At All Costs by John Gilstrap

Jack and Carolyn Donovan stand accused of massacring 16 people and touching off one of the country's worst environmental catastrophes. Although innocent, they have the power to bring down a top law enforcement official. With their young son Travis, they have eluded capture for 13 years and have remained at the top of the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List. Constantly moving from place to place, the strain of being on the run is finally taking its toll on the family. When they are driven from their last hiding place, the Donovons are forced to fight back--risking death to regain their lives and their freedom. Editorial Reviews From Library Journal Jake and Carolyn Donovan head the FBI's list of the Ten Most Wanted for a crime they didn't commit. For 14 years they have lived under assumed names, moving to new towns when necessary. Jake gets caught in an FBI drug bust and is released but not before his fingerprints have been taken. By the time the FBI makes the connection, Jake, Carolyn, and their son have activated their escape plan. This time they mean to prove their innocence. To do that they return to the scene of the crime, only one small step ahead of the FBI agent now on the case. Why was the investigation dropped? Who had the power to set them up? What part does the ubiquitous Mr. Wiggins play? Well read by Philip Bosco, this story is a real potboiler until the implausible conclusion. Recommended.AJoanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island, Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Providence Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the cassette edition. From Kirkus Reviews Mr. and Mrs. Middle America take it on the lam from an army of law enforcers when a routine check reveals that they're high on the Most Wanted list. Fifteen years ago, newlyweds Jake and Carolyn Donovan worked for Enviro-Kleen, a firm whose scrubbing of a gas-laden army ammunition plant touched off what came to be known throughout the nation as the Newark Incident, a catastrophe that left all 16 of their co-workers dead and hundreds of square miles of the Arkansas countryside contaminated with radioactive waste. The sole survivors, the Donovans, were promptly branded ecoterrorists responsible for the holocaust, and promoted to the top of the FBI's dance card. Only the money and help provided by the one-man Witness Protection Program run by Carolyn's uncle, ruthless Chicago developer Harry Sinclair, allowed them to escape the feds and reemerge as Jake and Carolyn Brighton. Now, as they hustle their dazed son Travis, 13, out of his school and off to the storage locker they've had stocked with food and weapons and transport and new identity papers, they insist to the boy that they never did anything wrong; every scrap of evidence against them was planted. By now, readers of Gilstrap's sizzling debut novel, Nathan's Run (1996), will have realized that he's recycled the same plot--the innocent on the run from massive, untrustworthy forces of authority--but pumped everything up (beginning by substituting an entire family for the solitary child) by making it bigger, faster, noisier, and longer. Especially longer. Before they've finally vindicated themselves--not a big surprise, since in scene after scene everybody gets shot but them--Jake and Carolyn have tracked the Newark Incident to the very highest levels of the government, and Gilstrap has ingeniously twisted his simple premise six ways from Sunday. Does for families what Nathan's Run did for preteens--puts them through endless rounds of entertainingly action-packed pursuit. (Film rights to Arnold Kopelson) -- Copyright ?1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the cassette edition. From AudioFile It's always fun to root for the good guy who might just be a bad guy. In John Gilstrap's At All Costs, there is not only one good/bad guy, but an entire family on the run from the FBI for a crime they may not have committed. Superbly fleshing out these characters is film and television veteran Philip Bosco. His energy is infectious and lends itself perfectly to the high-tension car chases and near hits-and-misses Gilstrap has written. In the end, no matter who you champion, Bosco gives listeners a real treat. R.A.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the cassette edition. Review John Gilstrap made the best-seller lists with his first novel, NATHAN'S RUN. Now he's back with AT ALL COSTS, which belongs on the same lists. Jake and Carolyn Brighton have been on the run for 14 years and on the FBI's Most Wanted list the entire time. The bureau, and the rest of America, are convinced that the Brightons shot more than a dozen of their co-workers and blew up an Army weapons storage depot containing chemical weapons - all in the name of a clean environment. They are the worst kind of eco-terrorists. Except the Brightons are innocent. Unfortunately, they have no idea who is responsible for the crime. They just know that the circumstantial evidence against them is enough to put them in prison for the rest of their natural lives. For the past few years they've lived in the small-town South. They've had a son. They've seemed safe. But a freak arrest of Jake sends them off and running again. This time they decide to go on the offensive. They must discover the real criminals or lose their lives and their son. Gilstrap, an environmental engineer, proves in this novel he's also an expert on how people talk and think. -- Houston Chronicle, July 19, 1998 --This text refers to the cassette edition. About the Author John Gilstrap is the New York Times bestselling author of Threat Warning (July, 2011), Hostage Zero, No Mercy, Nathan's Run, At All Costs, Even Steven, Scott Free and Six Minutes to Freedom. In addition, John has written four screenplays for Hollywood, adapting the works of Nelson DeMille, Norman McLean and Thomas Harris. Most recently, he has signed two movie deals for his books. He will write and co-produce the film adaptation of his book, Six Minutes to Freedom, and executive produce the film adaptation of Scott Free. A frequent speaker at literary events, John also teaches seminars on suspense writing techniques at a wide variety of venues, from local libraries to The Smithsonian Institution. Outside of his writing life, John is a renowned safety expert with extensive knowledge of explosives, hazardous materials, and fire behavior. He currently works as the director of safety for a large trade association in Washington, DC. John lives in Fairfax, VA. --This text refers to the cassette edition.