Customer Reviews

Fair game

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The story goes like this. Clare Randell, while relaxing in a park accidently makes contact with a "hitman" who has just killed his victim. She doesn't realize this and goes on her way. The "hitman" though realizes that she is too much of a risk and decides to kill her. After Clare is shot she meets Detective Mike Malchek, who is assigned to her case. Mike and Clare go on the run to escape the killer ... The rest of the story is about what they have to do to survive.

Now why I gave this story five stars. This book was published in the 1970's under the name of "A Running Duck" but was re-issued in America in 1978 as "Fair Game." I purchased the book when I was only 13 years old and absolutely loved the story. I'm even embarressed to say but this story was one of the reasons I went into Law Enforcement. Clare is a tough heroine but you can see that the stress of being hunted slowly breaks her down. Mike has his own demons to battle and the authors ability to write about his pain and obsession in not only protecting Clare but finding and killing the "Hitman" is amazing. The ending is awsome.

Try and find the book if you can. It has not been reprinted since 1978 so it's very hard to find. I had lost my original copy but was recently able to purchase another at a fair price....

This book is fantastic for the time it was written and genre - far better than most romantic suspense written today (and I agree, a crummy movie). Gosling writes with such a fresh voice, without the usual cliche of the genre - I love this book!

A crappy book that was turned into an even crappier movie. The plot is a simple damsel in distress who falls in love with her protector. A San Francisco attorney suddenly becomes the target of an international hit man for reasons she doesn't understand. While she and an ex-cop (check) are on the run in the Pacific Northwest, they eventually fall in love. There's nothing elegant or interesting about the way the romance is portrayed. The bad guy is a dull cipher. The cop is a Vietnam vet, which is awkwardly dealt with instead of artfully. It starts obviously and lumbers and lurches soddenly to its inevitable and unsatisfying end. It's still better than the movie version starring Stephen Baldwin and Cindy Crawford. Actually, much better.

This books is one of my all-time favorites. You can only find it used. It's been made into a movie twice, once with Sylvester Stallone and Brigitte Nielsen "Cobra" and once with William Baldwin and Cindy Crawford "Fair Game". Both were terrible movies that completely veered away from the book; "Cobra" doesn't even come close. I like Gosling and have read most of her books, too bad she didn't write more of them.

It it the best book that you will ever read!