Running from the Devil

by Jamie Freveletti

Book Overview

"A breathless, hair-raising read, one of the most gripping thrillers I've read in a long, long time."
--Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Keepsake

A high-octane debut thriller in the tradition of James Rollins, Lee Child, and Daniel Silva, Running From the Devil by Jaime Freveletti starts racing on page one and never slows down for a minute until it crosses the finish line. Lee Child calls it, "Just terrific--full...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061684236
• ISBN13: 9780061684234
• Release Date: May 2010
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

See Emma run!

Run, Emma, run! This is no Dick and Jane story. But run she sure does. Fast and relentlessly. Through thick and thick, if I may modify a cliché. Emma Caldridge is the paragon in "Running from the Devil" by Jamie Freveletti. Emma is an unflawed diamond who runs ultramarathons, those from 35 to 100 miles and more. And that's in her off time. By the end of reading the story, we find her additionally to be a beauty, smart, grieving (her fiancé died suddenly), a research scientist, inventive, lucky, a fighter, able to kill (but not in cold blood), compassionate, sometimes funny, and showing evidence of hope for love. Let me repeat lucky. Lucky, lucky. Perhaps I should say that if she has a flaw as a character, it is her perfection. I should be chastened for not adding that besides English she speaks German (vital in one plot interchange) and Latin (which, as a research chemist, she uses most). I am going to ask you to believe me when I sell you and tell you that the plot is as elaborately constructed as the Brooklyn Bridge. With the innumerable twists and turns of interweaving cables and lines, author Freveletti obviously worked extremely hard. If you willingly suspend your incredulity, you will be as amazed and as sitting at the end of your seat, as Emma is flying by the seat of her pants throughout the story. That she does. The plot is a rapid tumble of unending action. "Oh, no! Not that! How horrible! Stop stop! Don't let that happen. I can't stand the suspense. Oh my goodness!" This is no bucolic unfolding of a pastoral romance. There is no letup of the rumble and the jumble. We speed from the airliner hijacking of the opening scene, with the crash into the jungle of Colombia, to the capture of the survivors by the Devil himself and his guerrillas, to the enforced death march of the passengers to a ransom point, and the internecine warfare of the drug gangs, to the conflicting rescue attempts. In the jungle, the clouds of mosquitoes are ubiquitous. For protection from them, Emma becomes a wild-looking beast by caking herself with mud. She fights heat, hunger, thirst, and pain. She has to outwit the many drug-dealing groups fighting each other, including the Colombian government. The scenes are brutal and gruesome. Stateside, the plot is too complicated to get into, with rival governmental officials, departments, and special agents, all disagreeing what to do about rescuing the hijacked passengers. The characters are well drawn, sometimes a bit hyperbolically. If I may be allowed a brief caveat to author Freveletti: eliminate "snort" and "snorted" from your lexicon. Using the verb at all, and especially over a dozen and a half times, is inelegant, disconcerting, and never necessary. Never. Simply substitute the word "said" and have confidence to rely upon your context to express a speaker's scorn, disdain, ridicule, or contempt. You do very well with your creation of context. You do well indeed. They should make a movie of your thrill

Excellent Debut Novel

Biochemist, ultramarathon runner Emma Caldridge is returning to Colombia when her plane is hijacked and crash lands outside of Bogota. Emma is thrown from the plane and, hidden, watches in horror as guerrillas take the surviving passengers captives. Emma manages to text a cell phone message to her boss, relaying what has happened, and follows the guerillas, hoping her message got through and a rescue team is on the way. The Department of Defense, made aware of the downed plane, turns to Edward Banner and his specialized forces for help in what looks to be a kidnap-for-ransom scheme by the guerrillas, not knowing that Emma is the real reason behind the hijacking. Emma utilizes her skills as a chemist to survive while being pursued by men intent on capturing her for her knowledge and the secret, deadly weapon in her possession. Emma Caldridge is the quintessential female action hero. She's smart, athletic, and tough mentally and physically. Her knowledge of plants and skills as a chemist enhance this debut thriller, which is filled with action and suspense. Freveletti weaves into the story the complex political situation between Washington DC and the Colombian government, and gives the reader a better understanding of the Colombian drug cartels and FARC, Colombia's infamous paramilitary organization known for its kidnapping attempts. An excellent debut novel.

A new author hits a home run!

A great first book! I was drawn in immediately and sacrificed several early nights in order to stay up reading. The characters in this book are so well drawn, you just know you're going to want to spend more time with them in sequel after sequel. I usually hate to compare one author to another, but I can see a series built around the surviving characters of this novel sitting comfortably on a bookshelf next to Tom Clancy or Nelson DeMille. More about this book. First, it's a refreshing change to see a new thriller without the Islamic fundamentalist twist. The jungles of Central America still hold lots of opportunity for peril and intrigue and it doesn't feel like the same old bad guys fighting the same old battle that every author of this genre has been turning out for the past 10 years. The science is intriguing. Just enough to catch your curiousity, not too much to bog down the plot. In the end, though, it all comes down to the characters. The main characters are people you can believe, each has their strengths and flaws. You like them, you want to get to know them better. And the author has cleverly hinted at back stories and unresolved personal issues (the dashing contractor who is obviously holding a candle for the colleague he won't pursue because of their work relationship...) that you want to see them revisit in future stories. Anyone who enjoys a fast-paced spy/government intrigue/military conspiracy thriller should snatch up this book and set aside a good chunk of time - you're not going to want to be interrupted.

A Quick Entertaining & Imformative Read

I knew this novel would take me into the Colombian jungle & the parallel political jungle of Washington D.C. - so I moved it to the top of my list. Also, this is Jamie Freveletti's first appearance as a novelist and I have been disapointed of late with some old hands. Needless to say Jamie delivers and excels in many venues. I was particulary pleased with her knowledge of the subject: Colombia. Although I have kept up on some of the complex politics, especially Washington/Drugs/Guns/Paramilitary/Guerrilas - the author really cuts to the chase by the telling of this story. So well told that the line between government/crime becomes as blurred as it is in reality. Of course those fighting the good fight find themselves making the "wrong" turns in order to get the job done right. The characters are well drawn for the story. I partically enjoyed the chemistry betwen Emma/Cameron. Speaking of chemistry, Emma's knowledge of chemistry/botany educates and delights. The jungle is right on. Her writing surprised me. For instance, there is a scene where a drug begins to incapacitate the motor funtions of a character while trying to....? I can tell you that scene was authentic. Making it real is great writing. There is also a big plus! A novel twist that comes as the story moves to a climax. The story is up to date, entertaining and informative. Do yourself a favor and step on the plane with Emma/Cameron to Colombia. Of course, before you turn page one your plane is crashing into the jungle, and before you know it, you've turned the last page.