When a vehicle breaks down en route to Green Bay, Wisconsin, travelers Grace MacBride, Annie Belinsky and Sharon Mueller, the protagonists in Dead Run by P.J. Tracy (2005, Penguin Books, London, 394 pages), must cope with being stranded late at night in the Minnesota wilderness.
The plot thickens with a spooky mystery, then chaos and murderous mayhem. A worst-case scenario rapidly unfolds.
Are the three travelers lost in the middle of nowhere? Almost! Of course, they can’t find a mobile-phone signal. But wait! What’s that? It’s a town up ahead.
Tension and deadly intent lurk in the dark forest around Four Corners, a tiny community whose inhabitants have vanished. The heroines, each scarred by past experiences, struggle to survive against a small army with terrorist-like ambitions. But often it’s doubtful that real people would react as these characters do.
P.J. Tracy, a pen-name, represents two people: P.J. and Traci Lambrecht, a mother-daughter creative team with a widening reputation. P.J. lives on a Minnesota farm and Traci in California. They’ve written other novels: Want to Play, Live Bait and Snow Blind.
Does Dead Run suffer from one writer too many, spoiling an exciting story? Not entirely.
With the protagonists hiding, then dodging bullets, next triggering explosions and struggling to deactivate others that may release deadly nerve gas in big cities, there’s plenty of action and excitement. Suspense stays high: “Roadrunner’s lycra suit was soaked with sweat, and his leg jiggled furiously under the desk….”
Sometimes predictable, the story simply follows the main characters as they run for their lives. Friends and colleagues try to find them. Along the way, they must foil villains. That’s hardly innovative.
Approval rating: 56 per cent
For more information: www.penguin.com
(December 11, 2007)
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