Prize Catch could be seen as a cautionary tale about what could potentially happen when corporate greed tangles with committed environmental activistsPrize Catch could be seen as a cautionary tale about what could potentially happen when corporate greed tangles with committed environmental activists. It’s a spiralling cause and effect thriller wrapped into an against the odds battle.
The story opens with the death of Niamh Cassidy while she’s out on a morning bike ride, hit by a car on a perilous mountain climb. It’s suggested that this was no accident. Her wife, Roz Chen, is devastated by the loss and descends into a deep melancholy. It only lasts as long as it takes to survive her own brush with a violent end, something that sparks her resolve to avenge her loss.
Sam Willard is a former SAS veteran who’s still trying to forget the events of Afghanistan. He’s just landed a promising job at the mega salmon fishery, D’Entrecasteaux Salmon and he’s hopeful he can make it stick for his and his family’s sake. But almost immediately he’s recruited from within to perform some “special duties” making use of the skills he picked up in the military.
Detective Senior Constable Jill Wilkie is reaching the point of retiring from the police force, but she continues to prove that she’s one of the more capable detectives on the force. She’s also at the point where she’s prepared to risk everything if she believes her superiors aren’t up to the job. This is a trait that will prove very important in the course of her investigation into Niamh’s death, not to mention a few crimes that have cropped up that could very well point to that huge nearby salmon fisheries company. Her immediate superior is definitely not helping in any of the leads she’s following in the investigation.
Environmental activism, rich businessmen with dodgy pasts, a security firm headed by ex-military personnel, a scapegoat set up for murder and a few small-fry civilians standing in the way ensures that the scene is set for an epic battle.
Sam is a fascinating study. He’s the quintessential anti-hero, a decent guy, a family man and war hero who’s been roped into doing a shady job for the money. It’s when it’s too late that he realises he’s being run by people who are far more dangerous than he ever imagined and it’s at this point that the drama really takes off.
Set in Tasmania, a state renowned for its staunch eco-warriors, Prize Catch is a solid thriller that quickly unfolds to reveal an intricate multi-layered plot. Corruption rears its ugly head on a couple of fronts while closely guarded secrets from the past provide motivation for a deadly showdown.
My only disappointment was with the ending which seemed to slowly grind to a stop with barely a flicker of excitement. After being drawn in by a cast of very well-drawn characters, I was invested in each of them, the good, the bad and the truly evil. But I was disappointed with most aspects of the way it concluded, providing little in the way of a satisfactory outcome and answering very few of the questions that cropped up in the lead up to the finale. In real life, that’s to be expected, in a work of fiction, not so much.
That being said, there are a couple of characters introduced here whose further exploits I’d be more than happy to follow. ...more
Outrider takes us to a dystopian Australia, invaded and war ravaged, the local population rounded up and herded into gulags. It’s up to Jack Dunne andOutrider takes us to a dystopian Australia, invaded and war ravaged, the local population rounded up and herded into gulags. It’s up to Jack Dunne and his fellow resistance fighters to come up with a workable road to restoring national security.
This is a fast-paced action thriller that provides the ultimate in literary escapism. You pretty much know the destination going in (winners, losers, survivors, etc.), so this is a story that’s all about the journey and the excitement generated along the way.
It’s 2034 and Australia has been invaded by foreign forces, namely China, the country is split between those who’ve joined with the invaders and those who’ve chosen to fight. The result is an increasing threat of all out war with the Resistance digging in and choosing to fight at an outpost known as The Hill. For those that are interested, The Hill is somewhere in Victoria’s Dandenongs.
Among the local resistance fighters were a group of elite special ops soldiers, known as Outriders. They were trained to be the best of the best. Jack Dunne is the last of the Outriders and his specialist skills means that he’s been given the task of carrying out one last important mission.
Jack, accompanied by his 11 year old son Harry, runs a vicious gauntlet of enemies determined to catch and kill as he makes his way west from Victoria into South Australia to pick up a crucial asset who had been dropped off by submarine off the coast. Stalking him are motivated squads of guards with orders to kill on sight. The ensuing mission involves high-octane chases, tense stand-offs and graphically described contact with the enemy.
While Jack Dunne is a killing machine, attempts are made to give him a caring human side. His main motivation for his actions is the protection and welfare of his son. But he continues to mourn his wife, seeking retribution for her death at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party. We’re given brief moments of access inside his head on the rare occasions when he’s not fighting, giving him a small level of substance. But, ultimately, the interest lies in his actions rather than his motives.
The clipped sentences favoured by Wales ensures the pace is high and they help reflect the urgency of the action taking place in Victoria. The tight dialogue and the rapid deployment ensures that the plot unfolds in an unrelenting fashion.
Author Mark Wales appeared in Mad Max: Furiosa and there’s definitely a similar feel to Outrider, particularly the ravaged landscape in which it’s set. You also get a good sense of his SAS Regiment military background in which he saw action through the realistic jargon and tactical techniques so ably described in each battle scene.
The classic domain of most high action thrillers is the scenario where the hero (or heroes) are vastly outnumbered and outgunned, facing virtually insurmountable odds. With that in mind, Outrider ticks all of the boxes most action fans are looking for. For those with a military bent there’s the added bonus of great emphasis on descriptions of weaponry (including a few whizz bang inventions), intense combat sequences and graphic descriptions of violence. The more emotional sides of the story, while evident and given importance as far as motivation is concerned, is kept to a minimum.
So, as mentioned earlier, this is an action thriller that’s all about the journey and the fact is, the journey is a white-knuckled ride, filled with excitement and requiring you to hold on tight lest you lose your freaking mind. (3.5 stars)...more
The 4th book to feature Lexi Winter, a one-time escort, exotic dancer, paedophile victim and total badass. She has completely embraced her role in theThe 4th book to feature Lexi Winter, a one-time escort, exotic dancer, paedophile victim and total badass. She has completely embraced her role in the police force and has the added responsibility of being carer for Caitlin.
This is expected to be the last book of the series and, consequently, we get a tense thriller that ties up some of the loose ends left during the course of the previous 3 books. The main loose end is Damon Vaughn who is a sick serial killer and peddler of kiddie porn.
He emerges from the shadows in which he’s been hiding since Lexi beat him in (book 1) to propose a “game” with Lexi. He explains to her that he plans to kill 5 people before the end of the month, culminating in killing Lexi herself. He has given her the chance to solve the crimes, work out the pattern and stop him from carrying out his plans. If she’s successful he promises to yield to her. Failure, obviously, means Lexi’s death.
Finn, Lexi’s colleague and subject of a “will they or won’t they” type of relationship, is now dating Olivia and Olivia is clearly displaying obvious signs of rampant jealousy. I’ve got to say at this point, for a high-performing psychologist, Olivia’s a bit of a headcase. Needless to say, the atmosphere in the office and out in the field is somewhat tense. In fact, Lexi specialises in putting her colleagues on notice with her intensity and straight ahead approach to policing. It’s what makes her a pleasure to follow.
The ghost of a teenage rape victim who committed suicide many years before appears to be haunting the local population. Her appearance occurs just before one of the five proposed victims. This game that Lexi has agreed to play quickly becomes a very weird and very tense affair.
The murder count builds up, Vaughn’s taunting continues at a very annoying rate, and we’re clearly heading towards a monumental showdown between the two main antagonists.
Endgame is the end of a strong police procedural series that manages to draw the reader in with a frank and clear descriptive narrative, well described characters and a devious criminal. There were times when the plot became slightly convoluted but this in no way detracted from the story which flies along at a brisk pace.
I’ve been there for all four of the Lexi Winter books and have enjoyed the development of all of the main characters. Personally, I think you’d be best to have read the preceding books to get the most out of Endgame or, at the very least, Unforgiven (book 1). This will provide a much clearer picture of the history between Lexi and Vaughn.
My thanks to HQ Fiction and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. ...more
The small town Australian crime novel has become the reliable domain of Chris Hammer and, once again, we find ourselves in the rural environment of ThThe small town Australian crime novel has become the reliable domain of Chris Hammer and, once again, we find ourselves in the rural environment of The Valley, sinking our teeth into another complex crime. It’s the 4th outing for Nell Buchanan (recently promoted to Senior Constable) and her partner of 3 years Sergeant Ivan Lucic.
Before the case is introduced we’re given a teaser to set the scene. In 1988 a crew has just successfully pulled off a massive heist getting away with cash and gold bullion worth hundreds of thousands. But there’s a falling out, suspicions of a wire, gunplay and a fire at their hideout. Some of the crew die, some get away.
In the present day, Nell and Ivan have been called in to investigate a suspicious death - a drowning - in the tiny community called The Valley. This place, idyllic gauging from Hammer’s wonderfully rich description as they drive in, is located on the South Coast of New South Wales somewhere to the west of Batemans Bay.
The dead man’s name is Wolfgang Burnside and clearly his drowning death is a murder case. But very early on we discover that there’s a personal connection to the case, a bit of a bombshell that’s going to make this just a little more of an emotional investigation than usual.
This is a story told across a couple of time periods as we alternate from the present before flicking back to 1990 and then 1994. In 1990 Simmons Burnside arrives in The Valley as part of the police force tasked with keeping order between loggers and protesting environmentalists. We’re given his first person account of the events and the people involved at the time. This includes his traumatic near death experience at Gryphon Mine.
Amber Jones, Nell’s mother, comes to the Valley in 1994 having inherited the property that includes a house and land, called Watershine, and the now abandoned Gryphon Mine. The mine sits on the escarpment overlooking the house and is the centrepiece of the story, linked by the tragedy that occurred there 4 years earlier and its potential for providing wealth and prosperity if it were made operable again.
Using the details from the past and present, Hammer gradually pulls the story together. We’re given two suspicious deaths from the past and one from the present to think about. In the meantime, Amber meets Lucas Trescothic and forms a friendship that slowly develops into something more. The more we learn about Amber the more you wonder how she’s involved, a job made increasingly difficult as the twists and unexpected changes of direction begin to come thick and fast.
Once again Chris Hammer has managed to place a large scale crime within a majestic New South Wales landscape. Familiar local environmental issues give depth to the storyline and the question of Nell’s origins (although tinged with the old coincidence brush) adds further intrigue. There’s no doubt that the sense of place is profound with beauty found in every described panoramic vista, lake, leaf and tree.
The Valley is an epic crime story, masterfully crafted, intricately plotted and well executed. Although it’s nominally a Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic police procedural, they actually take a backseat to the more complex cast of characters from the past. The question of Nell’s lineage hangs tauntingly for the majority of the story and is cleverly worked into the case as things are brilliantly wrapped up.
This is another small town Australian crime story that draws you deeply in and makes you care about the local people and the surrounding countryside.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC giving me the opportunity to read, enjoy and review this book. ...more
High Wire is Outback Gothic at its bleakly isolated best. The wide open expanses of the Australian outback leaves those who travel the lonely roads exHigh Wire is Outback Gothic at its bleakly isolated best. The wide open expanses of the Australian outback leaves those who travel the lonely roads exposed to attack with little chance of help from passersby. When the ambush is planned and well executed, the feeling of hopelessness is even greater and the tension multiplies. This is a thriller that starts out with a jolt and then inexorably ups the tension page by page.
The High Wire is a barely-known dirt road running from Sydney to Broome through the middle of the country. It’s used as a “kind of shortcut for losers and drug runners”. It’s a dangerous track to traverse, a lawless environment where you regularly find burned out or abandoned cars along the way.
Harvey Buck knows the track and is equipped to survive most encounters along the way. Clare Holland has had the misfortune of breaking down, her car going up in flames and Harvey stops to offer her a lift.
Their car is brought to a sudden stop, all four tyres blown out by the road spikes laid across the track, ambushed by three men in balaclavas. Suddenly, Harvey’s contingencies for survival on the High Wire are blown to smithereens.
Senior Sergeant Edna Norris patrols from her one cop station, having to cover an unbelievably large region of Australia’s outback. She’s used to getting called out to trouble on the Wire. So when she finds Clare’s burnt out car and, some time later, Harvey’s abandoned car she starts forming a picture in her mind about what might have happened. It’s not a great picture and she commences slowly following the worrying trail.
The incidents on the High Wire aren’t random acts of violence. As the danger increases and the stakes are raised we’re gradually made aware of both Harvey’s and Clare’s respective pasts. The former soldier who served in Afghanistan and the Police Commissioner’s wife have had a storied past and past deeds have indeed brought them to this perilous situation.
In Harvey Buck and Edna Norris we have two highly competent operators and Candice Fox does a great job in fleshing them out. Although they’re in separate scenes throughout the book, they’re resourceful, filled with ingenuity and passionate in what they believe in. All these traits help them when they’re under attack but also hinders them when faced by authority. They’re kind of on opposite sides of the law, yet they equally come across as the story’s main protagonists.
In some respects High Wire is a wild chase thriller through some of the harshest, most unforgiving land on earth. But there’s far more at play here. Retribution, payback, domestic abuse and guilty consciences dominate the minds of just about all the players.
On this section of the High Wire, the action is intense as every moment leads up to a potentially cataclysmic finale. This is a strong plot that, for so much of the story, appears to be leading up to only one inevitable outcome. But then, it’s the unexpected that Candice Fox is so adept at delivering.
My thanks to Penguin Random House Australia and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC to allow me to read, enjoy and review this book....more
Rug up warm because The Chilling, the debut thriller by Riley James, demonstrates just how harsh and unforgiving Antarctica in winter can be. This is Rug up warm because The Chilling, the debut thriller by Riley James, demonstrates just how harsh and unforgiving Antarctica in winter can be. This is a suspense novel that simply drips with atmosphere and tension and not just because there are numerous ways a person can die in the unforgiving deep freeze of the most southern continent on earth. Chuck a bunch of humans into the mix and the number of ways you can die tends to dramatically increase.
Recently divorced Kit Bitterfeld has found her way onto an Antarctic expedition that will see her isolated, with her team, through the dark winter months. As the ship is nearing the Antarctic coast they receive a distress call from the ship transporting the summer team so they race off to assist. What they find is devastation and the crew is missing. There’s only one person found on board, and he was unconscious inside a coolroom.
The man’s name is Nick and when he comes out of his coma it’s apparent he’s suffering psychogenic amnesia with absolutely no memory of the events leading up to when he was knocked out. His predicament is accepted by everyone with the exception of Kit who’s dubious about the amnesia believing he’s faking it - at least to some extent.
While this is going on we’re introduced to the survivors of the abandoned ship. They’re in a fight for their lives as they make their way from the dangerous ice floes in the harbour to the more stable continental coast. It’s clear that a man had been murdered on board the ship before the fire broke and the ship had to be abandoned. What’s unclear are the circumstances surrounding the death and that’s where the story's big mystery lies.
The unique and forbidding setting of the Antarctic adds plenty of interest to this murder mystery. The prospect that any ill considered move outdoors could end in a quick death definitely adds a high level of jeopardy all round and gives The Chilling a unique point of difference.
From very early the seeds of foreboding are sown with the doubts placed on the head of Nick, the plight of the missing crew members wandering about looking for the base camp and then, when a mysterious outbreak hits Kit’s camp, the danger levels are raised yet again. This is an outstanding debut thriller that manages to provide occasional well-disguised twists and surprises.
Riley James has clearly done her research with detailed descriptions of the landscape, life inside the Macpherson base camp and methods used by the inhabitants for survival and day to day living. This aspect of the book was important in creating a credible backdrop to the dramas that were being played out within.
I let myself be transported to Antarctica and found myself fully immersed in the story. I’d recommend this to any reader who enjoys thrillers with an action adventure side to it.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC which has allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book....more
The 3rd book in the Jane Halifax series finds Jane in New York visiting her stepdaughter who is in the process of producing an album. It seems Zoe’s mThe 3rd book in the Jane Halifax series finds Jane in New York visiting her stepdaughter who is in the process of producing an album. It seems Zoe’s musical career is on the verge of taking off. But this merely puts Jane in the crosshairs of a brewing legal stoush with her specialist skills as a forensic psychologist putting her in high demand.
Jane is approached by Zoe’s lawyer to meet with his boss who is representing autistic billionaire tech whizz Sarah Noble in a murder case. Her business partner and CFO had just died in a plane crash - the company’s plane. Suggestions have been made that Sarah is capable of hacking into the controls of the airplane and intentionally crashed it.
The fact that Sarah and her partner had been at odds in the lead up to the crash definitely doesn’t help the case. In fact, she had just sacked her partner from the company and, as a result, the company’s share price was in free fall. The nature of their business, technology enabling the interception and redirection of missiles, is both technical and sensitive in nature. The Department of Defense has a significant stake in it and depends on Sarah’s mental acuity to remain focused on the job.
It’s Jane’s job to keep Sarah on the straight and narrow through the difficult time of dealing with the court case, the slavering press pack and Sarah’s tendency toward non-conformity.
This is a setup that has a great deal of potential but, unfortunately very little is actually delivered. An autistic billionaire genius who’s in the process of designing and building a new high tech weapons system for the military should have provided many moments of fascinating insights and nuance. Unfortunately none of the promise is realised.
Instead, what we’re given is a meandering snoozefest where very little happens for way too long. A court ordered home detention puts the brakes on any hint of action, Sarah remains stand-offish and limits interaction with Jane and Jane’s unclear of her reason for being there.
The question of who was responsible for the plane crash becomes a peripheral issue while the main focus is drawn to the company’s latest weapon invention. And even that is poorly described and kept in the background, merely discussed in the vaguest of terms.
It felt to me that the brief moments of action that took place were scattered among long periods of inaction within the billionaire’s estate. It all moved along at a slow pace and the attempts at building up tension simply fell flat. Repeated mentions of a falling share price, secondhand accounts of ongoing legal wranglings and vague attempts by Jane to offer her psychiatric expertise all conspired to cripple any flow in the story.
This episode of Jane Halifax fp failed to deliver the drama and keen insights from Jane herself that shone in the two earlier books. It just all fell a bit flat and failed to hold my attention.
My thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC that allowed me to read and review this book. ...more
Nick Ryan, the rogue New York cop on a mission to clean up the streets no matter how outside the law he steps, is back in Blind To Midnight, the folloNick Ryan, the rogue New York cop on a mission to clean up the streets no matter how outside the law he steps, is back in Blind To Midnight, the follow up to the first book of the series Sleepless City. Once again, the action is fierce and the pace frenetic as Nick and his ever-growing team of allies face up against dangerous enemies.
Ryan works for a shadowy organization as a fixer, a man who steps into dangerous situations and faces down the criminals running amok in the city. The people backing him have contacts in the highest places and he tends to perform his work without any problems from outside authorities.
In this case, he’s called on to investigate a murder that took place on September 11, 2001. It’s touted as the only murder that took place that day in NY outside of the Twin Towers. The man was stabbed multiple times at a subway station and left for dead. The assumption at the time was that the man was Arab in appearance and was attacked as a result. That thinking has now changed.
But Ryan’s not above working off the books, so to speak, and when a former cop, once a partner and his father’s is shot to death in his home along with his wife, he decides to take a special interest in the case. These unauthorized jobs are fraught with danger and tend to displease his handlers. It also opens him up to attacks from unexpected angles, something that ensures the action comes at a frenetic pace.
I must admit I really like these types of books where the hero is given a virtual free rein to track down and deal with bad guys. The fact that he has a small team of experts he can call on to help him with tech work, backup muscle and local knowledge makes it even easier to stride into the next showdown. With each phase carefully planned, often with a few important details hidden from us to offer small surprise twists, he jumps from one crisis to the next with the agility of a cat.
This is a solid hardboiled thriller that ticks all of the lone wolf detective, who’s torn between his job and the woman he loves, boxes. The growing cast of characters he enlists to help him adds interest to the storyline while also increasing his effectiveness. It feels as though Nick Ryan is still in the early days of coming to grips with his fixer role which augurs well for future possible outings.
The audiobook is narrated by Peter Giles and his low pitched growling delivery provides the perfect atmosphere to the story he’s conveying. From the first line you sense the threat and feel the danger that’s coming.
My thanks to Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks and NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook which has allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book. ...more
The Waiting is the 6th book to feature LAPD detective Renee Ballard, but it’s part of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch universe. More and more Ballard iThe Waiting is the 6th book to feature LAPD detective Renee Ballard, but it’s part of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch universe. More and more Ballard is exhibiting the same willingness to circumvent the rules as Bosch himself. It makes for a lively investigation process and it’s all in the name of solving her cases and bringing closure for the victim's families.
Ballard heads up LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit and has put together a strong team of volunteers adept at working through the massive list of cold cases still on the books. Although the team members don’t have a badge, they all have strong backgrounds for the work they do and the results have been good, granting Ballard quite a high level of autonomy.
There are 3 significant threads to follow in the course of The Waiting’s storyline.
The first kicks off while Ballard is enjoying a morning surf. Her car is broken into and she’s robbed of her police ID, her badge and her service weapon. She chooses not to let her superior know, rather, she does her own off-the-books investigation. Following the trail from thief, to stolen goods fence to illegal goods buyer, she finds that she’s about to uncover a potential terror attack. But she’s got to tread very carefully considering how she first learnt of the threat.
The second involves one of the cold cases being worked by the team. The case was dubbed the Pillowcase Rapist and the person they’re after was a serial rapist with the final rape victim also murdered. The team has come up with a familial match from a man arrested on a domestic violence call. If the DNA match comes through, the man’s father could be charged as the Pillowcase Rapist.
The only problem is, the potential suspect is the presiding judge of the superior court.
The third arm, and possibly the most significant for Bosch and Michael Connelly fans, is Maddie Bosch joining the Open-Unsolved team for one day a week. She’s hoping to fast-track her rise to detective. Maddie comes to Ballard with a possible stunning chance to solve the infamous Black Dahlia murder. Solving it may also solve a series of other Open/Unsolved murders along the way.
The Waiting exhibits all of the superior storytelling qualities that has made Michael Connelly so popular. Although the three main storylines unfold concurrently with Ballard at their center, they’re allowed to each develop at their natural pace, building to an absorbing conclusion. It’s all held together effortlessly to form another extremely tightly plotted story typified by the logical police work employed in each case.
It was nice to get another small dose of Harry Bosch here. Although his role is of a minor nature, his influence on Ballard remains large. And then there’s the introduction of Maddie Bosch, giving her a much larger role with the promise of more to come. There’s already an indication that we’re in for a treat in future books that involves this whip-smart police investigator.
Naturally, there are hitches, roadblocks and, at times, members of the team are placed in mortal danger, but that’s to be expected when there are so many big personalities involved. Another totally absorbing Los Angeles thriller delivered by a master of his craft.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. ...more
Good ole Eddie Flynn, one time conman now the most creative defence lawyer in New York, is back and it’s all systems go as he tackles another impossibGood ole Eddie Flynn, one time conman now the most creative defence lawyer in New York, is back and it’s all systems go as he tackles another impossible to win case. Witness 8 is the 8th book in the series and remains consistent in its ability to throw curveball scenarios at will, and then, in the most unbelievably devious methods possible, solves them in front of our eyes.
The Eddie Flynn team has expanded enormously over the course of the series and we’re treated to the shenanigans of fellow attorney Kate Brooks along with investigator Bloch, ex-judge Harry Ford and the very wrinkly clothed ex-FBI agent Gabriel Lake. Together they form a formidable team.
In this outing, Flynn is hired by a fellow attorney to represent a brain surgeon who has been charged with the shooting murder of a neighbour. The dead woman had a past history of sleeping with several of her married neighbours before ditching them and moving on. Their client’s big problem, however, is the murder weapon found in his bedroom closet with a partial print, his partial print, on it.
Just to make things a little more spicy, a bounty has been placed on Eddie’s head by a criminal organisation who has become fed up with his interfering in their business affairs. His courtroom antics have cost them too much money so they’ve decided he’s got to go. The amount being offered has resulted in specialists from all over the company to come on in for the chance to collect.
This scenario results in the introduction of Mr Christmas. He turns out to be one of the strangest, not to mention most ruthless, professional hitmen you could ever imagine. It was difficult to figure out whether to chuckle or shudder at the well-spoken, Marlon Brando loving, stone killer.
Kate explains to their client, “Eddie has a…creative approach to the law.” and this approach is what makes the Eddie Flynn books such compelling reading. You’ve got legal thrillers and then you’ve got the most imaginative, unpredictable and compulsively enjoyable ride that Eddie Flynn takes you on.
Apart from Flynn himself and his offbeat way of lawyering, I always find myself enjoying the work of his investigator in these books. Bloch is the most complete investigator imaginable. For someone looking to operate completely outside of the law and is capable of killing without any compunction at all, she is a full-on aggression machine completely without emotion. Unwilling to do much talking, her mere presence is daunting and despite all of this she tends to dominate every scene she appears in.
Witness 8 involves the tricky defence of a man who’s been wrongly accused and the case is being prosecuted by a man who likes to cheat in order to win. The backs against the wall scenario plus the added danger of imminent assassination helps to make this legal thriller compulsive reading. Then again, I’m a fan of the series and, as far as I’m concerned, they’re all compulsively enjoyable.
My thanks to Headline and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy that allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book....more
The wide open and desolate highways of Australia have already provided the backdrop to a couple of spine tingling thrillers from Gabriel Bergmoser. WiThe wide open and desolate highways of Australia have already provided the backdrop to a couple of spine tingling thrillers from Gabriel Bergmoser. With The Hitchhiker, the danger and desperation is borne out again and, once again, Maggie (The Hunted and The Inheritance) finds herself involved.
Paul has hit the road after a divorce and is revelling in travelling through the Australian outback, listening to the Bee Gees on repeat. He’s feeling as free and carefree as he ever has and is loving experiencing the simple sights of the empty landscapes and skies simply filled with more stars than he ever imagined. He thought he might get bored but, thanks to the help of a series of self-help books about actualisation and self-improvement he’s actually bursting with expectations for what lies ahead.
Then he picks up the hitchhiker named Jesse, a brooding young man who’s not prone to doing much talking, constantly stares into the rearview mirror and becomes extremely irritated by the song ‘You Win Again’ on repeat. Jesse says he’s headed for Perth but it appears he’s also running from something. The trip through the wide open spaces suddenly becomes a little tense.
Nah, it actually becomes a lot tense. In fact, it takes a dark turn that resembles a hostage situation that’s definitely not going to end well.
As things progress we start to get taken back in time to learn more about each of the main characters. This serves to adequately provide us with a handy point of reference so that we can understand what each of them is capable of and what their motivations are for being out in the middle of nowhere travelling to goodness knows where.
This is a solid story of suspense set in the harsh and unforgiving backdrop of the Australian outback. The growing tension between the travelling “buddies” is made even more stark by the isolation through which they’re moving. The tiny towns and rest-stops through which they stop only adds to the sense of danger that grows between the pair.
The pace ramps up extremely quickly in the second half of the book thanks largely to the appearance of Maggie. Throw in some clever twists in between a few gruesome acts that might make the squeamish squirm a little and you’ve got yourself an engrossing thriller that could head in just about any direction you’re not expecting.
And I just loved the possibilities created by the ending.
This story was first created as an Audible Original and Bergmoser explains that the brief was to provide a ‘Wolf Creek meets Locke’ story. He’s well and truly done and has managed to create one of the creepiest bad guys you’d ever have the misfortune of running into on the open road into the bargain. It has clearly been given a freshen up for the hardcopy version and integrates quite nicely into the ongoing Hunted series expanding the theme of mayhem on the open roads of Australia’s outback.
My thanks to Harper Collins Australia and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC that has allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book. ...more
Harriet Foster is back for the third time in Tracy Clark’s Chicago-based thriller Echo. The Chicago PD homicide detective is still dealing with the loHarriet Foster is back for the third time in Tracy Clark’s Chicago-based thriller Echo. The Chicago PD homicide detective is still dealing with the loss of her son and her work partner while also out solving the murders of people she doesn’t know.
Echo presents us with a two-pronged murder mystery. The first is a very measured, very well planned revenge killing. The second is far more personal to Harri and revolves around the suicide of Glynnis, her former partner.
Brice Collier is the son of a billionaire, living it up as the huge man on campus at the school mostly funded by his father. But 4 robed figures, calling themselves Justice, have a plan for his imminent death. And it’s all in retaliation for another man’s murder 30 years earlier. The case tends to tie in nicely with the issue of vigilante justice, its application and the question over the effectiveness of the legal system. It’s an issue that raises its head a number of times as the story unfolds.
From the first book in the series (Hide) we’ve witnessed Harriet working her way through the mental anguish and feelings of guilt over the death of her partner. In particular the circumstances surrounding the events leading up to it. Echo provides answers and something of a resolution and does so in dramatic fashion.
As with the earlier books, Echo also highlights the necessity of teamwork between fellow officers and this, more than the earlier books, reads as more of an ensemble effort. The characters introduced earlier in the series return and we’re provided with more of an insight into each, helping them become more 3-dimensional. The result is a richer and more coherent perspective from which the story is told.
I found Echo to be another enjoyable murder mystery that tackles real issues in a thoughtful and pragmatic way. The camaraderie between cops was engaging, the bad guys are suitably provocative and the ending, while not exactly satisfying, was entirely in keeping with the tone of the book.
My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC which enabled me to read, enjoy and review this book. ...more
The 3rd book in the Lucas Walker series, Opal by Patricia Wolf is a small town thriller set in outback Queensland. Although the title of the book suggThe 3rd book in the Lucas Walker series, Opal by Patricia Wolf is a small town thriller set in outback Queensland. Although the title of the book suggests that we’re going to be treated to the ins and outs of the opal mining game, this is actually a murder mystery hampered by an enforced period of isolation.
Australian Federal Police officer DS Lucas Walker’s sister is visiting from Boston and he wants to give her a visit to remember, keen for her to meet his family and the town of Caloodie. Things start off very well and their trip from Canberra to Caloodie allows them to catch up after years of being apart. But on their arrival at Caloodie, they discover that Blair Mitchell, Lucas’ cousin, is opal mining up north in the tiny town of Kanpara and needs to get home.
Ever the helpful one, Lucas offers to make the trip and Grace, eager to see more of Australia, decides she’ll go too. So, after a day’s rest in Caloodie they set off for another long drive through the outback to Kanpara where they meet up with Blair.
The pick up was only meant to be an overnighter, but before they can head for home the next morning they wake to find the roads in and out of town have been flooded. It seems that torrential rains in the north of the country have caused massive runoff floods through Kanpara which is part of the so-called Channel Country.
They’ve barely resigned themselves to being cut off in Kanpara when the chilling discovery of a double murder rocks the tiny community. The murder is brutal, one of the murder victims was Blair’s boss and, most concerning, the murderer must still be in town thanks to the floodwaters cutting off any escape.
Walker’s policing instincts kick in and can’t help but get himself involved in the murder investigation. This is something that’s not exactly appreciated by the Queensland police detective who’s been flown in to take over the case.
Motives are plentiful. Miners are a jealous bunch and there was word that the murdered man had recently found a massive opal. Could someone have murdered him to get their hands on it? He and the murdered woman, not his wife, were killed in her bed. Jealous husband? And then there’s Blair, who had been overheard arguing vehemently with the murdered man the night before. Did he lose his cool in a big way?
An atmospheric thriller, personal dislikes and irritations between the local population is intensified by being trapped in a small town. The inclusion of a killer among them simply creates even greater tension.
Although there are periods where very little happens, the pace of the story is solid thanks to the determination of Walker to track down the killer. The fact that the detective doesn’t particularly like him and has his own ideas over who the murderer might be ensures that the action is consistent. My only little gripe about Walker is his blinkered attitude when it comes to investigating crime. Once he makes his mind up it seems there’s no reasoning with him, even when I (and any reasonable person) could see that his reasoning was flawed.
As the floodwaters begin to recede the identity of the killer becomes clear, the intensity ramps up and we’re drawn to an exciting conclusion.
My thanks to Embla Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC which has allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book. ...more
Sometimes you just have to sit back and acknowledge superior storytelling when you read it by an author who can orchestrate misdirection with consummaSometimes you just have to sit back and acknowledge superior storytelling when you read it by an author who can orchestrate misdirection with consummate skill. J.P. Pomare has put together a crime thriller that stands head and shoulders above most that I have come across in recent times with 17 Years Later.
The Primrose family has been murdered and Bill Kareama, the family chef, has been convicted and imprisoned for the past 17 years for the crime. All the locals are convinced he’s a murderer but Australian podcaster Sloane Abbott isn’t so sure. She’s travelled to New Zealand in the hopes of putting together content for her wildly successful show, the podcast has successfully overturned decisions in the past. The question sits out there…is Bill a murderer?
The story is told from three different viewpoints and across two time periods. Firstly, the investigation into the old crime is told from Sloane Abbott’s point of view in the present day. Secondly, we get an opinionated narrative from Bill’s psychologist and advocate Te Kuru Phillips (TK), which also takes place in the present day and often in response to interaction with Sloane. Finally, we go back 17 years and jump into Bill’s mind as the events leading up to the murders unfold.
Through Bill’s recollection of events we encounter numerous instances of racism, typical of the prejudice that has long blighted New Zealand. Not all of the Primrose family are pleasant people and we’re given potential motives for Bill to have done what he’s been imprisoned for.
TK describes how torn he was when representing Bill: “I had been seeing Bill for about a year when I realised I had become attached to him and emotionally invested in his case. It wasn’t transference, it was something else. I believed him and not just that, I believed in him.”
Sloane manages to convince TK to help her sort through the evidence she has been able to pick up during her brief investigation. She becomes convinced that the slipshod police work has resulted in a wrongful arrest and imprisonment and can see a blockbuster podcast series in the offing as a result.
This cold case investigation conducted by two amateur investigators is wonderfully plotted and whizzes along at a rapid pace. The guilt of Bill Kareama is placed under question very early on and then the list of possible alternative murderers are carefully presented to create an intriguing web of suspects. And Bill’s never discounted among that list too!
As Sloane and TK carefully unpick the knots that the clues are tied up in, the tension builds and there’s an awareness of a growing danger that both are walking into. TK flies out to the UK and France to continue on his part while Sloane works away in New Zealand. Both seem to be walking straight into life-threatening situations.
There are numerous opportunities for misdirection and thrilling cliffhangers here, and J.P. Pomare doesn’t miss any of them. Now, I'm not normally the type of guy to do this, but the further into the story I got, the more necessary it became to set aside what I was doing and read on to find out how this fantastic crime thriller was going to end.
My thanks to Hachette Australia and NZ via NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC to allow me to read, enjoy and review this book....more
In Highway Thirteen, Fiona McFarlane has put together a cleverly conceived collection of connected short stories to build a full 360 degree view of thIn Highway Thirteen, Fiona McFarlane has put together a cleverly conceived collection of connected short stories to build a full 360 degree view of the crimes committed on a highway to the south of Sydney in Australia. Personally, I think this concept works best if you’re going into the collection aware that there’s some kind of connection in each story, no matter how small. Each one is then made relevant by one or more of the later stories.
This collection of loosely connected short stories centres around a serial killer who picked up his victims on a highway before killing and burying them in the Barrow State Forest outside of Sydney. This is clearly based on a notorious real life case in the 1990s and through these stories we’re given a fascinating fictionalised view of the various people who could possibly have been affected by these crimes.
The various different connections come from characters such as: an empath who is obsessed with the case and can feel the victims calling to her; a politician who has the unfortunate luck of sharing the same last name as the killer; a couple who meets a Swiss tourist planning to hitchhike south to her fruit picking job; a wife who suspects her husband isn’t actually working on a gardening job south of Sydney. There are some imaginative ways in which others are tied into this logical jigsaw.
I must admit I was caught a little by surprise with these short stories, unsure what to think by what I thought were sudden endings to each. It was only when I was four or five stories in that it twigged that we were revolving around a common theme and the theme was dark and dangerous.
There are a variety of styles used across these stories, some of them are very effective, others are a little distracting and one, a stream of consciousness ramble without any full-stops, was just plain exhausting. But in each, the game became trying to discern just how each story linked in with the rest - some were obvious, others were more obscure.
This is a conceptually successful adaptation of a true crime story into a series of fictionalised accounts. It provides a personalised glimpse into how those personally involved in these terrible crimes might have reacted and been affected. Fiona McFarlane, through these richly devised short stories has created a thought provoking work.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin via NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC that allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book....more
With his second crime novel, Liars, James O’Loghlin has produced a deceptively complex murder mystery. With elements that can only be described as a wWith his second crime novel, Liars, James O’Loghlin has produced a deceptively complex murder mystery. With elements that can only be described as a whodunnit that combines a classic cozy mystery with the structure of a police procedural, this is a small town crime novel that is filled with intrigue.
In the small NSW Central Coast town of Bullford Point, life seems pretty quiet with the usual small town issues marking as exciting as things get. There’s a certain bucolic quaintness about the beachside town, but that feeling is rudely shattered when Karen Kemp’s body is found in the nearby bushland.
And then recently rehabbed drug addict Joe Griffiths is discovered in his bed, dead from an overdose. The fact that Joe, who was secretly meeting with Karen behind her boyfriend’s back, was the prime suspect for Karen’s murder is a notable feature in what appears to be a remorse filled suicide.
The local police constable, Seb Baxter, is a little overwhelmed by the scope of the crimes that have been committed on his patch. The homicide detectives from Sydney quickly take over the scenes, draw their conclusions and head home again. Seb was once good friends with Joe, while saddened and disappointed with what’s happened, is prepared to accept his colleague’s findings.
It’s not until Barb Young, a middle-aged local woman who had employed Joe in her handyman business, takes it on herself to investigate the deaths. The classic “things just don’t add up” sets her on her path and she teams up with Seb to get to the bottom of the mysteries. She turns out to be the scene stealing star of the piece, kind of reminiscent of The Thursday Murder Club’s Joyce (if you’ve read the books) with her penchant for baking and pressing her delicious cakes on otherwise hard nosed criminals.
Now, Seb and Joe went to school together, along with Sal, Viv, Gary, Leanne and Dev. Together they formed a band, led by Sal, and ended up heading to Sydney during their university days with the hope that they might be able to make it big. Just before their big break, Sal disappeared without explanation and moved to the Blue Mountains and was then strangled to death in her home. The death had been counted as the work of a local serial killer, the third in the string of murders at the time.
This little bit of background serves to essentially give us a group of five potential suspects to sift through as we try to work out who the killer is.
A good portion of the story early on is told via emails, letters, text transcripts and podcast transcripts between members of the Bullford Point and surrounding area community. This carried on for an overly long portion of the book, at least the first 12% and was, quite frankly, an onerous read.
This is a double murder mystery solved by a combination of an amateur sleuth and a junior small town police constable. Events that took place more than seven years ago are crucial to solving the case and we’re given a healthy list of potential suspects
Once past the “correspondence” section of the book, things flow far more quickly and in a linear fashion with a solid mystery slowly unfolding to tantalize. The events from the past are cleverly brought to light in a believable way and while there are a few conveniently accurate conclusions drawn based on even more conveniently provided pieces of evidence, things move to quite a thrilling ending.
I found Liars to be an entertaining small town murder mystery that did a good job of balancing the lighter, more cozy moments with the darker, far more dangerous criminal elements.
My thanks to Echo Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC to read, enjoy and review this book....more