The Tunnel Runner

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Published by Black Beacon Books, 2016
Genre: suspense, urban adventure
Length: 260 pages

Explore the world on the other side of the street!

Entering the tunnels is easy, but Ripley and Gabriela soon discover that reaching the surface again will be the greatest challenge they have ever faced... Who are the mysterious tunnel dwellers and why have they founded an underground community of their own? Who is the tunnel runner and why is he so determined to kill anyone who ventures too close to the Chambers? As they unlock the secrets of this subterranean society, Ripley and Gabriela will also discover the answer to a mystery of their own – one that has haunted Gabriela since childhood.

The Tunnel Runner is a gripping tale of suspense and urban adventure built on a foundation of social tension and family secrets. It takes you by the hand and leads you deep beneath the city of Brisbane.

Excerpt

Don’t look back! He’s right behind you! You’ve got to keep running!
    He was dashing through the torture chamber now. Skeletons chained to a fake stone wall were rattling like wind chimes, and a half-naked damsel in distress was being whipped by a horny demon with a hungry grin.
   He shoved past a couple of young lovers who were making out. The young man had green hair and his left hand was groping under his girlfriend’s purple tartan skirt.
   “You won’t get away this time!” the voice behind him boomed, and Ripley’s shoulder throbbed as he remembered the hatchet blow it had been dealt down in the tunnels, when for the first time in his life, he had known what it meant to be the object of murderous intent.
   Daylight was growing stronger. Ripley could see a rectangle of white light in front of him.
He’d almost made it.
   He rammed the door with his right shoulder and sent it crashing open.
   He squinted as he used the railing to propel himself down to the ground, but no matter how fast he ran, he knew the tunnel runner would catch up with him sooner or later.


Praise for The Tunnel Runner

"It reminded me a bit of great works such as J. G. Ballard's Concrete Island."
- William Marshall, author of The Jellyfish Device

"Trost combines elements of suspense, mystery and horror into this fast-paced adventure that also asks interesting questions about the way we choose to live and survive in the city, and what happens to those, who through no fault of their own, are discarded by mainstream society."
- Maree Kimberley, author of Dirt Circus League

"What Cameron has created feels like modern urban folklore."
- Mark McAuliffe, author of short horror fiction

"In The Tunnel Runner, Trost effortlessly plunges us into a claustrophobic, underground world hidden mere metres beneath our feet. We experience some genuine moments of terror through the eyes of the sympathetic protagonists. But to me, the greatest pleasure was meeting some delightfully obnoxious surface walkers whose morally bankrupt actions threaten to unleash tragedy, and I wish I could have spent more time with them. Despite some occasional coarse language, this is a book I'd recommend to teenagers as well as adults."
- Amazon reader

"I read The Tunnel Runner a few months ago, and while I don't usually write reviews, I wanted to share my excitement for this gripping thriller. I love stories with trains, shady figures, barbed-wire fences, and manholes that lead to mysterious places."
- Claire Fitzpatrick, author of Only the Dead

"This interesting take on Australian socio-demographics features a cinematic climax and a bittersweet denouement. Throughout every plot twist, the city of Brisbane holds the spotlight."
- Deborah Sheldon, author of Body Farm Z

"This book is a thrilling mystery/adventure. When the story starts you think you see where it's going but then it evolves, gets deeper. By the end the tension is ratched up and the drop is exquisite. There may even be redemption, though not exactly the way you might expect."
- Jim X Dodge, author of Theta House