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    Runner
    Runner
    Runner
    Audiobook8 hours

    Runner

    Written by Patrick Lee

    Narrated by Raul Esparza

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Sam Dryden, retired special forces, lives a quiet life in a small town on the coast of Southern California. While out on a run in the middle of the night, a young girl runs into him on the seaside boardwalk. Barefoot and terrified, she's running from a group of heavily armed men with one clear goal—to kill the fleeing child. After Dryden helps her evade her pursuers, he learns that the eleven year old, for as long as she can remember, has been kept in a secret prison by forces within the government. But she doesn't know much beyond her own name, Rachel. She only remembers the past two months of her life—and that she has a skill that makes her very dangerous to these men and the hidden men in charge.

    Dryden, who lost his wife and young daughter in an accident five years ago, agrees to help her try to unravel her own past and make sense of it, to protect her from the people who are moving heaven and earth to find them both. Although Dryden is only one man, he's a man with the extraordinary skills and experience—as a Ranger, a Delta, and five years doing off-the-book black ops with an elite team. But, as he slowly begins to discover, the highly trained paramilitary forces on their heels is the only part of the danger they must face. Will Rachel's own unremembered past be the most deadly of them all?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateFeb 18, 2014
    ISBN9781427236081
    Runner
    Author

    Patrick Lee

    Patrick Lee lives in Michigan. He is the author of The Breach, Ghost Country, and Deep Sky.

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    Reviews for Runner

    4/5

    246 ratings39 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Good plot. Suspense ok. Page turner. Thriller.
      Really enjoyable as an audiobook.
      The narrator doesn’t exaggerate the different voices of the characters.
    • 5/5
      I love this book. It has an interesting plot and well-developed characters. It kept my attention from start to finish. I like the ending as well.
    • 5/5
      RUNNER was a fast-paced, action-packed thriller with characters I really cared about. It begins when Sam Dryden is out running one night and young girl crashes into him and asks him for help. Sam has been checked out of life since his wife and daughter died in an accident, Rachel's problem is just what he needs to wake him up. Rachel is about twelve and on the run from some seriously scary dudes who really want her dead.Rachel is the survivor of some experiments by defense contractors who were trying to create a new sort of weapon or spy. They have learned how to block the part of DNA that keeps people from reading minds. However, since the experiments were done on Rachel's mother while she was pregnant, the results in Rachel are quite different. Rachel, however, doesn't know this because the people who held her captive drugged her to interrogate her which caused memory loss. Now, the people who held her captive really want her dead.Sam Dryden is a former Army Ranger who also spent time doing black ops for the government. He has mad survival skills and a strong need to protect Rachel. They have lots of close calls as they try to wait out the time until Rachel's memory comes back. I really enjoyed this thriller. I am eager to read other Sam Dryden adventures.
    • 4/5
      A wonderful new action-adventure series!
    • 5/5
      Runner is the terrific first book in a new series featuring Sam Dryden, a former special forces operative. During an early morning jog, Dryden meets a terrified 12 year old girl who is running for her life. Dryden instinctively agrees to help Rachel and soon the two of them are on the run, relentlessly pursued by mysterious armed men, satellites, helicopters and law enforcement of all kinds. Rachel is a very special girl. Exactly how special is gradually revealed during the course of this book. Dryden is a great protagonist, intelligent, strong, resourceful and compassionate.This techno-thriller is wonderfully imaginative but seems totally believable. I could never predict what would happen next, and I certainly could not foresee the ending. I'm really looking forward to the next Dryden adventure. Patrick Lee writes great thrillers. I also recommend his Breach series.I received a free advance reader's edition of this book from the publisher.
    • 3/5
      I don’t mind ignoring some skepticism in lieu of entertainment and imagination but I had to make a lot of leaps. Entertaining enough though I kept asking myself ……Sam loves Rachel? Just didn’t make sense to me. Maybe Rachel controlled that too. ;)
    • 5/5
      Sam Dryden, a former Ranger and dark ops operative, has lost his wife and child and is only going through the motions of living. In the middle of the night, he finds Rachel, a young girl running for her life. He learns she has the ability to read minds and has been a virtual prisoner of an experiment. Now she is on the run and Sam learns that Rachel's abilities and the secret experiments are more dangerous than he could imagine.Sam and Rachel's relationship was sweet and believable. This definitely was a page-turner! I look forward to reading more from this author.
    • 4/5
      Sam Dryden ex-Special Forces, lives a quiet life in a small town on the coast of southern California. Out for a run in the middle of the night, he encounters a young girl on the seaside boardwalk. Barefoot and terrified, she's running from a group of heavily armed men with one clear goal - to kill her. Dryden learns that the 12-year-old can only remember the past 2 months, during which she's been kept in a secret prison by forces within the government. Beyond her own name, Rachel, she knows only that she has a skill that makes her very dangerous to these men and the people in charge of them. Dryden, who lost his wife and young daughter in an accident, agrees to help Rachel try to unravel her own past and make sense of it, and to protect her from the people who are moving heaven and earth to find them both. Although Dryden is only one man, he's a man with extraordinary skills and experience - as a Ranger, a Delta, and 5 years doing off-the-book black ops with an elite team. However, as he slowly begins to discover, the highly trained forces on their heels are only part of the danger they must face, because there's something else in Rachel's past, something more dangerous, more deadly than Dryden can even imagine.
    • 4/5
      Runner by Patrick Lee is a highly recommended action packed thriller.

      At 3 AM one morning off the coast of Southern California Sam Dryden can't sleep and goes running on the board walk when, suddenly, out of the mist, another runner crashes into him. The other runner is a terrified preteen girl named Rachel. With fear in her eyes she tells him she will explain everything but first she needs his immediate help to escape the armed men chasing her. Dryden has seconds to assess the situation and decides to help her hide from the men. It soon becomes clear to Dryden, 36 years old and retired Special Forces, that the men after Rachel are all heavily armed and highly trained.

      When they are able to talk, Rachel tries to explain that she has been drugged and can only remember the last two months of her life. Along with her limited memory she has an incomplete picture of why the men are chasing her to kill her. What she does know is that she can hear everything people are thinking, every thought and idea. What she can't remember is what other information she knows that would make anyone want to kill her and she is unsure why she has been the captive of a clandestine group up to the time of her escape.

      Dryden accidentally loses his wallet during their run and the people after Rachel, who have high reaching government connections, know who he is and what his skill set involves. Dryden and Rachel search for answers while trying to escape the unprecedented ability of their pursuers to track their every move as they make their way across the country. While on the run and hoping Rachel's memories will return, we also learn about the personal tragedy in Dryden's past. While Rachel is on the run from something she can't remember, Dryden has been on the run from his memories. Although this fact is clear, it is certainly not the overwhelming arc of the story.

      Runner is an extremely well written thriller that provides heart pounding action at an unrelenting pace. While there are some science fiction elements they are totally on the spectrum of believable scientific advances, akin to Michael Crichton's work. I appreciated the alternating points of view between Dryden and his pursuers. The mind boggling skin-of-your-teeth escapes from being ambushed and killed certainly added enough twists and turns to please this thrill seeking reader. The fast pace and careful release of information makes this a good choice for escapism.

      Since this is considered the first book in a Sam Dryden series we can look forward to more action-packed adventures!

      Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of St. Martin's Press via Netgalley for review purposes.
    • 3/5
      Not my usual genre, this is tagged as sci fi, and it certainly does have some elements of it, however, I would term it more as a thriller. Excellent ideas, although I think they could have been better used. All in all, a decent read, but it certainly never had me on the edge, dying to find out what happened next.
    • 5/5
      A vivid engaging thriller. Reads like a screenplay, must be a movie in the works.
    • 5/5
      We've all heard the rumors about government mind control experiments, they are a bit frightening! Get ready for a story that shows just how scary it could be! No spoilers here, you'll have to read for yourself! This story will keep you engaged, and be prepared for some unexpected twists as well.
    • 4/5
      Wow, good thriller. Never heard of this author before, but I like him!
    • 5/5
      If you want to read a novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat, turning pages non-stop, then this is the book for you. Great (Sam Dryden) debut novel from Patrick Lee about a former special forces military guy who is kind of lost in his own life and hits upon a new mission of saving a young girl's life from very powerful forces. Great action, strong characters. Can't wait for the next one in the series!
    • 4/5
      Sam Dryden, ex special ops guy, is out for a morning run when he encounters a young girl who is being chased by armed men. He immediately goes into action to save her. The child, Rachel, is not sure what is going on but she does know her life is in danger. Sam knows there must be something special about the child and he will soon discover what it is.This book was very entertaining. There is plenty of action but there is also time to get to know Sam and Rachel. The bad guys are evil and ruthless and so are some of the good guys so the story keeps moving and keeps you guessing. I understand there will be more Sam Dryden books. Looking forward to them.
    • 4/5
      A chance meeting between two people who are not as they seem. It was a chance meeting wasn't it? Sam and Rachel: he a soldier with incredible skills; her only 12 years old and something else again. This story starts fast and never let's up. An excellent techno-thriller.DP Lyle, Award-sinning author of the Samantha Cody and Dub Walker thriller series
    • 2/5
      Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything remotely original or interesting in this thriller. Good guys and bad guys are very cartoonish, childishly clear-cut.
      Not for me. But hey, maybe it's for you!
    • 5/5
      Full of action, with a very likeable main character! I loved it!
    • 5/5
      Best Book I Read in 2013I received an ARC through NetGalley.This book is my favorite 2013 read because it touches so many of my high interest topics. Sam, the main character is retired Special Forces, and I am intrigued with stories of people who undergo the stress of war. Next, Rachael is a child, and that always connects to my heart. Then, they battle corrupt government people who would rather kill them than reveal their unscrupulousness. Sam’s training and knowledge is an intricate part of the story as is his pain from the loss of his wife and child. The story takes off with a blast and never slows down, leaving the reader gasping for breath. I felt a strong connection with the main characters and disgust for the villains. I am no expert, but I did not see any glaring errors that detracted from the story. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a highly suspenseful book that moves rapidly and has great characters.
    • 4/5
      I thought it was a good book. It had a lot of action in it from the very first and had a different twist in the plot. I would like to see a follow up book.
    • 4/5
      Sam Dryden is a loner; dealing with the tragedy of losing his wife and daughter, he spends evenings jogging along the boardwalk on the California beach where he lives. One night, Racheal, a scared 12-year-old girl runs into him. She is being pursued by men unknown and is frightened. Sam decides to help her and things get out of hand. Sam is an ex-special forces agent and uses his knowledge and expertise to outwit those trying to kill Rachel and him.From the get-go, this book was riveting. The reader feels the pain that Dryden is going through and I was caught up with the chase and why this girl was running. The author releases a little more information as the story unfolds and we learn what is going on. The science fiction element is not too far-fetched and it works well. With the various plot twists and side stories, I was a little confused, but it all came around and wrapped up into a captivating action/sci-fi thriller!
    • 5/5
      From page two, you are captured into the hearts and minds of the two dominant characters in this book. Both emotionally needy in their own ways, they develop a true friendship/partnership as they escape the trials and tribulations they face together. A fast moving story with turns and twists from beginning to end. Although fiction, you wonder whether or not the plot line could be applied to our own present day lives. One anxiously keeps reading to fit all the puzzle pieces together and see where the author takes you in his journey of intrigue. Secondary characters are also strong and keep you guessing. It's a winner . . . .be prepared to read from beginning until you are finished.
    • 5/5
      Sam Dryden of El Sedero, finds running on the boardwalk next to the Pacific Ocean a compulsion. He runs at all hours. One night, he meets a young girl running from a group of men with guns. Without thinking, Sam grabs the girl’s hand and they hide under the board walk where they hear the chilling words that the men mean to kill her. In charge of the hunt, a shadowy figure named Gaul has a satellite feed trained on the two. He arrogantly assumes that he will shortly have the two in custody. However, Sam and the girl escape in a pickup Sam hotwires. Sam, unfortunately, drops his wallet in his run from the boardwalk and Gaul soon realizes that Sam has Army Ranger skills as well as disappearing into black ops for six years. And so the adrenaline-charged chase begins. Sam and the girl are barely a step ahead of a clandestine group where telling the good guys from the bad guys can be difficult until the secret agenda is revealed. Nonstop action and scientific technological advances in mind control makes this book a terrific read.
    • 5/5
      Runner is a story about a man who hasn't come to grips with the loss of hid wife and child that meets a little girl running away from people who are trying to kill her. When he realizes that the little girl is being hunted by the government because of her special abilities, thanks to governmental experiments, he decides to try to safe her. This is the story of how they "save" each other and in the end how they learn to live normal lives.This is a very fast read because you want to know what happens next. Highly entertaining!
    • 5/5
      Runner by Patrick LeeWhat makes a wonderful read? I enjoy a great plot, interesting characters, the thrill of the chase and, of course, an unassuming, larger-than-life hero figure. Runner has it all! I read it straight through, except for non-Sam Dryden like human necessities, and thoroughly enjoyed it, just as I've enjoyed Patrick Lee's other books. Sam Dryden has all of the manly, Seal-like qualities of Jack Reacher but is more likeable. While the storyline of Runner pushes the outer limits of believable DNA manipulation, it never went beyond the possible. So, pick up a copy of Patrick Lee’s Runner and enjoy!I received a complimentary copy of Runner from LibraryThing: Early Reviewers. Thank you!
    • 4/5
      Runner by Patrick Lee is a thriller due out in early 2014 featuring a new hero, Sam Dryden. This is a fast-paced, non-stop action book that moves quickly from the opening page all the way to the very end. Dryden is ex-military recovering from a personal tragedy. While out for a jog late one night, a young 12-year-old girl, Rachel, literally runs into him. Rachel is on the run from a bunch of shadowy men whose allegiance and purpose is unclear. All Rachel remembers is that they have held her captive for the last two months and she has no memory before that.Lee succeeds in creating characters you can identify and sympathize with. It’s made clear early on that Rachel has special abilities. The extent of those abilities, as well as where they came from and what they mean is gradually revealed. Who Rachel is, who she will become and what threat she poses as she regains her memory is a central theme.The chase moves back and forth across the country although who exactly the pursuers are, government agents, government contractors or others and what their interests are remains murky.Against the backdrop of a run-for-your-life thriller, Lee mixes in such questions as how does our memory influence who we are, what sort of abilities are locked into our DNA and can they be unlocked? The power of government surveillance tools and the skill and methods necessary to evade them are convincingly portrayed.Runner can be enjoyed on multiple levels. It works as a straight-up thriller with some slightly fantastical elements. It also explores themes related to genetic research, memory and even how we perceive reality.Patrick Lee has created a dynamic hero that I look forward to following in future books. I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.
    • 5/5
      Runners. There are many kinds: for exercise, to deliver something, chasing something (someone) and to escape are but a few. Rachel is running away from people who mean her harm. Sam Dryden is trying to get tired enough to sleep – or so he thinks. When Rachel smacks into him on the pier it is obvious she is terrified. Lights are following her and Sam does what any ex-military would do – he keeps the 14-yr old safe and takes her home. Until they realize the hunters know where she is, and who Sam is.This book is so intense that it was hard to put down. Rachel may be much more than she seems and he definitely is! Traveling across the country, one step ahead of her chasers, it never occurs to Sam that the people following them may be legitimate. The characters are well written and you feel such stress for Rachel’s well-being that you won’t be able to put the book down.A well-written novel of terror, revenge and thrills, .Sure to be a great seller and one you’ll have to have. Out in February, 2014.
    • 5/5
      This book caught my attention in the first chapter and kept me engrossed until the end. It is an action-packed page-turner. Do not make the same mistake that I did and start it late at night as you will not be able to put it down. :-) The plot has many twists and I am looking forward to another installment in this series. Highly recommended.This book was provided to me free in exchange for an unbiased review.
    • 4/5
      Runner by Patrick Lee was a good thriller. The story revolves around a former special ops soldier who has retired from the government. He is out for a run one night along the boardwalk on the beach near his house, when he runs into a young girl who is fleeing from some armed men. He manages to help her escape from them.The story keeps evolving around the young girl and some special capabilities she has. Her mother was involved in a secret medical experiment run by the government. Her mother was pregnant when she received the drugs involved in the experiment. The drugs worked differently on the unborn child, resulting in a more advanced result than the adults who received the drugs.The young girl was being held by a government contractor trying to determine more information about her. She has been given drugs to control her memory during interrogation which means she doesn't know about her special abilities when she meets Sam Dryden on the boardwalk.The story is continually evolving and revealing more information that keeps you interested in the story. I would love to reveal more about the story, but I fear I would ruin the story for you.
    • 5/5
      Sam Dryden likes running on the beach at night - it's a peaceful place to contemplate the past. Rachel Grant has no memory of her past, and she's running because there's somebody chasing her. Sam's just not that concerned with where life is taking him. Rachel has Homeland Security scared spitless, and she's very concerned with what they'll do to her if they catch her. He's thirty-six, ex-military and a tough guy to kill. She's twelve and desperate to survive... and one dark night on a boardwalk, their lives collide.It's a match, and a plot made for the big screen, and if the back cover can be trusted, the movie rights have already been optioned. I'm not surprised. A few typos and a less than riveting cover don't keep this from being a smoothly written action novel it's easy to envision coming straight out of Hollywood, explosions and all. You know how so often those fawning snippets on book jackets so often lie? These don't. Start this book when you have several hours free, because you're not going to want to put it down.