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Pit Stop: An Original Short Story
This original short story from the New York Times bestselling thriller anthology FaceOff pairs bestsellers Raymond Khoury and Linwood Barclay - and features characters from their bestselling novels - in a one-of-a-kind thriller match-up.
FBI Agent Sean Reilly (hero of Khoury's multi-million-copy bestseller The Last Templar) is tracking a criminal who is in possession of a lethal biological agent and threatening to unleash it on innocent civilians. But now Reilly has a bigger problem: his quarry, known online as Faustus, has created an explosive diversion and stolen a truck from a restaurant car park - and inside that truck is a teenage girl.
General contractor and single dad Glen Garber (of Barclay's bestseller The Accident) had stopped to grab a snack for his daughter Kelly when they both got caught up in the chaos in the car park. Thinking she'd be safest in the truck, he ordered her inside, and that was the last time he saw her.
Agent Reilly must navigate the chase with nerves of steel, attempting to free Kelly Garber from the madman's clutches without endangering thousands of lives in the process - and all with her terror-stricken father right by his side.
For more exciting short story pairings, don't miss all eleven short stories in Face Off!
- GenresThrillerShort Stories
35 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 6, 2015
4 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Raymond Khoury
54 books1,260 followersRaymond Khoury is the author of five consecutive New York Times and #1 international bestsellers, starting with his debut novel, THE LAST TEMPLAR. His books have been translated into 38 languages, with over 10 million copies in print.
Raymond came to writing thrillers from a career in screenwriting, which including the BAFTA award winning BBC series SPOOKS (aka MI:5 in the US) and Waking The Dead. It partly explains why his novels are often described as cinematic and very visual. As fellow bestselling author Steve Berry puts it: "his expertly chosen verbs cause the scenes to leap from the page. You can literally feel the blows as they're landed; wince as the bullets find their marks. He has an intense brand of storytelling all his own."
THE LAST TEMPLAR began its journey to print as Raymond's third original screenplay, written for film in 1996. At the time, a book agent suggested turning it into a novel, and a major NY publisher, the first to read it, offered Raymond a huge advance for the as-yet-unwritten novel, with one condition: "Lose the religion. It's boring. Change the Templars' secret to gold, diamonds, a physical treasure." After much tortured consideration, Raymond turned the offer down, his first potential check from writing. Almost exactly ten years later, his novel, based on that screenplay--religion included--became a global bestseller, hitting #1 in multiple countries and getting adapted into an NBC miniseries.
Raymond's thrillers are based on big themes that interest him such as international politics and conspiracies, fact vs faith, why we age and die, what do we really know about reincarnation, about mind control. He explores these themes in depth, with heavy emphasis on research, and often combines a historical angle to his stories. As such, some of his novels (THE LAST TEMPLAR, THE SANCTUARY, THE TEMPLAR SALVATION, RASPUTIN'S SHADOW) feature dual timelines: the bulk of the stories are set in the present day, interspersed with chapters that take place in the distant past. As Booklist puts it, "Khoury's thrillers engage the reader's mind, even as they move at a breakneck pace. Readers who like their thrillers to have a solid intellectual component will enjoy Khoury's books very much. Given the high quality of each of his novels, it seems fair to say that he may be around for a while."
Raymond's 8th novel is an epic alternate history and time travel story that Publishers Weekly called "ingeniously inventive" and "a classic of the genre": It is already out in the UK as THE OTTOMAN SECRET, and is out on Oct 1 in the US under a different title, EMPIRE OF LIES.
To find out more about him and his work, visit his website at raymondkhoury.com or connect with him on his Facebook page or on Instagram (@author.raymond.khoury).
Raymond came to writing thrillers from a career in screenwriting, which including the BAFTA award winning BBC series SPOOKS (aka MI:5 in the US) and Waking The Dead. It partly explains why his novels are often described as cinematic and very visual. As fellow bestselling author Steve Berry puts it: "his expertly chosen verbs cause the scenes to leap from the page. You can literally feel the blows as they're landed; wince as the bullets find their marks. He has an intense brand of storytelling all his own."
THE LAST TEMPLAR began its journey to print as Raymond's third original screenplay, written for film in 1996. At the time, a book agent suggested turning it into a novel, and a major NY publisher, the first to read it, offered Raymond a huge advance for the as-yet-unwritten novel, with one condition: "Lose the religion. It's boring. Change the Templars' secret to gold, diamonds, a physical treasure." After much tortured consideration, Raymond turned the offer down, his first potential check from writing. Almost exactly ten years later, his novel, based on that screenplay--religion included--became a global bestseller, hitting #1 in multiple countries and getting adapted into an NBC miniseries.
Raymond's thrillers are based on big themes that interest him such as international politics and conspiracies, fact vs faith, why we age and die, what do we really know about reincarnation, about mind control. He explores these themes in depth, with heavy emphasis on research, and often combines a historical angle to his stories. As such, some of his novels (THE LAST TEMPLAR, THE SANCTUARY, THE TEMPLAR SALVATION, RASPUTIN'S SHADOW) feature dual timelines: the bulk of the stories are set in the present day, interspersed with chapters that take place in the distant past. As Booklist puts it, "Khoury's thrillers engage the reader's mind, even as they move at a breakneck pace. Readers who like their thrillers to have a solid intellectual component will enjoy Khoury's books very much. Given the high quality of each of his novels, it seems fair to say that he may be around for a while."
Raymond's 8th novel is an epic alternate history and time travel story that Publishers Weekly called "ingeniously inventive" and "a classic of the genre": It is already out in the UK as THE OTTOMAN SECRET, and is out on Oct 1 in the US under a different title, EMPIRE OF LIES.
To find out more about him and his work, visit his website at raymondkhoury.com or connect with him on his Facebook page or on Instagram (@author.raymond.khoury).
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 15, 2021
Enjoyable short story 😊
February 1, 2021
Fast paced heart-thumping action
April 19, 2025
Available as a short story, worth getting, or as part of the anthology of such collaborations by authors teaming up to produce one off literary mash ups.
Here Raymond Khourys’ creation, FBI agent Sean Reilly meets Linwood Barclay’s Glen Garber in an action adventure to prevent a terrorist atrocity.
Who doesn’t love a car chase and this has all the thrills and spills of that high octane pursuit. Trouble is the FBI’s idea of hot wheels places him at a disadvantage when he commandeers a reliable but slow vehicle to give chase.
Fans of these two fine authors will love this brief diversion from their established work. Others reading it will not be disappointed. The writing manages to overcome any potential drawbacks of this combined effort, it reads like a single contribution and is a reflection of their skill and respect for one another.
Like me it may prompt you readers to search out further books by them to read among their many titles in print.
Garber is a decent bloke and has a great bond with his daughter. Reilly is a competent law enforcement officer but the question posed here is can a civilian work with a federal agent to avert a disaster and save further collateral damage?
Here Raymond Khourys’ creation, FBI agent Sean Reilly meets Linwood Barclay’s Glen Garber in an action adventure to prevent a terrorist atrocity.
Who doesn’t love a car chase and this has all the thrills and spills of that high octane pursuit. Trouble is the FBI’s idea of hot wheels places him at a disadvantage when he commandeers a reliable but slow vehicle to give chase.
Fans of these two fine authors will love this brief diversion from their established work. Others reading it will not be disappointed. The writing manages to overcome any potential drawbacks of this combined effort, it reads like a single contribution and is a reflection of their skill and respect for one another.
Like me it may prompt you readers to search out further books by them to read among their many titles in print.
Garber is a decent bloke and has a great bond with his daughter. Reilly is a competent law enforcement officer but the question posed here is can a civilian work with a federal agent to avert a disaster and save further collateral damage?
May 8, 2015
One of the best stories in the book! Raymond Khoury and Linwood Barclay nailed it!
December 9, 2020
titular sentence:
p6: "...I'll make a quick pit stop."
Crap. I forgot I owe this a few words.
I half expected that this would somehow involve some religious shit.
p6: "...I'll make a quick pit stop."
Crap. I forgot I owe this a few words.
I half expected that this would somehow involve some religious shit.
February 26, 2019
What a fast-paced short story. I felt like a race driver at the Indi 500's race. In fact, I loved the story so good, I'm going to check out the authors. Glen Garber seems like a character I'd like to know more about. Same with Sean Reilly.
April 30, 2019
Khoury and Barclay did a masterful job of constructing this short story. They each allowed their respective characters to shine through, while entertaining us with a fast-paced plot and a genuine bad guy. Add a spunky little girl and this thriller really comes to life.
January 20, 2020
Two characters I haven't come across before, and apparently not really series characters, which seems to be against the brief of the series, leads to what for me was a fairly unmemorable short story.
Another entry in the Face Off anthology and well not a lot to remember.
Face Off #8
Another entry in the Face Off anthology and well not a lot to remember.
Face Off #8
January 9, 2019
loved the ingenuity of the 10 year old!!!
December 10, 2024
Sorry, the phrase lethal bioweapon stops me instantly. Kristi & Abby Tabby
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews