Suspense builds in Brown’s ‘Outfox’

Suspense builds in Brown’s ‘Outfox’

“Outfox: a Novel” (Grand Central Publishing), by Sandra Brown

FBI agent Drex Easton has been pursuing Weston Graham for a long time, but the man has remained elusive using a variety of disguises and aliases to stay one step ahead of Easton.

Graham has successfully embezzled the fortunes of eight women over the years, and all the victims disappeared after their funds were drained. Easton wants to help everyone who has questions get closure. Now he has a shot when his colleagues learn of a recently married man named Jasper Ford. The profile they have created for this sociopath fits Ford perfectly.

Easton moves next door to start surveillance of this suspect, but his plan goes awry immediately when he meets the suspect’s wife, Talia Shafer. She is so beautiful, Easton finds himself distracted and unable to focus on anything but her, which puts the stakeout in jeopardy. The suspense builds to a crescendo as Easton starts to realize that Ford seems to know his every move.

Sandra Brown is a master when it comes to rogue characters, increasing the level of tension to cause the pace of the narrative to move faster and faster, with scenes of supersteamy sex. This time she not only nails a story that has several surprises, but also maintains the quality that everyone expects in her novels.

Associated Press