About the Book
Title: The Convenient Escape
Author: Robert Downs
Genre: Thriller
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…
Author Bio
Robert 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 stories might never have
seen print. Originally from West Virginia, he has lived in Virginia,
Massachusetts, New Mexico, and now resides in California. To find out more
about what’s next on his list, visit the author’s website: www.RobertDowns.net.
When he’s not writing,
Robert can be found reviewing, blogging, or smiling. Falling Immortality and Graceful
Immortality helped him discover his true love: hard-boiled mysteries. LaCour’s Destiny helped him enter the
mind of a female amateur sleuth with OCD tendencies. His fourth and fifth
novels will come out this year with Black Opal Books.
Links
Book Excerpt
Her high heels dug
into the soft earth beneath her.
Her skirt and
blouse, damp with sweat, clung to her body.
The trees whistled
above her, the wind whipping through the branches.
Her heart raced,
slamming against her chest. Her right side ached, shooting the pain up toward
her chin. Her mind raced as fast as her legs moved—escape remained her only
option. A grimace twisted her lips, as the stitch in her side grew stronger.
Footsteps lingered
behind her. Not far. Close. Veronica glanced over her shoulder, tripping on a
branch beneath her. The soft earth padded her knee and braced her fall. Up. She shot to her feet, as her
adversary threatened to close the distance even more.
Glancing over her
shoulder, she saw only blackness. Nothing more. She strained to hear his
labored breathing, but she heard only her heartbeat instead.
A shot rang out,
slamming against a tree branch off to her left. Her head whipped around, as
bark sprayed in every direction. A piece caught her cheek, slicing it, and she
swiped it away with her left hand. Brushing it aside like a dead fruit fly.
The blood on her
fingers lingered.
Saltwater dripped
into her eyes, obscuring her field of vision. With the same hand, she wiped
away the remnants of sweat—and transferred the blood to her cheek—as a voice
called out to her.
“You won’t get far,”
the voice said. “Daddy’s going to get you.”
She shook her head,
just one quick motion to clear the voice from her mind. Her arms pumped at her
sides, like two pistons working together. She grimaced as the darkness found
her and a hand touched her shoulder. The hand was stiff, and it lingered longer
than it should have. When she turned her head, she discovered it was a tree. An
owl hooted above her, as dark shadows crept over her and the surrounding
forest. The moon guided her. It was more than enough light to offer her a sense
of direction.
She picked up her
knees and pushed herself forward. Her hands pumped at her sides faster and
faster, as the darkness nearly swallowed her whole.
She stumbled again.
This time a rock caught the toe of her left foot. A knee glanced off a root and
shot pain up her thigh. The stitch in her side continued to throb and grow with
each passing second.
Another shot rang out.
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