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a sad book. Not all, but the subject is. Of course, it happens all the time. Just turn on the news. Child abuse is a big problem in the world. And so is greed. If you read the story, you'll know what I mean. Just a shame that those type of people won't read this book or get help. Interesting characters, though. And they do keep the story moving along.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent characters and plot! I couldn't put it down!

[Ray Flynt · Rating 5 out of 5]

APTLY NAMED THRILLER

Colby Walker is newly rich and taking his family on a well-deserved vacation. His twelve-year-old son brings along a friend, Jess, to their beachfront getaway. Colby, a successful businessman, had demons in his past, ones he sees in a new light once it appears that Jess may be a victim of child abuse at the hands of his father. Orloff handles this difficult subject with sensitivity. Through Colby's eyes we can easily reflect on what our own choices might be in a similar situation.

Without getting into spoilers, this is a story that gradually draws you in, then keeps you holding on in an emotionally charged plot that doesn't let go until the very end. Nicely crafted.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot was not realistic. Characters were flat.

[Lynn Farris · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Running from the Past” by Alan Orloff was a Kindle Scout Winner selected for publication on November 26, 2014. He was nominated for the 2010 Agatha Award under the category of Best First Novel for his book “Diamonds for the Dead” which also made my list of Best Books for Book Clubs in 2012. I have also reviewed and loved his book, “Deadly Campaign.” All three books deal with father relationships, which he explores masterfully.

As “Running from the Past” opens, we read a terrifying account of a young boy being punished by being locked in a dark cellar. We quickly fast forward to the present where that father, Colby Walker is now taking his children on a trip to the beach. The family has brought along his son’s friend, Jess, to join them. Colby spots welts across Jess’s back. He flashes back to his own past and knows he can’t allow the abuse to continue or trust Child Protective Services to handle the issue. They failed him when he was a child.

So Colby kidnaps Jess and starts running to protect him. But the cost to his family is extremely high. Is his loyalty to Jess, greater than his loyalty to his own family?

To read the rest of the review see: http://www.examiner.com/article/read-...

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colby Walker’s family vacation and his personal rededication to being a dad to his teens goes horribly awry. His son’s friend Jess tags along on their trip without getting his parents’ permission. Colby tries to make things right, and things go from bad to worse. To top it off, the business with Jess dredges up painful memories for Colby, memories of his childhood that he’d just a-soon forget.

Troubles domino through the family, contrasting sharply between the worlds of the haves and the have nots. Miscommunications, sibling rivalries, child abuse, problem-solving abilities, and more confront this family as they respond to each other and to outside forces.

Orloff’s story brings home the truth of human behavior and challenges the reader to wonder which force is stronger, nature or nurture. In other words, are we products of our childhood, or can we overcome a bad start to life?

I read the book in one sitting and was pleasantly surprised by the twist at the end.

Maggie Toussaint / Rigel Carson as Muddy Rose Reviews

[Hart Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the language and pacing of this were excellent. A family goes on vacation, taking the son's young friend, and soon learns that Jess does not have permission to be there, but he is being abused at home, so they also don't want to take him back. The protagonist, also an abuse survivor, is particularly fervent in this decision and the story ends up largely being an escape as the boys father tries again and again to track them down.

The thing that holds me from a full five on rating is that Colby Walker, as an abuse survivor, doesn't ring quite true. He is rash in his decisions about Jess, which is understandable, but if he is impacted this largely by his past, it seems there should be other signs of it in his life and person. Instead he has sold his successful business for millions, has an intact (if somewhat neglected because of his work) family. I just think to justify the poor decisions he needs a bit more evidence running through his life.

But that is probably the psychologist in me talking. Overall I found the story compelling and it really pulled me along.

[jada Rende · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

There isn't much to say a bout this book, other than it wasn't very original and the plot twists seemed a little too far out. Out of the last 5 books I've read during the past 2 weeks, I've been disappointed by all of them, and I'm not generally picky reader. The plots have all been mediocre and the characters unlikeable (except for Jess in this book, and I think that's only because I felt sorry for him). Usually when I'm reading a book I'm enjoying, the characters become like temporary friends, and I get a twinge of sadness after I've finished that last page, saying goodbye to all of the personalities (good and bad) that I've spent the last several hours or days with on their harrowing journeys or personal ordeals. Unfortunately, with these last few books, I found myself frequently checking how much further I had to plod along until I reached the ending. Here's to hoping the next book will be a winner! The last really good book I read was A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash.

[Irene Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book the author writes about the very painful and difficult subject of child abuse. He handles the subject with a great deal of care and sensitivity. The author very accurately portrays the different reactions of a wife and mother who hasn’t experienced abuse and the husband and father who experienced abuse as a child in very much the same manner as their son’s friend. The author also makes us very aware of the fears and thought processes of someone who has been abused and how they prefer handling difficult situations without asking for help from others or the proper authorities. The physical, emotional, and psychological pain from child abuse affects a person throughout their entire adult life. I highly recommend this book as one that everyone should read.

[Jennifer Skutelsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alan Orloff tackles a tough, heart wrenching issue with a deceptively light touch. His prose reads and flows easily, but there's a tense undercurrent beneath the sun and surf that pulls the reader into darker, more dangerous waters. The characters and voices are real, and material that we might otherwise flinch from is handled with care and sensitivity that never descends into sensationalism. I was left wondering what I would do in each of the character's shoes.