Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Runoff is its familiar and personal quality. The story takes place in a town called Range, which Manning modeled after his hometown of Enumclaw, Washington. Although the events that occur in Range are almost too fantastic to fathom, the people and places seem so real that the story is wholly believable. The tale begins with a gruesome murder that has the Range police force worried that there is a true monster in their midst. No one is safe from the violent culprit because, although anyone can enter Range, it is impossible to get out. The town is plunged into mystery and chaos as the death toll rises, authority unravels, and a string of supernatural events terrifies even the most heroic citizens.

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http://www.theharvardbookreview.com/2016/04/11/running-off-page/