The Trail

by Ray Anderson

Overview

Everyone hikes the Trail for a reason. Some reasons are more deadly than others.

After committing the most recent in a series of murders, Paul Leroux goes on the lam the last place the police would look for an out-of-shape chain-smoker.

Haunted by his past, Desert Storm veteran Karl Bergman leaves his wife and home behind and sets out on the Appalachian Trail in search of something missing in his life. He never dreams that his quest will force him to confront a serial killer.

When their paths collide, a tense battle of wills ensues. Will Leroux make it to Canada before the police can track him down? Can Bergman put his demons to rest and help stop him? And how many more people will die if he cannot?

Written with an eye for the details only those who have hiked the Appalachian Trail can give, The Trail combines the solitary world of trail life with the harrowing story of two men desperately trying to escape their pasts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630269821
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	10/27/2015
Series:	An Awol Thriller , #1
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Ray Anderson began hiking in New Hampshire and has climbed all the 4,000-footers in New England. He's thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, hiked all of the Pacific Crest Trail, and hiked parts of the Continental Divide Trail. When not hiking or writing, he spends his time with family and friends in Massachusetts and Florida.

Read an Excerpt

I may have intentionally killed a man. Karl Bergman was on top of Springer Mountain in Georgia staring at a rock with a bronze plaque bolted to it. The plaque depicted a map of the Appalachian Trail running through fourteen states, from Georgia to Maine. Bergman’s feelings were a mix of excitement and guilt. For the last twelve years, whenever anything positive happened to him, whenever opportunities for joy and happiness presented themselves, festering guilt would tinge the moment, and blacken his soul. He tried to push back at the guilt and remember the times in his life when he had felt the excitement of new adventure—going away to college. Joining the Army. Heading out to the Gulf War. This would be different though. He was thirty-six now and needed the challenge of the unknown in a different way than before. In a way that might cleanse him and rid him of his past mistakes. His morning had started out shaky. He’d called Linda from the motel to say “I miss you already,” but she was chilly. Yesterday morning, when she’d driven him to Logan airport, she’d stayed quiet from the moment they left her house. “I’d sure like your help with mail drops. Makes things easier.” Silence.

Editorial Reviews

"The Trail is an intense psychological cat-and-mouse thriller, written by a bright new talent who is very familiar with the military survival strategies and the unique and unforgettable setting that distinguishes this story. Well-written and well-researched, Ray Anderson’s debut novel will grab you from the disturbing opening scene and hold you in its grip to the grand payoff at the end of the trail." —Gary Braver, bestselling author of Skin Deep, Tunnel Vision
"There’s a particular darkness in the crimes of a middle aged man. Murder’s thought to be the medium of younger people with poor impulse control, bad nurture and a hormonally-induced taste for the dark side. But when a man at mid-life commits murders on the Appalachian Trail, the crimes open a window onto something aberrant. Ray Anderson captures this darkness with extraordinary skill. He’s in total control of his prose, characters and a story that manifests the most disturbing crisis of all—that humans can do these things, and we the readers, are human too." —Mike Hogan, author of The Burial of the Dead
"This book has more twists and turns than the Appalachian Trail itself...a compelling, atmospheric thriller...Anderson captures the imagery and emotion of the renowned trail like no one else..." —Brett Ellen Block, author of The Lightning Rule, Destination Known, and The Grave of God's Daughter
"The Trail perfectly captures the essence of the backpacker's lifestyle and the natural beauty of the outdoors stands in stark contrast with the violent events that unfold." —Michelle Ray, author of How to Hike the A.T.

From the Publisher