The Captive

New York: Ecco, 2021. AS3 - An uncorrected proof paperback book in very good condition that has some bumped corners, chipping on some edges and corners, light wrinkling on the upper part, and light shelf wear. A rural noir about a woman on a pulse-pounding expedition to deliver a fugitive - and forced to confront her own past on the journey. 8.25"x5.5", 258 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. In a secessionist rural state that has cut itself off completely from urban centers, where living is hardscrabble and poor but "free," Brooke Holland runs a farm with her husband, Milo, and two daughters. Their life at the fringes of modern society is tenuous, yet Brooke cherishes the loving, peaceful life they have carved out for themselves. She has even begun to believe she is free from the violent history she has kept a secret from her family. When escaped criminal Stephen Cawley attacks at the farm, Brooke's buried talents surface, and she manages to quickly and harshly subdue him. She is convinced that he has come in retribution for the blood feud she thought she escaped years ago. Brooke sets out to bring Cawley to justice, planning to use the bounty on his head to hide her family far from danger. Fearing that other members of Cawley's infamous family will soon descend, Brooke insists Milo and the girls flee with her, travelling miles on foot across an unforgiving landscape to reach the nearest marshal. Their journey, started at the onset of winter with little preparation, brings already strained family dynamics to the breaking point. As Brooke's ghosts - both real and imagined - close in, the ruthlessness that let her survive her past may become the biggest threat to her hopes for a different future. As haunting and propulsive as it is powerfully written, The Captive is a thrilling debut novel about the impossible choices we make to survive and protect the ones we love.. Paperback. Very Good/No Jacket as Issued. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Advance Reading Copy (ARC).