12/27/2021

Dein Tod Ist Nah by Sandra Brown

The first few chapters of Outfox were a bit slow to read and it was quite a challenge for me to get into the story. But after that, the story became more and more thrilling and showed a psychological finesse that gave me quite some reading pleasure.

Dein Tod Ist Nah*

by Sandra Brown
Translation Christoph Göhler
Original Title Outfox
Publisher Blanvalet on November 22, 2021
Genre Thriller
Pages 574
Format Hardcover
Source Blanvalet
Goodreads
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FBI agent Drex Easton has one goal: to hunt down the con man Weston Graham, who in the past thirty years has robbed eight wealthy women of their fortune before disappearing without a trace. Drex believes the women were murdered, but Graham´s numerous identities have so far let him escape. But now he seems to be within reach. The handsome Jasper Ford recently married the much younger, successful businesswoman Talia Shafter. Drex sneaks inconspicuously into the couple´s life as a supposed new neighbor because he is convinced: Jasper is Graham, and Talia is his next victim. But as Drex´s attraction to the beautiful Talis grows stronger, he threatens to lose sight of his goal. And Talia has secrets too … (Personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary).

Story

Drex is convinced that he finally found the man he wasn´t sure really existed. But the finding of a corpse in a wooden box is all it takes to tell him that he found what he was looking for all these years. So why stop now?

Style

Sandra Brown proves once again in this thriller, that she knows how to combine the psychological finesse with each other perfectly. The way in which she put this nifty cat-and-mouse game on paper is really fascinating. One character plays with the other, and there is a very special exchange of blows. Many a twist adds a whistle to the plot and gives the reader another unexpected surprise towards the end.

In her usual, style, which often goes sharply to the limit of the obscene, but always remains at a high level, the author skillfully plays off two completely different characters against each other. There are different types of passion that give the whole thing an excellent touch.

Characters

The characters couldn´t be more different. All of them show a passion for what they do and yet they are completely different. Sandra Brown plays with opposites and conjures up a game of cat and mouse on paper that entertains the reader until the end and arouses curiosity about the end.

Drex is an alpha male. He leads his team purposefully and with absolute conviction and nothing can put him off his track. He is absolutely convinced that he has finally found his mother´s murderer. The fact that he has practically no evidence in his hands and that he has to be slowed down by his colleagues more than once for his own good only makes him even more personable. What was really behind the resentment of his older colleague, however, surprised me in the end.

Conclusion

That was a very nifty thriller. I didn´t see the end coming as it finally happened. And yes, the first few chapters were a little slow in terms of both the plot and reading speed. But after that, the story developed in such a way that it was a pleasure to read. My recommendation.

Happy reading

*This book was kindly provided to me by Blanvalet in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.

Deutsche Rezension

Stil

Sandra Brown beweist in diesem Thriller einmal mehr, dass sie die psychologischen Finessen hervorragend miteinander zu kombinieren weiß. Die Art und Weise, wie sie dieses raffinierte Katz-und-Maus-Spiel zu Papier gebracht hat, ist wirklich faszinierend. Eine Figur spielt mit der anderen und es kommt zu einem Schlagabtausch der besonderen Art. So manche Wendung bringt zusätzlich Pfiff in die Handlung und beschert dem Leser gegen Ende dann nochmals eine unerwartete Überraschung.

In ihrem gewohnten Stil, der oftmals scharf an die Grenze des obszönen geht, aber dabei stets auf hohem Niveau bleibt, spielt die Autorin zwei vollkommen verschiedene Figuren gekonnt gegeneinander aus. Dabei zeigen sich unterschiedliche Arten von Leidenschaft, die dem ganzen einen hervorragenden Schliff verleihen.

Charaktere

Die Charaktere könnten unterschiedlicher nicht sein. Alle zeigen eine Leidenschaft für das, was sie tun, und doch sind sie völlig unterschiedlich. Sandra Brown spielt mit den Gegensätzen und zaubert ein Katz-und-Maus-Spiel auf das Papier, das den Leser bis zum Schluss unterhält und die Neugier auf das Ende weckt.

Drex ist ein Alphamann. Er führt sein Team zielstrebig und mit absoluter Überzeugung und lässt sich durch nichts von seiner Spur abbringen. Er ist absolut davon überzeugt, den Mörder seiner Mutter endlich gefunden zu haben. Das er so gut wie keine Beweise in den Händen hält und sich mehr als einmal zu seinem eigenen Wohl von seinen Kollegen bremsen lassen muss, macht ihn nur noch sympathischer. Was allerdings wirklich hinter dem Groll seines älteren Kollegen steckt, das hat mich am Ende dann doch überrascht.

Resultat

Das war ein sehr raffinierter Thriller. Ich habe das Ende nicht kommen sehen, wie es letztendlich passierte. Und ja, die ersten Kapitel waren etwas langsam, was die Handlung als auch das Lesetempo anging. Aber danach entwickelte sich die Geschichte so, dass es ein Vergnügen war, sie zu lesen. Meine Empfehlung.

*The book was originally published by Grand Central Publishing on August 6, 2019 

Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown is the author of seventy New York Times bestsellers. Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy-five novels. Bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to over eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-four languages. A lifelong Texan, Sandra Brown was born in Waco, grew up in Fort Worth, and attended Texas Christian University, majoring in English. She is much in demand as a speaker and guest television hostess. Her episode on truTV´s Murder by the Book premiered the series in 2008. She appeared in 2010 on Investigation Discovery´s new series, Hardcover Mysteries. In 2009 Brown detoured from her thrillers to write Rainwater, a much acclaimed powerfully moving story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression. Brown holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University where she and her husband Michael Brown, have instituted the ELF, a scholarship annually awarded to a student pursuing a fiction-writing career. In 2008, she was named Thriller Master, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer´s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America´s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2011 she and four colleagues went on a week-long USO tour to Afghanistan, meeting with service members on numerous bases. Sandra is the past president of the Mystery Writers of America in 2012. She lives in Arlington, Texas, with her husband, Michael Brown.

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