Roadrunner: A Novel [Paperback]

Trisha R. Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 2003

Dell Fletcher is the Roadrunner, a black major-league baseball star who seems to have it all. He’s married to his college sweetheart, Leah, and they have two children and a dream home in Los Angeles. But an injury has sidelined his hot career, and prescription medication and depression are pulling him into a downward spiral, leaving Leah feeling emotionally distanced and lonely. Their fighting escalates, and one night Dell commits an act of violence that changes the course of their lives forever.

But Angel Lopez, the cop who arrests Dell, decides to take the law into his own hands. Determined to teach the famous athlete a lesson, he drives Dell to the worst part of town and tries to kick him out of the car. The men struggle and the car crashes. When Angel comes to, Dell is gone and no one knows if he’s dead or alive.

Leah is grateful when a guilt-stricken Angel offers to chase the media away from her home and help out around the house, “just until Dell comes home.” She and her family grow to trust him, and Angel falls in love with the Roadrunner’s lovely, grieving wife. Will Dell find his way home? Will Angel replace him? And what really happened that dark night the Roadrunner disappeared?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A retired major-league baseball player slips into prescription drug abuse and violence in Roadrunner, an engaging second novel by Trisha R. Thomas (Nappily Ever After). When Dell "Roadrunner" Fletcher attacks his scriptwriter wife, Leah, Officer Angel Lopez answers her call for help. Angel falls for the lovely Leah, but he is also an old Roadrunner fan. Then Dell disappears, and Angel inserts himself into the lives of Leah and her young son with suspicious speed. Thomas is a talented storyteller, and this sophomore effort packs a punch.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

When Dell Fletcher suffers a serious injury, his stellar career as an L.A. baseball player is sidelined, and his fragile marriage and family life are threatened. He'd been drifting away for some time, more consumed with his athletic achievements and the adulation of his fans than with his wife, Leah, and their two children, young Josh and teenage Kayla. Dell can't get past the injury, self-medicating his misery with painkillers, oversensitive to his family's needs and criticism. A violent altercation with Leah leads to Dell's arrest and a car accident that robs him of his memory. The arresting officer, Angel Lopez, steps in to comfort Leah and the children, insinuating himself into their domestic life, even as the confused Dell becomes the object of another woman's wayward affection. Dell and Leah struggle through the manipulations of their unwanted suitors to rescue their marriage. Fans of Thomas' first novel Nappily Ever After (2000) as well as those who like to read the work of Terry McMillan and Bebe Moore Campbell will enjoy this title. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (May 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400047919
• ISBN-13: 978-1400047918
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,110,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Trisha R. Thomas speaks to the insurmountable beauty standards set for young girls, following them into adulthood, and how it continually effects their lives as women. She's been a guest analyst on CNN's Paula Zahn and Headline News. Her sixth novel in the series,Un-Nappily In Love continues with the spirited character, Venus Johnston, who bucks the status quo and starts living for the beauty within herself, instead of what's on the outside. Her debut novel Nappily Ever After will soon be a film starring Oscar winner Halle Berry. Publisher's Weekly offers praise for her series, "...it's her wry humor that keeps this delightful series blooming."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trisha Thomas does it again, August 2, 2002

By 

Nicole McCurty (Chesapeake, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Roadrunner: A Novel (Hardcover)

After reading Nappily Ever After, Trisha Thomas immediately became one of my favorite authors. I anxiously awaited her next novel and I was not disappointed.

Roadrunner is about a professional baseball player, Dell who for a series of reasons, no longer plays ball. His downward spiral not only affects his wife Leah and their children but also ends in his disappearance. Enter Angel, a police officer who tries to get closer to Leah while she is dealing with this latest tragedy. But where is Dell and is he coming back?

Everything about this novel was on point. The storyline was very believable and well executed. I could relate to the emotions and actions of all the characters. I read this novel in one sitting; a 3 hour plane trip. I would recommend this book to all but especially fans of Trisha Thomas. Again I anxiously await the next one.

Reviewed by Nicole
APOOO BookClub

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ms. Thomas hits a homerun with Roadrunner, July 22, 2002

By 

Kanika Wade (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roadrunner: A Novel (Hardcover)

While Nappily Ever After truly displayed Trisha Thomas' promise as a writer, I eagerly anticipated Roadrunner. It was my hope that in Roadrunner that Thomas would go to the next level in her craft. After finishing Roadrunner, I can honestly tell you that not only has Thomas accomplished that, but she has truly stepped up to the levels of Terry, Eric Jerome, and E.Lynn.

Roadrunner takes us into the lives of Leah and Dell "Roadrunner" Flecther. Once a popular baseball athlete, an injury ends Dell's career, leaving him with confusion regarding his direction in life. He also experiences a growing addiction to alcohol and painkillers. His wife, Leah is a successful screenwriter and busy raising their young son Josh and their teenage daughter Kayla. In the middle of the recent changes, Dell and Leah struggle to keep their marriage together, however as the tension mounts and the fighting grows, Dell leaves and eventually disappears after Leah tells him to "get help or get out".

Shortly after Dell's disappearance, Officer Angel Lopez enters in the lives of Leah and the children, becoming their "protector" and male figure in Dell's abscene. As Angel makes his way into the family, he eventually grows fond of Leah and falls in love with her.

What keys does Angel hold in Dell's whereabouts? What really happened to Dell on the night he disappeared? Will he ever return to Leah and the children? To find out these answers you will have to read this excellent tale from Ms. Thomas.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Slow, October 22, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Roadrunner: A Novel (Hardcover)

The story just moved TOO SLOW( and boring) for me. I usually read books fast, but after 2 weeks of sruggling through this book I just went ahead and returned it to the library.