Rundown

By Rick Blechta

Toronto homicide detectives Pratt and Ellis are brought in to investigate a series of hit-and-runs. Someone seems to be trying to kill random people using stolen cars. The detectives try to find any connections between the victims that might indicate something else at work. What they discover is beyond their wildest imagining.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Oct 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781459810129

Rick Blechta

Rick Blechta brings his musician's viewpoint to the thriller genre in such novels as Shooting Straight in the Dark, When Hell Freezes Over, and The Fallen One. Cemetery of the Nameless was shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel. Rick is an active musician in Toronto.

Book preview

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CONTENTS

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

TWENTY-ONE

TWENTY-TWO

TWENTY-THREE

TWENTY-FOUR

TWENTY-FIVE

TWENTY-SIX

TWENTY-SEVEN

ONE

Staff Inspector McDonnell stuck his head out of his office. The squad room was empty except for one desk. He sighed. This was going to be very unpopular.

Pratt! I need to talk to you.

He watched the older detective’s shoulders slump. Pratt should have left a half hour ago, but he only knew one way—do the job right. He needed to finish a report, period.

Mac returned to his office and read the email again.

Pratt said from the doorway, I’m not going to like this, am I, Mac?

How do you know that?

The look on your face.

Mac knew Pratt could walk away from the job. Over the past year he’d seemed closer to finally retiring—yet he stayed on. Mac was grateful.

One thing Mac had got very right was to team Pratt with young Ellis. Under Pratt’s watchful eye, Ellis was showing signs of someday being as good as his mentor—as long as he kept himself out of trouble. Come to think of it, Pratt wasn’t good at that either.

Mac? Pratt prompted.

Sorry. Too many things on my mind.

It’s that bad?

McDonnell sighed. We’ve got another one. Sit. Please.

Pratt moved a chair forward and heaved his bulk onto it. You mean a hit-and-run ?

Mac nodded. The first had taken place in downtown Toronto two weeks earlier. A businessman had been struck and killed in a parking garage late at night. The car used had been stolen and later abandoned. Even though there was video of the crime, nothing useful had been learned from it. As a result, little progress had been made on the case. The victim had no known enemies, nothing in his life that would lead to murder.

Details? Pratt asked, taking out his flip notebook.

Mac spent about a minute running over what was known.

So pretty much the same as the last one, he concluded. Woman jogger this time, out with her dog in North Toronto. Hit from behind.

Any witnesses?

Besides the dog?

Pratt responded dryly, Dogs usually don’t make good witnesses.

Mac laughed, then grew serious. They’re not going to be happy upstairs, you know.

When are they ever?

I need you to jump on this. This new victim wasn’t killed, although she’s gravely injured. We need to find out what happened—as soon as we can.

Ellis?

I want him at the crime scene ASAP. You go to the hospital.

He’s at the movies with his wife.

So?

He’s already stood her up—twice.

Mac chuckled. He was on his third wife. Then she shouldn’t have married a cop.

Pratt got to his feet. I’ll send him a text.

Keep me in the loop.

Don’t I always?

No, you don’t, Mac said to himself after Pratt had left, and someday that’s really going to cost you.

TWO

Pratt wasn’t as upset as he’d shown Mac outwardly. His big concern actually was his partner’s wife. Ellis took his job seriously, perhaps too seriously, and left Jen alone far too often. It had actually been Pratt’s idea that the couple have a date night.

Now this. Obviously, it couldn’t wait. With reluctance he picked up his cell phone and pressed the speed-dial key for Ellis.

Ellis didn’t pick up. Maybe he’d turned off his cell phone—for once. Pratt’s message was brief.

Call me. Something’s come up.

The call was returned seventy-three seconds later. This had better be good. The movie just started.

Pratt sighed. We’ve got another hit-and-run, very much like the one two weeks ago.

Oh man…

If I could handle this alone for a few hours, I would, but I can’t be in two places at once.

Now Ellis sighed. Give me the details. I’ll make Jen understand—somehow.

Ellis headed to the accident scene. Pratt got driven to Sunnybrook Hospital.

After exiting the elevator on the surgery floor, Pratt showed his identification to a tired-looking woman at the nursing station, telling her why he’d come.

The nurse stared at the badge. Homicide? You don’t waste time, do you? The patient isn’t even dead yet.

He ignored the attempt at levity. Can you bring me up to date?

There isn’t much hope, but the surgical team is doing what it can.

When will we know the outcome?

The nurse shrugged. I’ve been here long enough to know it doesn’t look good.

Was the victim conscious?

That was greeted by a snort. She was lucky to be breathing.

Is there anyone waiting for news? Family? Husband? Boyfriend?

Husband. Darren Smith. Someone else is with him.

Where do I find them?

Waiting room. Know where it is?

The detective nodded. Please find me the moment anything changes. Okay?

He found four people in the waiting room. A couple was huddled miserably in the far corner. Closer to the door were two men. One was staring at the floor. The other was texting. They were turned away from each other.

Which of you is Darren Smith?

The one staring downward raised his hand without looking up.

May I talk to you in the hall? When the second man also rose, Pratt added, Just Smith.

Away from the door, Pratt introduced himself, saying only that he was a detective, not a homicide detective.

How much do you know about the accident your wife was involved in?

Smith rubbed his face. Only what the policeman who came to my office told me. Basically, where and when and that they’d brought Becky here.

So you were still at work?

Yes. Rebecca always arrives home ahead of me. She takes the dog for a quick run. When I get there, we have a late dinner or go out.

Does she always use the same route on her runs?

For her evening run with the dog, yes. Always the same.

"So where

Reviews for Rundown

[paradiseporch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

#3 Pratt & Ellis Toronto OntarioToronto homicide detectives Pratt and Ellis are brought in to investigate a series of hit-and-runs. Someone seems to be trying to kill random people using stolen cars. Although I thought this was okay (3.5 stars means 'you'll probably enjoy this if this is your genre') at the time, I don't remember much about it now.My apologies to the publishers for not rating this when the book was fresh in my mind. The rating was given at the time I read it. I received this through the Library Things Early Reviewers programme.

[tracycampbell-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book through a librarything Early Reviewer giveaway. It is a great quick read and really enjoyable. The characters, as well as the plot, are believable and interesting. Perfect book for a plane trip or a lunchtime at work.

[mysterymax_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was eagerly awaiting this book due to its having two detectives in Toronto. My disappointment with the book is my own fault for not investigating the publishers info, maybe that would have helped. This is not a novel. It is somewhere between a short story and a novella, most likely because it is part of the Rapid Reads series. Rapid Reads seems to be 'easy readers' for adults and older teens. I have nothing against the series, Reed Coleman writes very good stories for them.I also expected more from Rick Blechta. Writing for people who have difficulty reading doesn't mean that your writing should be empty of colour, emotion, excitement, tension, twists...all that stuff.Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with the book. It is a very straight-forward police procedural. It serves its purpose very well, and it is good enough to make a person with reading difficulties want to read more, but it is not something you would pick up otherwise.

[angel2649 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Finished this book in under two hours, and really liked the premise. The plot continued to be interesting and when the reason the murders were taking place was revealed, it wasn't some way out crazy reason. I'd like to see this book fleshed out, but for a quick read, I'd recommend it.

[hardboiled-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As a preface to my review of Run Down I think it's important to qualify it's intended audience. On their website Orca Publishing states that the Rapid Reads series (which Run Down is a part of) is intended for a diverse audience including ESL students, reluctant readers, adults who struggle with literacy or anyone who wants a high interest read. Knowing the audience makes a big difference in it's strengths and weaknesses. Overall, the plot and characters were clearly defined and easy to follow. The choice of vocabulary and plot elements were spot on for the stated audience with the exception of those identified as "anyone who wants a high interest read." Readers falling into the last category will find a lack of depth in both plot and character development. No matter the level of reader I felt the plot could use more twists and turns to amp up the "page turner" element advertised and the characters could be a bit more fleshed out to encourage more identification with them from the reader's perspective. Overall, the characters seem too flat and the plot predictable but both are challenges when you are trying to relate to such a broad spectrum of reading skills. Bottom line readers at all levels were dealt a a bit of a disservice due to over simplification. With that said, kudos to Orca Publishing and Rick Blechta for promoting reading materials targeting such a broad spectrum of reading ability because that's what it takes to cultivate reading as a life-long adventure.

[jotoyo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed reading this book, and it lives up to the imprint name "Quick Reads". But it suffered a bit from this. The characters were a bit thin and some of the action was over before it started. But if that was the intent of the book, then it succeeded. And for all that it was a pretty good mystery and I would read more by this author.

[gtippitt_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I deeply appreciate the books I receive through the Early Reviewer facility on LibraryThing and try to give them each a fair review. In the case of Mr. Blechta's novella, I cannot honestly recommend this book unless someone has absolutely nothing else to read or otherwise occupy their time. As a way to spend a few hours, it would be more engaging to watch a snowman melt on your lawn while listening to the dialog of a classic Roadrunner cartoon from a TV in another room. For those who are not familiar with these cartoons, Wiley was mute and Roadrunner’s vocabulary was limited to “Beep-beep.”The back cover suggests that the reading level of the book is for a 15 year old, but I think it would be more accurate to say that the book reflects the writing level of a 15 year old "C" student or someone for whom learning to write in English is a recent undertaking. His prose and descriptions contain grammar errors, which are easily detected by almost any automated grammar checker. He had made his first comma splice by the 3rd page. Having some grammar errors in characters' dialog is a common way to make the characters more realistic, since most people make more such mistakes in conversation than they do when writing. Mr. Blechta grammar errors were in his prose descriptions rather than dialog. I was an average student in English in high school (many centuries ago), but the mistakes in Mr. Blechta's prose were annoyingly obvious when reading the book casually. I'm from the southern US and have never been to Toronto, but I've known others who have and described the city as exceptionally interesting. I enjoy reading stories with varied settings as an opportunity to learn about other places and the people who live there. Other than a reference to PATH near the end, which he didn't explain to the readers without a prior knowledge of Toronto, the generic descriptions could have been almost city where English was spoken. Writing a good short story or novella can be harder than writing a full length novel. The difference is much like trying to prepare a flavorful and satisfying meal that is low-calorie. It takes extra work to produce a satisfying and interesting story or meal with half as many words or calories. Instead of being a complete and satisfying story, this attempt reads more like a story that was in progress and never finished. To stretch my food metaphor, this story is a glass of tap water and a plate of unwashed iceberg lettuce without any dressing or seasoning other than grit that should have been washed off.

[pennybrainerd · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Finished this book in under two hours, and really liked the premise. The plot continued to be interesting and when the reason the murders were taking place was revealed, it wasn't some way out crazy reason. I'd like to see this book fleshed out, but for a quick read, I'd recommend it.

[delan_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Title: RUN DOWN: A Pratt and Ellis MysteryAuthor: Rick BlechtaPublisher: Raven Books – Orca Book Publishers, 2016Review by Bob LaneFirst a few words about the genre. Most of us love mysteries. Why? Because when well written they provide a challenge to what Hercule Poirot calls “the little grey cells”. As well, the detective is a sort of stand in for the reader: pay attention, miss no small detail, look for connections in those details, seek information and connections, pay close attention to character development, and to themes and images.And like dogs and people detective stories come in all sorts of varieties. From a teacup-size Chihuahua to a Great Dane, there is an incredible amount of variety among dog breeds. But all breeds belong to a single species, so scientists have studied the breeds to better understand the workings of evolution, and how such great variation could have arisen within one group. The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is far more variable in size, shape and behavior than any other living mammal, but most experts now believe that all dogs, no matter how different, originated exclusively from a single species: the gray wolf (Canis lupus) of central Asia, said James Serpell, professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and editor of "The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behaviour, and Interactions With People" (Cambridge University Press, 1995). And people? No two humans—not even twins—are genetically identical. Genes and environment influence human biological variation from visible characteristics to physiology to disease susceptibly to mental abilities. Most current genetic and archaeological evidence supports a recent single origin of modern humans in East Africa, with first migrations placed about 60,000 years ago.Detective stories too exhibit both likeness and variety. They very probably had their genesis with Edgar Allen Poe. We are told, for example, that “Edgar Allan Poe was the undisputed "Father" of the Detective Story. He created so much that is of importance in the field -- literally creating the template for all of detective fiction to follow. (Years later, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was to say that Poe "was a model for all time.")” [Source]RUN DOWN too both participates in the fundamentals of the genre and is unique. Fundamentals: a deep mystery with seemingly unconnected deaths showing up across Canada; a pair of police detectives in Toronto working the case – one a seasoned veteran and the other a relative new comer; political pressures applied by police administrators and the press; victims that at first blush seem to have nothing in common; cover-ups, pay-offs from a long ago death in cottage country. Unique? Absolutely. This is a mystery that celebrates all of those ingredients mentioned above and does it in a brief, and what’s the cliché, “page turning” manner (160 pages) that will have you, like me, reading it in one sitting. Interesting and well developed characters, a serious crime, a need to solve it as quickly as possible, and a believable and satisfactory conclusion.Rick Blechta, we are told, has two passions in life: music and writing. He is the author of three novellas for Orca and eight novels. I do not know his music but his writing is good. For more information about him visit his web site.Bob Lane is professor emeritus in philosophy at Vancouver Island University and the author of Reading the Bible: Intention, Text, Interpretation.