On the Run

By: Iris Johansen

Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck

Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

The picture was a warning: they'd found her. For eight years Grace Archer hoped this day wouldn't come, and knew in her heart that it would.

She'd taken her daughter, Frankie, to a rural Alabama horse farm that might just as well have been at the end of the earth. But the man out to kill them would gladly follow them that far. And now, it seems, he had.

A woman with a highly classified past, Grace had never run from anything in her life. But as a mother, she'd do anything to keep eight-year-old Frankie safe. Now that safe world has been shattered, and a ferocious hunter has been unleashed. Suddenly the agency that owed Grace its gratitude and protection has abandoned her and only one ally remains: a man even more dangerous than her worst enemy.

She hasn't set eyes on Jake Kilmer since the catastrophic events of eight years ago. Now he's asking Grace to trust him with the one thing more precious to her than life itself. But with a ruthless criminal kingpin determined to make her pay for the past, her and her daughter's lives on the line, and time running out, she just may have to put her faith in a man who she believes has already betrayed her once.

©2005 Johansen Publishing LLLP (P)2005 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The novel starts off with guns blazing and doesn't slow down for murder, kidnapping, blackmail, sex, or sandstorm." (Publishers Weekly)
"Johansen gives her readers what they have come to expect from the queen of suspense: a truly evil, skin-crawling villain and complex heroes who must tangle with him in the shadow world of foreign intrigue." (Booklist)

very good

I have all Iris Johansen's books, and this one is one of my favorites and I was happy to find it in the audio unabridged form. I now have many of her books in audio unabridged form (I detest the abridged form of audio and refuse to purchase any abridged books, I will not even listen to them for free!). I was so excited to see Wait until Midnight was out in audio (another of my favorite books) and then just as I was going to purchase it I saw that it was abridged....darn it anyhow....so disappointing....of course I did not buy it.

Amazing

The narrator does awesome. I have always liked this story but the narrator really brought it to life.

If you're looking for action, look elsewhere

I was intrigued by the story line and the online summary convinced me to download and listen to it. Overall, I was disappointed. Not to be sexist, but it was obvious that the book was written by a woman. To clarify, the author spends too much time developing the sexual tension between the two main characters (Grace and Kilmer) and Grace’s ‘motherly instinct’ is prevalent throughout. This is not necessarily a bad thing – if you want to read a book that is more about the characters and how they “feel” more than an action book. I wanted the latter so I was left flat and wanting more action. The story was too much about Kilmer and Grace than developing an action-packed story.

The other thing that was somewhat unrealistic was the dialogue with Grace’s daughter (Frankie). I have three children (who are well above average intellect) and I do not find myself conversing with them in the almost silly, frank manner of the book. Nor do they discuss things in the manner in which Frankie does in the story. The whole interaction between Grace and Frankie got too monotonous and superficial (for me).

The last point I will make is that you are almost two-thirds through the book before you discover the significance of “the pair” (you will have to find this out for yourself – I won’t spoil it for you). So, you think finally the story will pick up, and it does, but still not enough. The ending seems a bit anti-climatic and is wrapped up too abruptly. I kept waiting for a surprise thinking that surely it’s not over just like that. But it was – except for the story of how are things resolved for Kilmer, Grace and Frankie. That part of the story continued to drag on for almost another half hour.

Not a bad story overall, but it was just not what I was looking for.

Disappointed

I was very disappointed with this book. I've read (not listened to) other books by her & liked them. This one made it obvious that she has reverted back to her Harlequin days. She spent too much time exploring their "should I do him/her, or not" feelings instead of developing the plot, the characters personalities, & some ACTION!!!

GREAT book

loved loved loved it!!! entertaining..exciting..romantic..all rolled into one. and i thought narrator was great too!

On the Run leaves you breathless ...

Dramatic, Captivating, with slow entrancing sensuality. The slowly, evolving romance, intertwined with the exciting narrative, a superb Johansen classic. A solid 5 star winner.

Don't waste your time...

I decided to download this book to help me through the monotony of a long overdue outdoor painting project. As it happened watching the paint dry was actually more interesting.

To say that the story-line was a little far fetched would be an understatement. Let's just say the entire plot hinges on 2 white horses and an ex-cia horsewhispering woman who must tame the killer ponies, under duress, for a bad guy who wants the horses to lead him to some "treasure" buried somewhere in the desert.

It's very poorly written and narrated and I would not recommend this book.

do not recommend

This was a long and very boring book. I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them very much, it was extremely difficult to even finishe this one. It was one of those reads that you fast forward through 1/2 of the book just to get on with it.

Redundent

Not good, three boring themes that just go around and around.

waste of time and money

This book is a waste of time. The characters are totaly unrealistic. The plot, there is no realistic plot. We are supposed to believe that 9 years later our main character is supposed to go back and start trianing the same horses again? Is she so special that after all that time the bad guy couldn't find a horse trainer? A millionare bad guy? The good guy is worse, he is a world class spy/military man that gave up his career for protection for his girlfriend and child? The plot and the characters are umbelievable at best. I would rate this -5 stars if I could and I listened to the whole thing hoping that there would be one part that would be realistic or have some basis of believibility. I have listened and read thousands of stories and this is by far the worst of the worst. Save your self a headache. This is a huge waste of time and money.