What do you think?
Rate this book
Emma Caldridge #1
Running from the Devil
“A breathless, hair-raising read, one of the most gripping thrillers I’ve read in a long, long time.”—Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The KeepsakeA high-octane debut thriller in the tradition of James Rollins, Lee Child, and Daniel Silva, Running From the Devil by Jaime Freveletti starts racing on page one and never slows down for a minute until it crosses the finish line. Lee Child calls it, “Just terrific—full of thrills and tradecraft, pace and peril,� and anyone who craves the adrenaline rush of smart, exceptional thriller fiction will love Running From the Devil and its strong, compelling heroine Emma Caldwell.
368 pages, ebook
First published May 5, 2009
134 people are currently reading
993 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Freveletti
17books142followersJamie Freveletti is an internationally bestselling author of six novels, four short stories and is published in four languages. Her Emma Caldridge series of five books won an International Thriller Writers Best First Novel award, a Barry award, and was a VOX media pick in Germany. The latest,
Blood Run,
launched in November 2017. In addition to her own novels, she’s written
The Janus Reprisal
and
The Geneva Strategy
for the Estate of Robert Ludlum’s Covert One series and is a contributor to the 2017 non-fiction anthology,
Anatomy of Innocence, Testimonies of the Wrongfully Convicted
. A former lawyer, avid distance runner and black belt in aikido, a Japanese martial art, she lives in Chicago with her family.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
May 1, 2013
I am so glad my library had this book. I was looking for a good female lead action/adventure series, and I think I have found one with Emma Cauldridge. I liked that while Emma makes a very good action heroine, she starts out as an everyday type of woman and doesn't unrealistically turn into Rambo Jane. Her skill set qualified her for saving the day when placed in an incredible situation. While there are plenty of tough guys in this book, they don't overshadow Emma's opportunity to be heroic.
The setting of rural rainforest Colombia simmers. Freveletti vividly captures the sights, sounds, feel, and smells of the environment to a very visceral degree. I felt like I was there in the jungle with Emma and the hostages. I really dislike hot weather and humid environments, so I was sympathetically miserable with Emma and the other passengers. On top of that was the callous disregard for life and the cruelty of the paramilitaries and drug cartel members. Because they were so awful, it made me root for Emma even more. Their tendency to dismiss those they feel are weaker and to abuse them actually backfired when they met Emma and Sumner.
The story builds very satisfactorily. It hits the ground running and like Emma, the reader is forced to adapt and react to the situation. At first, you don't quite understand why the plane goes down and how it relates to the guerrillas, and what Emma's role is. As you keep reading, those questions get answered, and it's only near the end, you really find out why Emma is in Colombia at all, and that was quite cool as well.
This is a good book for readers who enjoy characters who have to survive on the land and live by their wits. Emma definitely holds her own, and I loved how Emma exploits her background as a chemist with a background in the therapeutic properties of plants. There is a good message here about brain versus brawn. The strongest, most vicious don't always win the war. Endurance and resilience often win the race, which really works for this book, since Emma is an endurance runner and a scientist, trained both to survive in harsh circumstances and to use her brain.
I enjoyed the secondary characters, such as Sumner, Edward Banner and Carol Stromeyer, Miguel, and of course the German Shepherd Boris, among others, who add texture to this novel. While the villains are not quite as developed, they are not cardboard. Freveletti is unafraid to show humans at their worst, but I like that she doesn't lay on the gory descriptions. The action is fierce and descriptive enough not to rely on gore. It's sad enough to think of those hostages being forced to hike through the jungle and abused when they don't have the stamina of their native counterparts. Although I admit I loved the scene where Emma uses maggots to heal up a festering wound on another character. My love of medicine and natural remedies held me captive in reading of Emma's ingenuity with using what the rainforest provides liberally to help others and herself.
This was a fun, exciting book that I finished in less than 24 hours. That should tell how much I enjoyed it. The writing flows and keeps the reader's interest. And the action sequences are frequent and well-plotted. While there are no info-dumps, I felt that the author definitely did her research, which makes a book even better. I would definitely recommend this book to readers looking for a new action heroine or readers who like a good jungle survival adventure. I'll be reading more of Freveletti's books. I'm thrilled that my library has the next book and another in the series. I love my library!
The setting of rural rainforest Colombia simmers. Freveletti vividly captures the sights, sounds, feel, and smells of the environment to a very visceral degree. I felt like I was there in the jungle with Emma and the hostages. I really dislike hot weather and humid environments, so I was sympathetically miserable with Emma and the other passengers. On top of that was the callous disregard for life and the cruelty of the paramilitaries and drug cartel members. Because they were so awful, it made me root for Emma even more. Their tendency to dismiss those they feel are weaker and to abuse them actually backfired when they met Emma and Sumner.
The story builds very satisfactorily. It hits the ground running and like Emma, the reader is forced to adapt and react to the situation. At first, you don't quite understand why the plane goes down and how it relates to the guerrillas, and what Emma's role is. As you keep reading, those questions get answered, and it's only near the end, you really find out why Emma is in Colombia at all, and that was quite cool as well.
This is a good book for readers who enjoy characters who have to survive on the land and live by their wits. Emma definitely holds her own, and I loved how Emma exploits her background as a chemist with a background in the therapeutic properties of plants. There is a good message here about brain versus brawn. The strongest, most vicious don't always win the war. Endurance and resilience often win the race, which really works for this book, since Emma is an endurance runner and a scientist, trained both to survive in harsh circumstances and to use her brain.
I enjoyed the secondary characters, such as Sumner, Edward Banner and Carol Stromeyer, Miguel, and of course the German Shepherd Boris, among others, who add texture to this novel. While the villains are not quite as developed, they are not cardboard. Freveletti is unafraid to show humans at their worst, but I like that she doesn't lay on the gory descriptions. The action is fierce and descriptive enough not to rely on gore. It's sad enough to think of those hostages being forced to hike through the jungle and abused when they don't have the stamina of their native counterparts. Although I admit I loved the scene where Emma uses maggots to heal up a festering wound on another character. My love of medicine and natural remedies held me captive in reading of Emma's ingenuity with using what the rainforest provides liberally to help others and herself.
This was a fun, exciting book that I finished in less than 24 hours. That should tell how much I enjoyed it. The writing flows and keeps the reader's interest. And the action sequences are frequent and well-plotted. While there are no info-dumps, I felt that the author definitely did her research, which makes a book even better. I would definitely recommend this book to readers looking for a new action heroine or readers who like a good jungle survival adventure. I'll be reading more of Freveletti's books. I'm thrilled that my library has the next book and another in the series. I love my library!
January 30, 2024
Not sure how I stumbled upon this book but it was a good find. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook although the narrator was just okay. There were a few s-words but other than that clean.
February 14, 2011
Emma Caldridge is a biochemist for a cosmetics company and is flying to Bogota, Columbia on a personal mission to eradicate a dangerous drug from the face of the earth. (Sorry you weren't suppose to know that).
Her plane crashes in the jungles of Columbia and over 50 surviving passengers are taken hostage by Columbian guerrillas. Emma is thrown from the wreckage and follows the guerrillas as they lead their hostages through the jungle. Needless to say there are some very nasty fellows in this group who like to do nasty things.
Matters get worse when the politicos of the both the United States and Columbia get involved and really mess things up (leave it to the politicians). The guerrillas also have problems of their own, because they are not only being chased by agents of Columbia and the United States, but also a rival guerilla faction.
I will not go into detail how Emma is able to sort out his mess but trust me I want her on my side in a fight. She is Superwoman, Wonder Woman, Rambo, and the Incrediable Hulk all wrapped up in one person.
I found the story to be totally unbelievable, especially when Emma races to find the plant that is used to produce the dangerous drug that could lead to world domination. She finds herself close to dying and must use the plant as an antidote. I fear that in real life she would have died a hundred times before she could have prepared the antidote.
I had a hard time staying focused and interested in reading this book. I felt there were just too many holes in the story to make in viable.
Her plane crashes in the jungles of Columbia and over 50 surviving passengers are taken hostage by Columbian guerrillas. Emma is thrown from the wreckage and follows the guerrillas as they lead their hostages through the jungle. Needless to say there are some very nasty fellows in this group who like to do nasty things.
Matters get worse when the politicos of the both the United States and Columbia get involved and really mess things up (leave it to the politicians). The guerrillas also have problems of their own, because they are not only being chased by agents of Columbia and the United States, but also a rival guerilla faction.
I will not go into detail how Emma is able to sort out his mess but trust me I want her on my side in a fight. She is Superwoman, Wonder Woman, Rambo, and the Incrediable Hulk all wrapped up in one person.
I found the story to be totally unbelievable, especially when Emma races to find the plant that is used to produce the dangerous drug that could lead to world domination. She finds herself close to dying and must use the plant as an antidote. I fear that in real life she would have died a hundred times before she could have prepared the antidote.
I had a hard time staying focused and interested in reading this book. I felt there were just too many holes in the story to make in viable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2009
This is a great read--fast paced, smart and unusual, particularly since the main hero of the piece is a woman. Emma Caldridge, a biochemist for a cosmetics company, survives a crash landing of a hijacked plane in the jungles of Columbia. She's no lab nerd, she's an elite marathon runner as well as a brilliant scientist, two things she leans heavily on to survive the terrorists who are searching for her since it seems that she might just be the reason the plane was hijacked. I don't want to say much more because part of the pace of this book depends on finding out bits of information at very specific times in the story and I don't want to spoil a thing for you. If you are a political intrigue/thriller fan, you're going to love this book. And best yet, it's the first in a series by a fascinating new author--she's a competitive runner, a blackbelt and teacher in aikido, and a former trial attorney who holds degrees in law, political science and international studies which means she has the background for some exciting plot lines for her readers.
January 30, 2013
This was entertaining, fast-paced and had an interesting plot line but I absolutely could not get over several glaring issues:
-every single 'hero' character was a superhero, able to leapt tall buildings in a single bound. The biggest flaws between them were an overdeveloped sense of responsibility and maybe shin splints
-the ability of every bad guy to magically appear with yards of their prey through dense jungle with no trails without fail after hours upon hours of a head start
-random religiousity thrown in ... at random
-wildly jumping between characters with no sense of time - it was literally difficult to tell whether days, hours or minutes had gone by in a character's timeline before jumping to the next person's plot.
-Matilde. Need I say more?
Anyway, people seem to love this series so maybe I'll try one more.
-every single 'hero' character was a superhero, able to leapt tall buildings in a single bound. The biggest flaws between them were an overdeveloped sense of responsibility and maybe shin splints
-the ability of every bad guy to magically appear with yards of their prey through dense jungle with no trails without fail after hours upon hours of a head start
-random religiousity thrown in ... at random
-wildly jumping between characters with no sense of time - it was literally difficult to tell whether days, hours or minutes had gone by in a character's timeline before jumping to the next person's plot.
-Matilde. Need I say more?
Anyway, people seem to love this series so maybe I'll try one more.
Read
March 30, 2018I could not finish this one, my eyeballs were suffering from whiplash after all the eye rolls. I always feel like I should try writing a book before coming down hard on someone else's, especially a first book. I would not try to write a book about legal issues and I think this trial attorney needed some additional help in writing about aviation, military, government, guerillas and terrorists. I also don't (and wouldn't) go for a "Mary Sue" angle. Left it unfinished and probably won't return. But it had a great plot line, shame I just can't get past some aspects.
March 29, 2016
A thriller in the jungle. Emma is a chemist for a beauty company. She is also an ultra-marathoner. Her plane crashes in Columbia and she has to fight guerrillas,etc. Very feminist and realistic. I like the simple, straightforward writing style. Her heroine is not too sexy, or too Mary Sue. Love is not the main issue, for which I am grateful.
January 8, 2015
Like most action/adventure novels, much of what transpires within the pages of this book is unrealistic. Emma goes from chemist to commando while roaming the jungles of Columbia slathered in mud. She hooks up with Cameron who goes from death's door to lethal thanks to some maggots. And he's apparently a stunningly better shot than the trained soldiers he comes to the aid of. All in all, it was harder to suspend my disbelief than usual. Perhaps the characters just weren't engaging enough. [return][return]I was intrigued by the thread of religion running through the novel. I got the distinct feeling that there should have been a stronger sub-plot revolving around this aspect of the story. Emma is clearly struggling with her faith and while it is mentioned, it is done so with such nonchalance that it turns what could and should be a profound journey of self understanding into an afterthought. [return][return]All in all, it was a tolerable read. I found it somewhat scattered, and missing a few plot explanations and lines. Still, it was a long way from the worst novel I've ever read.
February 22, 2012
I find myself wondering if I read/listened to the same book as most of the other reviewers. I was suckered into this book by a positive review in the Denver Post and I'm sorry I was. Intriguing setting in the Columbian jungle, and that's about it. Use of time and place were totally confusing. Emma runs for hours/days to escape guerrillas, and they chase her and catch her in a few hours. No sense of where they are. She has debilitating shin splints, two days later she runs for hours with no mention, but the next time she runs she has excruciating shin plints again. She's overcome by poison in a few hours, yet the person who was poisoned alongside her is still running around days later. Improbabilities/impossibilities abound. Aargh!
March 22, 2013
For a debut book I thought this was an outstanding effort. Had never read Ms. Freveletti before; but will definitely be following her main character (Emma Caldridge) in subsequent publications. Just enough; but not too much; excitement,thrills,tension, and realism to keep the pace non-stop. Ingested with plenty of peril to keep the pages flying. Recommended for anyone looking for adventure. Just for the heck of it,check out the: About Jamie Freveletti, under this book on ŷ. Note how many and the prestige of awards this debut received. I like to think they just don't give those things away.
May 15, 2011
Too many gaps in logic for me to accept.
March 25, 2021
A fast-paced thrilling read set in the middle of a Colombian jungle peppered with land mines, wild animals, and really really bad guys.
The protagonist, Emma Caldridge, is a brilliant chemist who works in an fast innovative world of cosmetics. As a protagonist, she's amazingly capable and resourceful especially having to survive in the middle of Colombian jungle and keeping herself safe, not only from animals, but from two-legged hunters too. There were times, however, that my pessimistic self doubted that particular bit. For an example, she apparently doesn't know anything about guns but then she suddenly can use them without too much of an instruction... I just found that very strange.
However, I just set my doubts aside and sat back to enjoy the read. This was a single sitting read as I just couldn't bear to put it down; the pacing was such that I needed to get to the end. It's not quite wrap up by the end as a little thread is still dangling so I'm keen to get on to the second book.
The protagonist, Emma Caldridge, is a brilliant chemist who works in an fast innovative world of cosmetics. As a protagonist, she's amazingly capable and resourceful especially having to survive in the middle of Colombian jungle and keeping herself safe, not only from animals, but from two-legged hunters too. There were times, however, that my pessimistic self doubted that particular bit. For an example, she apparently doesn't know anything about guns but then she suddenly can use them without too much of an instruction... I just found that very strange.
However, I just set my doubts aside and sat back to enjoy the read. This was a single sitting read as I just couldn't bear to put it down; the pacing was such that I needed to get to the end. It's not quite wrap up by the end as a little thread is still dangling so I'm keen to get on to the second book.
January 14, 2019
This was a quick and fun read with lots of action. Emma was quite a heroine, very scrappy and smart.
April 12, 2013
Emma Caldridge, a chemist for a cosmetics company, is en route from Miami to Bogotá when her plane is hijacked and spins out of control into the mountains near the Venezuelan border. Thrown unhurt from the wreckage, she can do nothing but watch as guerrillas take the other passengers hostage.
An endurance marathon runner, Emma silently trails the guerrillas and their captives, using her athletic prowess and scientific knowledge to stay alive. Those skills become essential when she discovers an injured passenger, secret government agent Cameron Sumner, separated from the group. Together they follow the hostages, staying one step ahead by staying one step behind.
Meanwhile, as news of the hijacking breaks in Washington, the Department of Defense turns to Edward Banner, former military officer and current CEO of a security consulting firm, for help. Banner quickly sends a special task force to the crash site, intent on locating the survivors before it’s too late.
But finding Emma and Sumner is only the beginning, as Banner starts to realize that Emma was on a personal mission when the plane went down. There is more to the beautiful, talented biochemist than anyone ever imagined, for in her possession is a volatile biological weapon in an ingenious disguise, one that her enemies have set for auction to the highest bidder.
March 25, 2013
I did not think I would like this book. I've read some very similar to, and they ended up just being obnoxious. First off, the main character is a chick, but she's actually doing something. Because apparently, she's a badass. That was new for me, at least in this genre. I liked it. And yeah, this one gave me a few nail-bitey moments, which is always nice. Not for my nails, but for giving my ADD something to fixate on. It might have got a teensy bit repetitive toward the end, but by then I really was attached to the characters and didn't care as long as they didn't die, pretty much. What? It's true.
April 11, 2018
Another book for which I have no idea how it made it to my reading list. This type of adventure/thriller isn’t usually a must-read for me, but I decided to go ahead and give it a try. It started off with a “bang,� got tedious, got better, and then got tedious again with all of the near-misses, captures and escapes. The characters weren’t well-fleshed out, some of the actions of Emma were stupid, and seemed to happen so Emma could pull off another miraculous and/or superhuman escape. That being said, I couldn’t sleep one night and stayed up reading. I found myself skimming the action scenes in the last quarter of the book because I know Emma and Cameron were going to be fine.
October 1, 2011
Really enjoyed this! Quick read, finished it in a single day as I was in bed with a bad back. I was not expecting such a great mystery/thriller and so the book far exceeded my expectations. I had a little trouble with the timeline as the story went back and forth between storylines, but it was not so bad to take away from the enjoyment.
Can't wait to read the next booke!
Can't wait to read the next booke!
December 4, 2010
Action/adventure written for women? Okay, but it still has to be realistic.
In this book, the men don't talk like men, all the characters sound the same, and the plot just falls over, flat. Uninteresting. I thought the actual writing was bad, too - too much colloquial language in the author's text, for example.
I'd hoped for more, after such an exciting opening scene.
In this book, the men don't talk like men, all the characters sound the same, and the plot just falls over, flat. Uninteresting. I thought the actual writing was bad, too - too much colloquial language in the author's text, for example.
I'd hoped for more, after such an exciting opening scene.
February 2, 2011
Loved this book. The pace if fabulous. The writing tight. The character of Emma Caldridge is winning. She'll make a great movie protagonist! Jamie Freveletti can write with the big boys.
April 24, 2014
One of those random pick-ups from the library since I'm here anyway. Totally paid off.
March 7, 2019
Spannend
April 10, 2025
4 out of 5 stars � Fast-paced and engaging, with a few small stumbles
Running from the Devil by Jamie Freveletti is a thrilling, action-packed read that kept me turning pages from start to finish. The pacing is tight, and every chapter pulls you deeper into the high-stakes world the characters are navigating. I especially appreciated how consistently engaging the story was—there was never a dull moment.
That said, there were a couple of moments that stretched believability a bit. The main character's ability to suddenly run long distances despite having shin splints, and the sudden proficiency with firearms despite being a novice, pulled me out of the story briefly. Still, the overall momentum and intensity of the plot made it easy to overlook these inconsistencies.
If you're into fast-moving thrillers with strong female leads and non-stop action, this one's definitely worth the read.
April 19, 2018
Emma is The Leading Lady
It was a good change to read up on Emma the scientist, who could be tough as nails even while retaining key feminine traits of caring and mercy.
Depiction of characters is almost 'Trumpen'; all Americans goody- goody and Colombians as nasty as can be. One smart Columbine female and she is a gun toting moll. The one decent Colombian woman Maria needs to be rescued an placed under American missionary care.
The key villain is the Industry- defence link, and greed for profits at any cost.
However did enjoy reading the book, good as a travel companion.
T
It was a good change to read up on Emma the scientist, who could be tough as nails even while retaining key feminine traits of caring and mercy.
Depiction of characters is almost 'Trumpen'; all Americans goody- goody and Colombians as nasty as can be. One smart Columbine female and she is a gun toting moll. The one decent Colombian woman Maria needs to be rescued an placed under American missionary care.
The key villain is the Industry- defence link, and greed for profits at any cost.
However did enjoy reading the book, good as a travel companion.
T
March 20, 2024
This book was action-packed! I enjoyed listening to this fast-paced thriller set in the dangerous, lawless, hot, muddy, insect-laden forests of Colombia. I truly appreciated that this was a clean read apart from some mild swearing. I literally laughed out loud at one of the characters being described as “devastatingly handsome,� though.
I wonder if the author is Catholic.. there were mentions of rosaries, and God, and the main character is angry towards God, but sees glimpses of His goodness at the end of the book.
I liked that all the loose ends (that I could remember) were dealt with by the end of the book.
I wonder if the author is Catholic.. there were mentions of rosaries, and God, and the main character is angry towards God, but sees glimpses of His goodness at the end of the book.
I liked that all the loose ends (that I could remember) were dealt with by the end of the book.
December 17, 2017
Wow! A great read
This is not to be missed: a great heroine, a great hero and some terrific good guys and even more terrific bad guys. The action is non stop, and the solutions to the problems are ingenious and even believable. The heroine is a chemist and an ultramarathoner so her ability to survive in the jungle is somewhat plausible and the hero is an ex special forces guy who is helpful in a crisis but not invincible. Didnt want to put it down and I want to read more from this author.
This is not to be missed: a great heroine, a great hero and some terrific good guys and even more terrific bad guys. The action is non stop, and the solutions to the problems are ingenious and even believable. The heroine is a chemist and an ultramarathoner so her ability to survive in the jungle is somewhat plausible and the hero is an ex special forces guy who is helpful in a crisis but not invincible. Didnt want to put it down and I want to read more from this author.
May 14, 2021
Giant plot holes and sloppy background
This book is like a movie with lots of action scenes but no plot. There are plot holes throughout and cringe worthy problems in the background. Like casually suggesting walking from the Venezuelan border to Panama, using right-wing paramilitaries and left-wing guerrillas interchangeably, and equating coca to cocaine to name a few. Multiple helicopter crashes that are always survivable and conveniently located. Not recommended.
This book is like a movie with lots of action scenes but no plot. There are plot holes throughout and cringe worthy problems in the background. Like casually suggesting walking from the Venezuelan border to Panama, using right-wing paramilitaries and left-wing guerrillas interchangeably, and equating coca to cocaine to name a few. Multiple helicopter crashes that are always survivable and conveniently located. Not recommended.
June 22, 2022
Escapist thriller combining drugs, guns, terrorism, and a female scientist who has developed a killer drug using ancient plants. Oh, and the book starts with a plane crash and a possible plan to ransom the survivors. Too much meaningless activity. Lots of violence, not even the strong female character saves this book. Although she is the most valuable passenger on the crashed plane, she had little to offer the reader. Only some of the features of her new weapon were attention getting.
May 11, 2019
Interesting story but the author needed an editor. She repeated the phrase "dropped like a stone" five times. Other phrases were also repeated, which a good editor would have caught.
I don't do a book report when I do reviews; you can read the book to see what the premise is. It kept me entertained on a trip with my husband (audiobook).
I don't do a book report when I do reviews; you can read the book to see what the premise is. It kept me entertained on a trip with my husband (audiobook).
October 7, 2017
Well developed plot that seems straightforward, but turns out there are a few surprises along the way. Hooray for Emma Caldridge, a resourceful female character with grit, intelligence and compassion.
November 9, 2017
An out-and-out thrilling adventure!
An great exciting read from the start. Loved all the main characters and really hated all the evil characters. Even had a dog thrown in for good balance. Definitely not a waste of money.
An great exciting read from the start. Loved all the main characters and really hated all the evil characters. Even had a dog thrown in for good balance. Definitely not a waste of money.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.