Title:
On The Edge
Author:
Dick Hannah
Publisher:
Smashwords
Date
Published: September 16, 2012
Format:
Kindle
SYNOPSIS
After Joe Malone was run out of the Marines due to
debilitating agoraphobia brought on by a fire fight Iraq he was forced to turn
to his former Marine father for help. Having made some strides back to
normalcy, Joe’s rocky relationship with his father is destroyed when he fires
Joe after one their clients is found brutally murdered during a class at their military
style fitness boot camp. Things only get worse when a second client is murdered
right in front of Joe three days later.
Joe is forced to decide what he wants more, the safety and security of
staying at home working as a model builder for his old friend Kathy or the
chance to reclaim his father’s respect and potentially own the boot camp
business by tracking down the killer. Determined not to let anymore of his
friends get hurt, and desperate to return to his father’s good graces, Joe
agrees to accompany a group of their clients on a trip to West Texas for a
three day adventure race.
The challenges Joe expected to face are magnified
during the train trip across Texas when he finds that his boss, Kathy, is along
for the ride. The dangers continue to escalate the farther west they go, with
Joe no longer sure of who to trust, with Kathy having to join a team on the
race, and with his brother and father shadowing him across the state. Add to
this that Joe’s own personal nemesis, Horne, shows up with his own team of
adventure racers and is overtly trying to endanger Joe. Joe is forced to find
the motivation to continue the trip, the personal dedication to overcome his
fear of crowds and of open, even when his past and the associated memories keep
rising to the surface and threaten all the gains he’s made since returning from
the war. The adventure race is the least of Joe’s concerns. The rafting,
climbing, rappelling, biking, running and other obstacles are nothing compared
to the personal challenges Joe is forced to confront.
The race comes to an abrupt end when Horne is
killed during the rappelling portion of the race. With his death, however, Joe
is able to see the connection between all the murders and understands that it
is two of his own clients who are the murderers. With Kathy and his father, Joe
confronts the two murderers and is able keep them from escaping. The novel ends
with Joe working full time for Kathy, eschewing his father’s business in an
effort to break away from the manipulations of his family so he can focus on
building a life of his own.
Overall:
In
Dick Hannah’s On The Edge is an
extremely fantastic novel in which I absolutely loved every part of it. It wasn’t
just one novel but became multiple novels all in one – a little romance,
thriller, inspirational, and family drama all packed into one. I’m really
hoping that Dick Hannah has a sequel to On
The Edge just because I’m so intrigued by Joe’s story.
abookandalattee’s
Rating:
abookandalattee
gives On The Edge 5 Stars!!
To Purchase
AUTHOR BIO
Imagine Dick Francis listing toward adventure
races instead of horse racing. Or Diane Mott Davidson writing about triathlons in
lieu of catering. With a background in adventure races including competing in
the Army Best Ranger Competition Dick Hannah provides a fresh voice and real
world glimpse into the world of adventure racing and fitness in his thriller
novels.
Prior to starting his writing career he spent
four years as a Ranger team leader and continues to stay sharp by working as a
fitness consultant at a fitness boot camp. When not racing or writing, Dick
works full-time as technical writer, business analyst and trainer.
Dick followed up Toe the Line, his first
full-length novel, in 2013 with On the Edge. He has already started on his
third thriller, Vapor Trail, which he plans to release in 2014. He can be
contacted through his blog at www.puborperish.blogspot.com.
