Escaping Reality
Geoff Nelder’s Escaping Reality opens with the main character, Ricketts, finding himself in a truly precarious situation. When a professional musician is charged with theft and manslaughter, the next stop isn’t his usual booking at a local nightclub, it’s a place called Stonelodge Prison. Unlucky Ricketts is given a choice—patiently await the outcome of a slow moving appeal, or take matters into his own inexperienced hands. From the title alone, any reasonable person can guess which option the character opts to select. In hopes of finding adequate evidence to prove his innocence, Ricketts trades fear for hopes of clearing his name and embarks upon an action-packed journey that proves to be much more than he may have bargained for.
Although Ricketts illustrates that his fair logic begins to dip and waiver, he manages to concoct various ambitious plans to escape his most recent reality as a convict. A sexy siren named Wendy proves to be his enabler to move forward toward his chosen path of escape—a bridge to assist him making his first major move, and many other that soon follow. Although trouble finds the man on the run at mostly every turn, occasional sizzling sex scenes lighten his troubling load, while also feeding his carnal desires. From camping excursions and bike rides, to living in an abandoned home, and hiding out on a houseboat, the plot continues to advance with many more adventurous activities. Staying committed to fighting his personal fight, Ricketts manages to secure a job, map out routes, and dodges a close call with Asian exotics. The man on the run proves there is no rest for a weary, wanted man. His stamina, nerve, and ability to progress as far as he does without being captured sometimes proves to be on the edge of unimaginable, but these items simultaneously allow for resolution to build to a boiling point, in the last third portion of the book.
The author allows Ricketts to encounter a character named Grootebroek, who coyly parts with many pieces to the puzzle. The thing is, when they begin to assemble during a discrete meeting, Ricketts hits a brick wall in his “detective act.” A sudden twist complicates a long journey and causes it to become a bit longer. At this point, the man in the spotlight is forced to explain some of his behavior to Sergeant Cuyphoven and Detective Hals, of the Amsterdam Police. The pressure the pair adds to an already intense situation that will either ultimately lead Ricketts to earn his freedom, or accept that his ship has sunken for good, only with a host of added criminal charges.
Nestled in between of the pages of Mr. Nelder’s novel, all of the answers await those who enjoy original reads speckled with mystery, complex hypothetical situations, and mind-boggling riddles. The author obviously took great care in inserting international destinations that can appeal to readers who enjoy details of this nature. Indulge in this journey if you dare to escape reality. Then and only then will you find out if becoming a man on the run proved to be worth all of one man’s very ambitious efforts.
Reviewed By: Andrea Blackstone, Black Butterfly Review