“From where she sat at the back of the bus, the driver’s death was a confusing spectacle to Emily Jackson.”

It is so often discussed how important the opening line of a novel, particularly a fast-paced thriller, is to establishing its overall tone. The sentence above is the perfect example of why I was quoted on the back cover of THE CHASE as saying, “A new novel from Candice Fox is a must-read event.”

"The final third of the novel is truly explosive as all forms of law enforcement are working to catch the inmates, who are spreading around and beyond the U.S. borders."

Fox’s latest thriller presents a deadly situation on page one, then follows through on it and spends the rest of the book trying to handle the fallout. A bus carrying the family members of the Pronghorn Correctional Facility prison guards are on their way to the prison to attend their annual softball game. But they are severely sidetracked when their bus driver is shot to death by a sniper, and the bus runs off the road into the nearby desert. Emily Jackson gets behind the wheel and is at least able to bring the vehicle to a stop.

Meanwhile, inside Pronghorn, warden Grace Slanter receives a phone call from someone who indicates that every single prisoner is to be released in exchange for those trapped on the bus. Death Row Supervisor Celine Osbourne oversees the most violent and deadly of these individuals. She has to watch helplessly as a colleague locks her up and pulls a lever to free more than 600 inmates. She is especially angered at the release of John Kradle, who was convicted of brutally murdering his wife and son. We will eventually learn that Osbourne experienced her own family violence when she was young, making her extra sensitive to this type of criminal.

US Marshal Trinity Parker is immediately assigned to the case as the prisoners are already fleeing and heading off in every direction. She vows to bring each and every one of them back before they can harm anyone. Kradle is accompanied by notorious serial killer Homer Carrington, a true lunatic who is extremely dangerous. It turns out that Kradle may be innocent, and he is determined to prove that during his newfound freedom. But he must maintain the pretense of criminality to keep Homer convinced lest he make him suspicious and end up on his kill list.

The final third of the novel is truly explosive as all forms of law enforcement are working to catch the inmates, who are spreading around and beyond the U.S. borders. Indeed, THE CHASE is another must-read event from the outstanding Candice Fox.