Suspense Novel by Local Author

George F. Ford is a retired minister and longtime Bible teacher whose writing career spans faith-based storytelling and reflective fiction. Rev. Ford has written three novels. Mapleton, Return to Mapleton and Justice. For his writing inspiration, George F. Ford draws on decades of pastoral experience and a deep understanding of human nature, moral tensions, and redemption. He has been married to his wife, Anita for more than sixty years and is the father of two adult children, Adam and Carrie. George and Anita live in Vincennes, Indiana. Justice is his first crime novel. Ford’s steady voice and insight into character take on a darker edge with this novel. Yet, the author’s style is anchored in truth, consequence, and the complexities of choice.

The mystery and crime novel genres are usually not my favorites. Because I’ve known the author for a while, I decided to read outside my usual “comfort zone.” I was surprised to find out that Rev. Ford had written a novel like this. Discovering that the novel included a death in a cabin in Colorado, piqued my interest. I was riveted to this gripping story from the first page.

The protagonist of this novel is Lieutenant Duke Stone. On a mandated leave from the police force, Stone seeks solace in his mountainside cabin. Then Stone discovers the corpse of a women he loved from afar. What should have been a refuge becomes a nightmare. Soon after his arrival at his cabin, Stone is called back to work. He’s assigned the duty to investigate the murder of the woman he loved. Paired with a new partner on the police force, Stone is immersed in grief and a clandestine world of escort services, ill gotten wealth, violence and corruption. The work, to untangle the many paths of this crime, takes the pair to Texas and New York City.

Justice, Ford’s latest novel and two earlier novels, Mapleton and Return to Mapleton are available at the Knox County Public Library, 502 N 7th St. Vincennes, In.