Chaos

by Jeff Downs

When e opens his door after a long day of teaching, Jason Harrington finds his apartment has been ravaged. Drug paraphernalia litters his bedroom. Then the phone rings. What he hears chills him to the core, and sends him into hiding with little more than fear and a 72-hour kit.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

247 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Jeff graduated from Utah State University with an education degree and, for over 30 years, has been involved in various teaching and mentoring experiences. Currently he teaches junior high in Rexburg, Idaho. He is an avid reader, with many varied interests, who enjoys learning from books and people. He has a third degree blackbelt in Karate and enjoys working out every Saturday in his basement. Jeff and his wife, Kara, are “empty nesters” and enjoy traveling to visit their grandchildren whenever they get the chance.

Jeff believes literature should enlighten and edify. As Jeff puts it: “A biographer commented on one of my favorite authors, Sir Walter Scott. He said of the man, ‘Valor and nobility . . . to [Scott] must be in every tale for it to be worth the telling.’ I strongly believe this to be true and I’m grateful for those authors and publishers out there striving to produce uplifting and inspiring material.”

Reviews

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read the review on this suspense thriller last year, I knew I had to read it. When Jason Harrington received a cryptic greeting card in his mail slot at the junior high he teaches at, he tosses it in the garbage, but when he finds his apartment broken into and totally ransacked and an ominous phone call, he runs, attempting to stay one step ahead of this assassin. Along with his ex-girlfriend Kelly, they search the internet for clues, even so much as hiring a private investigator to find out who is after Jason. They can't go to the police, as they suspect him of being a cop killer. When they find out the assassin is involved with the Red Mafia, they fear for their life. They need to find the person who can help get him out of this mess before it's too late. I highly recommend this page-turner, as the excitement never stops until the last page.

[Ellise Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. I enjoyed this new author I'd never read before. The fact that he lives right here is amazing! Good luck, Jeff!

~Ellise

P.S. You give us courage that those of us writing will get published, even from obscure places. :)

[Bronwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My Word!!! This was an amazing book and I learned a lot about history in the process. A great book for anyone who loves romance, mystery, and maybe the Red Mafia.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

the storyline is interesting enough but the way we got there with so hokey I could not buy into it at all. So basically the first part of the book that develops the entire story was just so unbelievable it is what made the rest of the book drop. But because ultimately well-written with words and the Romantic elements over accomplished I did give it 4 stars.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book on CD. The story of an innocent Jr High teacher being chased by the Russian mofia was exciting and kept my interest but the end was really cheesy. I also found it strange that the author kept throwing in things about the Mormon religion - it seemed odd.

[Linnae · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this falls into the thriller sub-genre: "ordinary person is framed for heinous crimes and has to run for his life." I could make a separate bookshelf for them on goodreads, but the name would be longer than the list itself.

Jason Harrington is a teacher. His life is pretty normal. That all changes one afternoon when he gets home to find that his apartment has been ripped apart, including a knife slammed into the headboard. Then he gets a phone call that puts him on the run: essentially, he's being framed for killing 4 cops and whoever really did it is going to take him down, as well.

The rest of the book is him eluding his attacker (or not, or nearly), while also rekindling a past romance with a girl named Kelly that he just happened to ask for a date before this all went down. It's lucky that he has her to help him, but either way it doesn't seem like he's going to last long. If he can just get to the bottom of it and figure out why he's been targeted, he might have something to go on.

This was a quick read, as I was racing through to see if and how survives. There was a couple of unexpected twists near the end that upped the ante by quite a bit.

Well done. Jason and his choices were believable.

Sidenote: With this book being all about mistaken identities, etc., strangely enough, I actually know a Jason Harrington. He is not a teacher. Or a target of the Red Mafia.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read and enjoyed but not outstanding. Jason Harrington returns to his apartment to find it trashed and with pills and pill bottles lying on his bed. The phone rings and a voice threatens him. He goes into hiding (multi reasons) and finds himself framed for killing four policemen. The problem is he doesn't know why-- Why someone wants him dead nor why he is being framed.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting book, but the author spent WAY too much time trying to educate the reader about so many different things. The story and characters were very good, but I felt a bit like I was in a college course during several parts of the book. A man's take on romance is always amusing to me......

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book to read. Jeff keeps it a pretty fast pace and interesting. He paints a great picture. Knowing Jeff personally I find it interesting how he is able to portray a character that seems so different than himself. Or maybe I really didn't know the inner Jeff. Good job Jeff!

[Trent Mikesell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a junior high English teacher who gets framed for murder--the fact that he is a teacher is what drew me to it. It's not the best book ever; at times, it is a little silly. However, it's a fast and fun read.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first mystery/suspense novel I have read in a long time. It is pretty simple and there were several things I figured out way before the author unveiled the truth, but there are several twists to the story that were unexpected. All in all, it is an enjoyable, clean story.

[Megan Swanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. It goes along with the chaos theory and the fact that there is always a pattern to the chaos that has a tendency to tear apart our lives. There were no loose ends at the end of the book, which I was glad for. I've read a bit too many of those recently.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It has a Jason Bourne feel, but without the lockbox with multiple passports and endless cash. It was fun to watch a regular person come up with realistic solutions to an insane situation.

[Christiansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is an awesome book, it has kept my attention the entire way through. I really enjoy this author.

[Navajojim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good story thats believable with a touch of lds religion. Awesome.

[Shar · Rating 3 out of 5]

THis one was a little much for me...

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. I like mysteries. I especially like authors that write without any trash. I don't have to worry about what is on the next page.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good - fast paced- action book.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book! This is my first time reading this author(always a scary thing to try someone new). Kept my interest all the way through.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ordinary guy, Jason is falsely identified as a traitor by the Russian Mafia. He's on the run trying to save his life!

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this because I know this author. He did a good job! It is your typical LDS action, romance. If you like that kind of book, you will like this one!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. It was hard to put down and written for the LDS audience.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really good thriller.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting story that kept me going to the end.

[Norah Baron]

Good mystery. Fast paced and kept me very interested. Read the book in three hours because I couldn't put it down.

[Swhe641200 · Rating 2 out of 5]

11.2014. Quick read, adventure story.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The suspense was good. It kind of seemed like the explanation/ending was rushed. Still a fun read.

[Patty Abel · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son Kavyn's Math teacher wrote this book. Pretty cool.