Scott Free: A Thriller by the Author of Even Steven and Nathan's Run

I loved this book! It kept me reading and on the edge of my seat from beginning to end and I read it in one and a half days because I couldn't put it down. The suspense is exactly what the reader of Thriller/Mystery novels expects and wants. Scott is the kind of kid that parents hope their child will be/is, brave, resourceful and true to the upright standards that have been instilled in him by his father, but a little foolhardy and doesn't always make wise choices (typical teen) but does his best when his choices catapults him into disastrous situations, as happens here. He faces danger from several sides, because of one unwise choice that only a teenager would make, to fly to a rock concert with a new found friend/pilot in a raging snow storm/blizzard in Utah. This is what starts the chain of events that may cost him his life, as well as the life of loved ones. Complicating the situation for his rescue is the fact that the President of the USA is on an official visit to the small tourist town that Scott is visiting with his estranged Mother, for a skiing trip. When Scott and his parents need the help of the small police department in the town, it is a trifle hard to get because of the president's visit and Secret Service Agents demanding that the president be the first priority of the police, so Scott and his family slips to a back burner, sort of, though the police chief wants to help, and does try, the Secret Service gets in the way. Even when you think everything is o.k., that Scott is home free, this turns out not to be the case, more suspenseful moments are on the horizon in the form of a deadly showdown for Scott and his nemesis. This book is really a wonderful story and I would love to see it made into a movie. Scott's adventures in the wilderness alone would make a good movie, but add a local hit-man and the danger and suspense is off the scale! Now I have to order the other books that John Gilstrap has written, as this is my first book to read from this author, but it only took this one to hook me! I just wish they all came in Hardback, as "Scott Free" is.

I'll be honest with you. I first saw this book listed in the Book of the Month Club brochure and thought it sounded great. After reading some of the reviews here, though, I almost gave this terrific book a pass. Boy am I glad I changed my mind! Scott Free is fast-paced and scary as hell. Kept me up all night. I've always loved Gilstrap's characters. He's never let me down in the past, and he didn't let me down this time either. I loved Scott! I loved his spirit and his willingness to keep going even when he thought he didn't have the strength anymore, and I loved how he grew from the beginning of the book to the end. I guess when all is said and done it's just a matter of taste, but the people who didn't like this book just don't know good fiction when they see it.

Considering the lame title, SCOTT FREE is surprisingly good. The hook for me was the set-up. Sixteen-year-old Scott O'Toole's plane crashes in the Utah mountains in the middle of a snow storm. The pilot is dead and the plane has no radio or transponder. He must decide whether to stay put or try to walk to what looks like a cabin on a map he finds in the cabin of the plane. For a thriller, the book manages to maintain believability for the most part; but I was bothered by the scene where Scott was confronted by wolves. Wolves DO NOT attack human beings unless you invade their space. Also unusual for a thriller is Gilstrap's facility with character development. Scott O'Toole starts out as a Heavy Metal-loving teenager with little else on his mind than skiing and rock concerts; by the end of the book he has become a man. Scott's mother Sherry Carrigan O'Toole is a self-absorbed Dr. Laura Schlesinger-type, divorced from Scott's father. She has been trying to win Scott's affection by treating him to a ski trip at SkyTop resort. Scott and his father, Brandon, a rocket scientist, are referred to as Team Bachelor throughout the book, and she's jealous. When he learns his son is missing, Brandon flies to SkyTop to monitor the search. Gilstrap uses multiple perspectives: Scott; Sherry; Brandon; Barry Whitestone, the police chief in charge of the search; and Isaac DeHaven, the villain of the piece whom Scott mistakenly embraces as his salvation. I kept reading ahead to see where Scott came back into the story. Despite his blue hair, Scott is a great character. Gilstrap puts you there with him in the freezing cold with no food as he tramps through the snow toward a tiny speck on a map.

When I read something special--a novel that keeps me awake and has me guessing on one page, openly encouraging the protagonist on the next, cursing the bad guys (including one self-centered mom)--I need to share that book with others. From my point of view, John Gilstrap, author of NATHAN'S RUN, EVEN STEVEN and AT ALL COSTS, pitched a perfect game with his latest thriller, SCOTT FREE. Characters we can actually embrace because they're believable, a unique story that literally grabs you by the throat and slowly squeezes the life out of you, and a writer who appears to really care about his craft. I encourage other readers to pick up Mr. Gilstrap's suspense thriller and kick the tires. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED. A fast-paced story with political intrigue, divorce at it's ugliness, the Western wilderness and a young teenager (Scott O'Toole) who has a few neat tricks up his sleeve. What more could you or I (the reader) possible ask for? Read SCOTT FREE and you'll certainly find out.Steve BeseckerEast Aurora, NY

She is a practicing psychologist well known for her lectures, seminars and "how to" books but she wants to reconnect with her teen-age son Scott. Her ex-husband has custody of their son but Sherry Carrigan O'Toole thinks that a trip at the luxurious ski resort Sky Top Village will give them a chance to bond. One night when they were supposed to have dinner together, he skips out without telling her.He and a friend who owns a plane fly to Salt Lake City to see a rock concert but the plane crashes in bad weather and Scott is the only survivor. He's able to last in the wilderness for a few days thanks to survival skills he was taught and when he comes to a cottage inhabited by a middle aged man, he thinks his problems are over. He realizes they are just beginning when he realizes his roommate is a hitman who has a tendency to leave no witnesses to identify him.John Gilstrap has written another crime thriller starring a protagonist who is truly a hero. Even though he is a teenager, he has more daring and courage than most adults and he proves it many times over though a bit irresponsible. Scott's disappearance diffuses the war between his parents who finally reach a cease-fire after almost losing their son. SCOTT FREE is one action scene after another, as the pace never slows down for an instant.Harriet Klausner