Heading West by Doris Betts; 1995. Softcover.

The author of "Souls Raised from the Dead" offers a gripping novel that combines the suspense of a thriller with the exhilarating story of a woman's bumpy journey toward liberation. A small-town librarian with big dreams is resigned to a dull vacation with her sister and brother-in-law--until a thief accosts the group and kidnaps her.