Final Escape

by Dan Pedersen

A reunion of friends becomes a battle of wits with a psychopath in the mountains of Central Idaho. This third book in the Brad Haraldsen series brings together Bellingham, Washington, detective Shane Lindstrom and Alaskans Robert Yuka and Marie Martin as they hunt the hunter who is stalking a guest at Brad and Irene Haraldsen's ranch. It is a taut and fast-moving thriller that transports the reader into the heart of Idaho's breathtaking Sawtooth Mountains country. It is a must-read for all who love the Stanley Basin, Redfish Lake and the Wood River Valley.

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2017

About the author

I grew up in Western Washington and now make my home on Whidbey Island with my wife, Sue, and our adventurous canine, Duncan. We live in the woods with the deer, squirrels, owls, coyotes and other creatures that come and go when the spirit moves them.

After studying journalism at the University of Washington and receiving bachelor's and master's degrees, I became a reporter and editor for several newspapers in Washington and Idaho, including a large regional outdoor weekly. For most of my career I managed a magazine and other publications for a large insurance and financial services corporation.

But I saved the best for last. After giving up my good job in the city, I discovered how much fun writing could really be, starting with nature and rural life as my themes and, in time, evolving to writing mysteries, the most rewarding of all. What I love about mysteries is the platform they provide for my characters to stimulate reflection in the minds of readers.

My philosophy is my books should always entertain, but also give readers something more. Readers should come away having learned something new and been challenged to think about what they truly value in their lives.

Reviews

[Jason Pryde · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, a disclosure, Dan is a fellow Whidbey Islander. We've chatted over coffee and I try to be a thorn in his side in the comments section of his weekly blog (www.pedersenwrites.blogspot.com) whenever possible. I can't help but be a little biased when I read and review his books.

Dan's style is not so much the Inspector Perot who-done-it mystery but more of the thriller page turner / lose-track-of-time and read-just-one-more-chapter until its way past midnight variety. The value to the reader is equal parts fast paced drama and rich travellog style scenery. In the course of the story he adroitly juxtapositions abandon mining towns of the back country with Idaho's urban cities giving the reader more context than is probably necessary for just placing the action. His goal is to extol the beauty of the places he writes about as much as entertain the user.

He does this not to promote the tourism business but because, fundamentally, Dan writes from the heart. His stories are not just well researched, but semi-autobiographical. Threads of his own experiences, beliefs, politics, and personal life are subtly weaved into the story. This presents a realism I find lacking in even much wordier novels. So when a character's monologue describes their torcherous journey from big city journalism school in the 60's to settling in as small town newspaper reporter, you feel their anxiousness and personal accomplishment as if it could easily be a different version of your own life story.

A lot more could be said of his character building, plot devices, point of view, and other elements of a writer's craft but It's this personal relationship to the reader, story teller approach that keeps me coming back for his next mystery book.

-jgp

[Traci Bradshaw]

This light mystery makes me want to visit the area. I love Idaho scenery anyway.