Midnight Run

Rating:
Summary: Gripping! Very highly recommended
Review: A desperate escape sends convicted killer Jack LaCroix to the doorstep of the woman who once loved him. Attorney Landis McAllister wants nothing to do with the man convicted of her brother's murder. Now he needs her help if he is to prove that he did not kill his partner. The money, the guns, the witnesses were all provided by Salt Lake City's most infamous drug lord.

Jack's lawyer holds the information pivotal in exonerating him. Unfortunately, the lawyer is found murdered before he can turn the information over to Jack, or obtain verification through means the court will accept. Now Jack needs Landis to help him prove his innocence. But their contact puts both their lives in danger, and soon they find themselves on a heedless midnight run for justice.

Author Linda Castillo's skill for creating gripping intensity sparkles in MIDNIGHT RUN. Landis faces profound ethical and moral dilemmas as the very foundation of her loyalty is questioned. Jack's determination and fierce passion lend the novel a tight edginess that keeps the drama unfolding quickly. With an intense pace, taut plotting and fantastic characterization, MIDNIGHT RUN comes very highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Strong powerful writing
Review: When he breaks out of prison, convicted killer Jack LaCroix has only one goal in mind--clearing his name and taking down the man who framed him for murdering his friend and partner. Unfortunately, the only person who can help him is Landis McAllister. And prosecuting attorney Landis doesn't want to have anything to do with the man who killed her brother. Landis knows that even the best of men can go dirty, and Jack was always willing to walk close to the line. Landis sees things in black and white while Jack is all gray. But how can even Jack think that Landis will help him with his crazy plan?

When Jack's lawyer is killed, Jack is the obvious suspect, but Landis knows that Jack was elsewhere. If he's innocent of the lawyer's death, might he also be innocent of the other crimes he's been convicted of? Landis decides to find out the truth--and explore her own dangerous feelings. But Jack knows that the stakes have been escalated. Before, only his own life was at stake. He doesn't mind gambling with his life, but he resists taking a chance with Landis's. Except it is already too late for both of them.

Author Linda Castillo writes an action-packed and emotionally complex story as Jack and Landis battle with one another and with mob-leader Cyrus Duke and his minions. A nice twist at the end adds to both the sense of danger and the emotional intensity of the novel. I especially liked the way Castillo integrated her characters' back stories into the plot. Both are damaged, both find the dangers that they face set off all of the emotional defenses that they have built to protect themselves, and both of them must find a way to surmount their pasts if they are to survive the present.

MIDNIGHT RUN is a strong effort by a mature and powerful writer.