Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight an excellent upcoming piece of Australian crime fiction with The Wrong Man by Tim Ayliffe.

As regular readers of this blog will know, I consume a lot of Australian fiction each year, mainly because of my geographic location and the focuses of my local publishers.  A large portion of this Australian fiction tends to be crime fiction, with my fellow Australians coming up with an amazing range of thrillers, murder mysteries and other crime-focused reads.  Some of the best of these make full use of the Australian setting to tell their compelling stories, and I have become a huge fan of Australian crime fiction as a result.  One of my favourite authors coming up with awesome Australian crime fiction is journalist turned author Tim Ayliffe, who has had some great success with his John Bailey books.

The John Bailey novels are an excellent series that follows the titular character, an alcoholic and damaged journalist, as he finds himself involved in a series of dangerous situations related to his investigative stories.  Not only do these novels feature captivating thriller storylines and compelling mysteries, but Ayliffe often laces them with intriguing insights into Australian society, featuring plot points that have parallels to real life headlines, social issues or controversies.  These include examining foreign interference in Australian politics, terrorism, the growth of right-wing extremism, and the impact of international spies in Australia.  As such, I have had a wonderful and thoughtful time with each of the John Bailey novels, and they are often some of the top pieces of Australian fiction I read each year.  This includes The Greater Good, State of Fear, The Enemy Within (one of my favourite Australian books of 2021), and Killer Traitor Spy (one of my favourite Australian books of 2023).

Due to how much I have enjoyed Tim Ayliffe’s work in the past I was excited when he recently announced he had a new novel coming out in 2024.  That book is The Wrong Man which is currently set for release in early July.  The fifth entry in the John Bailey series, The Wrong Man has an amazing plot behind it that I am really excited for.

Plot Synopsis:

The fifth novel in the John Bailey thriller series. Bailey is trying to solve two murders, ten years apart – unfinished business from his former flame Sharon Dexter. But will it cost him his life?

Detective Holly Sutton has been seconded to work with the New South Wales Homicide Squad to investigate the murder of Sydney socialite, Tottie Evans, who was found dead at the Palm Beach home of a millionaire property developer.

Alec Blacksmith isn’t like other real estate guys. He’s a former mercenary soldier who shot to fame after appearing on a reality TV show. Blacksmith is refusing to cooperate with police because he has his own secrets.

John Bailey is an old school reporter with a nose for a story.

He gets a call from the police about a break-in at the house he inherited from his former girlfriend, Sharon Dexter – a cop murdered in the line of duty.

Whoever crowbarred the lock was looking for Dexter’s case file about the murder of a waitress named Sally King at an exclusive Sydney gentlemen’s club a decade earlier. After examining the file, Bailey discovers something that will blow up the Homicide Squad’s investigation into Tottie Evans’s death – a link to the murder of King.

The only problem is that a serial killer is already serving a life sentence for the crime.

Catching killers is Holly Sutton’s job. But for John Bailey, solving the case offers him a chance to finish a job for the woman who saved his life.

I really like the sound of this latest John Bailey novel as it a lot of interesting elements to it.  A pure murder mystery focused book will make The Wrong Man stand out a little bit from the previous entries in the series, and I like the scenario that Ayliffe introducing here.  Controversial figures, linked murders, and a potentially falsely imprisoned serial killer has some real potential for a narrative, and I cannot wait to see how it unwinds.  The inclusion of a controversial soldier as a prominent figure was also interesting to me, and it made me wonder if Ayliffe is going to allude to a high-profile legal case that recently played out in the Australian media.  I am also interested in the character of Detective Holly Sutton, and I am looking forward to seeing how she plays off the older John Bailey.  Bailey, a damaged figure who has slowly been pulling his life together throughout the series, will also be a great inclusion, and I am curious to see how his character continues to evolve, especially after the additional health issues that were raised in the previous book (those darn Russian sonic weapons).

Based on my previous positive experiences with Tim Ayliffe’s work, I am very keen to get my hands on the new John Bailey book when it comes out in a few months’ time.  The Wrong Man has a very exciting and compelling story behind it, and I am keen to find out how it all comes together.  I have no doubt that The Wrong Man will probably end up being one of the top Australian novels of 2024 and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.