About the Book
When a threatened architect needs solid help, his strongest ally is a feisty female.
The author's original intent for Escape! was a fast-paced romantic thriller suitable for escaping boredom on a coast-to-coast flight. While watching the vast landscape rolling under the wings, journalist David Emil Henderson visualized a hot fugitive couple running from cold contract killers, eluding pursuit by the FBI and every other police agency along a 2000-mile journey from Lake Michigan to the Pacific Ocean.
Among the plot's surprises was one for the author -- the unexpected emergence of the assertive and spicy Elissa Bennett Pope as the story's brightest star.
Elissa was the child of Latin-immigrant parents in Chicago's wealthiest suburb. Groomed from puberty to become a debutante and wife of a Lake Forest millionaire, she landed a beast who assaulted her over his own failures. Her urge for freedom led to a bitter divorce, with barely enough funds to establish Elissa as a real estate broker, property manager, and (for sanity sake) a summer stock theatrical performer.
Heat soars when California architect Grey Harper arrives in posh Lake Forest to convert an adjacent army base into a $60 million housing development, and Elissa's agency locates a suitable cottage for him to rent for the duration. While they are meeting in that cottage, a strange intruder sets in motion Elissa's most hectic escape ever -- running with Harper for their lives to a stunning climax at his spectacular cliff-top refuge in colorful Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.
Throughout the death race, Elissa is never quite sure whether Harper is actually a brilliant and sane architect (with a California tan, water-blue eyes surrounded by crinkles whenever he smiles, a masculine voice and a wry sense of humor) -- or an eccentric widower with a dark past, who is accused by the FBI of murdering his Chicago client to cover up a major scandal.
Elissa's survival is at stake in either case, and she must rely upon her own wits, her hard-earned cash, and her raw courage, every minute of every day -- and night!
About the Author :
DAVID EMIL HENDERSON is an award-winning writer, editor, and publisher (and marketing vp) for newspapers in Illinois, Montana, and California, including those owned by Time, Inc., Gannett, Media News Group, The Tribune Company, and the New York Times. While flying from New York to San Francisco, he set aside a paperback he had purchased at an airport kiosk and gazed out the window. The rolling land beneath the wings started him thinking about a madcap road race to the West Coast, with agents pursuing a man and woman who hardly know each other. Those thoughts ended his boredom on that flight, and this book is intended to produce similar results for all those who read it, flying ot not.
Review :
If you're looking for a fun read, you've found it! The pace and twists rank right up there with Dan Brown but with better developed characters and a more realistic (but no less exciting!) plot, making this a book that's hard to put down. - MeriC on Amazon This was one of the best books I have read in a long time - the story was original and suspenseful, the characters likeable and interesting, and the romantic aspect of the story was well done. I did not want the story to end. - Jody Jones, Amazon I thoroughly enjoyed this clever story. As the pages unraveled the mystery, they were also building the romance, while at the same time deftly describing the countryside through which the characters travelled, giving the feeling that you are right there along with them. There are some great surprises, the dialogue is smart and funny, and it's fun to root for the relatable characters through the suspense. A fast-paced modern thriller! - Carol L, The Wildwood Independent David Emil Henderson's work is new to me, but I couldn't put "Deadly Dividends" (Escape!) down! The work travelled country that I know, and the references are well researched, so it was a pleasant narrative to begin with, but I felt drawn into the characters, and felt that I knew them. The author has a nice style that doesn't get in the way, while drawing the story in a way that allows the mind to move into it. I'll look forward to another of Mr. Henderson's novels! - denghowun, Amazon (Note: "Deadly Dividends" was a 1st Edition name, changed to "Escape" for later editions.) At times like this, I wish Amazon offered half stars. If they did, this (4-star review) would be a 3.5-star review. The story line was strong enough to keep me reading to the end, but not as compelling as I'd hoped from the description of the book. The heroine is an intriguing character who shows some real growth and development as the story advances, in contrast to the hero who is fairly 2-dimensional throughout and ultimately simply not credible. As the story reached its climax, the author tossed in an interesting twist but he weakened its impact by sending the scene's participants into an endless conversation that stalled the plot's pace. In fact, overall, the unevenness of the plot pace does this book in. The epilogue is too long, too rambling, and ultimately unnecessary. I'm not sorry I gave this new author a try and I'll give him another shot in the future. He clearly has talent and room to grow. - Dan Shafer, Amazon
