Getaway
Lisa Brackmann
Hardcover, 320 pages
Soho Press
May 1, 2012
5 Stars
5 Stars
WELCOME to gorgeous Puerto Vallarta, Mexico—home of
margaritas, sunset beaches, a shady American ex-pat community, and a
barely-hidden drug syndicate. This will be the most dangerous vacation of
Michelle’s life.
Michelle Mason just came to the resort town of Puerto
Vallarta for a short vacation. When good-looking man named Daniel approaches
her on the beach, the margaritas kick in and she decides: why not? But the date
doesn’t as either of them planned. A break-in in her hotel room, switched cell
phones and an encounter with a friend of Daniel’s named Gary get Michelle
enmeshed in a covert operation involving drug runners, goons, and venture
capitalist, Michelle knows she’s caught in a dangerous trap, and quickly finds
that running in not an option. If she’s not careful she’ll end up buried in the
town dump, with the rest of the trash. Now she needs to fight smart if she
wants to survive her vacation.
My thoughts: I have been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard about the setting and premise. Getaway didn't disappoint me. It's well written and all too believable. I can actually see where this situation could happen. Getaway was so good it kept me turning the pages and I finished it in one day. If you like thrillers with a plausible setting, realistic characters, and danger, then this is the book to read this summer.
Ms. Brackmann has a knack of creating characters that have faced trauma in their lives and as a result have become somewhat indifferent or ambivalent; and placing them in situations that forces them to pull on inner reserves and strengths to deal with it.
Case in point, Michelle Mason. Recently widowed, Michelle is facing, thanks to her dearly departed husband, social scandal and financial ruin—the end of the life she has become accustomed to. Puerto Vallarta was supposed to be a vacation and a time to reflect upon what she was going to do with the rest of her life. Instead, like Alice in Wonderland, she gets dropped down the rabbit hole into a world where nothing is what it seems to be. Drug wars, the DEA, and where good guys aren’t always good and trusting the wrong people can get you killed. Michelle’s journey pulls her out of her apathy and into fighting for survival against the odds where she can’t trust anyone but herself.
What follows is an edge of your seat, believable, tightly woven story of suspense and danger played out in the steamy underbelly of Mexico—where winning means you live.
Lisa Brackmann has worked as a motion picture executive and an issues researcher in a presidential campaign. A southern California native, she currently lives in Venice California, with her three cats. Her critically acclaimed debut novel Rock Paper Tiger, was an Amazon best book of 2010.
You can find Lisa: Website, Twitter, Facebook
