Running Scared

by Lisa Jackson

NO MATTER HOW FAST YOU RUN . . .
The newborn baby boy is beautiful, perfect, and hers for the asking. All Kate Summers has to do is agree to one condition—she must disappear from Boston and never breathe a word about the adoption to anyone.
 
OR HOW FAR YOU GO . . .
Fifteen years later, Kate has built a good life for herself and her son, Jon, in Hopewell, Oregon. Still, she is haunted by the fear that he will somehow be taken away. Then Daegan O’Rourke arrives in town and strikes up a friendship with her and Jon. But Daegan has his own past to hide—one with shocking ties to hers.
 
A KILLER WILL ALWAYS FIND YOU . . .
Someone is watching Kate, watching her son, and is willing to go to any lengths to claim him. And the one man Kate is tempted to trust has dangerous secrets that could change her world forever. Soon the past Kate thought she could outrun will explode, unearthing a legacy of lies and treachery, and a fury powerful enough to kill . . .

Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Romance, Fiction, Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Mystery Thriller

528 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Lisa Jackson is the number-one New York Times bestselling author of over ninety-five novels, including the Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya Series, the Pescoli and Alvarez Series, the Savannah series, and numerous stand alone novels. She also is the co-author of One Last Breath, Last Girl Standing, and the Colony Series, written with her sister and bestselling author Nancy Bush, as well as the collaborative novels Sinister and Ominous, written with Nancy Bush and Rosalind Noonan. There are over thirty million copies of her novels in print and her writing has been translated into twenty languages.

Before she became a nationally bestselling author, she was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.

With dozens of bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity—and back—in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional, and the downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies, and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.

Visit http://www.LisaJackson.com where you can find a Media Kit with photos and more information.

Reviews

[TXGAL1(Private Profile? Pass me by) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa Jackson previously published this book under the name WISHES.

Kate Summers and her 15 year-old son, Jon, and Daegan O'Rourke are strangers but share a common thread unbeknownst to them. Kate is a widow and living with her son in Oregon and Daegan is a cowboy living in Montana. What could they possibly share?

Life's events for them both that happened 15 years ago are about to have ramifications in the present when their lives collide. Jon, a "strange" boy, is feeling unsettled and on edge. Should he listen to his "gut" and be on the lookout? Something is coming!

I've not read Lisa Jackson before, but I was spellbound by the suspense that she wove throughout this story. There was never a slow moment and every word presented was necessary to present Kate and Daegan's coming shock.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book 15 year-old Jon Summers, unknown to himself, was adopted at birth in unusual circumstances. Jon has visions of the past and future and talks about them, so of course he's bullied at school.



The crux of the story revolves around Jon's birth grandfather trying to track him down and get him back so the family fortune can pass to him. Other familiy members - wanting the fortune themselves - aren't so keen on the idea. The story involves some not so savory family interactions ( a little incest anyone?). An average suspense thriller.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Myra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had me on the edge of my seat. Kate takes in a baby to claim as her own. She wants a second chance as a mom and this seems to be the best opportunity having lost her own less than a year before. She knows the adoption may be crocked but how can she deny a baby and an opportunity to restart her shattered life.

Unbeknownst to Kate, her son become the only pawn of a very weird family hunting excursion. After a decade and a half, Daegan is hired to search for the baby that is to inherit the family dynasty. Deagon was hired to eliminate this heir by Jon's biological mother but Deagan can't follow through because he has grown extremely fond of both Kate and Jon.

Love this author!!! She really creates spectacular characters. Daegon is really easy to hate but one comes to sympathize and understand what made him into the hardened man he has become. But no matter how jaded he is, everyone just wants to love and be loved in return. This is a story that really allows one to not only believe in love but second chances.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not her best but not her worst.

[Lois Duncan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally like Lisa Jackson's books and was excited to see this "new one" at the library. But when I started reading it I almost immediately elt, "Something is wrong with this. The pacing is off. There are scenes that don't fit. It's like it's been padded out with extra material to make it longer than it ought to be."

Then I looked at the author's note in the front of the book and discovered that this is exactly what happened. The original book was published under the title WISHES. It went out of print, and the publisher agreed to republish it if the author added more chapters and "notched up" the characters and the action.

Good try, Lisa, but "longer" isn't always "better." It's tough on an author when she/he is forced to do this. I bet I would really have enjoyed the original version. I got bored with this one.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. Failed to grab my attention and the writing seems a little off. Ex: "She reached for the coffee pot on the stove and burned her fingers....she added warm coffee to her cup..." Um, warm coffee burns your fingers? Too many others on the shelf to keep going with this one. One Star

[☠Kayla☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate summers has just illegally adopted a baby boy named Jon who she realizes later on had a gift-or curse-of seeing into peoples past and futures. Now fifteen years later jon has a nightmare of his own future, hes running from a man that reeks with danger. Shortly after, Daegen O'Rourke comes to town seeking answers only Kate can give, and is suspiciously interested in Kate and Jon's life. What does this mysterious stranger want? And who is the man that's after Jon.

My thoughts:
I went into this booking thinking it was going to be something completely different then it was. This is the first book I've read by Lisa Jackson and I LOVED IT! They're were so many characters in this book and the author made it very easy to remember who was who. It had just the right amount of likeable and unlikable characters that it balanced out nicely, though Daegen was my altime favorite. The characters were very well written with lots of backstories. It was a great story, lots of family drama and lots of love, though it was a little fluffy for a thriller novel. It also dealt with aspects like incest, child abuse, and violence. The ending was AMAZING!! This was a great read.

[Laura (Kyahgirl) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Incredibly awful. Another case of seeing an audiobook at the library by an big name author I’ve never read so I gave it a try and was really disappointed. Poor plotting, cliches, paper cutout characters, melodrama. Skip this one.

[Grandma Susan]

DNF. Profanity

[Carla Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a legal secretary Kate Summers gets roped into a not so legal adoption her world ends up becoming chaos 15 years later. The rich socialite family who wanted to avoid a scandal and make the child disappear decides they want the child back. The Patriarch Grandfather of the Sullivan family and the boy Jons grandfather decides he needs the child back to carry on as the families heir. Robert Sullivan hires a Private Detective to find the boy and kidnap him and return him to his real family. The boys biological father just found out he even had a son just two months ago, moves next door to Kate and her son Jon to keep a protective eye on them. He knows just how ruthless and conniving the Sullivans can be. When the boy gets kidnapped Kate and Daegan O'Rourke work together to find their son before its too late. The book is very well written and full of action. There is another second backstory in the book that explains the ruthless Sullivans and how Jon became to be in the world. It's also full of intrigue and dark secrets that you won't believe. A very good story that leaves you on the edge of your seat. Two thumbs 👍 👍 up.

[Meghan Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never really read a romantic suspense before, so I'm not sure if I don't like the genre, or if I just don't like this book. I thought the plot was too unbelievable and I didn't really like any of the characters. I also felt like the story needed to be edited by about 10-15% to keep it from dragging. I listened to this on audiobook. The narrator has a great voice, but he read the whole thing in a movie announcer voice, which made the story sound cheesy. In addition, the author used soooooo many cliches to describe people that I found myself rolling my eyes constantly.

[Share · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a long longer than it needed to be. There was so much repetitiveness, cliches and over descriptive unnecessary paragraphs. I should have counted how many times he said she had "whiskey coloured eyes."

The plot was good, although the supernatural element was, to me, a bit odd. It was predictable and there is no way you cannot foresee how this fairy tale ends.

The incest surrounding the story is...different. Consensual incest - nothing like a bunch of cousins all attracted to each other.

The book could easily have been at least 100 pages shorter. It was just okay. It took me a long time to get into it, and I don't think I ever really got fully invested into it.

[Lena Papanikolaou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Σαν γραφη δεν παρουσιαζει κάτι ιδιαιτερο,βέβαια μπορεί να φταίει η μετάφραση...Πλοκή ενδιαφέρουσα.Στις τελευταιες 60- 70 σελιδες του βιβλιου η συγγραφεας δειχνει μια παράξενη βιασύνη με αποτελεσμα να χαθούν οι άριστες εντυπώσεις που ειχα αρχικά.Λες και γραφτηκε απο άλλο πρόσωπο .3.5 αστεράκια απο μενα .

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. Not great. The story was good, but it turned out to be chick lit. Too much sexual tension throughout the book, especially when the reader knows how it’s going to turn out. I also thought that the book was long for the storyline (413 pages). Not sure that I’ll rush back to this author.

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Purchased audiobook WORST BOOK EVER.
SERIOUSLY. Constantly hearing “Who are you? He’s my son... “. don’t waste a minute of time on this one.
1/2 the book could of been removed an would have never been missed.

[Janine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kate beginnt nach dem Unfalltod ihres Mannes und ihrer kleinen Tochter ein neues Leben. Ihr einziger Trost ist ihr Baby Jon - doch es liegt auch über diesem Glück ein Schatten: Kate hat das Baby illegal 'adoptiert' - unter der Bedingung, dass sie niemandem gegenüber auch nur ein Sterbenswörtchen über seine Herkunft - über die sie selbst nur sehr wenig weiß - verraten. 15 Jahre später taucht ein Fremder in Hopewell auf der sich um Freundschaft zu Kate und Jon bemüht und zu dem sich beide auf magische Art und Weise hingezogen fühlen. Doch Daegan O’Rourke birgt ein finsteres Geheimnis, und Kate und Jon werden in die üblen Machenschaften einer psychotischen Familie Sullivan hineingezogen.

Ich hatte einen spannenden Thriller erwartet, aber ich kann schon direkt sagen das dies kein Thriller ist. Für mich ist das eher ein Familiendrama gewesen, der ganz nett zu lesen gewesen ist. Mehr aber auch nicht.
Die Geschichte war nett zu lesen, da der Schreibstil sehr flüssig gewesen ist. Aber die Geschichte wie auch die Charaktere bleiben nur oberflächlich, sodass ich keine Verbindung entwickeln konnte. Sehr schade. Denn hätte das Ganze etwas mehr Tiefe gehabt, hätte ich auch darüber hinwegsehen können, dass dies eher ein Roman ist, der mich unterhalten konnte. Aber naja.. Ist eben nicht so gewesen. Dann kommt noch hinzu, dass die ganze Geschichte einfach so typisch amerikanisch ist und sich an typischen Klischees bedient. Das hat mir nicht gefallen.
Das Ende ist total realitätsfern gewesen und mein Augenrollen ist vorprogrammiert gewesen.
Insgesamt war es halbwegs ok gewesen, ich kann es aber nicht weiterempfehlen.

2,5 von 5 Ottis

[Paula Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa Jackson was asked to re-write her 1999 novel "Wishes" and to give the readers more suspense and deeper and meaningful characters and if you are a fan of her later work , then you will really enjoy this book. The novel starts in 1980, when young widow Katie was about to leave her work and was given the opportunity of a lifetime. Take a newborn baby and raise it as her son as the Child's birth family wanted nothing to do with it , after losing her husband Jim and daughter Erin in a car crash -it was like a dream. Fast forward , Fifteen years and the boy whom she called Jon is fifteen years old and Katie has provided all for him and has traded her law-firm skills to being a teacher. Jon however as Katie learnt over the years has a special gift, he has visions and premonitions and a new one is starting and it shows that him and Katie are in danger and somebody wants to Kill him. Katie and Jon soon learn that his biological grandfather is dying and has left a fortune and now in order for others to collect it, Jon must be Killed. Not only that, Jon's father Daegan has turned up and wants to know his son and as we soon learn the gift Jon has is hereditary . Can Katie save Jon and then open her heart and home to Daegan ?
Find out in Lisa Jackson's revised and re-edited novel "Running Scared".

[Sony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The plot was creative and the romance between the characters was like being swept away into a movie-like tale of lovers - I rooted for them to work out. The mix between mystery and romance was a great combination for this book.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is there such a genre as a romance-thriller? If so, that's where this one fits squarely. With overtones of psychic powers.

Kate Summers, in an impulsive and desperate act, agrees to give a home to a newborn baby boy. The only caveat? She must disappear so no one will find her. And she does so surprisingly well. It's the '80s, so there's no Internet trail to leave behind her.

Until 15 years later, when all of a sudden people are looking for her and her boy (who is the one with the precognition, if you're keeping score). His grandfather, his uncle, other relatives -- oh, and his birth father, who only learns of the boy's existence at the beginning of the book.

Originally published as Wishes, but "retooled," according to the author, to amp up the suspense, this book was not entirely successful for me. I'm not a romance fan, so found those parts (presumably the focus of the original book) tedious and not quite believable. The suspense bits were fine, though, and there are lots of plot twists on the bumpy road to the end.

[LaVerne Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Lisa Jackson book I've read. Wasn't thrilled with it, but it was a good solid read. I think the major drawback was that there were lots of scenes thrown together in each chapter. Too many interruptions and ruined the flow a little.

I thought the sexual tension was excellent, which is after all what we want in a romantic suspense, so this kept me reading. Not so sure about the whole incest type relationship resulting in a child. I know it happens, but it made me feel a little uncomfortable, especially as it was the HERO who was involved. At least they were only half-cousins. Another reason I marked it down, but this might not bother others.

All in all, a good read and one I was glad to spend some time with.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 1 out of 5]

PLOT SPOILED so you don’t have to read. You’re welcome.

I can’t remember the last time I was flummoxed by such an awful plot. Here’s the Reader’s Digest version of the plot:

Kate’s husband and baby die. She works for a sexual harassed corrupt attorney who gets her to illegally adopt a baby and move to Oregon.

Flash forward 15 years, Jon is a psychic bullied by his peers. Unbeknownst to him, he was conceived after his bio parents, cousins got drunk, forgot they were cousins and slept together. His wealthy bio mom wants to be sure her fiancé doesn’t find out about Jon so she calls baby daddy Daegan, tells him about the baby and says make Jon disappear so fiancé never finds out.

Daegan and Kate fall in love, turns out bio dad is a good person. Bad guys get their just desserts. The end.

[Donna Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book from my mom's library that reminds me how good writers put the story together. This thriller, with an unlikely love interest, keeps you on your toes to the end.

Plot holds. Characters are totally different yet each one is realistic. Interesting to see all the changes in technology since this was written.

[Ann Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book I have read by Lisa Jackson. I was surprised to read at the beginning that it was a rewrite of a previous released book and made more suspenseful. It was pretty good but I was not keen on the romance bit. That is my personal preference. I think her writing is stronger without it and it felt like filler to me.

[Sally Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kate Summers, whose husband and young daughter have been killed in an accident, agrees to adopt a baby boy - in an unofficial transaction arranged between Kate's lawyer boss and the baby's grandfather. The illegality of this comes back to haunt Kate fifteen years later when the grandfather, dying and without a male heir, decides he wants the boy back. A fast moving and enjoyable story .

[Paris (kerbytejas) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long winded but I liked the overall story. There was a heavy does of "Soap Opera Drama" in the book

[Judy Churchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story. It was well written, with well developed characters, and a decent plot. The action remains constant throughout the story. I enjoyed this book.

[Dana Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa Jackson never disappoints! Yet another thrilling ride!

[Nadia Ramon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Genre is a thriller but only the beginning is. Alot of incest sexual filled chapters.

[Jessica Nay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very long

[Jordan]

blahhh these really aren't my types of books so I don't feel right rating them but my aunt sent me 3 to read and im reading them for her but they just aren't doing anything for me