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R.L. Coffield's first suspense novel, the award-winning "Northern Escape," captivates from page one.
The novel involves an obsessive Las Vegas detective, an incredibly likeable robber/murderer who's evaded detection for eleven years, and a young, female Alaska State Trooper, caught in a love triangle between the two men.
Coffield is a master at dialog and creating believable, well-crafted characters. Unlike most detective novels, this one has the most likable "bad" guy ever introduced. The reader cannot help but root for Max Jessee (aka Mack Jessup) from the prologue to the surprise, quirky ending.
Oddly, the protagonist, Detective Benjamin Thomas, often arouses our animosity, even though he is the most unorthodox, gutsy cop to appear since John Sandford's Lucas Davenport. Ben's obsession with this case is galvanizing and destructive.
Alaska State Trooper Chloe Littlebird rounds out the cast of main characters. Littlebird is a complex character driven by her heritage and environmental influences to succeed. A total surprise, however, is the astounding "Nemo" whom the author works to a maximum but still leaves the reader wanting more.
The book creates memorable characters that the reader will be literally torn among. Each of the characters must come to terms with his/her life and the choices he/she has made. This is a story of consequences, pure and simple. Each character suffers unexpected consequences for their actions, and each character (like many people in real life) suffers for these seemingly innocent decisions. Each must make painful choices that inadvertently affect each other.
The setting in S.E. Alaska is thoroughly inviting, and the action is non-stop.
This book received glowing reviews from Shirley Johnson at MidWest Book Review. The novel has been described by some as a "romantic suspense." Once you read it, you'll see why. What is unclear, is why this novel has not received national recognition. This reader is anxiously awaiting the publication of the next Ben Thomas suspense, and, according to Coffield, there will only be three.
The award-winning "Northern Escape" is available on amazon.com, on line at Barnes and Nobel and at http://www.rlcoffield.com It is the first of three Ben Thomas suspense novels.
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