Escape To Redemption by Peter M. Parr
Publisher: Roundfire Books (June 24, 2016)
Category: Mystery/Thriller, Crime, Some Metaphysical
Tour Dates: August/September, 2016
ISBN: 978-1785352270
ASIN: B01G2M4LYA
Available in: Print & ebook, 280Pages
“She can hide from the police, but not from her guilt.”
Josie only had the gun to frighten Curtis Rook, but his son disturbed her. One startled reflex and now he’s dead. Josie flees to Poland leaving her boyfriend Snaz to take the rap. A reformed criminal offers her refuge from the police and the chance to begin a new life, but she cannot hide from her guilt. As the stakes rise, Josie begins to realize that only her own forgiveness can set her free.
Fast-paced and original, Peter M. Parr’s contemporary take on Crime and Punishment challenges traditional ideas about guilt and redemption, and the meaning of forgiveness.
Praise for Escape To Redemption by Peter M. Parr
“…Parr’s superb understanding of the way human beings justify their sins (especially to themselves) make Josie and Snaz utterly convincing and compelling. An engrossing, realistic morality tale.” –Kirkus Reviews
“Gripped from the start, I found Escape To Redemption a real page turner. Peter Parr knows how to create believable modern day characters and conflicts, and never lets up on the tension. This is a book that will appeal to young and old, male and female.” –Mel Menzies, bestselling author, Time to Shine
“What happens when flawed but essentially decent people do something that will haunt them for the rest of their lives? Escape to Redemption is a powerful and insightful story of guilt and forgiveness. Peter Parr has a talent for suspense.- Mike Brooks, author of The Machine Society
“Let me state, very simply, that I loved this book… It is a highly addictive, unique story which raises questions of morality, loyalty and the power of forgiveness. From the outset, you’re thrown into a nail-biting scene. With twists in the most unexpected of places, I had to remind myself to breathe. … “- Sarah Ryan, Cultured Vultures
About Peter M. Parr
Peter M. Parr works part-time as a civil servant, which gives him time to indulge his passion for writing. He facilitates workshops to encourage people to reflect on what truly matters. He lives in Hastings, England, overlooking the sea. Escape to Redemption is his first novel.
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EXCERPT FROM ESCAPE TO REDEMPTION
Josie runs out to the road. The street is spinning and with each step her knees feel like they’ll give way. She reaches the BMW. Freezes. Snaz has the key and he’s still inside the house.
A light goes on in an upstairs window. A neighbour might have heard. Josie’s hand trembles as she crouches by the car, trying to steady herself on the ground. She’s wearing black, but someone might see her face, her hair. She tries the car door, forgetting it’s locked. All she can do is wait for Snaz, but there’s nowhere for her to hide.
She can’t go back to the house for him. When she ran from the living room, Rook was on his knees, crouched beside the young man. ‘He’s dead. You’ve killed my boy.’ And everywhere there’s blood. The moment she fired reverberates in her mind.
She hears a clattering sound – a can rolling on the pavement – and, in the shadows, makes out someone coming. She stiffens upright, her brain says run, but panic keeps her rooted to the ground. This pure fear she’s known once before.
It’s too late, the man’s seen her. His dog strains at its leash and jumps at her, makes her stumble against the car. ‘He won’t hurt you,’ the man says. ‘Don’t be frightened. He’s a big softy like me.’ He’s smiling. His face is orange. They’re standing under a light.
Josie raises her hand to hide her face, but he’s already seen her. ‘Nice motor,’ he says as the foul-smelling beast climbs her legs. She tries to push it off her and fumbles in her bag, pretending to search for the key.
‘Come on, boy.’ The man yanks his dog’s lead. ‘The pretty lass doesn’t want to talk to us.’ At last he’s going, still watching her over his shoulder. She’s clutching her phone, but there’s no one she can ring for help. And her boyfriend is still in there with Rook. He should have followed her. Why is he still in the house?
A new dread engulfs her. Rook saw her shoot his son. He’s going to go to the police. To stop him, she approaches the house again, scared even more than the first time and wishing she still has the gun. Her steps become shorter, more hesitant, on the gravel path that splits his weed-ravaged lawn.
Rook’s front door is wide open. Did she leave it like that? Paralysed, Josie stands outside the porch, too frightened to go further, but unable to turn back. The police might already be coming. Or what if…? The thought sends cold lightning through her body. When she dropped the gun, did Snaz pick it up or did Rook get to it first? She peers into the hall and calls to Snaz, but her voice is a whisper, she barely hears herself. And then comes the shot – like a firecracker exploding inside her head. Snaz is tearing towards her and before she can think or move he seizes her arm and they’re running, she’s too scared to check if they’re being chased. He aims the key at the car, but the locks don’t release. Again he presses it – she wants to grab the key from him and try it herself – until at last, the click. She heaves the door open, crashes into the passenger seat and the car’s already moving as she pulls the door shut. At the street corner by the pillar-box is the man with the orange face. He’s seen her. He knows.
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