Written with the distinct feeling of a movie treatment RUN TO ME takes the story of a young boy in extreme danger, and combines that with a woman traumatised and stigmatised by the death of her own young boy. There's a feeling of inevitability to the coming together of those two characters, and their stand against the bad guys.

The threat to the boys (Zack is held with two other youngsters) is carefully crafted making it less confrontational, although the threat itself is clearly drawn out. The baddies are very bad in this book, and the contrast between them and the character of O'Neil is glaring - almost cinematic.

Less convincing is the idea of O'Neil's opportunity for "redemption". In order to accept that aspect, for a start it wouldn't hurt to not seeing it coming from a mile away, but all the way along it is hard to shake the feeling that she could have been unfairly treated.

There's nothing wrong with a thriller that sets up an expected plot trajectory, provided the reader has some connection with enough of the elements to want to go along for the ride. Perhaps it was the child at risk element, which felt manipulative, designed to trigger a reaction. Perhaps it was the woman on the edge, a child killer, and another designed reaction which was just a bit too much.

Perhaps it's simply a dose of overt manipulation fatigue - but RUN TO ME wasn't a ride that was easy to hitch a seat on. It was too hard to shake the feeling of observer, rather than participant.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-run-me-diane-hester ( )

My heart broke for the three little boys living in misery, deprived of food and affection from the adults in their lives. Zach did his best to care for his younger foster siblings, and despite his rough exterior, was clearly still a vulnerable child at his core, desperate for someone to love and care for him. Their unintended and dangerous entanglement with a bumbling group of criminals was a little far-fetched, but made for a good suspenseful story. The author did a superb job letting us into the psyche of the main characters of this book, which is what made the book so compelling. That being said, the ending was quite predictable – as soon as we had met all of the key players in the book, it was obvious how everything would end. I was hoping that the author would surprise me with some kind of twist, but that didn't happen. Nonetheless, the skillful character development made up for the predictability and redeemed the book in my eyes. ( )

This is a must read for anyone interested in psychological thrillers that will have you immediately hooked. The moment I started this book, I could not put it down. I followed Zack, Reece and Corey through their painful lives which is the main plot of this book. They're orphans living in terrible conditions at their most current foster house, with foster parents who abuse them and drink all the child support money away.

Things start to look up when Mr. Westgate and Ms. Knowles show up at their front door and make promises of a brighter future with a new foster family who will love them unlike any other family has. Who would have thought these two people had an alternate agenda that will forever change the lives of these three boys.

No one is who they appears to be. Especially when Zack runs into a woman, Shyler who acts as a stand in mother, her reasons are skewed but genuine. It will all come together when Zack finally confides in a doctor who seems like the must trustworthy character in the book.

I was literally biting my nails throughout this whole book. Each chapter brought me closer and closer to completing the story that kept me on the edge of my seat. It's a thriller you won't forget. The story of three broken boys who just need someone to love them is heartbreaking, and keeps you reading in hopes of sleeping easier knowing if these boys get their happy ending or not. Without a doubt, 5/5 all the way. ( )

Run to Me is one of the more original thrillers I’ve read recently. Why? To start with, one of its heroes is a ten year old boy, Zack. Zack has had an awful life to date – rejected by his mother in favour of a new partner, multiple foster homes with neglectful carers and now he’s being chased by a group of people who think he saw something he shouldn’t. Add to that two younger foster brothers to look after, and Zack’s got a lot more on his plate than many adults.

One of the other main characters is Shyler; a reclusive woman who retreated to a cabin in the remote Maine woods after her son was killed in a mugging gone wrong. Shyler can’t stand to be around children and rejects any attempt at help, even from the local doctor. She lives a life carving wooden figurines in exchange for food and services. As we read on, we find that Shyler’s version of events may not be correct...

The narrative is fast paced for the majority of the novel, as Zack tries to keep his brothers safe. When he teams up with Shyler (who thinks he is her dead son), the action becomes even more cut throat as they try to save themselves. Shyler’s mental state deteriorates during this time, becoming more paranoid, and it’s difficult to see if she will redeem herself (even though you will hope that she does, she’s a likeable character). I found myself wondering if Shyler’s version of events was in fact real at times.

Hester’s ability to devise a masterful plot comes out in the chase scenes. Her characters make use of every opportunity and resource available to them to defend themselves. I also liked how the environment was used to remind Shyler of the traumatic loss of her son and how the action seemed to suspend itself as she tried to confront her demons.

I would have liked to know a little more about why the ‘baddies’ (namely Vanessa, Nolan and Tragg) wanted Zack and his brothers after supposedly observing something in a warehouse. It would have been interesting to know a bit more about Lazaro and what he and his colleagues were up to.

Dr Chase Hadley was an excellent supporting character and added a bit of normality to a plot where everyone else had something to run from. His incredible patience made him quite desirable!

I also enjoyed the ending to the book – quite fitting with the hope of redemption. I’d be very interested to see what Diane Hester brings out next!

Thank you to Random House Australia for the eARC copy.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )