You Can Run by Carlene Thompson. Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks, March 2009
Penny Conley is still recovering from the untimely death of her husband. But she and her five-year-old daughter, Willow, seem to be thriving in their West Virginia suburb. Penny works for esteemed archeologist Simon Van Etton, who is like family to her—even Simon’s great niece, Diana, has become one of Penny’s closest friends. So when a distraught Penny calls Diana late one night, Diana is the one who comes running. But just as Diana arrives, the house explodes…leaving Penny in a coma, though sparing Willow any harm.
As Diana and Simon try to figure out what happened—and why—two shocking discoveries are made: First, investigators find a bomb in Penny’s basement. Then, new facts about Penny’s dark past come to light. Determined to find the truth about her friend and protect Willow, Diana keeps digging for clues. But someone is following her every move—and is willing to kill to make sure that Penny’s secrets stay dead and buried…
This is a suspenseful story where no matter what, you can’t hide from your past. Penny Conley is raising her daughter Willow in West Virginia and working for archeologist Simon Van Etton, having become part of his family along with his great niece, Diana Sheridan. A distraught Penny calls Diana and when Diana approaches her house, there is an explosion; Penny is found severely burned but Willow is missing. Appearing from nowhere, Tyler Raines catches a fainting Diana and helps rescue Clarice, the next door neighbor while trying to find information on the whereabouts of Willow. Tyler convince Diana to go home and later is told Willow has been found safe and from harm. When questioned by the police, Diana discovers that she truly doesn’t know much about Penny’s past and is surprised to learn that Penny ran away from her husband with their daughter and that a bomb was the cause of the blast. As Diana is pursuing clues, the killer comes after Diana and Willow, afraid the past will come to light. This was a great read. I could not put this book down. [4 stars – really liked it]