On The Edge
BOOK
SYNOPSIS
After Joe Malone was run out of the Marines
due to debilitating agoraphobia brought on by a fire fight Iraq he was forced
to turn to his former Marine father for help. Having made some strides back to
normalcy, Joe’s rocky relationship with his father is destroyed when he fires
Joe after one their clients is found brutally murdered during a class at their
military style fitness bootcamp. Things only get worse when a second client is
murdered right in front of Joe three days later. Joe is forced to decide what he wants more, the safety and
security of staying at home working as a model builder for his old friend Kathy
or the chance to reclaim his father’s respect and potentially own the bootcamp
business by tracking down the killer. Determined not to let anymore of his
friends get hurt, and desperate to return to his father’s good graces, Joe
agrees to accompany a group of their clients on a trip to West Texas for a
three day adventure race.
The challenges Joe expected to face are
magnified during the train trip across Texas when he finds that his boss,
Kathy, is along for the ride. The dangers continue to escalate the farther west
they go, with Joe no longer sure of who to trust, with Kathy having to join a
team on the race, and with his brother and father shadowing him across the
state. Add to this that Joe’s own personal nemisis, Horne, shows up with his
own team of adventure racers and is overtly trying to endanger Joe. Joe is
forced to find the motivation to continue the trip, the personal dedication to
overcome his fear of crowds and of open, even when his past and the associated
memories keep rising to the surface and threaten all the gains he’s made since
returning from the war. The adventure race is the least of Joe’s concerns. The
rafting, climbing, rappelling, biking, running and other obstacles are nothing
compared to the personal challenges Joe is forced to confront.
The race comes to an abrupt end when Horne is
killed during the rappelling portion of the race. With his death, however, Joe
is able to see the connection between all the murders and understands that it
is two of his own clients who are the murderers. With Kathy and his father, Joe
confronts the two murderers and is able keep them from escaping. The novel ends
with Joe working full time for Kathy, eschewing his father’s business in an
effort to break away from the manipulations of his family so he can focus on
building a life of his own.
MY REVIEW
On The Edge is the
second novel I've read by Dick Hannah and the growth in his writing is evident.
While the plot of this story revolves around the military and disciplined
fitness, two things that normally wouldn't hold my attention, Hannah's writing
captivated me until the last page.
This is a solid mystery with a group of characters that aren't what they appear to be. Protagonist Joe Malone attempts to juggle life after the war, family drama, and deceit within his work community. Hannah kept my interest with multiple twists and turns, which is necessary when executing a suspenseful tale. I liked that Dick Hannah added a light romance to the story. It added to the action-packed book without being distracting from the overall plot.
This is a solid mystery with a group of characters that aren't what they appear to be. Protagonist Joe Malone attempts to juggle life after the war, family drama, and deceit within his work community. Hannah kept my interest with multiple twists and turns, which is necessary when executing a suspenseful tale. I liked that Dick Hannah added a light romance to the story. It added to the action-packed book without being distracting from the overall plot.
AUTHOR INFO
Imagine Dick
Francis listing toward adventure races instead of horse racing. Or Diane Mott
Davidson writing about triathlons inlieu of catering. With a background in
adventure races including competing in the Army Best Ranger Competition Dick
Hannah provides a fresh voice and real world glimpse into the world of
adventure racing and fitness in his thriller novels.
Prior to
starting his writing career he spent four years as a Ranger team leader and
continues to stay sharp by working as a fitness consultant at a fitness
bootcamp. When not racing or writing, Dick works full-time as technical writer,
business analyst and trainer.
Dick followed up
Toe the Line, his first full-length novel, in 2013 with On the Edge. He has
already started on his third thriller, Vapor Trail, which he plans to release
in 2014. He can be contacted through his blog at www.puborperish.blogspot.com.
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