Witness on the Run

by Susan Cliff

A deadly road. A desperate situation.
A desire that can’t be denied.

On the run for the last year, Tala Walker must flee again when she witnesses a murder. She stows away with a sexy, gruff ice road trucker headed to the wilds of Alaska. Despite his own painful past, Cameron Hughes offers his protection. But as they navigate the ice and flee the killers, their passion threatens to burn brighter than the northern lights…

Genres: Harlequin, Romance

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2018

About the author

Susan Cliff is the author of Navy Seal Rescue and Witness on the Run.

Reviews

[SuperWendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started slow for me (a little too much spoon-feeding in the early chapters) but picked up steam once the heroine 1) witnesses the murder and 2) stows away on the hero's big rig. I liked the setting, working class characters and general plot. I felt like the murder angle (you know, what sets the story in motion) ended up being really thin but this is probably not going to be an issue for romantic suspense readers who like the sub genre more "romance forward."

I did get annoyed that the hero knows the heroine isn't being entirely forthcoming and yet he just keeps flying his White Knight flag and carrying on instead of shaking the truth out of her, or leaving her frozen behind in a snow bank until she spills all. Also after a while this lack of being forthcoming and the heroine's constant flight response (even though I did, yes, understand it) got a bit exhausting. An OK read but I was hoping to like it more.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d been looking forward to the next Susan Cliff romantic suspense thanks to enjoying her previous one, Navy SEAL Rescue. The locales were fascinating; characters, complex; and the politics, respectful of time and place. I expected and found no less in Witness On the Run. (And who can resist that marvelous cover? Which, BTW, reflects the characters exactly as they should be, a rarity in romance, sadly.) Witness opened with the same acute danger and desperate circumstances as Rescue, with Alaskan cold and ice in place of Afghani heat and dust; a grief-stricken widower and First Nations spousal abuse survivor heroine in place of a disillusioned SEAL and determined Assyrian-Christian heroine. In both cases, the heroines have reasons to run and the heroes are entangled in their brave flights from danger and evil. Cliff renders the settings with sensitivity to their politics and captures the climate and conditions with realistic, compelling detail.

When Witness opens, heroine Tala Walker is waitressing in Willow, Alaska, and keeping a low profile, having escaped her abusive husband, Duane. Her diner-owner boss is snoring away when Tala is witness to a murder, in which a cop is implicated! Given her past and the prejudice First Nations people face with police forces, Tala hides away in a nearby rig rather than contacting police. That’s where ice-road trucker Cameron “Cam” Hughes finds her. This is the start of their running-from-bad-guys, knuckle-biting trip across Alaskan ice roads. Along the way, while confronting danger from elements and men, Tala and Cam, at best wary of love thanks to their pasts, learn from and about each other, sharing the grief, loss, and disillusionment of their past relationships and estrangements from their families and slowly learning to trust and love again.

I was disappointed I didn’t enjoy Witness On the Run as much as I did Navy SEAL Rescue. I kept reading, hoping it would get better and because I appreciated Cliff’s ideas so much more than I did her writing. That was my main problem with and why I tolerated rather than relishing it. Cliff tends to write in clipped, staccato, declarative sentences, even while she tells a compelling story and draws unusual characters. I loved that the characters were working class; their ambitions, modest; that they loved the land and saw its beauty, that they needed to overcome difficult, ordinary pasts. I loved that their romance was slow burn and that they got to know each other in a two-steps-forward-one-step-back trust-mistrust rhythm.

What I didn’t love was the telling of it and it ruined my enjoyment. I read Witness On the Run with a divided mind: on the one hand, nodding at Cliff’s ideas and appreciating her creation of politically interesting and unusual characters; on the other hand, growing impatient and then frowiningly critical of her rendition, nothing ever coming alive thanks to that tell-not-show prose, though I think that too simplistic terminology. Cliff is not a middle school student writing a bad short story, but my expectations and anticipation after Navy SEAL Rescue augmented my not-enjoyment. In the end, Miss Austen and I would say that Witness On the Run offered “tolerable comfort,” Mansfield Park.

Susan Cliff’s Witness On the Run is published by Harlequin Books. It was released on December 4th and may be found at your preferred vendor. I received an e-galley from Harlequin, via Netgalley.

[Bree Lewandowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book got that second star because it showcases an ice road trucker and I have some kind of blue-collar romanticized notion with truck drivers. Also, my dad was one in his younger years and this isn't going to be a commentary of whether or not those two things are connected because I don't want to know, if they are.

Otherwise, this book over explained every last little thing. The author didn't believe her reader had one functioning brain cell. And even though I knew picking this book up that I wasn't in for university level literature, I still had slightly higher hopes than being spoon-fed a romance.

[Bonnie Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping story of lost love for one Character and new beginnings for both Characters as they travel the deadly Delton Highway in Alaska. From finging love at fast neck speed to out running killers intent on killing both.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tala is already on the run when she comes across another situation that leaves her running for her life once again. Cameron Hughes isn't happy to find a stow away on his truck and it clear shes not telling him everything when it comes to why she running but he can't help but want to protect her.

Dang Tala is pretty unlucky just when she manages to find some type of normal for herself after running in the first place the comes across another situation that forces her to leave. I loved that there was so much going on from the beginning of the book. Theres the questioning whether or not she'll finally be caught not just one situation but two. Then theres the romance brewing between Tala and Cameron and he has his own demons hes trying to race. Its clear from the job he works that he's a risk taker and what he does could end up being the very last thing he does as a ice trucker. Theres just so much going on that'll keep the readers hooked and I enjoyed this book so much.

[Kbird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witness on the run delivers! Delivers suspense, romance, a rugged hero and a tough heroine.

Set in Alaska, Tala is a First Nation Canadian waitressing at a truck stop when circumstances make her go on the run- again.

Cam left society and everything else behind years ago. He exists to catch the next adrenaline high from driving across the Dalton, a treacherous ice truck road in the Alaskan wilderness.

Somehow these two find themselves together; both on the run from their pasts, and somehow gain a future together worth living.

Tala is in immediate danger; her present and past are both chasing her. Cam just happens to become entangled in it all.

I like Tala. It's refreshing that Cliff chooses heroines with more diverse backgrounds and includes their culture and history into their story.

Cam is perfect. I like everything about him. I like how Cliff gives us alpha males who aren't just bossy man-whores with a six pack and chiseled jaws. Cam has depth.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thoughts and Plot

This book was decently solid at 3 stars. I did have a good chuckle when the town I grew up by was mentioned, though I would warn authors to do a bit of research on a place before plunking it in a book.

I do like that the main lady, Tala Walker, is a smart, self sufficient, indigenous woman who is proud of her heritage. She has beautiful tan skin, dark hair, and a beautiful body (of course). Not the regular blonde, blue eyed, smart until it's inconvenient to the plotline, big boobed, small waisted women you normally get. Tala gets herself out of trouble more times than Cam does. In fact, she saves Cam in the end. YAY!!!!!

Cam (Cameron), is a classic, big, strong, built like a lumberjack, happens to have law enforcement background and connections man with a huge soft heart and a tragic background story (wounded man needing healing, anyone?). He wandered out to the freezing North to drive the ice after his life took a tragic turn. Big softie that he is, he doesn't hesitate to help Tala when he finds her nearly frozen on his rig.

Let's start with my home town. Stony Plain is NOT a small town. As of 2016 there were 17,189 people living within Stony's boundaries (to put that in perspective, the small town of Bon Accord has 1,500ish). That number has since skyrocketed. Stony is right next to Spruce Grove City, which has roughly 34,000 people living in its boundaries (2016). They are little more than 1-2 minutes apart. Their boundary lines rub each other. That said, Edmonton is roughly 35-40 minutes away (depending on the conditions, of course). Edmonton has 0ver 953,000 people living in its boundaries. People from Stony like to think of themselves as small town people, but the town is getting pretty big. People from Stony Plain do not think of themselves as city folk. And everyone I know would rather go to Spruce Grove to shop than Edmonton. Minus the teenagers who would rather go to THE mall (west ed) than bum around Stony/Spruce Grove.

Anyhow, MY POINT is, Tala's mother would not think of herself as a city girl. And equating Edmonton to New York is laughable (New York City has 8.6 million people in it). I know a lady who moved here from New York and this place is piddly small in comparison to what she's used to. So while moving up North to the bush country would be different, it wouldn't completely unbearable unless Tala's mother loves shopping more than she loves the wilderness (Entirely possible I admit).

That out of the way, the only other issue I had with this book is the perfect bow that tied this book altogether. Tala manages to stand up to the man who abused her and he turns out to be a giant pushover (more or less and I was disappointed). All the bad guys are conveniently killed off. Love blooms and they are confessing it after only knowing each other for less than two weeks. Other than the brother, both families are totally welcoming and one even goes so far as to recommend marriage. Cam finds a job without looking. They find a place to live, without looking. It is almost perfectly located right where they want to be...sigh. You get my point, yeah? It's a very pretty, and standard, bow for a romance novel.

Now the part I know some of you are interested in, the romance and love-making. The romance itself is fine. Cam being a big protector and Tala being grateful for it. Standard romance novel stuff ensues. About halfway through things heat up. You get one round of an all night love-making session, which is neither mind-blowing or long despite what the characters in the book think. Don't get me wrong, these two are like rabbits after that whenever they are in a hotel room alone together. But it is merely mentioned. So if you are thinking about reading this book specifically for that, I would say don't bother with this one. It's pretty tame.

That said, I liked this book. It was well written. It flowed. The author tried to add in some extra suspense. Tala is self sufficient and doesn't suddenly lose her intelligence in a plot convenient place. Big points for that!

So, the actual plot. Tala has been hiding away from her abusive husband for the past 6 months. Every since his abuse became physical and he made a mess of her face she has been eluding from his law enforcement reach. But when she witnesses a murder, she has to run again. This time it's harder because people know what she looks like. So she stows away on the back of an ice truck, only to be discovered while in the middle of nowhere by the rigs driver, Cam. But Cam takes petty on her and lets her ride with him. Learning that she is in some sort of trouble, he offers to let her stay with him until he's done his run over the ice and can take her back to civilization (Fairbanks).

As they journey together Tala slowly opens up and Cam realizes she's in bigger trouble than she's telling (mostly because he had a background check performed on her and accidentally snooped through her stuff). But Cam is starting to fall for her, so he's not about to kick her out of his rig in a small uncivilized town inhabited mostly by men. Things heat up in more ways than one.

In Conclusion

This book is a bit of a rare gem. The book gained points for the leading lady and the writing. It's leading lady is a smart, beautiful, indigenous woman, which is not something you encounter too often. It's hard enough the find a book with a woman in it that doesn't turn into an idiot at some point to further the plot. Cam is a standard hot, wounded from the past, softhearted man found readily available in many romance books.
The actual suspense bit was a bit lacking, but the mystery of the who and why was there. Mostly because the killers came out of left field. The romance was a standard under 2 week affair that magically seems to be working out in the future. The love-making was 95% glossed over with one scene that was fairly short and...standard (for the reader), but mind blowing, best ever for the characters.

All in all it was an alright read that only added a new flavour of woman into the mix. Everything else about it I've read many times before.

[Donna Repsher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susan Cliff is a new-to-me author, and the book blurb I read, with a very different type of romantic suspense hero and heroine, piqued my interest enough to request an advance reader copy of this novel. While I didn't absolutely love it, it certainly was quite a good, original, and entertaining read, and it gets a 3.5 star rating.

We first meet the heroine, Tala Walker, a First Nations Canadian (their version of our Native American), who is the woman on the run. She's the wife of a law officer, Duane, a violent man who became both physically and mentally abusive since their marriage. After an especially severe beating, Tala fled with just the clothes on her back, and has been running, hiding and working in a hole-in-wall diner in Willow, Alaska, where most of her non-local customers are truckers. The owner of the diner is also a drinker, and when Tala arrives one morning to to find him in his office, sleeping off what he drank the night before, as the only waitress, she opens for the day. As the novel opens, Tala is serving coffee to 3 men, one a policeman and two other men who look like truckers but whose behavior seems odd to her--seldom do truckers ever leave food on their plates. She quickly goes out the back door to dump trash. The dumpster is enclosed by fencing to keep bears away, and then she suddenly hears a gunshot. She peeks through the fence to find that the officer she served has his gun out, there's a victim is on the ground, and then she overhears the officer tell his accomplice to go back inside the diner to take care of things. Tala knows that he means take care of her, and she's terrified. She's not warmly dressed--her coat, boots, purse and ID (albeit stolen) are inside, but she manages to evade the gunman as she flees across the road to a truck-stop, where she stows away between the cab and trailer of a truck getting ready to leave, and hangs on in the hope that she wasn't spotted by the either trucker or the shooter, who did see her flee and was following her. The truck in question belongs to Cameron Hughes, the hero.

Cameron is not your typical romantic suspense lawman hero. He used to be a police officer, but 3 years earlier, he lost his wife, Jenny. Devastated, broken, and grieving, he needs to try to outrun his grief, and not only does he become a long-haul trucker, he becomes an ice-road trucker in Alaska, a very dangerous and deadly occupation indeed. Miles down the road from the truck stop, he hears a noise in the back of his cab, and when he pulls over to investigate, he finds Tala, nearly frozen to death, in just her waitress uniform, manages to get her out of her hiding place, and brings her inside the heated cab to hopefully thaw her out and save her from hypothermia. Wanting to know more about the beautiful woman he rescued, he's surprised by how evasive she is, and, as a former law officer, he wants to know why she risked her life, why she's running, and Tala isn't saying much. But during their long trip north to drop off his cargo in Prudhoe Bay, he intends to find out more about her, why she's running, and from who.

As the miles go by, these two characters slowly begin to share the reasons why they are running, but neither is really ready to fully open up about it. Tala doesn't trust the police for good reason, her husband was a law officer, and now Tala also suspects the shooter and his accomplice are after her too. She's been running, hiding and living under several assumed identities for some time. Although she recognizes Cameron (Cam) from the diner, although he's an attractive man, and she's grateful that he saved her, she's not looking to attach herself to another man any time soon. Cam isn't looking for love either, but he's kept his diner visits to a minimum ever since he realized that he was attracted to Tala. It's an interesting and suspenseful set-up for what amounts to a chase and rescue romance novel, with danger everywhere, and a very good HEA ending.

Told in alternating narration, something I very much enjoy, with flashbacks to each of their pasts, I expected to become emotionally involved with these two characters, but for some strange reason, although the novel was interesting, well-paced, at times sexy, steamy and exciting, I never did become emotionally invested in these two characters and their story, even though I can't quite figure out whether the reason for my detachment was the lack of emotion in the way the novel was written, or simply the way I perceived these two characters to be. I found that I liked Cam a bit more than I liked Tala, but neither character seemed fully realized to me.

All in all, I found this novel to be well-written, suspenseful, original and intermittently exciting, but in the end, I liked it well enough but didn't love it. If domestic violence, gun violence, or graphic sex are not your cup of tea, you might want to pass this one by. However, If you're looking for a slightly different sort of romantic suspense read, containing all of the aforementioned, I think you'll probably enjoy this one.

As stated, I voluntarily requested an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witness on the Run by Susan Cliff is a romantic suspense book with a different type of hero. This hero, Cameron Hughes is a trucker. Not just a regular long-haul trucker but a very different type of trucker, an ice road trucker in Alaska. This is a very, very dangerous job as it entails running supplies to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska along the Dalton ice road. Many truckers have died along this treacherous route. Cameron chose this job to escape his past. He is a widower who can't get over the death of his wife and this danger suits him just fine. Meeting Tala Walker changes the dynamics of his life. Tala is running away from her past, an emotionally and physically abusive husband and now murderers who know she witnessed their heinous act while emptying the garbage at the diner where she is a waitress. She runs from them and hides in Cameron's truck. Cameron has eaten at the diner where Tala works and they have noticed each other. There is attraction there on both sides. Cameron who is an ex-police officer has a protective side to his personality. So in addition to being attracted to Tala he is determined to protect her. What perils await these two along the dangerous Dalton ice road?

This author has written a great storyline that flows with lots of action and some surprises. She spells out the various conflicts of each character individually and together with great expertise. Getting to the resolutions to these conflicts makes for an entertaining story. I don't know if I would want to read about trucker heroes all the time but Susan Cliff did a great job making this one a good story. I enjoyed all the action in this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys lots of action along with some sexy scenes.

[M. Velia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Cliff's "Witness" made for a thoroughly enjoyable departure from so many conventions, transporting me to unfamiliar places with genuinely nuanced protagonists.

Cam is the hero we're all ready to enjoy: tough, empathetic, and far from cliche! While we love our men in uniform, it's refreshing to read about an ex-cop who takes up the dangerous choice to drive an 18-wheeler across Alaska's frozen tundra. While still grieving the death of his wife (who interestingly, he no longer deifies in death but grows to realize was a flesh-and-blood human, like him), Cam also escapes the "haunted past" pastiche by having genuine reasons to isolate himself, all while still continuing to live.

Tala is similarly refreshing. At 24 and on the run, I immediately identified with her; a victim of domestic abuse with false charges against her, every choice she faces proves difficult, most of all falling in love with the man helping her escape a pack of killers at their tale!

There are moments where I felt Tala's previous marriage/dangerous ex took precedence over what the story wanted me to believe was the real threat (the killers), but during their trip north the space functioned to give them a chance to fall for one another in an organic way.

Well-drawn characters, layered suspense, and a believable outcome made this a great read. 5 stars!

[Juls Berghammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.
I read it in record time which for me is 2-3 days. It kept my attention.
I was glad the author had done her homework on trucks and the trucking industry. I didn't find any "errors" of the vernacular. (I come from a family of truckers, My dad, husband, brother, 2 uncles, and 2 cousins, so I know a bit about the industry)
This books heat level is in the sizzling section. Not sweet but not a scorcher either.
This one is a romantic suspense and while you know the bad guy its how they evade the bad guy that made the story interesting.
I highly recommend this book.

[Barb · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Witness on the Run” by Susan Cliff was not a favorite of mine, to say the least. I found the characters to be shallow and not believable. I did like that the theme of an ice trucker on the Dalton was exciting and that the story did have moments of excitement, but all in all, I was not glad that I’d read the book. I would rather have spent my time on something more worthwhile.

You can find this review on my blog at https://wp.me/p2pjIt-w5. Other reviews can be found at http://imhookedonbooks.wordpress.com.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in 3 days and it took that long because I had to work. I LOVED it!!!!! I could NOT put it down!!!!! I also read the author's other books, "Navy SEAL Rescue" and "Stranded with the Navy SEAL" and loved them too! I especially loved this book though; I've never even heard of ice road truckers so it was very interesting and the characters were wonderful. I can't wait to read more by Susan Cliff!!!

[Toth Jo-Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 1st book I've read of hers. I really enjoyed Tala and Cameron's story. It was a neat story for Cameron was working as a trucker in Alaska. I liked how Susan draws a person into this story. What is interesting is how she starts the story. The story is fast paced and gives you a look into the life of a trucker in Alaska. Its got lots action and its a page turner. Its well written and worth a read.

[Frankie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure how to rate this book to be honest with you. One the one hand, it started out very slow for me because I didn't get the plot until the end. And while I found the characters slightly interesting, they didn't hook me in as normally they would when I am reading a story. And the whole Dalton occupation? This reader was not too fond of it. However, all that aside, it is not a bad read. Many will like it. It just didn't hold my attention.... Loved the cover though!!!

[Seanang · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a little while to get through this one, but that could have just been me and a busy week! This was a good read, well paced and a good story line. I really liked Cam and Tala. I would love to see a story on his brother, I think there's a bit of a story behind him as well. Well worth reading.

[Nancy Lathrop · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun to read romantic suspense set in Alaska. Tala Walker is running away from an abusive husband as well as being a witness to a killing. She stows away with an ice road trucker named Cameron and the sparks begin to fly. The beginning is a bit slow but then it speeds up and you won’t want to put it down

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was unsatisfying because we did not know the reason events unfolded as they did until nearly the end of the book, but otherwise this was an enjoyable, character-driven story in a new and interesting setting. The main characters were well-drawn and sympathetic, though I could wish some of the background was a little better developed.

[Janet Rodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witness on the Run
By Susan Cliff
Tala Walker is hiding. First from an abusive husband and then from a killer. Why won’t she go to the police? Her husband is a cop and she witnessed a man being murdered by a killer and a cop. She doesn’t trust the police. After she witnesses the murder, she goes on the run again. This time she hitches a ride with Cameron Hughes, an ice road trucker. Cameron knows who Tala is because she was the waitress in the diner he would stop at. He would never approach her because he wasn’t over his dead wife. As Tala flees and ends up traveling with Cameron, his protective instincts kick in. Both share secrets and as they spend more time together, Tala realizes that Cameron is not like other men. Unfortunately, he has a secret, he used to be a cop. He is afraid to tell Tala as his feelings for her grow because he knows how she feels about police officers. Danger awaits around every corner, whether it is from the conditions on the road or the killers that are searching for Tala. Through it all, will their love be strong enough to get past all of the hurdles in front of them?
I found it interesting that the hero of this story is a trucker, not your typical hero. As these two characters begin to reveal more of their secrets as they drive, you see how they begin to learn to trust one another. Soon deep feelings begin to form. Cameron takes it slow with Tala as he struggles with his feelings. She also learns that she can trust and depend on Cam. I enjoyed this story. I liked how it took a while for Cameron and Tala to trust each other. They didn’t automatically begin a relationship because they were in close quarters, it slowly developed. I also like how Tala gained back her self confidence because of Cameron’s belief in her. This was an enjoyable read.