Desperate Highway [Paperback]

Jesse Stretch (Author), Jeff Andrews (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2009

Jeff Andrews didn't just scam people; he ripped them off for everything they were worth. He took their homes, cars, planes, boats, even their girlfriends, and spent the money on booze, guns, coke, and limousines. He was the epitome of the American Badass, a hardened fugitive with a high threshold for pain and steady hands under pressure. From San Francisco to Acapulco, from Kenya to New York City, the only aspect of this enigmatic villain's true story more shocking than the crimes he committed are the unexpected relationships that uncover his true identity, bringing his recklessly glamorous lifestyle to a shattering halt. "Amazing how much one can get away with, just using balls-out determination and serious nerve. Quite scary, actually!" -Robin Williams - Dallas, Texas "Desperate Highway will both entertain and break your heart, all the way up to the unexpected ending." -Eric Bowling - Richmond, Virginia "After a while I felt like I was in the story... it's like a movie without the picture. Jesse Stretch is destined to be one of the best writers in the years to come. I couldn't wait until the next chapter, I was completely captured. I forgot about everything else..." -Paul Armstrong - Los Gatos, California "Desperate Highway was a life changing experience for me. The manner in which the book was written was spectacular. As the main character (pick a name) was taking his journey through life, I felt myself rooting for him to take a different path and stop running."-Jim Bonello - Tampa, Florida "Extremely enticing story, well-written, suspenseful." - Martha Johnson - Seattle, Washington

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

“Desperate Highway may leave readers in disbelief. The audacity of a life lived on the criminal edge of society might boggle the mind of those readers who live the nine-to-five life, treasure their families, and pay their taxes. And the power of spiritual transformation—that such a person could be redeemed to live a moral life—must be regarded as miraculous.

While this book is labeled a memoir, it is actually memories from one man’s life recorded by a professional author. The life examined is that of Jeff Andrews, but the story begins by chronicling the adventures of a college student named Jack Alexander—unwilling to study, prone to indulgence. Alexander marries a coed with a trust fund, quits college, and moves to California. He could live off his wife’s income, but he chooses to work in retail. His journey down the “desperate highway” begins after he joins in the shady dealings of a fellow employee. “Greg was right. I need to make my own money,” Stretch writes. “I couldn’t live off a woman. It wasn’t my way. I told him to keep me posted and I’d think about how I’d get those hippies in second gear.”

This first scheme may have been unethical but not illegal; Alexander/Andrews intended to sell hippie-manufactured bean bag chairs to his employer through a shell company. But as the journey progresses, Alexander’s exploits grow bolder and more criminal, and propel him from coast-to-coast. In Hawaii he meets the woman who will eventually become his second wife, and more importantly, a link to the Colombian drug cartels.

And so it goes for two decades: schemes, dope peddling, Houston, Denver, Florida, Virginia, drugs and drink, con games, check kiting and sad women left to fend for themselves. Andrews (under aliases and stolen identities) leaves a trail of crimes interrupted by a series of incarcerations.

…This exciting chronicle of Andrews’ criminal career reads like a novel…Crime novel fanciers will be fascinated by this real-life Elmore Leonard bad guy.

…Desperate Highway is tale of bravado sailing on a river of despair…[The book] provides interesting insight into the netherworld most people only read about, and a glimpse at spiritual redemption as Andrews struggles to live a productive and useful life.”

        - ForeWord Clarion Reviews

About the Author

JESSE STRETCH, the author of Desperate Highway, is a writer from Richmond, Virginia. He is an avid seeker of new and exciting fiction and non-fiction projects. He is currently working on a novel and has partnered with the President of Virginia Blood Services to write a non-fiction book, the title of which is still in the works. He looks forward to continuing a diversified career that will span all genres of writing. For more information about his works, or to contact Jesse Stretch, visit one of these websites: www.JesseStretch.com www.DesperateHighway.com Sell on Amazon.com:

Product Details

• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing; 1st edition (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439223947
• ISBN-13: 978-1439223949
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #513,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK ROCKS!!!!!!!!!, May 10, 2009

By 

Thor_God_of_Thunder (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Desperate Highway (Paperback)

Desperate Highway
This book is an amazing true story of a man that didn't believe in anything or anyone. He lived his life in a manner that became challenging just to get through the day without the prospect of being locked up or worse. God put him through the ultimate test that would easily break any normal human being. This man is a true inspiration to anyone that is facing tough times; whether it be incarceration or otherwise. Props to the author, Jesse Stretch. Awesome read! Should be made into a movie!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Desperate Highway, July 9, 2009

By 

L. Brandau - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Desperate Highway (Paperback)

Desperate Highway
by Jesse Stretch

From the book: Jeff Andrews didn't just scam people; he ripped them off for everything they were worth. He took their homes, cars, planes, boats, even their girlfriends, and spent the money on booze, guns, coke, and limousines.

My Review:

Jeff Andrews was a bad guy, a crook, drug addict, thief, womanizer, and all around jerk. He stole from anyone and everyone and didn't care. He was so self-focused that he only cared about his own needs and wants. He spent time in 25 jails and correctional facilities. Desperate Highway tells the story of a young man who makes one bad decision after another until his is a full-blown habitual crook.

The book chronicles the years he spent stealing and losing whole fortunes at a time. His life of criminal behavior left him on the run and always fearing detection. He was a hopeless waste of life - until he met the one person who could change his heart and make him someone of worth. While in prison he opened a Gideon Bible, and finally heard the truth about what was important in life, and gave him the one thing he didn't have - love. Desperate Highway clearly explains that even the worst of the worst have value in God's eyes, and redemption is always in their reach.

This is an excellent book with an important message. I appreciated the appendixes in the back of the book with information on Jeff Andrews' ministries. I would have liked to know more about his transition into the ministries, but that does not take away from the importance of the book and the message. Jeff's life begins where the book ends. According to the book and his website, he is involved with prison ministries and mentoring those just out of prison. Mr. Stretch had done a nice job in capturing the important messages in this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational Thriller!, May 8, 2009

By 

Charles J. Krogman (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DESPERATE HIGHWAY (Kindle Edition)

Desperate Highway is a rare find - a unique opportunity to view the world of temptation, greed and excess - with a finish that leads you motivated to enrich your own life and that of others. It becomes a quick read - never knowing what lies ahead (or behind)in the next city. The overall experience gives anyone hope... at any stage of life...that a tremendous future is one change away. Two thumbs up.