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Carpet Ride
This thrilling murder mystery begins with a dizzying, out-of-control skid down a mountain in an RV and ends as the intriguing threads of the plot come together in harried struggle for life in the dead of night 1500 miles from where the first murder occurred. Norm Brown joins the ranks of suspense masters in this riveting thrill ride.
360 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 2008
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 22, 2009
Sam Stanley and his family decided to rent a RV and take a vacation up through northern California to the Oregon coast. If they had know then what they know now, they would have stayed home. After many extricating hours traveling in the RV, Sam had almost reached their destination when he ran over something in the road. When Sam goes to investigate the object, it is gone. Same assumes whatever it was must have rolled off the cliff.
As Sam and his family are driving up to their house, they find the police waiting for them. They inform Sam that they would like to talk to him about the accident he had with the RV. The police take Sam down to the station. They tell Sam that the Oregon police believe the object Sam drove over was a man. His name is Robert Riddlin and he was from Boulder, Colorado.
Things go from bad to worse for Sam and his family. As his wife, Lynn has an accident and is taken to the hospital. Later someone tries to take Sam out for good with first a gas leak and then they break in to his home. Sam is ready to fight back. He asks for help from his friend, John Canton. John agrees to play detective and travels to Colorado. There he meets Cynthia “Cindy” Kildeer, a receptionist for Mr. Riddlin. She loved Mr. Riddlin like a father and wants to help any way she can. Together they start investigating in the murder of Bob. Their two prime suspects are Nathan Hanover, Bob’s co-partner and Katrina, Bob’s wife. And you thought your vacation was bad!
Carpet Ride is the first novel I have read by Norm Brown. I enjoyed the simple who-dun-it plot. The characters were believable. In addition to the fact that I connected with the characters which is always a plus. I was amazed at how much I really liked this book. I had a hard time putting it down. The only reason I did was because I read this book during my lunch hour at work, which was a big mistake, because I didn’t want to go back to work. Norm Brown is a mystery fan’s author. So go out today and pick up a copy for yourself of Carpet Ride.
As Sam and his family are driving up to their house, they find the police waiting for them. They inform Sam that they would like to talk to him about the accident he had with the RV. The police take Sam down to the station. They tell Sam that the Oregon police believe the object Sam drove over was a man. His name is Robert Riddlin and he was from Boulder, Colorado.
Things go from bad to worse for Sam and his family. As his wife, Lynn has an accident and is taken to the hospital. Later someone tries to take Sam out for good with first a gas leak and then they break in to his home. Sam is ready to fight back. He asks for help from his friend, John Canton. John agrees to play detective and travels to Colorado. There he meets Cynthia “Cindy” Kildeer, a receptionist for Mr. Riddlin. She loved Mr. Riddlin like a father and wants to help any way she can. Together they start investigating in the murder of Bob. Their two prime suspects are Nathan Hanover, Bob’s co-partner and Katrina, Bob’s wife. And you thought your vacation was bad!
Carpet Ride is the first novel I have read by Norm Brown. I enjoyed the simple who-dun-it plot. The characters were believable. In addition to the fact that I connected with the characters which is always a plus. I was amazed at how much I really liked this book. I had a hard time putting it down. The only reason I did was because I read this book during my lunch hour at work, which was a big mistake, because I didn’t want to go back to work. Norm Brown is a mystery fan’s author. So go out today and pick up a copy for yourself of Carpet Ride.
April 20, 2009
Carpet Ride is the most unexpected book I've ever read. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Brown showed me how wrong I was by sending me in a completely different direction. The plot is amazing, having as many twists and turns as a mountain road in Oregon.
April 17, 2009
The suspense was constant. The clues mixed in well. Characters that I want to be my friends if anyone ever says I murdered someone.
December 1, 2012
Norm Brown takes you on a carpet ride of suspicion as you find yourself suspecting everyone who is deeply involved until the truth finally plays out at the end. This was an enjoyable read.
Newlyweds Sam and Lynn Stanley embark on a cross country RV honeymoon with Lynn’s young son Andy. However their trips turns more eventful than they bargained for when they suddenly find a barely passable mountain trail blocked by what appears to be a large roll of carpet.
They have no choice but to run over the object, sending them out of control as Sam narrowly avoids sending them careening over the cliff to their deaths.
As Sam gets out, shaken, to investigate the object they ran over the reader gets the first hint there might be more to this scene than meets the eye.
Arriving at their new home, they find a police car waiting in the driveway for them. Officer Jenson of the Oregon State Patrol has already contacted Lieutenant Banyon to bring Sam in for questioning concerning their accident. Sam goes with the officer, leaving his new wife and her son to unpack.
At the police station Sam learns that he is being accused of running over a person in the road, is possibly facing charges, and there is no sign this carpet ever existed. The victim’s car, a Ford Taurus, was discovered at the scene with a flat tire and open trunk, suggesting that Robert Riddlin may have been walking in the road looking for help when Sam ran him down.
But how could this be?! There had been nobody in the road! Sam was sure of it!
From there things get stranger. Sam’s wife suffers an accident that could have killed her and he discovers strange coincidences that leave him certain someone is trying to kill him.
Sam’s friend John Canton goes to Boulder, Colorado to investigate the strange events from what him and Sam think is the source, the victim Robert Riddlin. There, he finds himself any ally in Cynthia Kildeer, Robert’s administrative assistant.
The two investigate, but seem to find more questions than answers.
Meanwhile, at home Sam tries to keep himself and his new family safe, finally falling on his wife’s old friend Martin to provide a safe haven, who we later learn has secrets of his own.
You quickly find yourself asking questions. What really happened to Robert Riddlin? Who is trying to kill Sam and why? Will they discover John’s deception and come after him too for play amateur sleuth?
Norm Brown takes you on a carpet ride of suspicion as you find yourself suspecting everyone who is deeply involved until the truth finally plays out at the end. This was an enjoyable read.
While the end comes as no surprise, all the hints were there, it is not so obvious that you figure it out halfway through the book.
I would have liked to get more explanation behind the whole Robert Riddlin affair, however there are more mysteries to the story than that, and Riddlin is more of a driving force to push the story forward and not the reason Sam and Lynn have been chosen to be pulled into their situation.
Carpet Ride is published by Second Wind Publishing, LLC.
Newlyweds Sam and Lynn Stanley embark on a cross country RV honeymoon with Lynn’s young son Andy. However their trips turns more eventful than they bargained for when they suddenly find a barely passable mountain trail blocked by what appears to be a large roll of carpet.
They have no choice but to run over the object, sending them out of control as Sam narrowly avoids sending them careening over the cliff to their deaths.
As Sam gets out, shaken, to investigate the object they ran over the reader gets the first hint there might be more to this scene than meets the eye.
Arriving at their new home, they find a police car waiting in the driveway for them. Officer Jenson of the Oregon State Patrol has already contacted Lieutenant Banyon to bring Sam in for questioning concerning their accident. Sam goes with the officer, leaving his new wife and her son to unpack.
At the police station Sam learns that he is being accused of running over a person in the road, is possibly facing charges, and there is no sign this carpet ever existed. The victim’s car, a Ford Taurus, was discovered at the scene with a flat tire and open trunk, suggesting that Robert Riddlin may have been walking in the road looking for help when Sam ran him down.
But how could this be?! There had been nobody in the road! Sam was sure of it!
From there things get stranger. Sam’s wife suffers an accident that could have killed her and he discovers strange coincidences that leave him certain someone is trying to kill him.
Sam’s friend John Canton goes to Boulder, Colorado to investigate the strange events from what him and Sam think is the source, the victim Robert Riddlin. There, he finds himself any ally in Cynthia Kildeer, Robert’s administrative assistant.
The two investigate, but seem to find more questions than answers.
Meanwhile, at home Sam tries to keep himself and his new family safe, finally falling on his wife’s old friend Martin to provide a safe haven, who we later learn has secrets of his own.
You quickly find yourself asking questions. What really happened to Robert Riddlin? Who is trying to kill Sam and why? Will they discover John’s deception and come after him too for play amateur sleuth?
Norm Brown takes you on a carpet ride of suspicion as you find yourself suspecting everyone who is deeply involved until the truth finally plays out at the end. This was an enjoyable read.
While the end comes as no surprise, all the hints were there, it is not so obvious that you figure it out halfway through the book.
I would have liked to get more explanation behind the whole Robert Riddlin affair, however there are more mysteries to the story than that, and Riddlin is more of a driving force to push the story forward and not the reason Sam and Lynn have been chosen to be pulled into their situation.
Carpet Ride is published by Second Wind Publishing, LLC.
June 13, 2012
Sam Stanley’s got everything going for him—new bride, delightful one-year-old son, new house and job to go home to, and the perfect honeymoon driving through pristine forests between Oregon and California. But everything starts to fall apart when he almost wrecks the RV on a narrow winding road. The rolled-up carpet in the middle of the road probably fell off a van… or something.
Author Norm Brown renders Sam’s thoughts perfectly in his novel Carpet Ride. The characters are comfortable, the conversation’s pleasing, and the sudden blows of trouble falling on trouble are genuinely surprising, gluing the reader to the page.
Sam’s friend John soon becomes convinced Sam’s run of bad luck isn't just coincidence. Murder, fire and mayhem ensue as Sam tries to save his new family in Texas and John investigates mysteries in Colorado. The stories come back together in a truly exciting scene in the wilds of Texas, and even a reader who loves to try to guess the resolution too early in the tale will enjoy watching this mystery twist and turn. Action, adventure, mystery and romance rolled into one, this Carpet Ride is one wild ride and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Author Norm Brown renders Sam’s thoughts perfectly in his novel Carpet Ride. The characters are comfortable, the conversation’s pleasing, and the sudden blows of trouble falling on trouble are genuinely surprising, gluing the reader to the page.
Sam’s friend John soon becomes convinced Sam’s run of bad luck isn't just coincidence. Murder, fire and mayhem ensue as Sam tries to save his new family in Texas and John investigates mysteries in Colorado. The stories come back together in a truly exciting scene in the wilds of Texas, and even a reader who loves to try to guess the resolution too early in the tale will enjoy watching this mystery twist and turn. Action, adventure, mystery and romance rolled into one, this Carpet Ride is one wild ride and a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
June 19, 2009
Brown takes us on a winding, action-filled journey to Oregon, Texas and Colorado. There are intriguing twists and turns along the way. I was on the edge of my seat a number of times wondering what would happen next.
An important thing Brown does is make us care about his characters. Sam has a deep, abiding love for his family and does what he can to protect them, while his good friend is in Colorado trying to uncover who is after the Stanleys and and why. A great read.
An important thing Brown does is make us care about his characters. Sam has a deep, abiding love for his family and does what he can to protect them, while his good friend is in Colorado trying to uncover who is after the Stanleys and and why. A great read.
May 1, 2009
Sam & Lynn have just finished celebrating their honeymoon--the highlight of which was a long drive through the Oregon mountains in a RV. The trip would have been memorable, without almost hitting a rug and nearly crashing.
The real surprise lays inside the rug, and in the chain of events which follow its discovery.
The real surprise lays inside the rug, and in the chain of events which follow its discovery.
July 30, 2011
A mystery that I have been wanting to read for a couple years. Unfortunately, it was lacking in the suspenseful part as it was obvious who committed the crime and was behind all of the "mysterious" events. The story was a good concept, but it was not executed well.
January 18, 2010
I found this to be a very interesting book to read. The dual plot running simutaneously makes for a story which keeps the mind engaged until the end. I applaud Norm on his first book and look forward to the next.
February 27, 2011
This was my kind of story, hard to put down. There were some holes in the plot and grammatical errors but I ignored them.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews