The promotional artwork for the prison escape novella.
On July 2, 1948, three inmates attempted to break out of the most-feared, most-talked-
And so begins the tale of "Gain by Violence," R. J. Thomas' 2003 prison drama novella now available as an e-book.
"The story was inspired by the great Alcatraz escape attempt of 1946 and others like it," Mr. Thomas said. "It's a gripping story. You have a good idea they're not going to make it, but you want to see how it plays out."
In "Gain by Violence," three inmates devised what they thought was a perfect plan. They seized one of the main cell blocks in minutes, took three guards hostage, and made a deal with the warden.
"They thought they would soon be on the road to freedom," Mr. Thomas said. "And then it all begins to fall apart."
One inmate drops a much-needed key down the kitchen sink, a trigger-happy guard tries to take matters into his own hands, and the warden attempts to stall the inmates' escape for as long as possible, with no intention of following through with his side of the deal.
"Escaping from a world-renowned prison isn't as easy as it looks," Mr. Thomas said.
"Gain by Violence" is now available as an e-book at BooksAndSuchMart.com.
