Beyond Fear was Jaye Ford's first novel, published in 2011. It's promoted as a crime story but is essentially a psychological thriller.
The first part is tightly written and builds the suspense and tension very effectively. Jaye's style is minimalist with hardly an adjective or adverb crowding out the action. Her dialogue is also to the point and flows quite naturally.
The two protagonists Jodie and Matt are flawed by their respective violent histories. Much of the psychological exploration centres on their attempts to overcome their inner fears, hence the title.
The novel is too long for my tastes. Once the bad guys bring the inevitable shift from potential to real threat, there is one anti-climax after another without the anticipated resolution. The suspense is drawn out and there are just too many false finishes. But then this is not my preferred genre. The twists and turns clearly appeal to others as it has sold well and been translated into six languages.
It's a scenario that could make a successful movie with tight direction and editing.
Jaye made an short interview for her publisher Random House about writing the book:
There is an excerpt from Beyond Fear on her website.
Her latest offering is Scared Yet?, which has similar themes.
I enjoyed Jaye's newest and picked up Beyond Fear to read last week.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your AWW review!
Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out