In 2006, Dexter Hart is the most talented partner in a prestigious Portland, Oregon law firm. But when Dexter kills a drug dealer in self-defense in downtown Portland, he must flee to Bangkok, Thailand. The victim's mother hires Brian Stevens, an experienced American private-eye, to chase Dexter, and this sets off a chain reaction of catastrophic violence in three countries. With nowhere to turn, Dexter hires two members of a crime family to facilitate his escape from Bangkok. The two men attempt to extort money from him, and he kills them in a violent fight. Bangkok police arrest Dexter just as revenge-seeking members of the crime family are hunting him down. He escapes to the Philippines, but happiness is temporary. Dexter is forced to kill to save his life and that of his fiancé. The psychological thriller suspense novel provides psychological insight into the main character's motivations, fears, and secrets. It focuses on four main characters--a man fleeing justice, his girlfriend, a Black Woman police homicide detective, and a male private eye. "TITLE INFORMATION FLIGHT FROM JUSTICE (ESCAPE FROM JUSTICE) Ronald M. Fry BOOK REVIEW. In Fry's thriller, an attorney, fearing authorities are eying him for a murder he didn't commit, plans to flee the country. Dex Hart, a trial lawyer and functioning alcoholic, exits a rehab clinic. Instead of jumping right back into the action at the firm where he's a named partner, he opts to retire, as the stress of work is too overwhelming. But his preparations to relocate--to somewhere in Asia, perhaps--have more to do with a murder that police are investigating. Dex got into a scuffle with meth addict RIchard Intil; someone else must have come along later and killed Intil, but the police know for sure that Dex was in the area when the murder occurred. Establishing a new life elsewhere is far from easy, and Dex unexpectedly runs into further trouble. He also must contend with a whip-smart Portland homicide detective and a dogged private eye, courtesy of Intil's wealthy mother, at his heals. Fry's story pulls no punches--Dex may have just come out of rehab, but he certainly hasn't given up on alcohol ("One beer couldn't hurt. Nobody got drunk on one Corona"). The compelling protagonist was formerly with the CIA and is trained to stay invisible, but he's still human and not immune to getting roughed up (or worse). Despite an abundant cast, including potential romantic partners for Dex, character development is minimal. There are engaging exceptions, however, like Det, Marty Blazer, and PI Brian Stevens, who work together to track down Dex, and possibly find the real killer. The story effectively maintains a tense atmosphere as Dex's problems continue to stack up; nevertheless, an editor's touch would have helped, especially in several instances of inaccurate dates that muddle the narrative. An edgy, swiftly paced (with occassional stumbles) tale of an innocent man on the lam." -- Kirkus Reviews. "ESCAPE FROM JUSTICE is a deftly crafted thriller strectching from Portland, OR to Bangkok, Thailand and Angeles City, the Philippines. The protagonist, an ex CIA operative turned ace defense attorney, unwittingly finds himself a suspect to a murder in downtown Portland just as he plans to leave the city for a new life in Bangkok....One major benefit of the novel is that it shines an honest light on the underside of life in Thailand, which is a country with a large and violent criminal underworld....This is a well assembled thriller from which the reader unacquainted with countries like Thailand and the Philippines will take away a genuine feel for those countries' lower depths and also some of the genuine human kindness that they offer as well, both sides of a very complex coin." -- John Marchioro, Copy Editor.