Off the Rails

2.5 stars

No Place to Run is a thriller about a missing girl, a creepy town, and a cult of eco-terrorists.

An elderly woman on a train happens to glance out to see a young woman being chased across a field. She identifies the girl as Scarlett Faith, a teenager who went missing two years ago while visiting her brother Aidan in Seattle. Aiden begins investigating the sighting, and is led on a wild goose chase that exposes a crazy, demented plan involving the end of the world.

The beginning had me hooked, but sadly, it was downhill from there. The plot quickly turns chaotic, and I had to suspend my disbelief. There was also a glaring plot hole that I almost couldn’t read past.

The narrative covers multiple perspectives, but Aidan’s character was the only one that felt fully fleshed out. Oddly enough, I enjoyed the perspective of the cult leader, Shannon, and would have liked to have had more chapters from her POV.

This was my least favorite Mark Edwards' book. The plot grew so unbelievable that I was seriously considering DNF’ng. Thankfully, it got better at the 50% mark and took a turn for the better. It’s an action-packed over-the-top read. Had it not been for Edwards’ signature wit and dark humor, I don’t know if I would have made it through this one.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Mark Edwards. His last books all had a creepy atmosphere and an interesting and unusual storyline. So I was excited to read his new book. To say I was disappointed would be an exaggeration but this book did not fulfill my expectation. It is more an action thriller than a psychological thriller and I missed the creepiness.

An elderly lady with the ability to remember every face she ever saw in her life spots a young girl running out of the woods while she travels by train. She immediately knows where she saw that face. It belongs to a missing girl. Scarlett went missing two years ago while visiting her brother in Seattle. She contacts the brother and tells him her story. Aidan is skeptical but he decides to investigate. He arrives in a small town where people get missing all the time. The major won’t answer his questions and the police does not take him seriously. Only when he meets the sister of a missing young man things get interesting. That’s the beginning of a wild and chaotic chase which leads him to a cult who prepares for the end of the world.

As I mentioned, I missed the creepy atmosphere Edwards usually creates. This book is more of an average action thriller than a psychological thriller. The story kept me interested but it also turned into a chaotic and unrealistic mess. The characters are all very flat, maybe except for Aidan. The story is not as carefully developed has his other books and I really missed the psychological horror he used to inflict on his characters. Aidan turn into an action hero, guided by Lana who could be also has been named Lara (Croft). I am not so much into action thrillers and I really missed Edward’s usual psychological suspense. It is still a decent book, but comparing to his other books this one falls behind.

This book starts off with a bang. The prologue is intriguing and really made me want to see what happened next. Aidan is desperate to find his younger sister, Scarlett, who went missing while visiting him two years ago. A tip off begins an adventure that sees Aidan trying to unearth the mystery of her disappearance, starting in the small town of Eaglewood, where all is not as it seems. Who exactly can he trust? And has Scarlett been here, or is this a wild goose chase? I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this book, and could not put it down. It’s tense and frightening, and packed with adventure. Towards the end, however, parts of it felt a little as though I’d read it all before, and my interest waned a little. Overall, however, it was a good read and I did enjoy the very end.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of No Place To Run by Mark Edwards.
I love Mark Edwards books so was really excited to read this one, the first chapter had me gripped and intrigued. Sadly as the book went on it sort of fell flat for me it seemed to be lacking the usual Mark Edwards thrilling creepiness, saying that it is a good read with a fair few twist and turns.

I love this author and really wanted to enjoy this book more. It was tense at times but where was the spine tingling tension and creepiness this author is well known for? This was like reading a mystery than the thriller I was promised. For me lack lustre and very disappointing. I hope other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly, this book wasn’t for me! But that is okay because it still was enjoyable at times. The first few chapters had me hooked with the pacing and mystery. The story unfolds with epic twists but then it plateaued for me. I had a hard time finishing this read. I often found myself itching to read something else, and I would put this one away for a bit. I think my issue was I expected more thrill to the story. I love a book that keeps me wanting to keep reading chapter after chapter. I will say this book is more or a mystery story with a few great twists. Very well written with fleshed out characters. This just wasn’t for me. 3 stars out of 5!

Aiden's 15-year old sister disappeared 2 years ago. When a woman on a train sees her being chased, she contacts Aiden and tells him what she saw. So, of course, Aiden decides to take the same train and investigate. He runs into a woman at a local diner, Lana, whose brother is presumed dead after forest fires ravaged the area. Lana doesn't believe that her brother is really dead since his body hasn't been found and he would never have ventured into the forest with the fire so close.

There are a few twists in this book, and Mark Edwards does a good job of keeping the suspense throughout the story. However, I didn't really like the direction the story took. At about the halfway point, you really get a better understanding of why people are 'disappearing'. For me, the reasoning behind the "bad guys" is too far fetched and had me rolling my eyes, including the ending.

Due to personal preference this one wasn’t exactly a five star read for me as Mark Edwards is one of my favorites. He writes more of a supernatural vibe. As the title suggests no place to run it was more of an action thriller which I was looking forward to, lots of shoot outs, gun violence, running, car and foot chases you get the idea. Having said that there was one chapter in particular involving a local abandon house that gave me the heebie-jeebies. The plot moved at a fast pace which I Love. There may be parts in this book that may trigger for some readers this one seems to be a bit more graphic than his previous reads but that possibly could be because things that happened in this book really do happen in life. I have no hesitation in recommending this I give this book a four star.

I love Mark Edward's books so was delighted to get an early copy of this one to review.
As with all his books I really enjoyed this, there was plenty of tension and twists and turns. However, and this is purely a personal preference, I am not keen on 'cult' type storylines and I felt this one contained too many action/chase scenes. I prefer the action to be more focussed on what is going on in people's heads in a domestic type setting.
Again, just my preference, I did enjoy the book especially when we find out what the 'cult' was leading to, what a horrific nightmare scenario that people thought this would be some kind of utopia! The claustrophobia was giving me the fear it was so well written.

I have read one other book by this author. This one was just okay. I thought it was going to be something else entirely. I still love his writing and will continue reading more from him.

A fabulous read! Aiden's younger sister comes to stay and goes missing! 2 years later she hasn't been found despite Aiden never giving up the search. Then he hears from a woman who was on a train and sees a girl in the forest alongside the train track running for her life. She believes this to be Scarlett, Aiden's missing sister. This leads Aiden on a trail to find the girl -is it his sister?
A book with many twists and turns-unputdownable!

Aidan's teenage sister disappears while on a visit to him in the states. 2 years later he finds out about a possible sighting of her. This is the start of an often dangerous hunt for Scarlett
This had me hooked from the beginning. Thanks to Netgalley and Mark Edwards for the ARC

A good read which I thoroughly enjoyed, a good story line with well described characters which kept me involved although I did feel it seemed to fall a bit flat around the middle of the book but did pick up slightly towards the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC which I can recommend.

It’s a thumbs up from me!

2017 – Aidan Faith is excited to have his sister Scarlett visit him in Seattle, all the way from UK. It’s the fifteen-year-old’s first trip aboard, and Aidan plans to show her all the local sights – The Space Needle, Viretta Park, the Museum of Pop Culture, Bellevue Square. But, everything goes horribly wrong when Scarlett vanishes without a trace.

2019 – Scarlett is still missing, but Aidan has never given up hope that she is out there somewhere. Then, he receives a potential lead from a reliable witness via the FindScarlettFaith.com website he set up. One that sees him travelling all the way to a small town in Northern California. He knows it’s a long shot, but Aidan will leave no stone unturned to get to the truth of what happened to his sister – no matter how much danger it places his own life in.

Mark Edwards latest thriller could have easily backfired, as it was a thriller trope that has been done countless times before. What made it different though was the way in which the author used a current, relevant crisis as a dire warning/cautionary tale. Definitely made things more disturbing, tense, and believable. There were multiple twists and misleads – a couple which were a little predictable, but the majority were shockers. And, that was one hell of a clever opening chapter – a unique way to set the stage. Further to this, what were later revealed to be the two main themes, were eluded to in some very subtle, blink-and-you-would have missed it, ways. Another highlight were the psychological games, manipulation, and deception.

Due to personal preference this one wasn’t a 5 star read for me as my favourite Mark Edwards books are the one’s with a supernatural vibe. As the title suggests, No Place to Run was more of an action thriller with lots of shoot-outs, gun violence, running, hiding and evading, and car and foot chases. You get the picture. Having said that, there was a chapter involving a local abandoned house that gave me the spooky feels.

The plot moved at a fast pace, particularly the last half – always a major plus in my book.
Just to forewarn you, No Place to Run does deal with some pretty serious crimes, therefore may be triggering for some readers. This one seemed more graphic than his previous books – maybe because things like this do happen, whereas, due to the supernatural aspect, his other books were more fantastical?

I have no hesitation in recommending this action-packed, cat-and-mouse, adrenaline-pumping domestic thriller.

I’d like to thank Netgalley UK, Amazon Publishing UK, and Mark Edwards for the e-ARC.

Publication Date: 21st June, 2022.

I’m a big fan of the author, so I was expecting better from this novel. It starts with an older lady witnessing what looks like a crime from a train, which pleased my Agatha-Christie-loving heart enormously. The action then jumps to Aidan, a British expat looking for his missing sister in Seattle. The first thirds of the plot were very suspenseful, but the twists kept getting more and more implausible, until the story lost me completely. Also, Edwards has explored this subject before, in what I think is a better manner. I liked the main characters, Aidan and his ally Lana, who is looking for her brother. The “Englishman in NY” vibe from Aidan’s fish out of water perspective brings a welcome levity to the story but, other than that, it was not for me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Amazon Publishing UK!

Thank you Amazon Publishing and Netgalley for this book. I have read everything by Mark and was so excited to get this book but and I know you know it’s coming this was not Mark’s usual type of book and to be honest I found it a little disappointing, the characters were bland, the storylines been done before and it’s was up to his usual standard for me, Sorry for the negativity but his previous books have been so much better. Can we have a psychological thriller next time please,

This book surprised me. It was not at all what I expected. It was very good, kept me reading late into the night. The only issues I had were they were in America, but the book used UK spellings. That confused me sometimes. All in all, a fun read. I'm hoping for a follow up book....I need to know what happens in the future!
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the advanced copy for an honest review.

Mark Edward's has done it again. 'No Place to Run' is an eerie thriller with surprising twists and turns. I was completely engaged throughout and couldn't put it down. If you love a well written, dusturbing , mystery, 'No Place to Run' is what you're looking for!

I really enjoyed this book. It sucks you straight in and you’re immediately invested in finding out what happened to Scarlett. Twisty, dark and consuming.

Mark Edwards has quickly turned into one of my favorite thriller authors and I knew that I wanted to read No Place To Run even before I read the blurb. The author has a way of creating an ominous and creepy atmosphere through vivid descriptions that works perfectly for the psychological thriller/horror genre, and I simply couldn't wait to dive into his newest story for another dose. No Place To Run is the fourth book I've read by this author, and it's the first that didn't receive an (almost) perfect rating. I'm still surprised myself, but there was just something about this story that sadly failed to hit the mark for me...

There is no doubt about the fact that No Place To Run started out strong. The prologue is pure Mark Edwards; the writing instantly creating suspense while also drawing you in. The first couple of chapters had me fully hooked as well, and I fully expected to enjoy the rest of the story just as much... But somehow I didn't feel that what came next was as strong as the beginning. I wasn't expecting the whole cult angle; while interesting, I do think that part of the plot was way too farfetched and especially in the second half. The plot also started to feel more like a cheap action movie with all the violence and gun fights... I don't mind a dose of action in my thrillers, but I wasn't sure if I liked how it was incorporated here. Likewise, I felt like the ending was a little too convenient to be credible.

I had mixed thoughts about the characters. I liked that most of them weren't all good or all bad, as it comes over as more natural and flawed characters are that much more intriguing. The story uses a multiple POV structure, but the plot mainly focuses on Aidan and Shannon. I much preferred Aidan's POV though; his character is quite easy to connect to and I liked his dynamics with Lana. I wasn't so sure about Shannon's POV though. While important to the plot with its inside view and information about the cult, I can't say that I enjoyed seeing things through her eyes and her chapters started to drag considerably for me.

That said, No Place To Run is by no means a bad read and Mark Edwards writes in a way that makes it very easy to keep turning those pages despite a few slower parts. It just wasn't of the same high quality I've come to expect after reading some of his previous books... The action parts and cult element probably had something to do with it, and the fact that this story lacked the psychological horror vibe he does so well. Still, fans of more action focused thrillers with a doomsday element will probably have a great time with this one.