Not Your Average Heist: Book Review of Ruth Run

 

Ruth Run by Elizabeth Kaufman

Gratitude

Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways and Penguin for the ARC of Ruth Run by Elizabeth Kaufman to be released April 15, 2025.

Description

Ruth grew up poor, and she knew she didn’t want to stay poor. When she finished college, she had no prospects and so took an IT job at her school. From there, Ruth found her way to a scheme in which she could divert significant money from banks into offshore accounts. One night a trip wire she set goes off and Ruth knows that it’s time to close up shop and get out. She thinks she has more time, but as soon as she goes to warn her partner, she sees that the guys who are out to get her are one step ahead. So begins Ruth’s efforts to escape the people who have the money and the guns, AKA the government.

Ruth Run is told from two points of view: Ruth, as she tries to get away, and Mike, the man whose job it is to find her and who has been tracking her already.

In her escape, Ruth must improvise, decide who to trust, guess what the government knows about her, and figure out some way to stay off the grid. Along the way, she meets some interesting characters and learns some more about the guys who are out to get her. It’s not just her life at stake, but the life of pleasure she dreamed of.

Would I Teach This Book?

Would I teach this book? Ruth Run is a suspense novel that also examines gender roles and has a light commentary on socioeconomic class. While Ruth is not the most likeable character, she is certainly more likeable than the men who pursue her. There are few things that give me the ick more than Mike. Read Ruth Run and you’ll agree with me.

The book did keep me guessing about Ruth’s next move and if the guys would catch up with her. In that way, Ruth  Run would certainly work well for teaching about writing suspense and cyber heists. It would also be fun to discuss the different moves of Ruth and the guys chasing her–are they believable? Would they work in a movie? Would there be other ways to handle a scene? There were certainly a few moments that I questioned, and discussing the plot could be a useful tool in a novel writing class. I would be willing to try it.


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