Sandra Brown - Outfox

Weston Graham is a chameleon. He has gone by many names, worn many faces, and assumed many personalities. These incarnations have enabled him to bilk wealthy women of their fortunes...and then to disappear along with the women, only to resurface with a new identity and his sights set on another victim.
FBI agent Drex Easton is relentlessly driven by a single goal: to outmaneuver the conman once known as Weston Graham. Over the past thirty years, Weston has assumed many names and countless disguises, enabling him to lure eight wealthy women out of their fortunes before they disappeared without a trace. The only common trait among the victims: a new man in their life who also vanished, leaving behind no evidence of his existence.
Drex is convinced that these women have been murdered, and that the man he knows as Weston Graham is the sociopath responsible. But each time Drex gets close to catching him, Weston trades one persona for another and disappears again. Now, for the first time in their long game of cat and mouse, Drex has a suspect in sight.
Attractive and charming, Jasper Ford is recently married to a successful businesswoman many years his junior, Talia Shafer. Drex insinuates himself into their lives, posing as a new neighbor and setting up surveillance on their house. The closer he gets to the couple, the more convinced he becomes that Jasper is the clever, merciless predator he’s sought-and that his own attraction to Talia threatens to compromise his purpose and integrity.
This is Drex’s one chance to outfox his cunning nemisis before he murders again and eludes justice forever. But first he must determine if the desirable Talia is a heartless accomplice . . . or the next victim.

Comment: I still have some of the most recent books published by Sandra Brown to be read and that is why I decided to read this one now, since I've read what I had determined for July and there would be time to only choose one more book before a new month begun.

In this story, FBI agent Drex Easton decides to try to trap a serial killer he's been chasing for years and when he finds out which alias he's using, he decides to pretend he is moving next door.The killer, now with the identity of Jasper Ford, is married to Talia, a woman that Drex thinks might be his next victim... or Jasper's accomplice. While the plays a game of cat and mouse with Jasper, while pretending everything is well, the investigation continues and Drex feels he is close to find the evidence he needs to accuse Jasper. The problem is that, suddenly, jasper is nowhere to be seen, Talia is alone at home with no clue whatsoever, and another woman, a friend of theirs, is found dead...

I have read plenty of books by Sandra Brown, both her old harlequin romances and her romantic suspense novels. I have enjoyed both types of books and since she now only writes the suspense novels, I know what to expect from her stories. All of them will include some sort of plot where certain situations seem to be one thing in some moment, and then we learn things are quite different after all.

This is precisely what happens here, there are several twists in this story, plus with the author's trademark style of often informing the reader of some kind of shocking/surprising fact at the end of each chapter, made for a very fast paced plot and one I was actually quite eager to keep reading. What a difference to some of the books I liked less, where things seem to be so formulaic (they really are) that my interest would wane, but here I think the author had a good idea and executed things well.

If there is one element I found less thrilling here was the romance development. It is a given that the protagonists will become a couple at some point and often their relationship starts off with an adrenaline-like situation or something similar, which means they need to spend time together very quickly without much option, forcing their connection. Sometimes the author adds the perfect amount of sexual tension (an element I used to love in so may of her harlequin stories) and makes the romance feel so much better, even if intellectually I could doubt how realistic the HEA will be.

This said, I did like Talia and Drex together but a good part of the story is with them at different sides of a problem, and I don't think enough time is spent developing their emotional connection. I can accept it for what it is and because I know the author's style, a lot is inferred rather than really seen, but when they finally talk about the whole situation and Drex explains some things or finally lets Talia know about the person she married, I cannot say I was truly convinced their relationship was solid, or at least solid enough that I would believe in them in the long haul. Of course, then we discover some final news when the last chapter comes in and I was both surprised for the author's imagination, but then what we learn means some things I thought were genuine might not be truthful enough...

As for the plot, the whole search for the killer and Drex need to prove he is right in pining Jasper as the culprit... I really don't think the author tried that hard to create doubt in the reader and it's a little too obvious if Jasper is guilty or not. There are some sections we see from his POV, but to be fair I don't think they add much to the plot and I could do without them. The plot's set up with Drex pretending he is going to live next door allowed for some interesting scenes but the real complexity of the story was, in my opinion, on how to set up the pieces for the story to go where the author wanted. In that regard, along with the reveals in the final chapter, certainly made for a good story for me.

All in all, this was an well accomplished novel, especially when comparing with others by the author. Still not up there with my favorites by her, but close to it.

Grade: 8/10