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Off The Well-Lit Path
An American tourist searches for his abducted daughter in Mexico
320 pages, Paperback
First published July 30, 2019
6 people want to read
About the author
M.S. Holm
5 books2 followersM. S. HOLM was born in Boston and raised in New England. He is the author of seven books. Among his honors are the Moonbeam Award and the ForeWord Book-of-the-Year. He lives in Mexico.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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April 18, 2020I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Let's go to Mexico!
Let's go to Mexico!
March 21, 2019
Rating
4.5/5 I rounded up on the star chart.
At no point in my life did I think I would enjoy a book about human trafficking, the Mexican gangs and the act of revenge, but here I am raving about this book.
Holm took me on a wild adventure through the eyes of two very different men:
Rugg - a father who will risk everything to save his daughter who was abducted right in front of him. Left for dead after the abduction Rugg's dedication to saving his daughter is both admirable and insane.
Speedy - a young man who works for the Mexican Gang who took part in abducting Rugg's young daughter.
With alternative points of view the reader will be taken on a roller coaster ride full of emotions praying for the safety of Rose (Rugg's daughter) and rooting for the safety of Speedy even though they are at opposite ends of the story.
My only hold back from giving this book a 5/5 was the fact that I had to spend some time with Google Translate when it came to some of the dialogue. The good news is that I learned some Spanish curse words.
Thank you Holm for taking me on a trip Off the Well-Lit Path I don't think I'll be visiting Mexico for a long time.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for a unbiased review!
4.5/5 I rounded up on the star chart.
At no point in my life did I think I would enjoy a book about human trafficking, the Mexican gangs and the act of revenge, but here I am raving about this book.
Holm took me on a wild adventure through the eyes of two very different men:
Rugg - a father who will risk everything to save his daughter who was abducted right in front of him. Left for dead after the abduction Rugg's dedication to saving his daughter is both admirable and insane.
Speedy - a young man who works for the Mexican Gang who took part in abducting Rugg's young daughter.
With alternative points of view the reader will be taken on a roller coaster ride full of emotions praying for the safety of Rose (Rugg's daughter) and rooting for the safety of Speedy even though they are at opposite ends of the story.
My only hold back from giving this book a 5/5 was the fact that I had to spend some time with Google Translate when it came to some of the dialogue. The good news is that I learned some Spanish curse words.
Thank you Holm for taking me on a trip Off the Well-Lit Path I don't think I'll be visiting Mexico for a long time.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for a unbiased review!
January 16, 2026
Off The Well-Lit Path is a tense, emotionally charged thriller that explores how far a parent will go when the unthinkable happens. When an American tourist’s daughter is abducted in Mexico, the story plunges into a relentless search driven by fear, guilt, and desperation.
What makes this novel especially compelling is its focus on vulnerability. Stripped of familiarity, language, and legal certainty, the protagonist is forced to navigate an unfamiliar country where trust is scarce and danger is ever-present. Holm effectively uses this displacement to heighten suspense, making every interaction feel uncertain and every decision potentially life-altering.
The pacing is tight and purposeful, balancing action with psychological tension. Rather than relying solely on violence, the novel builds its power through atmosphere and emotional stakes. The fear of loss, the frustration of limited options, and the moral compromises demanded by desperation give the story real weight.
At its core, Off The Well-Lit Path is not just a search thriller, it’s a stark examination of parental love pushed to its limits. Fans of international thrillers, missing-person narratives, and realistic, character-driven suspense will find this a gripping and unsettling read.
What makes this novel especially compelling is its focus on vulnerability. Stripped of familiarity, language, and legal certainty, the protagonist is forced to navigate an unfamiliar country where trust is scarce and danger is ever-present. Holm effectively uses this displacement to heighten suspense, making every interaction feel uncertain and every decision potentially life-altering.
The pacing is tight and purposeful, balancing action with psychological tension. Rather than relying solely on violence, the novel builds its power through atmosphere and emotional stakes. The fear of loss, the frustration of limited options, and the moral compromises demanded by desperation give the story real weight.
At its core, Off The Well-Lit Path is not just a search thriller, it’s a stark examination of parental love pushed to its limits. Fans of international thrillers, missing-person narratives, and realistic, character-driven suspense will find this a gripping and unsettling read.
August 15, 2019
This is a very unsettling noir mystery located in modern day Mexico along a most dangerous stretch of highway in the states of Sinaloa and Sonora. Bad things happen immediately when Bob Rugg, and his young teen-aged daughter, is hijacked by bad men who have the worst of intentions. The family was going on what turns out to be a very ill advised trip of fun and fishing. What was the Dad thinking? The relentless action goes from one horror to another, as a severely injured Rugg seeks to find his daughter and the perpetrators. Help is not forthcoming from either inept Americans or corrupt Mexican officials. Kindness is a rare commodity.
But the author does something unusual with this bleak tale. A parallel narrative is shown through the eyes of one of the youngest thug wannabes. He believes he has no path but to join and become a member of this vicious gang. Rayo, in spite of his criminality, somehow comes off as a more human character.
The reader goes on hoping for redemption yet fearing the worst. For readers who want a thriller laced with violence and anxiety….this is it! Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
But the author does something unusual with this bleak tale. A parallel narrative is shown through the eyes of one of the youngest thug wannabes. He believes he has no path but to join and become a member of this vicious gang. Rayo, in spite of his criminality, somehow comes off as a more human character.
The reader goes on hoping for redemption yet fearing the worst. For readers who want a thriller laced with violence and anxiety….this is it! Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
August 11, 2019
Welcome to the literary (and geographic) territory of Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men, or anything by Don Winslow. I know, I know -- comparing M.S. Holm to these two writers is high praise, indeed, but it's entirely warranted.
Or, for anyone who loved Elmore Leonard for his gritty noir and beautifully-written prose, here is someone who's carrying on the tradition. The suspense is keen, the cultural insights are brilliant, the language is deceptively simple.
Holm has created memorable characters in Bob Rugg, the American tourist who is attacked by a team of Mexican highway carjacker-murderers south of Nogales (he is left for dead and is daughter is abducted), and Rayo, the youngest member of the gang of bandidos (for whom the brutality of the attack on Bob and his daughter is an everyday occurrence.)
The story alternates between the viewpoints of Bob and Rayo. Holm builds in the reader a heartbreaking empathy for both these characters.
This was a near-perfect book. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers copy.
Or, for anyone who loved Elmore Leonard for his gritty noir and beautifully-written prose, here is someone who's carrying on the tradition. The suspense is keen, the cultural insights are brilliant, the language is deceptively simple.
Holm has created memorable characters in Bob Rugg, the American tourist who is attacked by a team of Mexican highway carjacker-murderers south of Nogales (he is left for dead and is daughter is abducted), and Rayo, the youngest member of the gang of bandidos (for whom the brutality of the attack on Bob and his daughter is an everyday occurrence.)
The story alternates between the viewpoints of Bob and Rayo. Holm builds in the reader a heartbreaking empathy for both these characters.
This was a near-perfect book. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers copy.
October 19, 2019
Set against the harsh, unforgiving backdrop of a Mexican state where murder, carjacking, kidnapping, extortion, and robbery are widespread, Holm’s gritty thriller narrates harrowing journey of a father who sets on to search for his daughter after a highway robbery.
Left for dead, Bob Rugg is determined to get his young teenage daughter back after a group of Mexican highway carjackers abduct her in broad daylight. Holm’s crisp prose brilliantly depicts Bob’s simmering grief, raw anger, and utter desperation as well as young Rayo’s struggles to survive in his harsh environment. The stakes run high, and the reader will long for a neat resolution.
Profound in its deliberations and extremely gripping, the unsettling, dark novel will stay with the reader for long after it’s finished.
Fans of Cormac McCarthy should feel right at home. Absolutely brilliant!
A tense, taut, character-driven thriller… a triumph of a book!
Left for dead, Bob Rugg is determined to get his young teenage daughter back after a group of Mexican highway carjackers abduct her in broad daylight. Holm’s crisp prose brilliantly depicts Bob’s simmering grief, raw anger, and utter desperation as well as young Rayo’s struggles to survive in his harsh environment. The stakes run high, and the reader will long for a neat resolution.
Profound in its deliberations and extremely gripping, the unsettling, dark novel will stay with the reader for long after it’s finished.
Fans of Cormac McCarthy should feel right at home. Absolutely brilliant!
A tense, taut, character-driven thriller… a triumph of a book!
August 20, 2019
I finally got around to reading this book, my first 'sourced' thru NetGalley. I knew nothing about the author. To be fair it's a fast-paced, engaging, modern horror story about losing a child. I found the narrative about the underworld in Mexico credible, the corruption as it was portrayed aligned with what I perceive to be the situation in Mexico, and I suppose a reference point for this book would be the movie 'Man on Fire'. I felt schoes of the Jack Reacher/Lee Child series in the book, but perhaps not as rounded a plot and resolution. A good holiday read, especially if you are not concerned by violence.
October 11, 2019
A dark and bruising read, fast-paced, and exquisitely written in the gritty, bare-bones style that invokes the prose of Cormac McCarthy at his best. The story seems familiar at the beginning — father loses daughter to bad men, father searches for daughter and bad men, father and bad men hurtle toward a collision course — but Holm quickly takes the narrative off the rails and into the wild west of a modern, rural Mexico where ruthless highwayman, dirty cops, and a corrupted code of morality defy predictable outcomes. Finished this book in a few hours. Couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend.
August 14, 2019
This book starts with the main character behaving like an idiot, first by bringing his young daughter to Mexico for a fishing trip, and then giving up without a fight when they are stopped by a smaller car. After barely surviving, he finally starts fighting back.
Unfortunately, I read the rest of the book, and it's mainly violence with no purpose or ending.
Unfortunately, I read the rest of the book, and it's mainly violence with no purpose or ending.
April 6, 2019
I am reviewing this book for M.S. Holm, Sentry Booksand NetGalley who gave me a copy of their book for an honest review
I liked the opposite points of view shown throughout the book - one being the abductor, and the other being the father of the abducted. You will find your emotions torn throughout and not always where you think they will go.
I liked the opposite points of view shown throughout the book - one being the abductor, and the other being the father of the abducted. You will find your emotions torn throughout and not always where you think they will go.
May 26, 2019
Amazingly suspenseful read! OFF THE WELL-LIT PATH was a great title, along with a good strong beginning, which helped this story to take off like a shot.
What would you do? How would you survive if you were left in a desert to die, with no way to get away from the hot, burning sand during the day, and the cold ground, along with the animals at night. That is just what Rugg was left to do, to try to survive or die. No water, no food, no weapons of any kind? They even took his transporation.
Along with anger and hatred Rugg was left with two important points. One, the love of his daughter, which was all he had. And two, determination to get to her before it was too late. But how? He did not know yet. But he would get even with those who took his daughter, or die trying. But before he could think or do anything else, they told him to run, then shot him three times and left him lying on the desert floor, not moving. Was he unconscious? Or was he already dead?
What would you do? How would you survive if you were left in a desert to die, with no way to get away from the hot, burning sand during the day, and the cold ground, along with the animals at night. That is just what Rugg was left to do, to try to survive or die. No water, no food, no weapons of any kind? They even took his transporation.
Along with anger and hatred Rugg was left with two important points. One, the love of his daughter, which was all he had. And two, determination to get to her before it was too late. But how? He did not know yet. But he would get even with those who took his daughter, or die trying. But before he could think or do anything else, they told him to run, then shot him three times and left him lying on the desert floor, not moving. Was he unconscious? Or was he already dead?
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews