Jack Jordan's Redemption is shortlisted for the 2025 Adventure Writing Prize. 

Aaron Alexander has just been released from jail after serving eleven years for causing the death of Joshua Moore in a hit-and-run. Now a free man, all he wants to do is stay on the straight and narrow and leave his troubled past behind him.

But for Joshua’s mother Evelyn, eleven years in jail isn’t nearly enough. Consumed by grief and rage, she has been waiting for Aaron’s release, counting down the days until she can exact the revenge he deserves. And now that time has come.

But as Evelyn and her husband Tobias embark on a road trip to track Aaron down, they find themselves caught on two different sides of a gripping game of cat-and-mouse. Because Tobias knows what Evelyn is planning, and he will do anything to save her from herself. Even if it means protecting the man who killed their son.

Locked in a collision course set in motion eleven years ago, Aaron, Evelyn and Tobias are about to find out whether the road they have chosen leads to redemption... or to retribution.

An Interview with the Author

WNSF: Congratulations on being selected for the 2025 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize shortlist! What does adventure writing mean to you? Would you have considered yourself an adventure writer before being shortlisted for the Prize?

Jack: Adventure writing is so exciting to me because adventure in its essence is explored in so many genres of novels. From crime and thriller, to space travel and fantasy, to historical explorations or jumping back and forth in time – it’s a sub-genre that’s epic in scope. But to me, the heart of adventure writing has always been about the internal exploration a character goes through, alongside a gripping external journey. I really think these two go hand in hand to make an epic adventure tale. 

WNSF: Are there any particular books or authors which have made a lasting impact on you? 

Jack: I would say A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale would be my ultimate adventure tale – and a perfect example of adventure writing that might not seem to fit the genre on initial inspection. It’s the story of shy, vulnerable Harry Cane who has followed the path made for him with every step, until his sexuality is exposed and he must emigrate to Canada, leaving his wife and child and everything he has ever known behind. It was the first time I truly felt myself as a queer person represented in fiction, explored with fearless authenticity and truth. It was this kind of novel that helped me write of my queer character, Aaron, in Redemption with equal measures of authenticity and honesty. 

WNSF: Can you tell us about any adventurous experiences in your life? Have they influenced you as a writer or your writing?

Jack: I would say my life has certainly been an adventure in and of itself, and inspires my writing at every turn. Whether it be love, heartbreak, pain or joy, trauma and relationships, real life experiences can’t help but bleed into the stories I write, and I think it’s this personal exploration and emotional honesty that beckons the reader to come along for the ride into the moral ambiguity of my thrillers, and to connect with the characters on a deep level. 

WNSF: The Librarians and Library Staff who read, reviewed and selected your book for the shortlist had lots of questions for you! One asked: "Was Redemption always going to be a multi-POV book or did it start with just one? If so, whose POV was it? Was it tricky to swap between writing the three main perspectives or did you write more of one character at a time, rather than follow it chronologically?" 

Jack: Some novels are tough to write and need to find themselves in the writing process, and, occasionally, some novels come fully formed before I sit down to write. Redemption was one of those novels where the structure of multiple POVs to get everyone’s side of the story, and telling the story in five acts to represent the five stages of grief, were set in stone on the formation of the idea. Then, to my relief, the story simply flowed out when I sat down to write. I don’t think a single chapter was cut or changed in any substantial way, which is often the case when drafting a novel! I’ve not had too many novels that flowed this naturally, but I think when a book comes straight from the heart, it’s a novel that was waiting a long time to be written and pours out exactly as hoped. 

WNSF: Another asked: "When you read the blurb, you think you are going to ‘side’ with Evelyn, but the reader comes away feeling very conflicted. Was that your aim? When you first started working on Redemption, did you always intend for Aaron to be a sympathetic character?"

Jack: Yes! I wanted this to be a story that had much going on beneath the blurb, with three characters at odds, each with their own convincing motives. I often describe Aaron as the beating heart of the story, and it’s through his vulnerability that the three characters intwine as they do. 

WNSF: One said: "My book group thought Redemption explored the themes of justice and morality, and challenged our sense of right and wrong. Did you think about making one of the characters ‘right’ and unflawed? What did you want to show about doing the right thing, when it conflicts with the law?" 

Jack: Thank you! In truth, I don’t think I could ever write an unflawed character – I think our flaws make us human, and the main goal I have when creating a character is to make them as real and human as possible. While flaws can make us unlikeable, sometimes even dangerous in Evelyn’s case, they also make us relatable and beautiful in so many ways, and I think the battle against these internal flaws sends the characters on a huge exploration not only externally across the Nevada desert, but internally, to discover and accept who they truly are, flaws and all. 

This was definitely an exploration of right and wrong, but mostly, the grey area in between. I think humans are naturally very biased in our thinking, and writing conflict into my novels isn’t just about the fights or the chases, but the internal conflicts that occur within a character, and also inspiring the exploration of internal beliefs and conflicts within the reader, which allows us to connect on a deeper level to ourselves and each other. I certainly feel that way when I write them!

WNSF: That's so interesting. Another Librarian asked: "Is there a real life inspiration behind the book? Why did you choose Nevada in particular as the setting?"

Jack: This wasn’t based on true events, but I think because grief is so universal, it could be seen as being based on a million true stories! I chose Nevada desert as the setting for this story as the barren, lifeless, hostile landscape perfectly personified the experience of grief, how isolating it is and how tough it is to battle through to the other side. 

WNSF: One asked: "Do you think you’ll ever revisit the three main characters, or any of the other characters in the book?"

Jack: I would love to! I would like to explore two of these characters meeting 20 years later. I feel like the end of the novel set us up for another journey of beginnings, and I would love to explore how these unfolded. 

WNSF: Finally, another asked: "When I read the book there was no point where I knew how it would end or even how I wanted it to end, which I loved! Without wanting to give away spoilers for those who haven’t read the novel, did you feel the same when writing it, or was the ending set in stone early on? Did you have any alternative endings? If so, what were they?"

Jack: Thank you so much! This was one of those rare novels where I saw the journey from beginning to end mapped out in my head, and the ending for each of the characters were vividly clear as I wrote the book. I think there are so many injustices that unfold in the story and the events the existed before the opening of the book that needed to be faced, and tied into each of the characters’ arcs towards redemption. 

WNSF: Thank you. Can you tell us about a particular relationship between two characters in your novel and how you made it feel genuine? 

Jack: I was particularly excited to explore the relationship between Aaron, the killer released from jail, and Tobias, the father of the boy Aaron killed in a hit and run. Within the story, the two are thrust together, and must face each other with raw honesty and explore their own biases and prejudices to ultimately survive. Two men who should never meet, bound together in the middle of the desert with nowhere to run – talk about confronting! 

WNSF: What would you say is the hardest thing about writing? And the easiest?

Jack: I would say the easiest part of the writing process for me is coming up with the hook/concept – the external adventure of the tale – this excites me and really gets me to fall in love with a story idea fast. The hardest part is then being vulnerable enough to tell the story as honestly and emotionally as I can. I think the key to storytelling is just that, vulnerability and total honesty, and creates authentic characters that the readers remember long after the story has ended. And in turn, I get to explore my own emotions, morality, and world view, growing as a person with each book. I would say my writing experience is as equally an introspective exploration as it is an external exploration of society. 

WNSF: Thank you so much, Jack. And congratulations again! 

If you read and loved Redemption as much as we did, you can vote for it to win the Prize here. If you haven't yet read it, you can purchase your copy here: 

About the Author: 

Jack Jordan is the global bestselling author of Redemption, Conviction, Do No Harm, Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes and Night by Night, and an Amazon No.1 bestseller in the UK, Canada and Australia. Jack’s novel Do No Harm was an instant Sunday Times bestseller on first publication and a Waterstones Thriller of the Month pick. His novel, Conviction, was longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award in 2024.

What Our Reviewers Said: 

"I think it's a sign of great writing, and a great book, if you can take characters who, on the surface, can be defined by their flaws and mistakes, and show to them to ultimately just be humans. I loved this book. I haven't read anything like it, and it's opened up a whole new type of fiction for me to get into."

"Redemption grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go. A woman who has lost everything going on a relentless rampage? A high-stakes chase packed with tension and moral dilemmas? Sign me up. This book is fast, furious, and full of depth—a revenge thriller that isn’t just about action but about grief, obsession, and the blurry lines between justice and destruction."