You Can Run: A Novel

Karen Cleveland has become one of my favorite spy thriller authors and this book is the best yet. With her family in danger, Jill chooses to flee to a new state and start over again. But she quickly finds out that although you can run, there is no place to hide, especially from spies who want to find you. The action began on page one and continued all the way to an astonishing conclusion that left me stunned. Alex, the reporter in whom Jill confides, is intelligent, independent, compassionate and determined. In short, Alex and Jill are both very strong female protagonists. The plot is centered around rogue agents in the CIA, with plenty of subterfuge and secrecy going on as well as some really tense moments. I enjoyed the unraveling of the story and following the clues as Jill and Alex revealed them. I also really enjoyed the character of Jeremy and his attachment to his dog Max. Mostly, I was just thoroughly engaged in this story and hoping for a good outcome with the odds against Jill for saving her family. What a wild, engrossing ride through the spy world! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

You Can Run Karen Cleveland A story of treachery, espionage and deception “You Can Run” is about spies, counter spies, spies spying on each other until it is hard to know just who is working for whom. But more than that, why are they doing this? The story begins in a first person present tense narrative by Jill who pulls readers into the events; she makes everything urgent, consuming, dangerous. Events go back and forth in time, the opening, four years later, and then one week earlier. In later chapters, the story continues with Jill’s accounts alternating with those of another character, Alex. Jill works for the CIA as a background investigator screening operatives, a searcher for facts and discrepancies. She talks to herself, second-guessing her own every move, watching everyone, terrified about a threat she has received. She quits her job, changes her name, and moves across several states, but she finds that she can run, but she cannot escape. Into her paranoid existence comes another, Alex, also a searcher for facts, but a journalist looking for that one big Pulitzer winning story. Tension and anxiety pour from every page as these two unlikely partners seek to uncover a story of treachery, espionage and deception. There is not just a small band of criminals behind this; it involves a foreign intelligence and the corruption might just reach to the highest levels of this country’s government. The pace is frantic and it is impossible to know whom to trust. “You Can Run” is filled with suspense, action, and non-stop twists and turns. You will not catch your breath until the end. I received a review copy of “You Can Run” from Karen Cleveland, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine Books. As the clock ticks, everything becomes more frantic, and yes, it ends with a HUGE bombshell, but everyone lives happily ever after …….or do they?