ROAD DAWGS revolves around four central characters and tells an imaginative, often realistic, tale of an elderly man who escapes the confines of the nursing home in which his children have placed him. 

Chance Henning’s daughter seemingly shut him out when his grandson succumbed to cancer.  The boy was Chance’s world, and he has never forgotten just how much he misses having the boy around.  Life in the nursing home is not all it’s cracked up to be, quite the opposite in fact.  Chance steals a doctor’s Porsche and heads out for an adventure. 

Sunshine Johnson is robbing store when things turn sour.  He hops into Chance’s car sensing that this man is the ticket for a getaway.  Sunshine’s wife recently died, and he has lost not only the love of his life, but also the young stepdaughter he dearly loves.  Sunshine’s plan is to kidnap the girl and start life anew. 

Chance’s son, Officer Manny Henning, enters into the chase to bring his father safely home.  Eventually, he must team up with Walter English, a federal agent, as the charges against Chance and Sunshine mount from a simple robbery/joyride to kidnapping.  Manny’s biggest concern is over the embarrassment that his father is causing him, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. 

The kidnapped girl’s birth father is a political figure and, though he could care less about the girl, the media reaction is in his favor.  He’ll ride this event for as long as he can—and make things escalate by hiring a hit man to take out the kidnappers. 

There is a lot going on in this story, but the key element at heart is the fragile bond between parent and child.  This emotional topic cleverly weaves its way into the entire story and leaves you anxiously awaiting the climax.  Though you do bounce from character to character, the shifts are fluid and never interrupt the book’s flow.  Clint Gaige is an author to watch.