BOOK REVIEW: ‘Man on the Run’ by Carl Weber

c.2017, Grand Central Publishing
$25 ($32.50 Canada)
309 pages

Catch me if you can.

You might have said that once, giggling. You may have yelled it at a game one afternoon. You said it, maybe, in a flirtatious manner on some romantic evening. Run, run, run, catch me if you can because, as in “Man on the Run” by Carl Weber, this chase may keep a man out of prison.

The night Kyle Richmond learned that his best friend, Jay Crawford, had busted out of prison was unusually memorable: Kyle and his wife were naked in their hot tub when U.S. Marshals broke in and surprised them. The Feds were sure that Jay had contacted Kyle, in search of money and a place to hide.

The Marshals had shown up at Wil Duncan’s office that afternoon, too, but they quickly learned that Wil didn’t know where Jay was. Wil was best friends with his boy, Jay, for years but that didn’t mean he was a regular visitor at the prison. Truth: he hadn’t seen Jay in ages. No, Wil had enough problems, with his job and his powerful uncle putting the pressure on him to join the “family business.”

Jay’s other best friend, Allen, wasn’t visited by the U.S. Marshals — maybe because he’d never gone to see Jay in prison. He had his hands full just keeping his beautiful wife, Cassie, happy, so instead, Allen anonymously put money in Jay’s commissary fund and sent him gifts, but his name was not tied to the criminal Jay Crawford.

It was quite a surprise that Jay showed up on Allen’s doorstep, looking for help.

Ten years ago, Jay Crawford was accused of raping a woman, but she’d set him up. He was innocent and because of that, he wasn’t about to take the rap for anything, even if it meant parole — and so, he escaped from prison instead. He figured he could count on his three best friends to help a guy out.

He never figured that his friends would be the ones who’d need help…

Confession time: I’d stopped reading author Carl Weber’s novels a few books ago. I was getting tired of all the women beautiful and all the men criminal. Same-same-same, and it was no fun. But with “Man on the Run,” I’m glad I came back into the fold.

The women are still all beautiful here and the men still get into trouble, but this book arcs back into some old Weber favorites from many years past. Savvy, longtime readers will remember many hearts and laws broken, as well as a lot of hot mattresses and cold revenge. You’ll welcome all of them back as Weber takes readers again into his beloved Queens, to backstabbing boardrooms, steamy bedrooms, and businesses that are never as innocent as they seem.

Yes, it’s over the top, but this book just feels better than prior ones. Once you’ve read it and gotten over its slippery little cliffhanger, in fact, you’ll be hungry for the next installment. In the meantime, “Man on the Run” is the book to catch.