The Escape Artist [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Diane Chamberlain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

Romantic SuspenseLarge Print EditionA moving tale of parental love and desperation. Library JournalA custody suit filed by her attorney ex-husband throws Susanna Millers life into chaos. Defying a court order to turn 11-month-old Tyler over to his father, Susanna flees. She changes her name, dyes her hair, and leaves Boulder, Colorado without a word to anyone not even her best friend Linc Sebastian. Two thousand miles from home, she seeks anonymity in Annapolis, Maryland. And as she tries to forget her past, Susanna discovers that starting a new life is more dangerous than shed ever imagined and that the unpredictable has an alarming way of insinuating itself into a life . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The one man who understands Susanna Miller says she is always running away from her troubles. True to form, she flees with her young son after losing custody to her lawyer ex-husband. It's easy to sympathize with the naive protagonist of Chamberlain's (Brass Ring, LJ 10/1/94) eighth novel. After relocating and re-creating her life as Kim Stratton, Susanna stumbles onto a serial bomber's plan for revenge. She must stop the murders without jeopardizing her new life while finding a way to face her problems head-on. Chamberlain tells a moving tale of parental love and desperation while throwing in plot twists and intrigue. Enjoyable, if a bit unbelievable, this is recommended for general collections.?Shannon Williams Haddock, BellSouth Corporate Lib., Birmingham, Ala.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

When Susanna Miller loses custody of 11-month-old Tyler to her ex-husband, Jim, and his new wife, Peggy, she runs away with her son, even leaving behind her lover, Linc Sebastian. Building a new life as Kimberly Stratton with son Cody in Annapolis, Maryland, is complicated by her concern about being found and by the odd file on the used computer she buys. When it's clear that the file is linked to a series of deadly local bombings, Kim--reluctant to talk to police--seeks advice from both Linc and Adam Soria, a grieving Annapolis artist who becomes more than a friend. Chamberlain skillfully weaves flashbacks with shifts in locale, vividly describing the pain of Susanna's childhood and alternating Peggy's relentless quest for her stepson with Kim's determination to keep her son. Although some turns of plot strain credulity, they do little to lessen the pleasure of this page-turner with its last-minute surprises and eminently satisfying ending. Michele Leber --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 577 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Pr; Lrg edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786210397
• ISBN-13: 978-0786210398
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,942,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey where, at the age of twelve, I wrote several dreadful novellas, read and admired only by my family. When college rolled around, I forgot about writing and received my bachelor's and master's degrees in Social Work from San Diego State University. I was a hospital social worker in San Diego, and later in Washington DC. I also had a private psychotherapy practice working mainly with teenagers. All the while, I was writing on the side. I viewed my writing as a hobby, but it quickly became a passion. I finally decided to take a class in 'writing the novel.' I was very shy about showing my work to the instructor, but when I finally did, he loved it! He encouraged me to aim for publication and I decided to go for it. A few years later, my first novel, PRIVATE RELATIONS, was published.

Since then, I've written about a book a year-eternity-one at last count. I now live in North Carolina, the beautiful state where many of my books are set and where I'm ten minutes from my grandbabies. I share my life with my soulmate, John, who's a photographer as well as my muse, and with my two shelties, Keeper and Jet.

Are you wondering what my books are about? One of my readers in Japan had this to say about my work: "You make me believe life is beautiful even if it is full of pain and rage." Her words touch me deeply. They hang on the wall above my computer and help me remember exactly what it is I'm trying to achieve in my stories. I hope you'll enjoy them.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, suspensful story!, November 29, 2001

By 

Judith E. Pavluvcik (Dreaming of the beach in Hawaii, but living in the reality of the desert in Arizona!!) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Escape Artist (Hardcover)

The Escape Artist was my third book by Chamberlain and a very quick read. I live in the Annapolis area, which made the book even more interesting to me, as Chamberlain describes the scenes downtown near the waterfront.

This is a story of a Susanna, a single mother's fight for her only child as she looses custody to her ex-husband and his new, child hungry, unable-to-bear-children wife. Unfortunately, the theme is all too relevant today in our society, with courts awarding custody not to the parent who can provide the most loving, stable, and balanced home, but instead to the parent to has the most money and can "buy" the child. I could relate to Susanna totally and could not condone her actions, nor can any other mother reading this book! The reader is able to feel her terror and fear as she formulates her plan and carries it out. Yet it is in the day-to-day activities, in which we feel Susanna's fear and her loss of Linc. Susanna sacrifices her own happiness and her chance for love for her only child.

This book was similar to the other Chamberlain books I have read, in that there were a lot of little subplots going on, each a mystery in themselves!! I thought that the characters showed depth, emotion, and portrayed a very real believable element in the plot. Chamberlain writes of very strong female characters, who seem to push out of their paradigms and prove to themselves that they are capable, despite what family and society seems to say about them.

This book will keep you guessing to the very end and the ending once again, will take the reader completely back! I love the way Chamberlain completely fools the reader at the end, when the reader thinks they have it all figured out!! It is not what it appears to be!

Another good story from Chamberlain!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I WANTED TO ESCAPE ALSO, December 6, 2002

By 

Gail Jenkins (Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Escape Artist (Mass Market Paperback)

This is another amazing story from Diane Chamberlain. This time she takes a young womans life which is turned upside and brings it right side up only turn it around and around again. The ride was great, I loved this book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not up to her normal standard, June 27, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Escape Artist (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the fourth novel by Diane Chamberlain that I have read. Although it's a decent read, it doesn't approach the standard of her earlier novels. The plot is somewhat transparent and the depth of characterization is lacking. Her effective technique of slowly unraveling a character's past is not present here. There is little we don't know about the major characters early on, except for the mad bomber plot that lacks credibility. The romantic angle is diluted from an overall lack of drama (we know where her heart lies from page one). For those new to this author, I recommend trying Fire and Rain, Reflection or Keeper of the Light instead.