The Recognition Run

Jeanine is on the run from someone very powerful. She doesn't know who wants her dead, or why. She only knows they have already killed her family, and if they catch her, she's next. Drake's family was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, he drifts from spaceport to spaceport, searching for cargo and running from the grief he can never escape. When Jeanine barrels into Drake's life, he must push aside his grief and run with her. But time is not their ally. When they cannot run from their enemies, Jeanine's and Drake's only hope is to run toward those enemies. Their only hope is to make The Recognition Run. Struck from the template of classic space opera, this tale of intergalactic adventure hits all of the right notes. It has a likable hero and heroine, nasty villains, a plot full of intrigue and unforeseeable surprises, and a colorfully rendered outer-space backdrop against which its well-paced events unfold. Vogel's prose is perfectly suited to the story he has to tell--one in which he must give voice to a score of different characters and move quickly from moments of quiet intimacy to scenes of brisk and frenetic action. His simple, direct storytelling style gets the job done. The novel is a digest of familiar space opera tropes--but this is not a bad thing. The best stories of this type always recycle tried-and-true themes and characters--and Vogel shows that in doing so he can keep his tale lively and entertaining. Vogel's characters are mostly types, but they also have nuance and distinct personalities. Jeanine, Drake, and even the evil Olivia are lively and engaging characters that will appeal to readers. - Publishers Weekly