Throwback
by Frank C. Strunk
a suspense thriller set in
the Appalachian Mountains
HarperCollins Publishers
Cole Clayfield is called a
throwback by those who know him. He's a Kentucky mountain man lost in
modern times, more comfortable alone in his isolated cabin, hunting
with his dogs, or teaching his ten-year-old granddaughter Shelby how
to understand nature and respect the earth. Since the death of his beloved
wife, though, Clayfield hasn't felt much of anything, except sorry for
himself.
When Shelby is suddenly kidnapped at gun point by a sociopath named
Darnell, all of Clayfield's tracking instincts are shocked into action.
But Shelby's other grandfather, a rich lawyer and political wheeler-dealer
named Stockton, has his own ideas. Both men are desperate to get their
granddaughter back alive, but each has very different ways of going
about it.
While Stockton uses his money and hidden influence to trace Darnell's
mad murderous scramble across three states with Shelby and Darnell's
girlfriend Hayley, Clayfield scales the rough mountain trails and walks
the mean city streets himself, trying to trap Darnell where he least
expects it. Only Clayfield is a little older than he used to be, and
Darnell is as dangerous and as sharp as they come. He never hesitates
to shoot first, and he doesn't care who gets in the way as long as he
gets out.
As the pressure surrounding Darnell mounts and the search for the trio
grows more violent and intense, Clayfield inches closer and closer to
the madman who is holding his granddaughter -- praying that it's not
too late to save her, and that Darnell pays with his life's blood for
what he's done.
In his riveting new novel, Throwback, (HarperCollins Publishers, New
York;August 1996; $20) Frank C. Strunk has set a deftly-plotted thriller
in an unconventional locale--the wild and sparsely-inhabited mountains
of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee. Himself a native of this rustic paradise,
Strunk infuses his page-turning narrative with a lifelong love and appreciation
for this untamed land and the nonconformist people who inhabit it.
Comments from reviewers
about Strunk's novel:
"There's a term used in publishing, 'breakout book.' It means a
book just that much better or more noticeable than previous ones, a
book that propels an author off the mid-lists and onto best seller lists.
Frank C. Strunk's Throwback just out from HarperCollins is that
kind of book. there's a rich layering of thought and emotion to this
book that takes it beyond the thriller genre. Its depth of passion,
its examination of relationships, its ideas about traditional values
versus contemporary ones that Strunk weaves into his story place it
about the genre. . .Throwback has been given a beautiful jacket
and printing by HarperCollins. Looks like a 'breakout' book to me. And
why not a movie? I can see Clint Eastwood playing Clayfield."
--Maureen Conlan, The Cincinnati Post
"Throwback is the best novel Frank Strunk has written so far.
. .(His book) develops into much more than simply a novel of suspense.
. .(His characters) are intensely interesting and you want to find out
what happens to them. Any novelist who does that to you is well on his
way to success."
--Ed Hirshberg, The Tampa Tribune
"(A) tightly focused crime thriller. . . Strunk knows how to
tell a story. . .(and) this is one smooth story, as clean and swift
as the cleave of a Bowie knife through mountain air."
--Publishers Weekly
How
to order the book . . .
To order a personally autographed copy of Throwback, send
a check for $22 (which includes postage and handling) to Frank Strunk,
15107 Madeira Way, Madeira Beach, FL 33708. Please include a note specifying
how you would like the author to sign your book.
Frank C. Strunk is the author of two previous crime novels, Jordon's
Wager and Jordon's Showdown, (See Book
Mart) both published by Walker and Company, New York. |
