Originally published in the Canberra Weekly on 4 April 2024.
A copy of this column also appeared on the Canberra Daily website.
Make sure to check out my extended reviews for Devil’s Kitchen, White Ash Ridge and The Winter Palace.
Tag: Australian Author
Devil’s Kitchen by Candice Fox
Publisher: Bantam Australia (Trade Paperback – 26 March 2024)
Series: Standalone/Book One
Length: 480 pages
My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars
One of Australia’s very best thriller authors continues her hellacious 2024 with the outstanding and epic read, Devil’s Kitchen.
Candice Fox is a very impressive author who has been doing an amazing job representing Australian authors on the international stage with her epic thrillers. Starting off with some intriguing outback thrillers, including her Archer and Bennett series and Crimson Lake books (the latter of which have been adapted into the Australian television series Troppo), it didn’t take long for Fox to gain worldwide appeal, especially once she started collaborating with James Patterson. Fox with Patterson has written several amazing reads, including the Detective Harriet Blue series, The Inn, 2 Sisters Detective Agency, and Fox’s other 2024 read, The Murder Inn. Fox has also been writing some amazing standalone thrillers in recent years, including Gathering Dark, The Chase and Fire with Fire. I have had an amazing time with these outstanding books, and they usually end up being some of the top books by an Australian author each year. However, Fox’s latest novel, Devil’s Kitchen, might be her best thriller yet.
Everyone knows firefighters are heroes, and in the FDNY, no team is more daring or brave than the members of Engine 99. For years this tightknit band of firefighters has stood against the worst blazes New York has to offer, working together to save lives and keep the city safe. However, beneath this heroic façade, the four members of Engine 99 harbour a dark secret: they are ruthless and successful thieves.
Utilising their knowledge of fire to create opportunities and destroy evidence, the Engine 99 crew have pulled off several impressive heists and stolen millions of dollars. With their loyalty, skills and ability to work within the system, the team seems unbeatable. However, that changes when the family of one member of the team, Ben, goes missing. Convinced that someone else on the Engine 99 crew had something to do with their disappearance, Ben attempts to make a deal with the law to save them. However, Ben is unprepared for the carnage his actions will bring down.
Andrea ‘Andy’ Nearland is a professional undercover operative with a dangerous past. She has spent years learning to get close to people to learn their darkest secrets and will do anything to bring her targets to justice. Joining the team after obtaining intensive firefighting training, Andy begins the arduous task of gaining the rest of the team’s trust with Ben’s reluctant help. However, getting through the web of secrecy surrounding the rest of Engine 99 and finding out what happened to Ben’s family will be difficult, especially as the team plots their most ambitious heist yet. With tensions running higher than ever and her obsessive employer trying to drag her out, can Andy find out all of Engine 99’s dark secrets before it’s too late, or will her tangled web of lies and emotional connections bring her down?
This was a particularly epic book from Fox that I couldn’t put down. Featuring an ambitious and powerful narrative that pushes the boundaries of relationships, loyalty and doing the right thing, Devil’s Kitchen had me hooked the entire way through, and this was truly an outstanding read.
I really cannot emphasise enough what a great story Devil’s Kitchen had, and this ended up being a dark and compelling thriller. Featuring a gripping prelude that ensures you get drawn into the story, Devil’s Kitchen is quickly split between the perspectives of main characters Andy and Ben, as Andy begins her infiltration of the Engine 99 crew after Ben contacts the authorities about his crew’s criminal actions. Joining as a new member with a romantic connection to Ben, Andy attempts to gain their trust, while the crew begins planning a new heist with destructive potential. What follows is an intriguing game of cat and mouse as Andy uses her skills at infiltration to try and find out all their secrets, even the ones that Ben doesn’t want her to know, all while the rest of the crew battle their suspicions about her motivations.
The plot goes in some intriguing directions as Devil’s Kitchen continues, as all the team’s dark secrets and Andy’s troubled past come to light. Andy proves to be a very smooth operator as she gets closer to finding out the truth, while Ben is a complex and haunted figure, desperate to save those he cares about, while also hoping to keep his worst secrets to himself. I loved the many layers of deception, personal struggle and compelling personalities contained within the story, as the protagonists attempt to discover what happened to Ben’s missing family and how it ties into his heist work. At the same time, Andy and Ben get closer, and Andy is forced to deal with her overprotective employer and former lover, whose jealousy and concern about the situation causes more trouble for her. The last third of the story is particularly epic, as the truth in all its forms gets out, and everyone is thrown into some desperate directions. Fox pulls together some excellent twists and turns here, and all the big reveals were suitably shocking and intense. This was probably one of Fox’s best conclusions, and all the elaborate story threads come together perfectly, ensuring that the reader comes away satisfied with the various solutions to the book’s big mysteries. At the same time, there are some dark and shocking moments, and I honestly did not expect how tragic Fox would make her conclusion.
I have a lot of love for how Fox brought her story together, and this proved to be a very well-written book. The intense back and forth between the two perspective protagonists presents the reader with a dramatic and complex read, especially as both have hidden motivations and desires. In many ways this is almost a psychological thriller, especially as Fox does an outstanding job diving into why Andy desires connections in every identity she takes on, while Ben is caught between his intense loyalty to the crew and his desires to save his loved ones. This balance of thriller storyline and character arcs really works, and I ended up invested in both Andy and Ben’s unique storylines, even if that threatened to lead to tragedy. Fox keeps up a fantastic and fast pace for this novel, and I honestly couldn’t put Devil’s Kitchen down at times, I was so engrossed in seeing the next dark turn or compelling character moment.
I have mentioned Andy and Ben a few times, and they really were the tortured heart and soul of the team. Fox portrayed Ben as an outstandingly complex figure, and you really get invested in his motivations for both staying quiet and trying to end his crew’s heist careers. Ben is forced to experience some major moral dilemmas in Devil’s Kitchen, and despite his criminal focus, you can’t help but feel bad for him. While I enjoyed Ben’s chapters and story arc, I found Andy to be the more compelling character and I loved the idea of a master infiltrator who can go undercover and get close to people. Fox does an excellent job of expanding out her motivations and insights while ensuring that the reader will be interested in finding out more about her past. These gradually reveal some intriguing details into why she is so good at taking up new identities and her dangerous habit of getting too close to her targets becomes a recurring theme. I found Andy’s clever perspective to be some of the best parts of Devil’s Kitchen, and her various techniques for getting closer to her targets were extremely clever. I think there is a lot of potential in an extended series focused on Andy (or whatever her name will be in the future), especially as there are some open doors when it comes to her past.
Aside from Andy and Ben, I have to highlight the three antagonists of the story, the other members of Engine 99. Made up of a damaged veteran firefighter, an unhinged fixer, and a young trainee with a gambling problem, they, along with Ben, have become a tightknit group, loyal only to each other and dedicated to earning a sufficient retirement. Due to the story requiring Andy to get closer to them and learn their secrets, you get drawn into their tangled relationships and connections, especially as the secret to what happen to Ben’s family, as well as their latest plot, lies in uncovering that. I really enjoyed getting to know these three additional figures, especially as you get drawn into their dark motivations and outlooks on life. They prove to be suitably complex and intriguing antagonists for the story, and it was fascinating to see how Andy and Ben navigate their interactions with them.
Overall, I felt that Devil’s Kitchen was a pretty amazing novel from Candice Fox, and it was one of her most impressive thrillers so far. Featuring a particularly intense, character-driven storyline focused on lies, deception and misdirection, Devil’s Kitchen had me hooked from the very beginning and I could not rest until I uncovered every single clever twist and outrageous reveal. An exceptional read from one of Australia’s best authors, I cannot wait to see more from Fox, especially as she has yet another book coming out later this year.
Waiting on Wednesday – Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson
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. For this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight one of my most anticipated Australian novels of 2024, with the hilarious upcoming crime fiction read, Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson.
Over the last few years, one of the most consistently impressive and enjoyable Australian authors has been crime fiction author Benjamin Stevenson. A former comedian (alongside his brother), Stevenson dove into the world of crime fiction with his exciting debut Greenlight (also released as Trust Me When I Lie and She Lies in the Vines), which proved to be a gripping and enjoyable read. Stevenson followed this up in 2020 with his second novel, Either Side of Midnight, which proved to be an excellent sequel to Greenlight.
While I have really enjoyed his more serious crime fiction novels, Stevenson’s best work is easily his Ernest Cunningham series. Starting in 2022 with the outrageous and incredible Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone, this series follows a murder mystery expert who finds himself trying to solve an elaborate killing involving his own trapped family. Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone was such a good book, especially as Stevenson expertly utilised his comedy background to tell a particularly entertaining story, and it ended up being one of my favourite pieces of Australian fiction from 2022. Not to be outdone, Stevenson followed this book up last year with the awesome sequel, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect. Once again forcing the protagonist into a unique locked-room mystery, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect proved to be an epic book, especially as it cleverly parodied the crime fiction genre, and it was one of my favourite books and pieces of Australian fiction from 2023.
Needless to say, I have been keeping a close eye out for anymore books from Stevenson, and I was delighted when I found out there was going to be a third Ernest Cunningham novel coming out later this year. This book, which is set for release in late October 2024, is the awesome sounding Everyone This Christmas has a Secret, which will throw the protagonist into a whole new mess of trouble.
Plot Synopsis:
Benjamin Stevenson returns with a Christmas addition to his bestselling Ernest Cunningham mysteries. Unwrap all the Christmas staples: presents, family, an impossible murder or two, and a deadly advent calendar of clues.
If Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club kissed under the mistletoe…
My name’s Ernest Cunningham. I used to be a fan of reading Golden Age murder mysteries, until I found myself with a haphazard career getting stuck in the middle of real-life ones. I’d hoped, this Christmas, that any self-respecting murderer would kick their feet up and take it easy over the holidays. I was wrong.
So here I am, backstage at the show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered. My suspects are all professional tricksters: masters of the art of misdirection.
THE MAGICIAN
THE ASSISTANT
THE EXECUTIVE
THE HYPNOTIST
THE TWIN
THE COUNSELLOR
THE TECH
My clues are even more abstract: A suspect covered in blood, without a memory of how it got there; A murder committed without setting foot inside the room where it happens; And an advent calendar. Because, you know, it’s Christmas.
If I can see through the illusions, I know I can solve it.
After all, a good murder is just like a magic trick, isn’t it?
Now this sounds like a pretty damn epic read and boy am I going to have fun with it later this year. Taking his fun concept and turning it into a Christmas-themed murder mystery is a brilliant move from Stevenson and I am really excited to see how it works in Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret. Focussing the murder on a bunch of different entertainers, all of whom are trained liars and distractors, should result in a complex mystery and I am sure that Stevenson is going to produce a very memorable story around it. The utterly ridiculous scenario also plays masterfully into Stevenson’s comedy and performance background, so I am sure its going to be loaded with some amazing jokes and references that will appeal to a lot of people.
Look, after all the fun I’ve had with his last few books picking up the new Benjamin Stevenson is a given for me at this point. However, having a new Ernest Cunningham mystery that features an elaborate and entertaining Christmas themed murder mystery is just gold and there is no way I’m not going to have an absolute blast reading this book. I am exceedingly excited for Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret and I cannot wait to see how Stevenson continues his outstanding series. While I am a tad worried about the shorter length of this novel, which might restrict the mystery a little, I am sure that Stevenson has something special planned, and I look forward to seeing it unfold. Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret has the potential to be one of my favourite books of the year and in my opinion October cannot come soon enough.
Quick Review – The Winter Palace by Paul Morgan
Publisher: Penguin Books (Trade Paperback – 26 March 2024)
Series: Standalone
Length: 329 pages
My page: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Compelling Australian author Paul Morgan presents an intense and intriguing historical drama that examines the tragic lives of a Polish husband and wife who find themselves torn apart by war and circumstance in The Winter Palace.
Plot Synopsis:
If he had died, I would know it in my heart.
In 1939, Anton, a captain in the Polish army, says goodbye to his wife, Elisabeth. He is leaving to defend their homeland against the invasion by Nazi Germany and Russia. They make a vow that – whatever happens, however much time passes – they’ll meet again at the Winter Palace, their stately home in the Polish countryside.
The winds of war draw them far apart. Anton is captured and sent to Siberia as a POW. He eventually joins a lost army that battles through snowstorms and scorching deserts in Central Asia to find freedom. Anton survives, driven by his determination to join Elisabeth again. She, meanwhile, is forced to be the ‘mistress’ of a Nazi officer before escaping to join the Polish resistance.
As the war ends, Anton and Elisabeth are at the opposite ends of the world. Anton is in Australia. Elisabeth is in Poland, awaiting his return for months and then years. Will they ever meet again at the Winter Palace?
From 1930s Europe to present-day Australia, this is a sweeping story of love that cannot be broken by time, distance, war or even death.
Morgan came up with a powerful and captivating tale in The Winter Palace which really hits hard. Following Anton, a Polish military captain, and his wife Elisabeth, The Winter Palace features a well-planned-out split protagonist storyline that shows their respective dark journeys during the destructive chaos of World War II.
Both character-focused storylines are interesting and dark in their own ways, especially as the two protagonists go through hell and back as part of their respective war stories. Anton’s plot follows the fate of the Polish soldiers who were captured during the joint Nazi and Soviet Invasion. In Anton’s case, he experiences being a Soviet POW, a reluctant Soviet soldier fighting the Nazis, and then a member of the Allies when the Soviets send their freed Polish soldiers to Palestine. Elisabeth’s story is more Poland focused, as she is forced to become a Nazi ‘mistress’ before escaping and finding purpose, first as a nurse, and then as a member of the Polish resistance. Both storylines go in some very compelling directions, as the protagonists experience major traumas, tragedies and struggles, all while the two characters are convinced that they will never see their spouse again.
I honestly have a hard time saying which of these two storylines was my favourite, as both hit you in different ways. Anton’s was possibly the more interesting to me as a fan of military history, and I found his constant struggle to survive the direct imprisonments he experienced to be both moving and intense. There are some very direct tragedies in Anton’s experiences, including a particularly dark moment in the first half of the book, and I really found the story of the captured Polish soldiers to be extremely fascinating. However, the other half the book that focuses on Elisabeth is just as dark, if not even more traumatic, especially as the protagonist experiences evil she can’t fight back against, at least not at first. Watching her overcome her constant oppression and pull together a satisfying life that allows her to help people on many fronts was particularly inspiring, and I really enjoyed how her arc came together.
While these storylines are separate for the entirety of the plot, I felt that Morgan did a good job playing them off each other. The corresponding tragedies, the near misses in finding out each other’s fates, and the decisions they make as a result are all moving and captivating, and you are constantly enthralled to see if or how they will get back together. I think that the ending Morgan left the book on was particularly moving, and it fit the overarching themes of the tragedy of war and not knowing about those left behind. I also appreciated how Morgan didn’t overuse the trope of Australian descendants finding out the wartime secrets of their parents or grandparents. Instead, readers were given a simple but highly effective connection to the present that ended the story on a thoughtful and peaceful note that was a great conclusion to such an intense story.
I really must emphasise how impressed and intrigued I was by some of the historical elements captured in The Winter Palace. Morgan does an amazing job of showcasing various alterative experiences suffered by the Polish, from the initial invasion all the way up to the end of the war. This includes a great rundown of how many citizens, especially women, were abused in Poland as the troops rolled in, which ensured a dark aura around the potential homecoming many characters were hoping for. However, I found the historical details of the Polish soldiers and civilians captured in the opening days of the invasion to be the most interesting. Watching the various hardships and journeys that these individuals had to go through during the war, including being POWs, having to fight alongside their former captors against the Nazis when they found themselves on the same side as the Soviets, and the transfer of their army to the Middle East to serve with the Allies on the Western front was extremely fascinating and it was an part of history you don’t see often in fiction. These historical details from Morgan where some of my favourite parts of the book, and I deeply appreciated the compelling story he told around them.
Overall, The Winter Palace by Paul Morgan was an outstanding and compelling historical drama that really grabbed my attention. Powerful, unflinching and focusing on a complex and dark period of our history, this was an emotionally charged and excellent read that is really worth checking out.
White Ash Ridge by S. R. White
Publisher: Headline (Trade Paperback – 12 March 2024)
Series: Detective Dana Russo – Book Four
Length: 343 pages
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
One of Australian’s most distinctive new crime fiction authors returns with a complex murder mystery the blends compelling characters with unique methods, White Ash Ridge by S. R. White.
Over the last few years, I have really been enjoying the works of new author S. R. White. White, a former UK Police officer who emigrated to Australia, has been producing some amazing pieces of Australian outback crime fiction. His work has so far been part of his Detective Dana Russo series, which follows the titular detective as she investigates complex cases out in the Australian bush. This series has so far featured three impressive reads, Hermit, Prisoner and Red Dirt Road and these amazing books have been very fun to read, especially as White comes up with some unique crimes which require the protagonist’s more unusual methods to solve. I have really enjoyed White’s previous books, and I jumped on his new novel, White Ash Ridge, the moment I got my hands on it.
Murder, deceit and controversy are all that are on the limited menu of the White Ash Ridge hotel, especially when tragedy strikes its guests. An isolated and decaying hotel, hidden away in the Australian wilderness, White Ash Ridge has been booked out by the inner circle of a high-profile charity organisation for urgent discussions about its future. As the relentless heat raises tensions, the body of one of the charity’s founders is found dead on the track outside, his death caused by a blow to the head.
Called to the scene, Detective Dana Russo anticipates another complex murder case. With no one else spotted in the area and tensions running high amongst the charity’s founders, it seems likely that one of the four remaining guests at the White Ash Ridge is the murderer. However, as she begins to investigate, Dana is unprepared for the chaos that is about to descend upon her small command. The charity the victim work for was founded by two parents whose son was killed after intervening in a violent assault. The subsequent failed police investigation sparked public outrage and launched the boy’s mother into Australia’s political orbit.
Now thrust into the centre of a controversial family familiar with the police, Dana must quickly solve the case before events get out of hand. With a lack of physical evidence, Dana and her small team are forced to pull the truth from the four suspects to determine their history with the victim and why anyone would want to kill him. However, they only have limited time before the overwhelming public interest forces her to let the suspects go, likely at the cost of her career and reputation. Can Dana convince her suspects, none of whom have any love of the police, to cooperate before it’s too late, or will the killer walk free thanks to the will of the people?
S. R. White delivers another complex, impressive, and highly distinctive piece of Australian crime fiction with White Ash Ridge. Blending White’s unique murder mystery style with great characters and a compelling situation, White Ash Ridge was an amazing read that I could not get enough of.
I have always really enjoyed White’s take on the Australian murder mystery, as his focus is always on finding out all the details of the victims and the suspects to solve the case, often through the medium of interrogation. This was once again the case in White Ash Ridge, as the protagonists, under pressure to solve the case quickly, need to find out which of the four suspects committed the crime. As such, the story develops in a very interesting way, as the detectives both investigate in the traditional way, including finding witnesses and evidence, while also diving into the lives of everyone involved in the case. Much of this revolves around the eight main interviews of the investigation as the protagonists talk to each of the suspects twice to gain the relevant insights into themselves and the murder victim. White, through his main protagonist, Detective Dana Russo, has a very person-centric take on the interrogation progress, and the resulting character-driven focuses become a key part of the plot.
This proves to be a very clever way to set out this excellent mystery and subsequent investigation, and thanks to White’s expert writing ability White Ash Ridge ended up being an extremely clever and captivating book. The focus around the charity and its anti-police sentiments added some great intrigue to the narrative, and I liked the ticking clock aspect of the plot it brought in. All eight of the main interviews were very intense and compelling in their own ways, and you soon get a great idea of the various people drawn into the case. White combines this expertly with the personal dramas of the protagonists, including some ongoing storylines from the prior books, although the overarching threat of Dana’s new supervisor is getting a little stale at this point. At the same time, the reader gets the full blast of the Australian wilderness from the unnamed part of the country that White sets his novels in, which adds a lot of character to the story in its iconic and beautiful ways. The central mystery of White Ash Ridge comes together extremely well, and the eventual solution is smart, intriguing, and very well set up. The entire story comes together in a powerful way, and I loved this unique mystery which was another strong story from White.
As with all of White’s books in the series, White Ash Ridge is a hugely character-driven read, not only because of the compelling and damaged protagonists, but because his style of writing relies on diving into the lives of the various suspects and victims of the case to solve the crime. This all results in some exceptional character development and focuses, and I loved how complex and powerful the various stories that emerged were. Most of the protagonists focused development occurred around returning main character Detective Dana Russo, who serves as the solid and empathetic centre of the investigation. Dana once again showcases her unique investigation style that focuses on character interactions, history and mindsets to solve the case, which proves to be quite effective at diving into the minds of her targets. This time Dana is backed up by new detective, Mila Jelovic, who serves as a great support for the main character. While the development around Dana is a little light in White Ash Ridge, you do get an intriguing and powerful examination of Mila, whose previous undercover work has cost her severely in more than one way.
Aside from the police characters, the reader also gets an intense look at five specific figures who become the focus on the investigation, with the murder victim and the subsequent four suspects. All five of these people are members of a high-profile charity formed in the aftermath of a botched police investigation, with goals of stopping teen violence and keeping the police accountable. Due to the way the mystery is set out, there is a lot of focus on these characters and the events that brought them together, which provides the reader with an intriguing backstory to get familiar with. All five of these characters are interesting and complex in their own way, with various interactions, lies, manipulations and plans bringing them all together. Probably the most interesting of these is the charity’s figurehead, Keena Flynn, a major public figure following the death of her child. Due to her previous interactions with the police and politicians, Keena proves to be a tough nut to crack, and her pain, anger and distrust become a major obstacle to overcome. White does a wonderful job exploring these five characters, and indeed you often get more about them than the police protagonists. There is such a dark and compelling web of relationships surrounding these characters, and the subsequent reasons for why one of them was killed and by who was pretty impressive and helped to produce an incredible mystery.
S. R. White continues to flourish with another awesome entry in his compelling murder mystery series that is setting him up as one of Australia’s most distinctive crime fiction authors. Expertly combining his ability for complex murder scenarios and character-focused investigation methods to produce an outstanding story, White did an amazing job with White Ash Ridge, and I had an incredible time reading it. One of the cleverest mysteries of 2024 so far, this book comes highly recommended.
Quick Review – Body of Lies by Sarah Bailey
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Australia (Trade Paperback – 27 February 2024)
Series: Gemma Woodstock – Book Four
Length: 470 pages
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
One of Australia’s best authors of crime fiction brings to life another complex and intense murder mystery with Body of Lies by Sarah Bailey.
Plot Synopsis:
A car crash victim clings to life and is rushed to hospital but can’t be saved. Hours later, her corpse is stolen from the morgue. No one knows who the dead woman was or why her body was taken.
Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is back in her hometown of Smithson on maternity leave when the bizarre incident occurs. She is intrigued by the case but reluctant to get involved, despite the urging of her journalist friend Candy Fyfe. But in the days after the body goes missing, the town is rocked by another shocking crime and Gemma can’t resist joining the investigation.
Candy and Gemma follow the clues the dead woman left behind. As they attempt to discover the identity of the missing woman, Gemma uncovers devastating secrets about the people she thought she knew best. The closer Gemma gets to the truth, the more danger she is in. She desperately needs to confide in someone—but is there anyone she can trust?
This was another interesting and compelling read from Bailey, who really impressed me back in 2021 with her standalone novel, The Housemate, which ended up being one of my favourite books and Australian novels of that year. Body of Lies is another outstanding book from Bailey, which serves as the fourth entry in her Gemma Woodstock series and provides the reader with an amazing and dramatic mystery.
I had a lot of fun getting through Body of Lies as Bailey comes up with an elaborate story that really draws you in. Whilst it is part of a larger series, Body of Lies is easily read as a standalone novel, with Bailey doing a good job of reintroducing key elements from the previous novels where necessary. Thanks to this, Body of Lies has a quick start which reconnects readers with the protagonist while also providing key information about the initial death, as well as the unusual circumstances surrounding the missing body. Despite still being on maternity leave, protagonist and main point-of-view character Gemma Woodstock begins investigating, and soon finds herself drawn into a series of additional crimes in the Smithson area that may or may not be related to the stolen body.
This resolves into quite an awesome story, as you really get drawn into Body of Lies’s intense and intricate mystery. Bailey keeps making the case even more complex thanks to additional deaths and other unusual events, and the constant raising of stakes ensures the reader’s attention stays on the story. At the same time, the protagonist’s personal life also takes centre stage in the plot as Gemma deals with a new baby, a traumatised older child, a lying family, a pushy friend, and multiple work conflicts as she attempts to reintegrate back into her own job.
While I got really invested in the story, I think that the final third of Body of Lies got a little off the rails. Not only are there a huge number of emotional and family dramas surrounding the protagonist, many of which seem a little unnecessary, but there proves to be a huge number of personal connections to the case that drive the protagonist on. While I liked the increased motivations for the protagonist, these connections seemed way too coincidental, and honestly it stole a lot of realism from the plot. I also did get a little tired of the many personal dramas that seemed to surround the protagonist. While I realise that Bailey was trying to showcase the complex life of her protagonist, much of which is driven by the tragic events of the prior books, as well as the side effects of single-minded determination to finding the truth, it honestly got a bit frustrating to follow her at times. Still, Gemma’s struggles out of her own obsessed mind added some excellent drama and substance to the narrative and Bailey certainly kept her story arc interesting.
The solution to the big mystery turns out to be pretty darn bonkers, and I guarantee most people won’t see the full extent of it coming. While Bailey did do a good job of setting this reveal up and laying down some hints, it ended up being a very surprising and over-the-top solution that might not work for everyone. Still, readers are left with an excellent final confrontation and the mystery ends up wrapping up in a satisfying and intriguing way. There is also a really good twist around a hidden antagonist, which is guaranteed to shock readers and keep them on their toes. As such, this was a pretty awesome story, and I had a wonderful time getting through it.
In the end, Body of Lies proved to be an outstanding and highly exciting novel that drew me in with its elaborate mystery. While I didn’t love everything about Sarah Bailey’s new narrative, Body of Lies was still an amazing piece of Australian crime fiction, and well worth a read for anyone looking for a complex and impressive mystery with compelling character elements behind it.
Quick Review – Glenrock by Lee Christine
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Australia (Trade Paperback – 30 January 2024)
Series: Standalone
Length: 320 pages
My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Bestselling Australian author Lee Christine brings together a compelling and intriguing crime fiction read with the excellent Glenrock; a fantastic mystery set around the Australian city of Newcastle.
Plot Synopsis:
A murdered judge. Two missing lawyers. A thrilling tale of mystery and suspense from the bestselling author of Charlotte Pass and Dead Horse Gap.
When Justice Maurice Tempest is murdered in the Glenrock State Conservation Area in Newcastle, local detective Senior Sergeant Callan O’Connor is the first on the scene. News of a second body, found in the same location days later, makes what had looked like a revenge killing into so much more.
Angela Avery, formerly a political journalist, is spending a lot of time at the Hunter Valley Prison interviewing a soon-to-be-released forger, Benjamin Reid. When O’Connor’s investigation reveals an interest in Ben, Angela is determined to protect both her source and her fledgling relationship with O’Connor.
Meanwhile, two young, female lawyers have disappeared after making a devastating discovery in an upcoming case. Can O’Connor unravel the connections before the body count rises further? And how much does Angela Avery really know?’…
Glenrock was a great and fast-paced crime fiction novel that I had the great pleasure of reading earlier in the year. Christine came up with a fantastic story that really drew you in thanks to its multilayered mystery, compelling characters and high stakes.
The main mystery of Glenrock is set around the murder of a prominent judge in the Glenrock National Park area, which sets off an elaborate investigation primarily seen through the eyes of Senior Sergeant Callan O’Connor. O’Connor is a great central protagonist, and I enjoyed his intriguing insights into the case, especially as it pairs well with his complex family life and adversarial past with the Sydney homicide detective who arrives to take over the case. While the murder of a judge would be an interesting focus for the book by itself, especially when the apparent murderer is found in the most unlikely of scenarios, Christine raises the stakes by introducing two parallel storylines that combine into one heck of a novel.
The first of these storylines revolves around Angela Avery, a journalist for the local paper who finds herself drawn into the larger murder story thanks to the human-interest story she was writing. Thanks to her relationship with Callan, which provides a good romantic subplot for the story, Angela gets more involved with the case, especially as her investigation reveals connections to two young lawyers who disappeared the day of the murder. These two lawyers, who went on the run to save themselves, provide the third overlapping storyline, and it was fascinating to see their attempts to flee, especially as they provide some compelling context to the main mystery.
All three storylines prove to be very entertaining on their own, but their real strength is the way that they wrap together and form a complex, overarching narrative. Christine ensures that all three character-focused storylines stand on their own before bringing the various characters together in a sensible and compelling way. I really enjoyed seeing the various story arcs come together, and Christine enhances this with several moving dives into the complex characters. The focus on O’Connor’s family life is a prominent one, although I was particularly drawn to the character of Angely Avery, the plucky reporter who drives much of the plot’s investigative angle. Christine draws together a complex and harrowing past for Avery, as her previous reporting experiences resulted in great pain, and I would be very interested to see Christine revisit these characters in the future. The entire story, including the clever mystery, comes together extremely well, and Christine ensures there are some intriguing twists and reveals that keep you hanging in to the very end. Throw in some excellent depictions of Sydney and the picturesque area surrounding Newcastle, including Glenrock, and this proves to be quite an impressive read.
Overall, Glenrock was an excellent piece of Australian crime fiction by Lee Christine that I had a wonderful time reading. The combination of a compelling story, fantastic characters and an intriguing mystery is hard to resist, and readers will come away from Glenrock very satisfied. An amazing and exciting read from a talented Australian author.
Canberra Weekly Column – Australian Fiction – 7 September 2023
Originally published in the Canberra Weekly on 7 September 2023.
Make sure to check out my extended reviews for The Pit, The Hidden Book and Ordinary Gods and Monsters.
Quick Reviews – Cold People, Code Red and Ordinary Gods and Monsters
In recent weeks, I have been trying to get out reviews of several books I read last year but never got the chance to write anything about. I am hoping to partially rectify that now by publishing quick reviews of three great novels from 2023 I had a fun time reading.
Cold People by Tom Rob Smith
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Trade Paperback – 1 February 2023)
Series: Standalone
Length: 452 pages
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
The first book I want to quickly review in this post is Cold People by established author Tom Rob Smith. Cold People was an intriguing science fiction read that presented a very unique scenario to the reader.
Plot Synopsis:
The world has fallen. Without warning, a mysterious and omnipotent force has claimed the planet for their own. There are no negotiations, no demands, no reasons given for their actions. All they have is a message: humanity has thirty days to reach the one place on Earth where they will be allowed to exist… Antarctica.
Cold People follows the journeys of a handful of those who endure the frantic exodus to the most extreme environment on the planet. But their goal is not merely to survive the present. Because as they cling to life on the ice, the remnants of their past swept away, they must also confront the urgent challenge: can they change and evolve rapidly enough to ensure humanity’s future? Can they build a new society in the sub-zero cold?
This was a pretty cool (ha ha) story, although I must admit it went in some directions that I really wasn’t expecting. Based on the synopsis, I was expecting Cold People to primarily show the harrowing journey that many different people would take to get to the safety of Antarctica, which would have made for a great story on its own. Instead, only the first section of the book really showcased this journey, which was honestly a rushed introduction to the whole plot. The rest of the book skips ahead many years and dives into showcasing the ongoing struggles that humanity faces whilst trapped in Antarctica. This part of the book then becomes a cautionary tale about genetic modification as various geneticists work to make humans more adaptable to living in the ice, only to unleash something far more dangerous than the alien threat above.
I honestly had some issues with how Cold People is structured. I felt that this book might have been better if the author had either focused fully on the journey to Antarctica or set it completely in the isolated future and explored the journey in flashbacks for several characters. The focus on genetically enhanced humans was also an interesting choice, and while it was primarily to explore how humans are capable of surviving anything, it felt very unrealistic in places and got way out of hand. It was also odd that you really don’t get to find out anything about the mysterious aliens who caused the human exodus, and you are instead left wondering about who or what they were.
Still, there were some great elements to this book. The genetic antagonists are pretty scary, and Smith does a good job diving into the psychology behind them. I also really loved the author’s intriguing insights into the hostility of Antarctica as a continent and how hard it would be to live on it. The clever way Smith built up the background setting to showcase several ingenious ways that humans could potentially adapt and survive in such a scenario was quite fascinating, and it proved to be a great part of the book. As such, Cold People is an interesting novel to check out, and many readers will appreciate Smith’s ideas about humanity and its strong desire to survive.
Code Red by Kyle Mills (Based on the series by Vince Flynn)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (ebook – 4 October 2023)
Series: Mitch Rapp – Book 22
Length: 352 pages
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The next book I want to highlight here is Code Red by Kyle Mills, which served as the 22nd entry in the long-running Mitch Rapp series that was originally written by the late Vince Flynn. Following a hyperviolent veteran American spy as he goes up against a range of deadly threats in unusual thriller situations, the Mitch Rapp books are a key part of my yearly reading schedule, and I have really enjoyed several of the latest entries, including Red War, Lethal Agent, Total Power, Enemy at the Gates and Oath of Loyalty.
Plot Synopsis:
Mitch Rapp returns to make a mortal enemy of Russia in this high-octane and up-to-the-minute installment in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from “one of the best thriller writers on the planet” (The Real Book Spy).
Mitch Rapp hates owing anyone a favor—especially when it’s the world’s most powerful crime lord. But when Damian Losa calls, Mitch is honor-bound to answer.
The Syrian government appears to have created a highly addictive new narcotic that it plans to distribute throughout Europe. It’s a major threat to Losa’s business and he’s determined to send someone to keep him on top by any means necessary. Rapp is the perfect choice for the mission. Not only does he have extensive experience operating in the Middle East, but he’s also entirely expendable. As he crosses into war-torn Syria, Rapp quickly discovers a shocking truth. The new drug isn’t being produced by Damascus to prop up the government’s collapsing finances. Instead, it was created by Russia’s asymmetrical warfare unit, not for profit but as a weapon against the West.
With far more than Damian Losa’s interests at stake, Rapp devises a desperate plan that forces him and his team onto a battlefield where the United States is virtually powerless and allegiances shift almost hourly. Further, if Russia uncovers their plot, it will set off a confrontation between the two countries that could change the course of human history.
This was another exciting entry in the Mitch Rapp books, although I must admit this book wasn’t my absolute favourite novel in the series. Don’t get me wrong, Mills came up with a very compelling story that thrust the protagonist into some dangerous situations as he attempts to repay his debt to the entertaining crime lord Damian Losa. However, in some ways Code Red is a little by the numbers, especially as we have just come off several impressive reads where Rapp was in some very ridiculous or deadly situations, such as a massive power-outage impacting all of America, or the last two books where Rapp found himself at war with a corrupt US President. An infiltration mission into Syria seems a little tame in comparison, so this might have coloured my appreciation for Code Red a little.
Despite this minor complaint, Code Red was a great action-packed read that showcased Mitch Rapp doing what he does best, infiltrating the Middle East and frustrating Russian plans. There are loads of firefights and intense action scenes scattered throughout this book, and I thought the underlying Russian plot to destroy economies and weaken Western society through an addictive drug was very intriguing, especially as it also featured some dark scenes of exploitation and utilisation. Easily read as a standalone novel or as an entry into the wider Mitch Rapp series, Code Red was a fantastic novel that I managed to get through quickly, and it is well worth checking out.
Ordinary Gods and Monsters by Chris Womersley
Publisher: Picador (Trade Paperback – 29 August 2023)
Series: Standalone
Length: 300 pages
My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
The final book I want to feature in this post was the excellent Australian novel, Ordinary Gods and Monsters by Chris Womersley.
Plot Synopsis:
It could have been any summer’s evening, but of course it wasn’t.
It was the end of some things, the beginning of so many others.
Nick Wheatley has finished high school, but he isn’t ready for the rest of his life. His parents are getting divorced, his sister is downright weird and his best friend and neighbour, Marion, seems to have acquired a boyfriend.
One hot night, Marion’s father is killed in a hit-and-run. There are no suspects and no leads. But a sly tip from the local psychic sends Nick and Marion into the undertow of a strange and sinister world they hadn’t known existed in the suburbs – one of inscrutable gangsters, speed-dealing bikies and unpredictable, one-eyed conspiracy theorists.
It’s a world they’ll be lucky to survive.
Ordinary Gods and Monsters was a pretty awesome book from Womersley that proved to be one part crime fiction novel, one part Australian coming-of-age story. Following Nick Wheatley, a young teenager in 1980s suburban Melbourne, as he simultaneously deals with life, complex family issues, and his uncertain relationship with his best friend and neighbour Marion. Life becomes even more complicated when he is forced come to terms with the death of Marion’s father. Thanks to a tip from a drug-dealing psychic, Nick finds himself identifying a series of clues that suggest that Marion’s father was murdered, and he takes it upon himself to investigate.
The resulting story is an interesting mixture of elements that will appeal to a range of different readers. Womersley does an excellent job of portraying the life and difficulties of a teenage protagonist, and I loved the protagonist’s very relatable take on the various events, both mundane and unusual, going on around him. This dramatic, 80’s focused, character-driven storyline blends extremely well with the more crime fiction elements of the book, as the protagonist finds himself becoming more and more involved with searching for the person responsible for Marion’s father’s death. His unlikely investigation adds some exciting spice to an already engrossing coming of age tale, and you get drawn into his attempt to find answers.
The result of this plot is very interesting, especially as the reveal about who is behind everything is well handled and compelling. Womersley also adds in a very compelling final sequence, where Nick and Marion find themselves confronting the perpetrators in a dangerous scenario. The conclusion of this confrontation will leave readers wondering about what truly happened, and which I felt was a great end to this book. An overall excellent piece of Australian fiction that I had a great time reading.
Waiting on Wednesday – The Wrong Man by Tim Ayliffe
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.
The Unseen Library 