Book Review: "See How They Run" by Tom Bale

Wow, this book had so many twists and turns, it left me kind of breathless.

As parents of a newborn, Harry and Alice French are fairly sleep-deprived. It seems like whenever they're just about to drift off to sleep, their daughter Evie wakes up, needing to be fed, changed, and/or held. But one night all three do fall asleep...and then Harry and Alice awake to find masked men in their bedroom.

These aren't just your routine burglars looking for some easy-to-find cash, jewelry, or other valuables. These men have baggies around their shoes to avoid leaving any traces behind. They're convinced that Harry and Alice know the whereabouts of a man named Edward Renshaw, a man who goes by other names, such as Grainger or Miller. Not only do the intruders think the Frenches know this man, they think the couple received a package addressed to him, and they want it. They're willing to stop at nothing—including killing Evie—to get what they want.

But Harry and Alice know nothing of Renshaw. They didn't receive a package. After some very harrowing moments, the intruders believe their story and plan to leave the house, but not before warning Harry and Alice that they'll be watching their every move, and if they call the police or tell anyone what happened or that they're looking for Renshaw, the threat is plain—they will kill Evie.

Although relieved the intruders left them reasonably unharmed (at least physically), this incident throws their world into turmoil. Determined to protect their daughter at any cost, both Harry and Alice try to do their own share of detective work to figure out why the intruders thought they knew Renshaw. Each does what they think is right, but the secrets they keep from each other, and the paths they choose to follow put the three of them in even more danger. Figuring out whom to trust becomes harder and harder, and once they are separated, the trouble and the danger grow.

"It got him thinking about timing, and chance, and how the significance of those small, often innocuous decisions never became clear until you looked back and saw how your life had been nudged, irrevocably, in one direction or another, for better or worse."

This was a pretty gripping thriller which read like a movie. There was lots of action and suspense—there were a number of times I had no idea what to expect, and that doesn't happen all that often for me. I liked the way that Tom Bale kept contorting the plot, allowing information to unfold little by little, so we knew the same amount as the characters (for the most part). While there were times I thought the characters were simply stupid for getting themselves into more and more trouble, I guess I could understand how fear could drive them to such actions.

This isn't a perfect book—I didn't feel that we got to know any of the characters enough, and many of the villains are just shadowy characters. But there is so much suspense and excitement in the book it doesn't quite matter. I definitely want to read Bale's next book, which comes out in September. This will be a fun beach read that will probably make you check and double-check your door locks before you go to bed!!