Run

by Douglas E. Winter

Knopf, 288 pp., $24

Another entry into the literary canon of brazenly foolish titles, Run dares the reader to do just that. Douglas E. Winter’s debut novel wastes 100 pages with a tedious buildup to an illegal arms exchange, then shifts gears with a briskly plotted buddy story. Written in a stylish, stream-of-consciousness manner, Run deposits Burdon Lane, the crook with a heart of gold, into a violent heist gone wrong that pits him against everyone under the sun, from politicians to thugs to religious leaders. Winter weaves themes of power and corruption into the narrative with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, never allowing his characters or plot to take a breath. His protagonist comes up with some real zingers, such as “two plus two doesn’t always mean four,” “trouble is something you just never need,” and — my personal favorite — “in a room full of crazy men and guns, money, and drugs, there aren’t many options.” Fans of fast-paced crime capers, dig in. Others should consider the title an admonition.

This article appears in March 24 • 2000.

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