Secrets and murder drive the plot of Plain Dead, the third in the excellent D.I. Ford series by Andy Maslen. When the body of Private Rachel Padley is found on the nearby Army base, both the military command and Ford’s superiors are eager to wrap this case up as a suicide. Ford has doubts. Misogynistic Army officers, grieving parents who seem to have destroyed all traces of their daughter, pompous police officials and a judgmental local minister all try to hide truths from Ford and his colleague, forensics expert Dr. Hannah Fellowes. Ford is working against a deadline: Rachael’s unit is soon to be deployed to Somalia. Will he be able to solve the case before the killer leaves the country?

This series just keeps getting better. Ford is a likable, flawed character, still grieving the tragic death of his wife and trying to balance the needs of his career with those of his teenage son Sam. The relationship between Ford and Hannah Fellowes continues to grow. Hannah, with her brutal and comedic honesty that results from Asperger’s Syndrome, is a unique and enjoyable character. Plain Dead is a powerful, character driven thriller. 5 stars.


Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Andy Maslen for this ARC.

This is the 3rd book in the DI Henry Ford series by author Andy Maslen. I have read this series from book 1 where I instantly drawn to both the writing and the interesting characters. I thought at the time that the lead characters were well set out and promised a lot more in subsequent books which has proven the case.

Ford lost his wife in a climbing accident that he caused and has hidden the truth from his son Sam ever since. Ford struggles to satisfy the needs of his son while trying to carry out his job serving the police in Wiltshire. His latest case surrounds a young female soldier who is found on Salisbury Plain, her throat cut and a bloody knife in her dead hand. The common opinion is that she killed herself, but DI Ford is not convinced. Contrary to fierce opposition from the army and his own superiors, Ford decides to investigate the possibility of foul play. While dealing with the investigations Ford is still struggling with guilt and whether or not to tell his son the truth about what really happened to his wife. There is an added problem for Ford in that the victim’s regiment are due to deploy to Somalia which will mean all suspects and evidence could disappear. The clock is ticking and Ford has a matter of days to discover the truth.

Great characters, well written and plenty of suspense make this an entertaining read.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Amazon Publishing UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Plain Dead by Andy Maslen

A young female soldier is found on Salisbury Plain, her throat cut and a bloody knife in her dead hand. Everyone assumes that she killed herself. But something doesn’t feel right to DI Ford; the whole scene seems staged. Convinced of foul play, and despite fierce opposition from the army brass and his own superiors, Ford launches a murder investigation.

This is the 3rd in a series following DI Ford , but the first one I have read.
I enjoyed the storyline , but felt I was missing out a little by not reading the previous ones, although this does stand up ok as a stand alone title.
I will certainly go back to the first ones and look forward to reading others.