Freedom Run

by Jim Riggs

Paul Hartman is a former high school business teacher convicted of embezzling from his school district. Having finished a five-year prison sentence, he is now serving his remaining months in a Des Moines, Iowa, halfway house with three other Mary Swartz, Rod Dodge, and Bob Johnson. They do their best to ride out their last days, but when a new guard nicknamed The Ranger attempts to rape Mary, the men have no choice but to intervene. A fight erupts and, tragically, The Ranger receives a blow that leaves him dead in a pool of blood. Out of options, the four prisoners agree they must escape to avoid life sentences in an Iowa prison. Paul and Mary head south to Texas together while Rod and Bob are convinced St. Louis is the best place for them. They all hope to move beyond their past mistakes, but not everything goes according to plan. As they each struggle to find new identities and become productive members of society, the law, and their sordid histories, are always close behind them. Freedom Run is an adventurous tale about second chances.

502 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2015

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Interesting characters and beautiful scenery described in this fast paced adventure! I couldn’t put it down!!!

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book because of the Iowa connection. All of the places in Iowa that the author referred to made the story seem real to me. The author showed good imagination with this "what if" story. The ending is implausible, but the rest seemed like it was something that could possibly happen. It seems like the author did a lot of research on how to get false identities and how to keep from being found. He also worked in a lot of information about nature and about national parks. The book was not terribly polished but still a fun read.