I’m a big fan of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, and Run Rabbit Run was very much like a British version. Sophie’s car even got blown up!

Sophie is a retired MI5 agent, now working in a book store at the airport. But when an MI5 officer is murdered, with Sophie’s gun and her prints all over the crime scene, she knows she’s been framed and goes on the run to clear her name. Leaving her MI6 boyfriend behind. On the run she also meets bounty hunter Jack, who coincidentally is also the brother of an ex-colleague who has been framed for a similar murder. Reluctantly they team up to try and find the killer.

This is the fifth book in the series and I haven’t read any of the others, so I picked it up and read it as a stand-alone novel. While there were references to previous events, I did for example kind of wish I’d seen Sophie and Luke get together, but other than that I didn’t feel like I wished I’d read the other books first.

Sophie is a whole whirlwind of crazy! She’s fun and gutsy, I liked her, but I also found her quite selfish too. There was moment when she goes to stay with her friend’s nine year old daughter to hideout and was surprised when he got cross with her. This is just a snapshot of how she does not consider the implications of her actions beyond her own needs.

“I just had a call from my daughter. Seems you paid her a little visit. While you’re on the run from the law and, I expect, from someone who’s trying to kill you. [...] I hope they fucking well catch you. I can’t believe you’d endanger Rachel like that.”

 Hmm, yes, well said. Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely liked Sophie she was funny, and sweet and kind, but she did also irritate me.

 I really loved the relationship between Luke and Sophie even though there were only a few scenes really that they were together for, Luke’s love and affection in particular was lovely. It didn’t hurt matters that Luke was high up on the hotness richter scale

The narrative flips between Sophie and Luke’s stories with Sophie’s story being in first person and Luke’s third. I’ve seen this style used more regularly recently, but I do find the switch in point of views a little jarring until you get into the swing of things. The story regularly changes mid chapter and the only thing you will have to let you know it’s changed is the change in point of view. As a writing style, it’s not one of my favourites.

The plot seemed to move around a lot. Sophie was in Europe, now London, now America, oh yes and London again and America again. It all was quite madcap! Oh and she’s with Jack, she’s not with Jack, she’s with Jack.. you get the idea. I think that some of this could have been condensed a little.

The story is as crazy as Sophie with kidnapping, murder, guns, explosions, robbery and more fake passports than you can shake a stick at. It’s the kind of story where you have to keep all the events straight in your head or you may just get a little bit lost. But it was a hoot, I didn’t have a clue who the killer was right until the end, just as it should be.

I’ve seen other reviewers comment that this this book would make a great movie and I totally agree. It definitely has a cinematic quality to it. More Bridget Jones than Bond though! The ending was as explosive as the book, there was one point when I didn’t really have a clue how it was going to pull together. But it also did leave a slightly sour taste in my mouth due to a rather large white, well more like smoking dark charcoal grey, lie Sophie told at the end.

 VERDICT:

I enjoyed Run Rabbit Run and it was nice to pick up something slightly different from my usual supernatural, urban fantasy fare. It was fun and funny, a complete whirlwind of a story, even if Sophie did drive me a little bit mad. She’s more of a chick-lit heroine, than kick-ass one, like I’m used to reading. But I definitely enjoyed this and could see myself going back to read the book where Sophie and Luke actually got together.

RATING: 

KATE JOHNSON ONLINE
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BOOKS IN SERIES ORDER

1. I, Spy
2. Ugley Business
3. ‘A’ is for Apple
4. Still Waters
5. Run Rabbit Run

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