The Chase by Candice Fox

‘The monsters were gone. All of them.’

A sniper threatens a bus load of civilians just within site of the Pronghorn Correctional Facility in the Nevada Desert. They will be killed unless the warden releases all the inmates.  And, because some of them have family on that bus, the staff release the prisoners. Over 600 of them, including those on death row. Death Row Supervisor Celine Osbourne, who did not release anyone, is horrified.

And so begins the biggest manhunt in US history. While some are trying to work out who masterminded this release and how much help (and from whom) they received on the inside, law enforcement forces are mobilised to recapture the fugitives.

John Kradle is one of those fugitives. This is his chance to prove his innocence – if he can stay ahead of his pursuers. Celine Osbourne is part of the pursuit. She has personal reasons for wanting to recapture John Kradle, and she knows where he will head.

The story unfolds through multiple perspectives. Some prisoners are recaptured quickly, others will leave a trail of destruction (and sometimes death) behind them. Political games will distract some law enforcement officials while conflicting intelligence reports will shape both the investigation and the hunt.

Is John Kradle innocent, and if so, how can he prove it? Will he survive? Celine Osbourne enlists a former inmate to help her track down John Kradle. While Kradle and Osbourne are the central figures, with flashbacks shedding light on each of their pasts, there are memorable characters in the mix. There is a serial killer (‘The North Nevada Strangler’) who shadows Kradle, a white supremacist with both an agenda and a following, and an elderly escapee who may look harmless, but certainly is not.

This is a standalone novel, full of action and tension. Recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

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