[retweet]
[facebook]

With her fourth stand-alone novel, Ford delivers another intriguing tale of danger and suspense.

Former journalist Miranda ‘Jax’ Jack has always asked questions, but grief over her husband’s unexplained death has left her numb. Then she is car-jacked, forced at gun-point by a paranoid mad-man to tear along a busy highway toward an unspecified destination. Jax is desperate to get away and home to her seven-year-old daughter, Zoe. She escapes her nightmarish ordeal, but her quest to sift the truth from the ramblings of her unwanted passenger is stonewalled by the sexy but unsettling Detective Senior Sergeant Aiden Hawke. Still distressed by the questions surrounding her husband’s death, Jax risks everything to find answers for a man she knew for only a few hours. For Jax, the nightmare is just beginning.

Already Dead opens at top speed and the first one hundred pages are an emotional ride with a terrified woman doing her best to hold it together against a man who has lost his sanity. Jax is complex and driven. Believable in her grief and her desperate need for answers. Her passenger’s break-down is shockingly real and a good way into the subplot of post-traumatic stress among returned servicemen. The plot does rely on a coincidence. Enjoyment of this novel may depend on how far you are willing to suspend belief. Told through Jax’s point of view, Aiden Hawks’ motivation and thoughts are left open to interpretation. This extra layer of intrigue contributes to an already complex tale. As such, Jax’s more contemplative moments become a little convoluted as she tries to make sense of what she’s learned and who she can trust. Still, this is stellar suspense.

Already Dead is a tense, and intense, read with plenty to keep you guessing. Jax is a tough but realistic heroine doing her best to find herself and keep her family safe amid the high-octane drama. Set aside some time. Once you start reading, you won’t want to stop.

*With thanks to Random House Australia and Netgalley for an advance review copy of Already Dead