Thanks to Ted and NetGalley for a copy for review.

American Cage has a good plot line with some well developed characters. Loved the set up, tension, dilemma, conflict in this one. Three convicts escape from prison seeking freedom led by a world renowned professor. But when they finally escape they begin to discover the real price of their freedom.

I don't read many psychological thrillers, for the simple fact that if I find it entertaining I won't want to put the book down until I have read it all. Sure enough, I got so caught up in this adventure that anytime I had to put it aside I would be annoyed. The story taught me something about how some people can be wolves in sheep's clothing. I recommend this book.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. I enjoyed this interesting story about three inmates who escaped from a maximum security prison in Texas. The story follows their freedom and time ,on the loose, trying to get to Mexico . The story has some interesting twists that make this a very good book .

This is the story of three men who escaped the Thurgood L Crick prison in east Texas . This is their journey to meet in Mexico . Danny , Monty and Phil are on their way to Mexico. 
    One of the prisoners is Danny Marsh , he is a confused young man that made one wrong choice in life and sent him to prison . 
   The story takes us on a epic journey . The author writes with such a passion that you can't help but start to care for Danny and see him get his redemption. Danny is such a confused young man, you really see him struggle with his past and the crime he committed as he travels to his parents to get money to get the three of them to Mexico. He finds out truths of Phil that he didn't see coming . He kind of drove me crazy at the start of this book . He was such a kid at the beginning as he believed so much of what Phil said to be true . But as the story goes on you see him grow up a lot and stops believing all that he hears . 
   The story is a good psychological thriller that you will keep reading until late into the night . The story will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time . You will realize that the characters are not all good or bad there are shades of grey in each character . The only thing that bothered me a little the ending seemed just a bit rushed . Felt like the author took the characters to the edge and had a hard time pulling them back to wrap up the book . Other then that the book had be turning pages all night long.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

Galdi’s nail-biter-till-the-end about three inmates who escape from a Texas prison with a plan to start life anew in Mexico. However, one inmate isn’t at all who he seems to be and things quickly fall apart for the other two on the outside.

A Texas lawman with lofty career aspirations vows to apprehend and bring all three criminals to justice but as he is left to piece together a puzzle with no real leads, the three fugitives are in a race against time for their very lives in ways not all of them can even comprehend. A rogue hitchhiker ups the ante and she too is also at grave risk.

The story is fast-moving and thoroughly entertaining as the pages turn toward a final showdown that is anyone’s guess. The good guys and the bad guys are clearly represented as lines are drawn in this taut thriller.

BRB Rating: Read It.

I've been trying to get through this book for over a month and it's not going to happen. My husband's company builds prisons for a living and from the little knowledge I've gained about his business, the "maximum security" prison in this book was not realistic and the escape was not believable. That alone sort of tainted the rest of the story for me. After the breakout, Danny is forced to contact his estranged family for money and drive to El Paso to pick it up. All I could think about was where is the full out manhunt that would be happening after the max security escape? The whole story lacked plausibility.

Excellent writing and plot development. Mr. Galdi developed the story and the characters in such a way that you start pulling some of the main characters. Very much enjoyed the conclusion and the lessons Danny was able to finally understand. A must read.

As much as I wanted to like this book, it just wasn't happening. It became a chore to pick up this book and continue reading. Unfortunately I can't recommend this book.

This was not a book I anticipated liking as much as I did. While it isn't my preferred genre I enjoyed how quickly I got into the story, how weirdly relatable the characters are, and how bizarre the story seemed at times. While I know the setting was only a 24hr period, at times things felt rushed, but I think in a way it added to the setting of the story. Would be interested in reading more.

Thrillers, psychological thrillers, are fast becoming a favorite of mine to read. There is something about reading a book and being kept on the edge of your seat. So when I came across An American Cage on NetGalley, I felt a pull towards it. I don’t know if it was the cover or the blurb, something about it said: “Read me“. So I did and I liked it. The only issue that I had is something that the author had no control over. The book didn’t load right on my Kindle. I could not tell when chapters ended and even when the book switched to different characters. It made for a very frustrating read on my end. I took longer reading An American Cage because I had to reread chapters.

An American Cage starts with the prison break of 3 inmates: Danny, Monty, and Phil. The book follows the trio as they break out of prison. Of course, as it will happen, things do not go their way. Danny is asked to fund their trip to Mexico and has to ask his parents for the money. On his journey to his parent’s house, Danny is confronted with truths about Phil that he didn’t see coming. He also is forced to come to terms with the crime he committed. The only thing is, will he be able to do the right thing when given the chance? Also, will he be able to forgive himself for the crime that he committed?

Danny drove me nuts in the beginning of the book. I did enjoy reading how his character basically grew up during that prison escape. I say that Danny drove me nuts because he idolized Phil. Believing the outrageous lies that Phil told. As the story went on, Danny grew on me. I saw him as a spoiled child who did something that he couldn’t comprehend. He was so terrified in prison that he was willing to believe and do anything to be accepted. Which is why he fell to Phil’s manipulations. I loved seeing his gradual awakening to Phil’s real personality and agenda. I liked seeing his acceptance that he did something bad but he wasn’t a bad person. I also liked that he also saw that he was able to forgive himself for what happened. Also, that he was able to see what his father did was out of love and not spite was a huge thing also.

An American Cage is a true psychological thriller. This book kept me on edge the entire book. Characters were not who they seemed, for good and bad. When I book can make me jump from chapter to chapter, that is a good thing.

The end of the book did feel a bit rushed too me. All the storylines were wrapped up and ended in a way that satisfied me as a reader. The only storyline that didn’t please me was Monty’s. I felt that more should have been made of what happened to him after everything went down. Other than that, the ending was good.

I enjoyed reading An American Cage. It did a good job pulling me in and keeping me pulled into the book. I liked seeing the characters’ growth (and in one case, the character regressed). The plotline was good. The characters were also very fleshed out.

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Will I reread: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language and violence

I would like to thank Ted Galdi and Precipice Books for allowing me to read and review An American Cage.

All opinions stated in this review of An American Cage are mine

I received no compensation for this review

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Three men plan and execute an escape from the Thurgood L. Crick prison
Naïve Danny, gang leader Monty and Professor Phil, the man in control who has everything in hand

They make it out, then the problems begin
What began as comrades turns into control and deceit

The journey along the way is a fast moving, wild-run to the Mexican border
Let it take you along

"Danny wants to hit him in those ugly chops. But that would be a bad idea. Danny isn't a fighter. He'd never been in a fight in his life before prison. And all the ones in there he lost. Badly. He feels powerless. Shoulder's shaking, Danny steps away from the other two.".....


Danny, Phil and Monty. Three inmates about to make their escape from a Texas prison. The stakes are high, if they’re caught. With a plan to make it to Mexico, the story follows twenty-four hours in the lives of these three men.

Each with a unique story, and a common reason to want out of their confines. Can they depend on each other? Will they make it to Mexico? They each have a plan. Not everyone is as forthcoming as they may seem. They're are some outsiders mixed in that may cause the plans to change.

When the plans get changed up a little, two of the three are going to have to figure out what’s next, and quickly. I found the characters a little on the thin side at first. Made it hard for me to like or dislike them. As time went on though I developed an empathy for 2 of them. One was nothing as he appeared, which made the story far more interesting.

Great twists, unexpected outcomes. Is there a cage in when you're locked up? Is there a cage in your head? Who holds the keys? At the end of the day is everyone alive, and will there be another cage? I actually ended up really enjoying this book.

You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. - Abraham Lincoln

Three men commit a daring escape from the Thurgood L. Crick prison in east Texas. All have been imprisoned on different charges but have executed the escape together and have joint plans for their future outside of prison walls - making their way down to Mexico.

Danny Marsh, one of the escapees, is a confused young man that made a wrong choice in the past that got him sent to prison. He is the protagonist of the story.

This is a prison escape thriller but it is also a story about the human condition and about the consequences of choices we make in our lives.

I liked the progression of the story and the care the author took in describing the main characters (and there are more than the three escaped prisoners).

I would rate this at 3 1/2 stars if I could but did round it up because it held my interest and I especially enjoyed the ending. I don't understand the title choice for the book - was stymied by that.

I received this book from Precipice Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

To me, this book was kind of hard to rate. I definitely liked reading it, but at the same time, I felt like there was something ... missing. I can't exactly say what it is, but I think it came because of the not-so-thrilling first part of the book. It felt slow and there were not a lot of twists. Because of that I thought I knew what it was going to end like and the thrill was gone. The second part, however, had me on the edge of my seat the whole ride! Finally, I lost my sense of what was going to happen next and how this story would end. Anything could've happened, really! 

Ted Galdi did a great job on building his characters and beautiful sentences. At the start of the book, in the not-so-thrilling half, you don't really know the main characters. I just didn't care if one would die or not (well, doesn't that sound heartless ...). All that changes in the second half. No character is who he or she seems: some you get to absolutely despise and others you'll get to love. This book really made me think about "good", "evil" and everything in between. What exactly makes a person "evil"? It's clear in the story who's considered evil and who's not, but it leaves space to think about it yourself at the same time. 

I'm glad that I pushed myself to read on, because I came to really like this story. If you're looking for a thriller that's not your average suspense story, you'll love An American Cage!

Thanks to Mr. Galdi and Precipice Books for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Start with a mix of interesting prison inmates and add in an escape plan, and you've set the stage for what is a fast-paced adventure from start to finish. Mr. Galdi introduces us to the key characters, including Danny Marsh, a person we quickly learn is bad -- but not bad to the bone. He's made at least one wrong choice that led to his incarceration.

The book's pace is swift, with only occasional side tracks to provide back story for our character profiles. It would be cliche' to say that the book was hard to put down, but in this case, it is true. I found myself having empathy for Danny and his family.

The ending did wrap up just a bit too neatly for my taste. But, that's a small negative for a book that provided an immersive experience and very interesting characters.

I really tried to like this book. I got about 30 percent through it. But I had two problems with it. First, I couldn't relate to the characters. Even one-third through the book, I just didn't care what happened to the three protagonists, who happen to be escaped prisoners. Second, despite all the other reviews, I didn't enjoy the writing. I found it kind of flat and well, basic. Many other people enjoyed this book, but I just couldn't get into it.

A quick reading tale about three escaped convicts and the assorted adventures they encounter in their flight south to the border. It includes some flashbacks, some philosophical musings, and an odd hitchhiker. Told alternating between narratives of one of the escapees and the deputies on the chase. There’s enough here to hold your interest for a while.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did give this 3 stars or 6/10 initially, after some thought I've changed my rating to 2.5 stars or 5/10.

I so wanted to enjoy this story more than I did. I struggled with it and found that it didn't really keep my attention, at times I found it a chore to pick up. I definitely found the second half better than the first, as I found the pace of the story picked up.

The story centres around three escaped convicts and what happens to them following their escape. Whilst, on the run we find out a lot about them and our attitude towards some of them may change as the story progresses. It just goes to show that you can't believe all the people all of the time.

Whilst, the story isn't an all out and out action one, I found this to be an asset as it gave us a more character driven story and I felt that in the second half we certainly found out quite a lot about certain characters. This helped us to understand certain things better.

Will I read other stories by Ted Galdi? Yes I will, in order to see how he develops as a writer.

This sucks you in from page 1. Very hard to put down. This was actually a plausible concept and I could see it actually happening. The storyline also moved along at a great pace that kept you interested. And THAT ENDING. WHOA. Usually I can guess the ending, but not in this case. Fantastic read! 4.5/5