In a relatively short period of time, Steve Mosby has acquired critical acclaim and a steadily growing commercial success. YOU CAN RUN, which had me hooked from the first page, is an example of why. It is a smart, literary, one-sit read that intrigues the reader at the beginning, thrills throughout, and ends in a manner that is by turns poignant and hopeful.

YOU CAN RUN kicks off with an enigmatic prologue that hints at a part of the primary plot before treading surefootedly into the proceedings. Mosby stands the traditional serial killer novel model on its head by giving us a monster, known as the Red River Killer, who makes no real mistakes. Rather, his slow downfall starts at the beginning of the book when, through no fault of his own, he is revealed to be a nondescript mechanic named John Blythe. It’s a terrific opening that resonates throughout the entire novel. Mosby demonstrates that he is just getting warmed up as the lair of the Red River Killer is uncovered --- with the true extent of his madness exposed --- and the manhunt is underway.

"...a smart, literary, one-sit read that intrigues the reader at the beginning, thrills throughout, and ends in a manner that is by turns poignant and hopeful."

Blythe is clever and prepared, but he is up against a Detective Inspector named Will Turner who, while shunning the spotlight, is quietly dogged and determined. Unknown to his colleagues, Turner has his own very personal reasons for wanting to bring down Blythe by any means necessary. Bringing an instinct that might (charitably) be called “intuition” to the hunt, Turner is somewhat of an odd duck to his fellow police officers, but is usually right, and never more so when it comes to hunting Blythe and... But that would be telling.

Suffice to say that Blythe is not without his own resources --- including, but not limited to, his canny intelligence --- and over the course of the book, we get a sense of why and how he has been able to turn patches of England into his own personal killing field, abducting women seemingly at will and making them disappear forever. Intrigued? You should be. To make matters even more compelling, there are actually two endings to the novel, which is smartly plotted and told from start to finish, and is also quite frightening in spots.

Mosby is adept at throwing twists, turns and spinners into the narrative. Some are major, others are minor, but all are unsettling. I hate to call him a British Jeffery Deaver --- a comparison that is unfair to both writers --- but it’s a good way to mark a reference point for an author who has been amazingly confident and steady since his first book and has grown more so with each and every offering. Mosby, as much as anyone and more than most, deserves to be on your “must-read author” list. He and the wonderfully told YOU CAN RUN are not to be missed.