Running is a tightly-plotted, fast-paced thriller/political suspense novel with believable and interesting characters. Dave Milbrandt obviously knows his way around the political scene, journalism and police procedure; he handled all of those aspects skillfully, without distracting the reader with extraneous details.

Jim Mitchell, the hero of the story, is a complex man. He’s a new Christian, with a new wife and a baby on the way, when he’s thrust into an unexpected and unwanted legislative role. He’s an admirable man, too, with good intentions and a commitment to his new moral code.

I liked the way the author brought in one reality: especially in politics, one’s past mistakes and actions are always brought to light and can have serious consequences. He didn’t sugar-coat that or have an instant resolution to the problem.

I haven’t read the previous books in this series, but I was able to figure out what had happened and enjoy this one as a standalone novel. The dialog was sometimes a little long, but the action was fast. It moved along quickly, never getting dull. It was a suspenseful book, not romantic suspense, with various threads that tied up at the end – not in a tidy bow, but in a satisfactory knot, leaving the reader looking forward to the next book in the series.

BTW – At first, I thought the title was a misnomer, since the hero of this book doesn’t actually do any running. He stays in place and fights! Then I realized (days later) that it probably refers to the fact that he’s running for office. Very clever, Dave Milbrandt!

About the Book

Book Title: Running

Author: Dave Milbrandt

Genre: Christian Suspense

Release date: May 1, 2018

An assassin’s bullet sends Jim Mitchell running. When he’ll stop is anybody’s guess.

A tragedy propels Jim into a vacant state assembly seat. The new lawmaker and his wife have a baby on the way, but that doesn’t stop the people trying to keep him from a job he never wanted in the first place. Then Jim gets involved in a plan to thwart a major terror attack that could either make him a hero or get him killed.

Political intrigue and high drama accent this tale of what it costs to find one’s purpose, and what the rewards can be when you do.

Running is the third book in the Jim Mitchell series. Previous titles include Chasing Deception and Undue Pressure.

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

The author of Chasing Deception and Undue Pressure, Dave Milbrandt fell in love with writing in junior high and has been a storyteller ever since. A former staff writer for a daily newspap er, the Southern California native spent five years in journalism and public relations before becoming a teacher. Having worked at several area colleges, Dave has taught high school English and Social Studies classes since 2005 and fills his evenings sharing a passion for politics with his community college students. Dave and his wife, Lynn, have been married since 1997.

Guest Post from Dave Milbrandt

In 1998, I feverishly pounded out the first draft of Chasing Deception (book one in the Jim Mitchell series) in five weeks. Full of ambition, but bereft of wisdom of how the publishing world works, I assumed my novel would be published in short order. Despite my overly abundant self-assurance, I had to wait until 2013 to get that story out. I was in a hurry, but God, as usual, had other plans.

Over the last 20 years, I have discovered the gift of patience and more about the craft of good writing than I ever could have expected during that summer half a lifetime ago. With Undue Pressure (2016) and Running (2018), I have completed the trilogy I never planned to write and hopefully given readers some characters that will stick with them after they reach the end of the story.