Coming May 18, 2027
The Last Fugitive
A radical fugitive reinvents herself as a beloved philanthropist—until an FBI investigation and a national television exposé threaten to uncover the past she has spent twenty-five years burying.
By Barbara Marshak
In 1974, Linda Moretti is a young revolutionary drawn into the Underground Freedom Army, a militant group committed to overthrowing what they see as an unjust American system. When she takes part in a bank robbery that ends in tragedy, she disappears without a trace.
Twenty-five years later, she has become someone else entirely.
Now living in St. Paul, Minnesota, she is Pamela Nelson-Berg: a wealthy philanthropist, devoted mother, and admired public figure known for her generosity and civic influence. Her past has remained carefully hidden beneath the life she has built.
That life begins to fracture when the FBI reopens her case, alongside a national media investigation preparing a televised exposé titled The Last Fugitive. As attention closes in, Pamela is forced to navigate the growing distance between the woman she was and the life she has constructed.
The story moves between past and present, tracing Linda’s path into radical politics and Pamela’s decades-long effort to live beyond it. As scrutiny intensifies, the people closest to her—including her family—begin to question what they know, and what they have been allowed to see.
As the pressure mounts, Pamela is confronted with a single question: is it possible to protect the life she built without losing it entirely?
The Last Fugitive is a novel inspired by real events about reinvention, ideology, and the cost of carrying a hidden past into a carefully rebuilt present.
Praise
“The Last Fugitive takes the reader on a wild ride in a dual timeline narrative. [...] As a writer, I delighted in her ability to create people and places that feel real. She takes us deep into the psychology of her main character, who wants to believe she can escape her past. [...] If you love an immersive historical novel that reads like a thriller, get this book!”
—Dr. Anna Kuxhausen, From the Womb to the Body Politic
“Part thriller and part family drama, The Last Fugitive is a gripping novel about the cost of keeping secrets. [...] Marshak’s steady attention to the details of both real and imagined crimes creates a psychologically compelling story.”
—Diane LeBlanc, Dust of a Future
“As an avid reader and experienced EMT, I have high praise for this book. The intrigue and narcissist characteristics in Linda/Pamela build throughout the story, magnifying the fact that we never know what goes on behind closed doors.”
—Katrina Anderson, Minnesota EMT
Barbara Marshak is the author of six books and over 150 other published pieces. A writer of both fiction and nonfiction, many of her essays and short stories have earned awards. She often speaks at writers’ conferences and has made numerous appearances at book events.
Barbara lives in Minnesota, where her family's roots go deep. She and her husband John are the parents of six grown children and are known as Nana and Papa to thirteen grandchildren. Together they enjoy Twins baseball, grilling outdoors, evenings on the front porch, and always, a glass of wine.