Official Review: Provoked by Angela Ford

Kourtney Bradley · Post by **Kourtney Bradley** » 21 Jan 2017, 10:38

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Provoked" by Angela Ford.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Provoked is a modern-day crime thriller written by Angela Ford and published in May of 2016. Basia Lis met and married the man of her dreams, or so she thought. It doesn’t take long for her husband, Darek, to turn into a conniving and abusive man, his only care revolving around his wife’s inheritance. Darek’s own abusive actions led Basia to do the unthinkable, but his death continues to haunt her, even when she returns from her home country to New York. Detective Riley has spent six weeks recovering from a gunshot wound, one which took the life of his partner. Known as being a bachelor, Riley runs into Basia and embarks on a perfect one night stand, with a rule of first names only. When Riley is deemed unable to return to road work yet, he is assigned to a desk at missing persons. It’s when he is introduced to Lieutenant Lis from missing persons that Riley and Basia are forced to know more than first names. A missing persons case starts to unlock terrible secrets from the past, causing Riley to question who Basia really is.

The real depth for this story comes from the intense plot. The author does an excellent job with layering the chapters with one twist after another, leaving the reader turning to every corner for suspects. Things start to heat more intensely with the involvement of the unsuspected romance that starts to bloom between Basia and Riley. The romance in the story was enough to bring a spark to the story, but not too much to take away from the underlying crime involved.

Basia Lis is a tough woman, but spends a lot of time hindered by fear. By spending so much time being belittled by her abusive husband, Basia has learned her own worth and allows it to be known to others. Detective Riley is a hard-working man, and his charm and dedication is something Basia admires throughout. There was a detailed backstory for each of the main characters, which helped to give them a thorough personality. The two work together well, personally and in their work lives.

The themes expressed in this story involve partnership, loyalty, and revenge. Although the book was well written, I found several errors involving punctuation placement, as well as a few missing words. The dialogue was smooth and concise, giving the feel of true conversation. There is some graphic abuse detailed in the story, as well as some detailed sexual scenes.

Provoked is a perfect novel for readers who enjoy crime television shows, like Law and Order. The unexpected twists and turns were constant nail-biters. Normally able to quickly decipher the hidden clues, I was actually stumped with this one. I give Provoked a rating of 3 out of 4 stars, and with a more thorough edit for punctuation and clarity, I would happily change my rating to 4 stars. I recommend Provoked for mystery lovers, and can say with certainty that it will be enjoyed by others.

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Provoked
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