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New York Times bestselling author Elmore Leonard’s classic western tale of a wrongly convicted man willing to go to desperate measures for a chance at freedom.Wrongly convicted and imprisoned in the brutal labor camp at Five Shadows, Corey Bowen is an innocent man. The camp is run by a sadistic embezzler willing to kill to keep his scheme running. But Bowen is determined to break out or die trying. The trackers have already caught him once, dragged him back through the mesquite and rocks, and beat him near death after his last attempt. This time, he’ll have help from a lady with murder on her mind and a debt to pay back. They say that breaking out of Five Shadows is impossible, but Bowen is a different breed—and this time he will go to any extreme to escape.“Leonard has penned some of the best western fiction ever.”—USA Today
Corey Bowen, a man wrongly imprisoned in a brutal labor camp, initiates a high-stakes escape attempt to reclaim his freedom from a sadistic warden. Bowen faces the physical constraints of a harsh, unforgiving landscape and the logical threat of a camp administrator who utilizes lethal force to protect his embezzlement scheme. Having already suffered a failed escape and subsequent brutalization, Bowen must navigate the treacherous terrain while coordinating with an unlikely ally who harbors her own violent agenda. The narrative maintains a lean, focused framework that emphasizes the immediate physical dangers of the environment and the calculated risks of the breakout attempt.
Readers frequently highlight the efficiency of the prose, noting how the author strips away unnecessary exposition to focus on the immediate physical conflict. Discussion often centers on the stark, unforgiving atmosphere of the labor camp and how it serves as a catalyst for the protagonist's desperate actions. Critics often point to the author's ability to establish high stakes through sparse dialogue and precise descriptions of the environment. The balance between the character's internal resolve and the external pressures of the setting creates a consistent tension that defines the reading experience. Many readers appreciate the straightforward narrative structure that avoids melodrama in favor of gritty, realistic survival elements.
Page Count:
288
Publication Date:
2019-01-29
Publisher:
Mariner Books
ISBN-10:
0060013486
ISBN-13:
9780060013486
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