| Title | : | Elusive (On The Run, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1476073422 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781476073422 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 326 |
| Publication | : | First published August 30, 2012 |
Elusive (On The Run, #1) Reviews
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Zoe Hunter, of Dallas, Texas, did not fit the bill of a modern, professional young lady. No credit cards, no flashy cars nor a poshy job. It was simply not her style. Her house fell apart, her car had more than two hundred thousand miles on the clock and she barely scraped by on her small freelance income, which includes walking the neighbors's dogs.
Her ex-husband, Jack, was one of her renters, both in her house, as well as two offices she owned. He bored her enough to divorce him. She was spontaneous, a grab-the-moment kind of girl, and he was quiet, meticulously planning his life away.
But all was not as she thought it was. Her ex disappeared, his partner was murdered, and somewhere between the two a few million dollars attracted the attention of the FBI and some other guys in black suits and dark sunglasses. Zoe had a lot to learn in a short period of time. She never thought she will ever visit Italy, or Rome, let alone driving at break-neck speed along the Italian coastline in trying to stay alive and find out what happened to her life and aspirations. Imagine taking a swim in the canals of Venice as part of a holiday dream!
I loved this murder mystery. Just an entertaining, well-written, relaxing read. Thrilling enough for me to do nothing else but read read read until the last word kicked me back to reality at noon, this Monday morning, with a strong sense of guilt tormenting my conscience for playing hooky! I started out on Sunday afternoon, whiling away a beautiful sunny winter afternoon out on the lawn, and never stopped reading! I cannot think of better company in which to spend a rare moment of being all alone at home in.
Elusive is the first book in the On The Run Series.
I recommend it to readers of authors such as Susan McBride, Stacy Green, Susan Kiernan-Lewis, as well as Elizabeth Peter. -
Fun and excited read set in the US, Naples and Venice, one I coincidentally took with me on a recent trip to Naples which made it even more interesting. Loved the travel writer turned reluctant sleuth lead character and the adventurous storyline. I've already downloaded another book in the series.
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The author's writing made me feel like I was watching a spy movie! Her previous series I read made me feel like I was watching a Poirot episode, I love that about her writing! I was expecting it to be similar to the high society lady detective books but I was delightfully wrong. It has a style of its own and the characters are completely different and the story itself is much more suspenseful plus this series takes place in modern times and the heroine is American. I loved the action, suspense, mystery and light romance of it all. I will say the only things I was iffy about was that the author never explained why Zoe and Jack got divorced in the first place. I guess I could of missed it, I was listening to it. It did make it seem that they just fell out of love, that the spark was no longer there but it was very vague. I would of liked a better reason. The other thing that made me go ehhh was the lack of a logical explanation of trying to kill someone by putting them in a card board box taped but untied in the water... wouldn't it just disintegrate and you would be free? Seemed like an unsuccessful way to try to kill some one at least do a wooden box with the hands and feet tied. Just sayin, I just felt like that could of been executed differently. Other than that it was a fun read, and I'm looking forward to the next one?
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I could hardly put this one down. I am already into book 2!
Book 1 is free for Kindle and Nook at the moment. -
I have enjoyed Rosett's romantic mystery series set in England, but this one is a dud. Little sense of place in Naples and Venice, minimal romance and a creaky plot. I will not read another.
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With the exception of her dwindling bank account, Zoe Hunter, is fairly happy with her life as a “Jill of all Trades”, which includes jobs as a freelance copy editor of travel guides, commercial property manager, as well as dog walker. After a severe storm strikes a suburban area of Dallas, Zoe’s ex-husband Jack’s car is found abandoned on the side of a highway near a bridge. Some of his clothing is found floating in a flooded creek, but there is no sign of Jack. There are other strange and scary things going on at Jack’s business, and local police seem to think she is a suspect. Zoe is confused when the FBI begins questioning her as if Jack is still alive. Zoe doesn’t feel she can trust anyone except her best friend, but doesn’t want to put Helen in danger. Zoe impulsively decides to find out what really happened to Jack, but unless she can find some answers quickly, it looks like she may move from suspect to victim.
I really enjoyed this debut book in Sara Rosset’s new “On The Run” series. I also like Rosset’s “Ellie Avery” cozy mystery series, but this book is completely different. “Elusive” reminds me more of movies like “Romancing the Stone” or “True Lies”. It is a romantic suspense story, with a lot of adventure. The book is fast-paced and fun as Zoe’s fight to clear her name leads her to her dream destination of Italy. Unfortunately, Zoe doesn’t have a lot of time for sightseeing! However, the atmosphere and sights described in Italy are very vivid and add to the excitement of the book.
Zoe is an interesting main character. She is funny and smart, and very impulsive. Zoe has unusual living arrangements – she still shares a house with her ex. Although she claims this is only because of the poor real estate marketing, I enjoyed the detail that she still keeps a drawing on her refrigerator that Jack had doodled. I enjoy the dialogue between Zoe and her best friend, Helen. Helen is a good match for Zoe. She is easy-going and fun, but also practical and stands by Zoe with great advice and a shoulder to cry on. I hope Helen continues to play a role in future books.
There are many other characters introduced in this book, but FBI Agent Mort Vazarri and reporter Jenny Singletarry are my favorites. I can see them playing a large role in future books as well. Mort has undergone tragedy in his life and I liked reading about his friendship with the hard-working and ambitious Jenny. If the book has one flaw it would be the large number of different characters that are introduced at the beginning of the book. Although it is intriguing to see more and more characters introduced into the mix of the mystery and trying to figure out how they are connected to Jack’s disappearance, it took me about four or five chapter to figure out who was who. This slowed the pace of story at the beginning while I was catching up trying to keep the characters straight. At one point, I longed for an old-fashioned cast of characters at the beginning to which I could refer! Things picked up after that, I was able to settle in and just enjoy the twists and turns in the story.
Many parts of the mystery are resolved by the end and Zoe’s Italian adventure wraps up in this book, but the story is not over and ends with a cliff-hanger. The sequel, “Secretive”, is already available, and I am looking forward to reading it and finding out what happens next.
I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Victory Editing. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review. -
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Fun and fast-paced. I'm looking forward to continuing on with the series, despite a few minor quibbles. -
In Sara Rosett's Elusive, the first installment in the On the Run serial cozy mystery series, hold onto your seats into this action-packed novel that would take you onto an adventure. For Zoe Hunter, she worked as a copy-editor for a travel guidebook series, when her life was turned upside down. When the police informed her that her ex-husband Jack was missing during the storm, they believed she was a suspect, when he was in the trouble with the law and the FBI. On her own, she looked for clues behind Jack's life and later learned abot his partner, Connor Freeman's death. Now she searched for answers in Las Vegas and bumps into him there, who was on the run for his life. While they were being chased by a speeding car, they've been marked for murder and become the hunted. While they worked together to put the pieces together on Connor's double-crossing life, they head to Italy and unearth some shocking truths there. Little did they know, that it only lead them to danger and mystery, when they would later fight for their lives in the explosive ending...
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I surprisingly enjoyed this book even though it was long!! Zoe and her ex husband Zack are living I. The same house due to finances. Unfortunately for Jack, just as his company is about to go public, he finds his partner murdered and millions of dollars in his account and he’s set up for the murder. Zoe, is pulled into this mess as an unwitting bystander after Jack fakes his death. Together test of on an international chase to investigate and clear both their names.
Who framed Jack?
Who is Jack ( Zoe wants to know)
Who is chasing them?
Did he know his partner?
Is the related to his former job?
This is a light, fast paced, easy read. Jack and Zoe are likeable but at times irritating characters. It was suspenseful, but there are some gaps in the plot that would have made the flow better. The final fight scene was eyerolling .. I mean come on!! But overall still a good read. -
A thriller in the classic adventurous sense, but unfortunately the lead was bland to the point that she spent the climax sawing her way out of a cardboard box. I wish her own past and skillset had come more into play. I did like the premise of an ex having a secret past that catches up to him, though.
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This author is hitting a home run for me. Not terribly serious, but suspenseful enough to hold my interest. Looking forward to reading more in this series.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this caper-style mystery. The characters were engaging and vulnerable with enough snappy dialogue to keep their divorce alive. Descriptions of all locales provided great visual details.
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Could not get into this book at all. Not sure why, exactly. The MC was nice enough, but it just read so flat to me. No personality. I admit that I may not have given it enough time, as I didn't finish the book, but I know when it is time to move on. So....I did.
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Full review at
http://mysterysequels.com/elusive-by-...
The story centers around Zoe Hunter, a rather poor freelancer (proof reads travel books) who also walks neighbors’ dogs to earn a bit extra money. This doesn’t stop her from enjoying life as much as she can, being content with how things are at the moment.
She is divorced, however as the money is rather tight at the moment, she lets her ex husband Jack stay in the same house (in the upper apartment) and use her offices as long as he pays rent. The two of them hardly see each other, and even when they do, they’re usually at each others throats after a few words only.
One day Jack disappears along with the company money, which leads the police and FBI right to her front door. What’s worse, however, is that they’re pretty much accusing her of helping Jack steal a couple of millions before disappearing. Zoe, of course, has no idea of any such dealings, but realizes that things are far more serious than initially thought, when Jack’s partner is found dead in his office.
Her amateur detective work takes her from Dallas and Last Vegas to Rome in Italy and back, while she learns that her life was pretty much a lie – Jack was definitely not the man she thought she married. But who was he and where is he – if he is alive at all?
The book kept my interested while reading, and even though I was not as hooked as I was hoping I would be (for some reason I couldn't feel a connection with the main characters), the many twists and turns more than compensated for anything else the book might be lacking in. -
It was well done, except for the end which felt a bit jumbled, though that could be due to multiple puppy interruptions. It just didn't quite click with me for some reason. Our main character is a divorcee that can't afford to live by herself, especially since the house isn't even really worth what they paid for it, so a year later she's living in the downstairs of the house she shares with her ex husband. One day she thinks he's home for his usual post run shower, but unfortunately it's a burglar. From there, her world goes to hell. Her ex is presumed dead, his business partner turns up dead when she goes to deliver the bad news, and it looks like te ex has embezzled 12 mil. Sympathy quickly turns to suspicion, especially when the playboy FBI agent investigating fraud isn't able to charm her pants off her immediately, which of course means she's gold digging and guilty in his eyes. In an attempt to clear her name and find out what's going on, she goes to Vegas, and then it really goes to hell. Attempted murder from the States to Italy. Sightseeing just isn't as much fun when there's a guy trying to kill you and the FBI is after you for fraud and multiple murders. Turns out her husband wasn't even close to the boring man she thought she'd been married to.
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Zoe lives with her ex-husband in separate areas of one house. They never interact or see each other. After her ex is missing and presumed dead, his business partner is discovered killed and the business' bank account suddenly has millions of dollars. Undoubtedly, Zoe becomes the prime suspect of conspiracy, fraud and murder. What follows is a complete turnaround of this self-employed, single woman’s life, who is forced to defend herself, find the truth about the crimes, and learn what really happened to her ex, while being pursued in both the US and Italy.
The main characters are likeable and intelligent, and attempt to allude law enforcement and bad guys. It is well written and easy to follow. Although the plot has a sufficient amount of intrigue, there were a few times when the main character’s reaction to her situation did not ring true. There were strong bad guys and gals, and all the ends were neatly tied after some clever twists. Other points in the plot seemed a little unbelievable.
Overall, if you are into international mysteries with intrigue and strong characters, you may enjoy the first book of this On the Run series. -
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It grabbed my interest right away. I've read many books that started this way and then lost me but this one maintained my attention throughout, always wanting to know what was going to happen next. The movement of the story to different locations, Las Vegas and Italy, was enjoyable and kept it fresh. The story was plausible and the pieces fit together in the end without being forced or contrived. I liked the protagonists; they didn't degenerate into whining or self-induce martyrdom, or become unbelievable, which can so quickly wear out the reader. The main focus of the book was the crime/mystery and they stuck to it. Just enough side story / romantic inferences to give the characters depth and some humanity without becoming a romance trying to be a mystery. Kudos to Sara Rosett. Thank you for a crime mystery done right. I look forward to the next book in the series.
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Does anyone remember the movie True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger? This book reminded me of it.
Zoe is a self employed woman who freelances copyright jobs, dog walking and other jobs to barely make ends meet. She likes the spontaneous freedom. Her Ex husband leads a mundane, straight job. They live together but separate lives due to finances. His unwillingness to bend was the main reason they divorced.
She runs an errand at her exes place of work and finds his partner murdered. Jack is the prime suspect. She discovers he appears to have had a not so mundane life as she finds secret stash of money, and passports.
Soon the FBI is involved. Something to do with a dead body, large sums of money and the fact no one believes she is not involved. And worse, someone else wants her dead.
Her own snooping finds herself in Naples and later Venice Italy. There was enough intrigue and humor to keep it interesting. -
Two things ring true when reading the book: the emotions of the characters, and the locations. Psychologically the characters are true-to-life. And the locations are depicted very realistically, setting the stage well for the action. The locations in Elusive are varied: Dallas, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Rome, Naples and Venice, Italy.
The plot starts to zing in Las Vegas because Zoe meets up with her ex-husband, Jack. The tension between the one-time lovers is wonderful. Their marriage ended because the two were not open enough with each other, so once their adventures force them to drop their defenses, the underlying attraction that brought them together in the first place comes to the fore.
Read the full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot... -
Murder mystery, international intrigue. Zoe, (free lance travel guide writer, rents out office space) gets involved in ex-hubby, Jack's, office partner (Connor=rude, not liked) murder. Jack disappears, feared dead. Zoe feels she has to tell his cousin Eddie. Drives to Vegas, only to discover Eddie is female. Jack makes contact in Vegas n explains his past life as FBI agent who loss an informant, Francesca. They are almost run down (literally) by 'stubby guy' who Jack says he fought in office n killed Connor. They go to Roy, FBI handler, for help. Zoe n Jack are led to Venice after discovering clues in Connor's Vegas apt having to do with paperweight used as client gifts.Two cops on case, young one thinks himself stud, older one wise n patient...
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Zoe learns her ex-husband, Jack is missing and might be dead. She finds a body at his place of business. She becomes person of interest. She takes off to learn what is behind all of this. The style of a favorite author, Helen MacInnes, is apparent as Zoe & Jack race across the USA & Italy. It is written with detail descriptions of areas. The development of the story line moves along nicely. I like Ellie Avery books. This series is different. I rarely read spy stories; but this one is interesting. I appreciate the lack of foul woods & sex. Fans of Vicky Bliss will recognized the ending.
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A regular mystery.
The book is nicely paced and main character is interesting. There are enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. I liked the characters jetting off to Italy and hearing a bit about the country. Mysteries often make the location a character. The author did this well. The characters get into serious trouble and the writing made me tense and wondering how they would manage to get out of the situation. All and all I would read another book by this author. But she is not on my favorite author's list. -
A fast-paced mystery with less than likable characters, especially Jack. Eww, Jack. It was strange Zoe and Jack shared a house even while divorced. The mystery is decent and there is plenty of action.
If you are looking for an easy mystery read coupled with action—this is it.
If you are looking, as advertised in the blurb, for a read like Vicky Bliss, just reread Bliss. Ahh, Sir John Smythe, now that is an unreliable hero I can support.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. -
Surprisingly this was pretty damn good. I think this was a free ebook and the cover made me think it was going to be a cheesy kind of romance, but it wasn't. It wasn't an especially deep story, not heavy at all. Just the right amount of plot depth for what I needed at the time. It definitely drew me in and kept my interest. I think that was the best part about it. The character development was really good too. I really liked the heroine. This story exceeded my expectations by a mile.
