Elusive

I have always wanted to travel to Italy and the cover was the perfect invitation for armchair travel and for this mystery lover the intrigue of the captivating one-word title and series name was irresistible.

I can't imagine sharing a house with an ex-husband but for Zoe Hunter and her ex-Jack Andrews, it seemed to suit both of their needs. At least it did until 2 officers from the Texas Highway Patrol showed up on her doorstep one evening to tell her that her husband is missing after his car was abandoned, clothes and a dress shoe were found in the creek where water was moving swiftly, and a witness saw a man struggling in the water downstream. The late-night visit from officers without hope in their eyes, voices, or expressions begins show more the tale of suspense, mystery, travel from Dallas to Las Vegas to Italy, and more questions than answers of the ex Zoe thought she knew.

I loved it! After taking a peek at the author's website as this novel was my 1st introduction to her writing, I learned that she writes all of my favorite types of mysteries: cozy, travel, and historical. I can't wait to explore all of her books but I know I'll continue reading this series as how can I resist the title of Book 2, "Secretive."

After reading the novel, I'd also recommend following Sara Rosett on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/srosett/elusive-on-the-run-1/ to delight in the pictures that inspired her as well as some photos from her travel to Naples and Venice. show less

Zoe is my kind of girl! She dreams of traveling the world, hates to do mundane things and worries about making ends meet! I can relate.

Zoe is living in a house with her ex-husband and working as a proof-reader, dog walker and just about anything else that will help her pay the bills but doesn’t involve a 9-5 office job. She has a best friend who mothers her and a mother who dreams of making it big on reality tv. Nothing seems very out of the ordinary until her ex-husband turns up missing and his business partner turns up dead. When a reporter tips her off that the police are about to bring a search warrant to her house, she decides it’s time to hit the road and her adventures begin.

Zoe is a fun heroine, smart and capable. Her show more adventures are entertaining and the plot keeps you interested in what will happen next. I already have Zoe’s next adventure Secretive on my Kindle. Looking forward to what she gets herself into next!

I received this book from Netgalley and appreciated the opportunity to read and review it. show less

Elusive by Sara Rosett is the first book in the "On the Run" series.

Starting out in Dallas, Texas, we meet Zoe Hunter- a fiery, red-head (aren't they always) who spends most of her time trying to support herself. She does a lot of odd-jobs, such as dog walking, but her main sources of income come from books she copy-edits for an independent travel company and office spaces her aunt gave her as early inheritance. Her aunt promised they would be a great investment. She rents out two of the offices.

One of those offices is rented by her ex-husband and his company (GRA- Green Recyclable Services). It's a company he started and co-owns with Connor (a man with great disdain for any digital technology). They have a secretary named Sandra and show more that's it. Three employees. Jack handles all the computer work (because of Connor's aversion) except the accounts, which Connor handles. Together, the three of them manage to scrape by and the company's stocks seem to be increasing in value surprisingly quickly.

Zoe and Jack may be ex-spouses, but they still share the house. Not because they want to, but because they can't afford to sell it or get their own places. So they have a very delicate set-up designed to give them their own spaces and keep them apart. Zoe has the entire downstairs, while Jack gets the upstairs. Jack uses the front door, Zoe uses the back. This ensures they never meet. Jack doesn't even use the kitchen, he has a hot plate and mini-fridge upstairs that is apparently all he requires.

Returning to his office after lunch one day, Jack finds something amiss. Sandra is out at the orthodontist and has been given the rest of the day off, but Connor should be there. He should be able to hear him from his own office. And someone has used his computer. As he stares at the screensaver and blinks the screen into life, he finds his bank account on the monitor. All of his company shares are sold, including ones he didn't own. There is now twelve million dollars in shares. Much more than they had. Opening his drawer he finds his gun, that he leaves at home, in the attic.

Later, Zoe gets a visit from the police. They found Jack's car at the side of a bridge. Someone reported seeing a man getting swept away down the river. The story goes that Jack tried to seek cover under the bridge from the tornado that passed by earlier in the day. He must have slipped on the bank and fallen into the fast-moving water below. The police aren't hopeful.

Zoe is in a daze. She doesn't know how to feel. Going to his office to let Sandra and Connor know that Jack's missing, she instead finds it empty. There's an odd smell coming from the office and she follows it to Connor's door. Inside she finds Connor, a bullet hole through his forehead.

Now the FBI are involved. What started out as a search for a missing man has turned into a hunt for a fugitive. But Zoe can't believe that. Jack is not the type to cook the books then kill a man for the money and go AWOL. But now the FBI are very interested in her. She's the closest person to Jack. The only family he has is a cousin in Vegas. Zoe is his next of kin, which of course puts her in prime suspect position.

Realising that situation is quickly going from back to worse, Zoe thinks it's best to contact his cousin, Eddie. She goes upstairs to find his computer and locate Eddie's details. But calling the number, she finds two shocks in store. One, Eddie is a woman and two, she claims she doesn't know Jack then hangs up. Trying to call back she gets put through to voicemail. Irritated she accidentally knocks over his lamp and finds rolls of money hidden inside the base. Determined to find out more, she thoroughly checks the house and comes up with more money and two passports, one for a woman named Irena and the second for a Brian Kenneth McGee- who's photo is that of her ex-husband's.

Confused and afraid that the police will use this against her, she tries to make a decision. But when she finds the police coming back with a warrant, she chooses to run. Grabbing a few essentials, she decides on Vegas. If Eddie won't take her calls, she'll just have to go to her in person. Right now, she's the only lead Zoe's got.

With one partner dead and the other missing under suspicious circumstances - along with millions of dollars-the question of fraud and murder are only shadowed by one question- Where is Jack Andrews? Or for Zoe- Who is Jack Andrews? Discovering the answer will take her on a roller-coaster journey through Dallas, Vegas, Rome, Naples and Venice. Well, she's always wanted to see Italy.

The characters were typical of this genre. You have the bad guys, the good guys and the normals. Within the groups, you have the 'good guy who's not used to bad', the 'bad guy pretending to be good', the 'really bad guy', 'the betrayer', all the usual suspect that make this genre so formulaically enjoyable to read. I would put this story between cozy mystery and thriller. There are darker elements, but for the most part I would say it's more of a light-hearted read.

The ending was strong. It resolves on, literally, the last line and is most definitely an incentive to check out the next book. I was enthralled by the story. Those who are familiar with me will know I can't resist a good mystery- whether it be cozy or dark. I will be checking out the next part of the story and thoroughly recommend this book for anyone who likes a good whodunit, with a little humour and romance thrown in.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own. show less

I like Sara Rosett’s “High Society Lady Detective” series but this is the first one of her “On the Run” series and I thought it was overly complicated and just too many twists and turns.

When the police arrive and tell Zoe that they’ve found her ex-husband’s car flooded under an overpass and believe he’s drowned, she doesn’t believe it. She starts snooping (obviously the start of a P.I. career) and learns that his business partner has been murdered. Lots of strange stuff going on and she’s the prime suspect and her snooping leads her to Las Vegas and the Bellagio Hotel and it’s on and on. Not in a hurry to continue in this series (although the cover of London on number 2 has some interest).

Zoe is an energetic, thrifty copywriter. Jack is her bland, quiet ex-husband. They live in the same house to save money. Sounds rather ordinary doesn’t it? … Wrong answer!
On a normal, quiet day Zoe answers a knock on her door and her world tumbles into murder, mayhem, and craziness! The police tell her that Jack is missing and presumed dead. When she goes to his office to share the bad news with Conner, his business partner, she finds him murdered. The police quickly decide that Jack killed his partner and think Zoe knows much more than she admits.
Desperate for answers, she searches Jack’s part of their house and is shocked to find a hidden stash of money and a passport with his picture but a different name! Her life spinning out show more of control, she escapes to Las Vegas looking for answers from Jacks’ mysterious cousin Eddie. Instead, she comes face-to-face with a disguised, haggard Jack. It turns out that Jack was a spy before they met and he thinks someone from his past is after him! Zoe and Jack team up to find out who framed him and is now trying to kill them.
Elusive is a wonderful, witty story with lots of twists and a perfect ending. I’m really looking forward to reading the next chapter in the crazy world of Zoe and Jack! show less

Zoe has always been a free spirit, preferring to take chances instead of always doing the safe thing. Thanks to her aunt though, she has always valued owning property. Its one of the only long term responsibilities she has. When Zoe and her husband Jack divorced, the housing market was at its lowest point in years. Instead of losing money by selling the house they shared, they instead both still live in it, Jack has the upstairs and the front door and Zoe has the main floor and the back door. Its not ideal, but they've worked hard at ignoring each other and have so far made it work. It helps that Jack is sooo very predictable, down to what time he showers after his mid day run.
Zoe spends her time doing copy editing from her house as show more well as a variety of odd jobs to make ends meet. She is so not the 9 to 5 kind of gal even though it would surely help her out of her financial problems. She'd rather walk the neighbor's dog than clock in and out of the county office where her good friend Helen works.
Jack is partners in a small start up business GNR, Green Recyclable Services, with Connor, a man that Zoe can't stand. Connor takes care of all the accounts and lately things have been moving fast. GNR is on the fast track to becoming one of the fastest growing new companies, with very impressive increases in their market value.
Jack walks into his office and the first thing he notes is a banking error...not just a small error but a millions of dollars error. And to make matters even worse, his gun, the gun that no one, not even Zoe, knows about is sitting on his paperwork. He realizes suddenly just how quiet the office is and goes to check things out....
Zoe is shocked and upset when the local police show up at her door looking for Jack, or any information she may have about him. They think he fell in a river during a storm and was swept away. As the police are looking for his body, Zoe goes to GNR to let Connor know what is going on.
Suddenly, everything that Zoe thinks she knows has been swept away. Left reeling, she takes off on what will turn out to be the ride of her life.
An entertaining tale with a great storyline, good characters a touch of humor and plenty of action. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received my copy through LibraryThing Giveaway and my review was unsolicited. show less

Zoe Hunter's carefully ordered life is turned upside when her ex-husband disappears and his not-so-nice business partner is murdered, all on the same day. Everything points to her ex-husband Jack as the prime suspect in the murder, and even more upsetting, Zoe herself becomes a person of interest in the case. She begins to piece together a number of clues that all lead to one conclusion--Jack Andrews was not the man she thought he was. But is he a murdering con man? Zoe's quest to answer that question takes her from Dallas to Las Vegas and even all the way to Italy before the truth is revealed. The story kept my interest the entire time, and it kept me guessing. While parts of the story line were a bit far-fetched and the plot at times show more bounced around a little bit more than I cared for, overall, it was a great read. show less