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The Convenient Escape
To Veronica Baird, escaping from an underground dungeon and racing through the woods, is anything but convenient, even as her captor in rubber mask attire proves rather persistent in his continued pursuit. Despite her apparent independence, she considers a partnership, albeit reluctantly, with a former classmate who may still have feelings for her.
Pete Nealey still has flashbacks to Iraq and, with the bottle as his eternal companion, tends to fall off of barstools at the most inopportune moments or pass out face down in the tavern parking lot. But what he may lack in cheerfulness, he more than makes up for with his steadfast loyalty to the cause, even when he ends up handcuffed to an air conditioner in a shoddy motel.
But unless Veronica can learn to trust Pete for more than just intermittent intervals, the slipshod relationship, and her freedom, won’t last…
Pete Nealey still has flashbacks to Iraq and, with the bottle as his eternal companion, tends to fall off of barstools at the most inopportune moments or pass out face down in the tavern parking lot. But what he may lack in cheerfulness, he more than makes up for with his steadfast loyalty to the cause, even when he ends up handcuffed to an air conditioner in a shoddy motel.
But unless Veronica can learn to trust Pete for more than just intermittent intervals, the slipshod relationship, and her freedom, won’t last…
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2016
82 people are currently reading
1565 people want to read
About the author
Robert Downs
11 books438 followersRobert Downs aspired to be a writer before he realized how difficult the writing process was. Fortunately, he'd already fallen in love with the craft, otherwise his tales might never have seen print. Originally from West Virginia, he has lived in Virginia, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and now resides in California. When he’s not writing, Downs can be found reading, reviewing, traveling, or smiling. To find out more about his latest projects, or to reach out to him on the Internet, visit the author’s website: http://www.RobertDowns.net. The Bridal Chase is his seventh book and second novella.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 24, 2016
Page one, a woman on the run in a dark and foreboding woods. Bullets wiz past her as she stumbles headlong through unknown territory with her former captor dogging her every step, death on his mind. I was caught, hook, line and sinker as I began Robert Downs’ THE CONVENIENT ESCAPE. Question one, why was Veronica Baird captured in the first place? Torn and battered, cut and bedraggled, Veronica headed for the one place she figured she wouldn’t stand out and look who is sitting, just barely upright at the bar? Pete Nealey is a former classmate, completely irritating and had a hand in ruining Veronica’s reputation. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Pete could be a good cover to escape.
Pete Nealey was destroyed during his tour of duty in Iraq and he has the nightmares and flashbacks to prove it. He watched a friend and brother-in-arms die. He killed innocent pawns to get to the enemies. And.He.Pays.Daily.
When Veronica reappears in his life, she is still the prickly and sarcastic woman she had always been, but she was clearly in trouble and he needed to do more than kill brain cells in a bar. Trained to kill, to fight and to survive, he could be the answer to her survival as well as the one person she could trust. Or can she? Definitely not a match made in heaven, this unlikely team is about to embark on a mission of survival, reconnaissance, all while sniping at each other like overgrown children. Exactly what is going on? Who is after Veronica and why? What has she seen or what does she know that makes her a target for murder? How exactly can Pete help her or will Pete find that she has inadvertently helped him to deal with his past?
My hat is off to Robert Downs for clearly stamping his creation with a unique style that runs from the gritty sound of older mysteries to a contemporary grind without missing a beat. His bold approach to his characters’ complete individuality is refreshing as he doesn’t ask you to like them all of the time, but to see what he sees inside that makes them tick. Non-stop from a high tension start down a twisted trail of mystery, danger and possible death, Robert Downs has proved to me that he can write thrillers with the greats while etching his own style into each page!
I received this copy from Black Opal Books in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Black Opal Books (November 11, 2016)
Publication Date: November 11, 2016
Genre: Mystery | Thrillers
Print Length: 308 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Pete Nealey was destroyed during his tour of duty in Iraq and he has the nightmares and flashbacks to prove it. He watched a friend and brother-in-arms die. He killed innocent pawns to get to the enemies. And.He.Pays.Daily.
When Veronica reappears in his life, she is still the prickly and sarcastic woman she had always been, but she was clearly in trouble and he needed to do more than kill brain cells in a bar. Trained to kill, to fight and to survive, he could be the answer to her survival as well as the one person she could trust. Or can she? Definitely not a match made in heaven, this unlikely team is about to embark on a mission of survival, reconnaissance, all while sniping at each other like overgrown children. Exactly what is going on? Who is after Veronica and why? What has she seen or what does she know that makes her a target for murder? How exactly can Pete help her or will Pete find that she has inadvertently helped him to deal with his past?
My hat is off to Robert Downs for clearly stamping his creation with a unique style that runs from the gritty sound of older mysteries to a contemporary grind without missing a beat. His bold approach to his characters’ complete individuality is refreshing as he doesn’t ask you to like them all of the time, but to see what he sees inside that makes them tick. Non-stop from a high tension start down a twisted trail of mystery, danger and possible death, Robert Downs has proved to me that he can write thrillers with the greats while etching his own style into each page!
I received this copy from Black Opal Books in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Black Opal Books (November 11, 2016)
Publication Date: November 11, 2016
Genre: Mystery | Thrillers
Print Length: 308 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
February 5, 2017
This book was packed with action but there were a few thing that I didn't like which is why I gave this book 3 stars, find out why on my blog ; http://bellathebibliophile.blogspot.c...
July 2, 2017
This book could have been executed much better, if the author just took the time to develop the one-dimensional characters a little bit more by telling us their backstories and life decisions that lead them to this point. We start off with with Veronica (our MC) running away from a kidnapper in the middle of the woods and abandoning her heels in order for speed, trying to do anything to escape. Coincidentally, she happens to stumble upon Peter, an old acquaintance from high school. From there she uses force on him, for his cooperation and provision of resources (cars, guns, etc.)
The title has it exactly right, everything was too convenient, too coincidental. As a reader, I knew exactly where this story was going since the first chapters (romantically, thrillery, etc.) Instead of playing it on the safe side of storytelling, Downs could have crafted a shocking twist or a legitimate inconvenience that would prevent it from being relatively easy for the characters.
Multiple things in this book I found to be unrealistic. The fact that Veronica was able to actually hold Peter hostage for such a long number of hours at first; I mean he's a soldier who served in Iraq. I'm pretty sure that he's made of tougher stuff than submission, so if he really wanted to leave, he easily could have.
Another thing, is how Anthony's character was portrayed. He literally goes around hiring secretaries and disposing of them for his disgusting sexual desires, and then uses them to go and seduce the people that he wants to kill. He was by far my least favorite character, the worst of the villians in this story, because he manipulated everyone and made it all seem like such a bore. I had a strong urge to skip all of the chapters with his POV, because every word was physically repulsive to me.
The most frustrating thing about this whole story, was that instead of Veronica going straight to the police station and disclosing all of the information that she knew about her bosses as well as describing the abduction that happened to her; she decides to take unnecessary risks and handle this alone in an unsafe environment to her and the public around her. Almost every decision that she made was completely irrational, and I just couldn't understand what was happening.
Lastly, I've read this book before. Not this exact book, but one where it goes like: employee finds some undesirable information about the people that she's working for, decides to take matters into her own incompetent hands, finds a partner/boyfriend who she comes to completely trusts, and goes on a mission to stomp out the bad guys herself. Excuse me, I think that there could be better way of creating a thriller, especially in a world endless with possibilities.
**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**
The title has it exactly right, everything was too convenient, too coincidental. As a reader, I knew exactly where this story was going since the first chapters (romantically, thrillery, etc.) Instead of playing it on the safe side of storytelling, Downs could have crafted a shocking twist or a legitimate inconvenience that would prevent it from being relatively easy for the characters.
Multiple things in this book I found to be unrealistic. The fact that Veronica was able to actually hold Peter hostage for such a long number of hours at first; I mean he's a soldier who served in Iraq. I'm pretty sure that he's made of tougher stuff than submission, so if he really wanted to leave, he easily could have.
Another thing, is how Anthony's character was portrayed. He literally goes around hiring secretaries and disposing of them for his disgusting sexual desires, and then uses them to go and seduce the people that he wants to kill. He was by far my least favorite character, the worst of the villians in this story, because he manipulated everyone and made it all seem like such a bore. I had a strong urge to skip all of the chapters with his POV, because every word was physically repulsive to me.
The most frustrating thing about this whole story, was that instead of Veronica going straight to the police station and disclosing all of the information that she knew about her bosses as well as describing the abduction that happened to her; she decides to take unnecessary risks and handle this alone in an unsafe environment to her and the public around her. Almost every decision that she made was completely irrational, and I just couldn't understand what was happening.
Lastly, I've read this book before. Not this exact book, but one where it goes like: employee finds some undesirable information about the people that she's working for, decides to take matters into her own incompetent hands, finds a partner/boyfriend who she comes to completely trusts, and goes on a mission to stomp out the bad guys herself. Excuse me, I think that there could be better way of creating a thriller, especially in a world endless with possibilities.
**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**
March 15, 2017
Not bad but was missing loads out for example what's her background and how she ended up in the woods, I only read certain amount of pages but unfortunately I could no carry on because nothing made sense to me and it was all over the place.
I tried my best to read the whole book, it did not grab me.
I tried my best to read the whole book, it did not grab me.
January 12, 2024
The Convenient Escape by Robert Downs
310 Pages
Publisher: Black Opal Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Titles
Release Date: November 12, 2016
Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
In Port City, Virginia, Veronica Baird was kidnapped by a masked man. She was kept in a dirt basement. When she got away, she ran through the woods. Pete Nealey has been drinking when he sees Veronica. He thinks he is dreaming. She helps him back to his house so she can get cleaned up. They continue running together while Anthony Whelan’s thugs track them and chase after them.
The story was steady, the characters were somewhat developed, and it was written in third person point of view. This was just an average mystery. None of the characters really stood out to me.
310 Pages
Publisher: Black Opal Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Titles
Release Date: November 12, 2016
Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
In Port City, Virginia, Veronica Baird was kidnapped by a masked man. She was kept in a dirt basement. When she got away, she ran through the woods. Pete Nealey has been drinking when he sees Veronica. He thinks he is dreaming. She helps him back to his house so she can get cleaned up. They continue running together while Anthony Whelan’s thugs track them and chase after them.
The story was steady, the characters were somewhat developed, and it was written in third person point of view. This was just an average mystery. None of the characters really stood out to me.
October 8, 2018
3 1/2 stars.....this is a quick moving book with a great start with the main character running through the woods away from her captor and then running into a guy she knew in high school.....definitely caught my attention! The bad guys chasing her throughout the book were so interesting themselves....I was wanting more of their story! Veronica and Pete could have had more of their backstory told-I think it would have helped with understanding both their motivations and personality issues-they were difficult people-but not boring. I just needed more character building and also more understanding of why Veronica was being hunted. But overall, a good read and entertaining.
August 30, 2018
I won this book through the give aways.
I enjoy a fast paced book. This was is generally the type that Im drawn too. The main character Veronica was interesting but something was lacking. More specifics as to what she witnessed would be nice. Also the relationship history with Pete was missing a lot. The extent of the relationship wasn't even explained. What was the earlier relationship and why did it end? There was just a lot missing for me. Still was a quick read though and interesting.
I enjoy a fast paced book. This was is generally the type that Im drawn too. The main character Veronica was interesting but something was lacking. More specifics as to what she witnessed would be nice. Also the relationship history with Pete was missing a lot. The extent of the relationship wasn't even explained. What was the earlier relationship and why did it end? There was just a lot missing for me. Still was a quick read though and interesting.
April 4, 2021
I really tried to finish the book,but my interest waned with every chapter. It's not that the storyline isn't good,it's good but with too much over explaining and repetitive wording. I think the authors story was good if only they were less trying to make every sentence into three more sentences to a paragraph of explaining the unexplainable. I kept reading contradictory statements of events,and by chapter 27 I was getting tired uninterested. Maybe this book isn't for me,it could be the liking of another reader who likes long extended explanations. It's not badly written it's just not for me.
January 26, 2017
This book sounded.....familiar. The same thriller type of employee stumbling across something they shouldn't have at work and instead of heading to law enforcement decides to use her non existent skills of dealing with criminals she plays Batman with the help of ex-boy wonder and his military experience. Personally I would've headed to the guy with a PD badge. Sorry did not like this one.
January 27, 2018
Suspenceful!
This book never had an dull minute in it. A lot of action throughout the whole story.
If you like action, mysteries and drama, this is the book to buy! I'm hoping Mr. Downs will write a sequel with the two main characters again only this time where they end up together. After all, there is another crook out there still!!!
This book never had an dull minute in it. A lot of action throughout the whole story.
If you like action, mysteries and drama, this is the book to buy! I'm hoping Mr. Downs will write a sequel with the two main characters again only this time where they end up together. After all, there is another crook out there still!!!
February 3, 2018
very exciting book, quite a thriller, made you get "the feels" for the characters.. ... Im a little puzzled over the ending, it wasn't exactly a cliffhanger but I guess it left it open for a sequel? Enjoyable read, over all.
January 30, 2018
Reality
Plot lingered on. Too much faulty episodes with hit men or unrealistic escapes. Just my opinion. Written well enough though
Plot lingered on. Too much faulty episodes with hit men or unrealistic escapes. Just my opinion. Written well enough though
April 7, 2019
Loved it! Great, easy read.
March 30, 2018
Great book kept me interested till the end
This book keeps the reader guessing has a few twists and turns very good read I will be looking for other books by this author
This book keeps the reader guessing has a few twists and turns very good read I will be looking for other books by this author
February 11, 2017
Have you ever dreamed of being chased? It doesn't matter by whom or what, it is the fear behind it that you are, and that you will try any way possible to get away.
This thriller, THE CONVENIENT ESCAPE by Robert Downs, will keep the reader up all night trying to come up with the best situation to a chase problem that will take the reader along with our main characters down a path of suspense and horror. Are things about to become a little more frightening? Page after thrilling page kept opening up new problems for our victims. Will Veronica Baird and Pete Nealey be able to see their way clear and get out of a sticky situation, or is time winding down for both? Have these two only hours, minutes, or seconds before disaster strikes?
Veronica, still trying to figure out why she was abducted, was also still trying to get away when she saw this man passed out on the sidewalk. Running for her life, and not knowing if her abductors were still after her, and she wasn't about to take any chances, offered to help the man up, who had been lying face down. Then suddenly she realized that he was Pete Nealey, from high school. Will he help her? If so, will both wind up in a deeper, scarier situation? A good problem solver. What will these two have to do to get away from the killers that are so close that Veronica, paralyzed with fear, could actually feel their cold breath on her neck, and see their brutal faces before her eyes. An amazing read!
This thriller, THE CONVENIENT ESCAPE by Robert Downs, will keep the reader up all night trying to come up with the best situation to a chase problem that will take the reader along with our main characters down a path of suspense and horror. Are things about to become a little more frightening? Page after thrilling page kept opening up new problems for our victims. Will Veronica Baird and Pete Nealey be able to see their way clear and get out of a sticky situation, or is time winding down for both? Have these two only hours, minutes, or seconds before disaster strikes?
Veronica, still trying to figure out why she was abducted, was also still trying to get away when she saw this man passed out on the sidewalk. Running for her life, and not knowing if her abductors were still after her, and she wasn't about to take any chances, offered to help the man up, who had been lying face down. Then suddenly she realized that he was Pete Nealey, from high school. Will he help her? If so, will both wind up in a deeper, scarier situation? A good problem solver. What will these two have to do to get away from the killers that are so close that Veronica, paralyzed with fear, could actually feel their cold breath on her neck, and see their brutal faces before her eyes. An amazing read!
February 6, 2017
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/book-tou...
In The Convenient Escape, the story starts off with a bang. Veronica Baird manages to escape from an underground dungeon. Racing through the woods, desperate to outrun her captor who is in hot pursuit of her, she’s relieved when she can get help. Even if that help comes in the form of Pete Nealey.
Pete is one of her former classmates, now drinking the night away at a bar. The bottle has become his eternal companion after a tour in Iraq destroyed him, and still gives him the occasional flashback to that horrible time. When he sees Veronica, it’s like a trip down memory lane. But Veronica isn’t sure if she can trust him, and he’s not sure if her reapparance is a good thing for him, as it might bring back feelings he thought he’d long managed to bury.
And then there’s also the question: who is after Veronica, and why? And can they escape from the people who want to kill her?
I really enjoyed the writing style, and the plot. Veronica’s personality took some time to get used to, though. Although I felt sympathy for her in regards to what she’d gone through and having to escape such horrible circumstances, I didn’t like her much at first. I did grow to like her as the story progressed.
The book had a lot of suspense, and an intriguing plot. If you like thrillers, it won’t hurt to give this one a try.
In The Convenient Escape, the story starts off with a bang. Veronica Baird manages to escape from an underground dungeon. Racing through the woods, desperate to outrun her captor who is in hot pursuit of her, she’s relieved when she can get help. Even if that help comes in the form of Pete Nealey.
Pete is one of her former classmates, now drinking the night away at a bar. The bottle has become his eternal companion after a tour in Iraq destroyed him, and still gives him the occasional flashback to that horrible time. When he sees Veronica, it’s like a trip down memory lane. But Veronica isn’t sure if she can trust him, and he’s not sure if her reapparance is a good thing for him, as it might bring back feelings he thought he’d long managed to bury.
And then there’s also the question: who is after Veronica, and why? And can they escape from the people who want to kill her?
I really enjoyed the writing style, and the plot. Veronica’s personality took some time to get used to, though. Although I felt sympathy for her in regards to what she’d gone through and having to escape such horrible circumstances, I didn’t like her much at first. I did grow to like her as the story progressed.
The book had a lot of suspense, and an intriguing plot. If you like thrillers, it won’t hurt to give this one a try.
February 6, 2017
The book wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. It was a typical crime thriller but what irritated me was the behavior of one of the main characters. Veronica Baird is an accountant who discovered some funny business at her firm and now she's wanted dead so their shenanigans don't get out. Honestly it seemed a bit too much like a recycled version of Grisham's The Firm.
Even though Baird is being hunted and has no detailed background in evasion / defense tactics she somehow keeps up this bitchy attitude that she can still control everything and get back at the bad guys. Even the other main character wonders at one point how someone with her background can have this delusional idea she's capable of fighting back, maybe even killing. You REALLY want to hate this character only a few chapters in because she just never gets likable and I found myself hoping the bad guys would off her.
After being kidnapped and escaping instead of going to the police like any sane person would do she decides to go on the run with an ex-boyfriend she happened to run into as she was literally running away from her captor. And the ex-boyfriend had been in the military. Talk about lucky. There's just a lot more that doesn't seem anywhere in the realm of plausibility or common sense. Like when one of the bad guys sends in his secretary, who has so far been described in extreme detail through many sexually charged scenes as only being good for blow jobs and other plastic surgery enhanced jobs, to act as an assassin to take out the military ex-boyfriend who has found himself trying to keep the irritating accountant alive. You can guess how that went.
At least it helped me pass the time and avoid talking to my mother-in-law so some good did come out of it.
Even though Baird is being hunted and has no detailed background in evasion / defense tactics she somehow keeps up this bitchy attitude that she can still control everything and get back at the bad guys. Even the other main character wonders at one point how someone with her background can have this delusional idea she's capable of fighting back, maybe even killing. You REALLY want to hate this character only a few chapters in because she just never gets likable and I found myself hoping the bad guys would off her.
After being kidnapped and escaping instead of going to the police like any sane person would do she decides to go on the run with an ex-boyfriend she happened to run into as she was literally running away from her captor. And the ex-boyfriend had been in the military. Talk about lucky. There's just a lot more that doesn't seem anywhere in the realm of plausibility or common sense. Like when one of the bad guys sends in his secretary, who has so far been described in extreme detail through many sexually charged scenes as only being good for blow jobs and other plastic surgery enhanced jobs, to act as an assassin to take out the military ex-boyfriend who has found himself trying to keep the irritating accountant alive. You can guess how that went.
At least it helped me pass the time and avoid talking to my mother-in-law so some good did come out of it.
January 22, 2017
Thanks so much to Robert Downs for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
The opening scenes of this novel describe a young woman, Veronica, racing through the woods trying to escape a masked man who has been holding her hostage.
Next we meet Pete, an alcoholic who is suffering flashbacks from his time serving in the army in Iraq. Pete is drinking his life away and he doesn't seem to care.
As the two characters are thrown together they end up in a cat and mouse chase with the people who are out to kill Veronica.
My immediate thought on reading the book was why on earth would Veronica not just go to the police to report her captors? She has her reasons.
This novel offers some great characterisation. Both of the main characters are flawed and not particularly likeable. I considered this a brave writing style to adapt as the reader doesn't really root for Veronica's survival. We are gripped ,however as to her back story and why she has a “price on her head”!
This novel is easy to read and will definitely keep you guessing.
The opening scenes of this novel describe a young woman, Veronica, racing through the woods trying to escape a masked man who has been holding her hostage.
Next we meet Pete, an alcoholic who is suffering flashbacks from his time serving in the army in Iraq. Pete is drinking his life away and he doesn't seem to care.
As the two characters are thrown together they end up in a cat and mouse chase with the people who are out to kill Veronica.
My immediate thought on reading the book was why on earth would Veronica not just go to the police to report her captors? She has her reasons.
This novel offers some great characterisation. Both of the main characters are flawed and not particularly likeable. I considered this a brave writing style to adapt as the reader doesn't really root for Veronica's survival. We are gripped ,however as to her back story and why she has a “price on her head”!
This novel is easy to read and will definitely keep you guessing.
May 27, 2017
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.
This was a fun and fast paced book to read.
This was a fun and fast paced book to read.
April 7, 2017
This book was a bit disjointed. It had promise, but I couldn't keep track of things. Past that, the plot feels familiar, really familiar. That's ok, that happens, but it can be irritating. I have many questions that aren't answered. Why was Veronica kidnapped? How did she get into the woods, and why? These glaring holes made me miserable when they were never answered. That drives me up walls in a bad way. ARggggghhh! Is she the worst ditzy blonde ever? How do escape and not get help from the authorities? Duh! Then, no thank you, R or X rated content. This doesn't even fit the genre.
No matter how many major holes I tried to ignore they just grew into gaping caverns and caused this book to fail to work for me. I'm so sorry, but that was my experience.
My copy came from Net Galley. I wasn't required to leave a positive review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
No matter how many major holes I tried to ignore they just grew into gaping caverns and caused this book to fail to work for me. I'm so sorry, but that was my experience.
My copy came from Net Galley. I wasn't required to leave a positive review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
November 21, 2017
A mysterious girl and a drunk PI, but the girl has all the moves and kidnaps the PI. They went to the same High School in small town USA and the girl studied to become an accountant, which is where her life went wrong. So just whose accounts did she know too much about? And where has she stashed the incriminating evidence? Or has she? Not quite as original as the beginning would indicate. But some solid story telling.
February 2, 2018
Great read and a great thriller. Plenty of twists and turns. Just as you think you know where the story line is going it fakes you out and takes a path you didn't predict. I would love to read more by this author.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews