Tag: Australian Setting

Quick Review – The Wrong Man by Tim Ayliffe

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Thriller3 Comments

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Trade Paperback – 3 July 2024)

Series: John Bailey series – Book Five

Length: 335 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

From one of my favourite Australian crime fiction authors, Tim Ayliffe, comes the fantastic 2024 novel, The Wrong Man, which sees the author’s damaged protagonist investigate a dark new crime in Sydney.

For the last few years, I have become a major fan of Australian author Tim Ayliffe, who has been producing some excellent books as part of his John Bailey series.  Utilising his experience as a journalist, Ayliffe has pulled together a series of compelling and complex crime fiction novels as part of a series that follows his journalist protagonist, John Bailey, as he finds himself part of a series of dark crimes.  Many of these books, which include The Greater Good, State of Fear, The Enemy Within and Killer Traitor Spy, cleverly reference or utilise real-world elements that have been impacting Australia, such as terrorism, espionage and the rise of right-wing extremism, to enhance their narratives, and I have really enjoyed the captivating Australian stories that emerge.  The fifth book in this series, The Wrong Man, presents the reader with a cool new case as Ayliffe expands his series with an excellent new protagonist.

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?

When Sydney socialite Tottie Evans is found dead at a house in Palm Beach, Detective Holly Sutton is called in to investigate. She immediately suspects the boyfriend, a millionaire property developer and ex-mercenary soldier, who refuses to cooperate with police.

Across the city, old-school reporter John Bailey – still haunted by the death of his girlfriend, former cop Sharon Dexter – gets a call about a break-in. It leads to the unearthing of an old case file on a murder at the men-only Sydney Club that Dexter had been pursuing a decade earlier. Her notes reveal a link between that murder and the killing of Tottie Evans.

Suddenly, John Bailey and Holly Sutton have the same mission. And for Bailey, this is a chance to finish a job for the woman who saved his life.

The only problem: a serial killer is already serving a life sentence for the Sydney Club murder.


The Wrong Man was a very impressive addition to the John Bailey series that sees the protagonist dragged into a series of dark murders.  Ayliffe pulls together an intense, compelling and character-focused narrative that makes great use of its protagonists to tell a layered and complex story of murder, secrets and redemption.

The plot of The Wrong Man is cleverly told from the perspective of three central characters, each of whom have their own unique contribution to the overarching story.  The central character is John Bailey, Ayliffe’s damaged series protagonist who has managed to rebuild his life after the trauma of the earlier books and now serves as a mostly balanced figure, determined to uncover the truth no matter what.  Forced to investigate two murders, including a recent slaying and an older killing that his dead former love interest solved, Bailey finds old pain coming to the surface again and must also face interference from one of his only friends, CIA spy Ronnie Johnson, who is trying to stop Bailey’s investigation into a prominent military contractor.  Bailey is backed up in this book by his current love interest, reporter Annie Brooks, whose own journalistic interest in the case is supported by her connection to one of the suspects.  The two of them prove to be an effective team, although I felt that the third central protagonist, Holly Sutton, was the one who stole the show.

Holly Sutton is a new police protagonist who is assigned to investigate the murders Bailey and Brooks are looking into.  Another highly damaged protagonist who has issues with debts and her own past, Sutton proves to be a jaded figure in the investigation.  This is enhanced by her realisation she has a dark connection to the case, especially when a cover-up she was inadvertently involved with forces her to keep key facts hidden from her boss.  This adds an additional element of secrecy to the plot, which works well alongside the complimentary storylines of the other protagonists.  Ayliffe presents a tight and exciting narrative for the entirety of The Wrong Man that goes in some intriguing directions.  I felt that the compelling mystery comes together extremely well, and the character-driven storylines are brought together in an exciting and high-stakes manner.  I felt that this was one of Ayliffe’s stronger stories, and I honestly powered through it in no time at all.

As with his preceding narratives in the John Bailey series, Ayliffe cleverly utilises some real-life Australian issues and themes in The Wrong Man, which I always enjoy, and which I feel gives some extra realism and impact.  This includes some interesting references to current Pacific politics and alliances, with the protagonist’s ability to interrogate a potential suspect impacted by the CIA, who have a vested interest in the area.  Ayliffe also provides some examinations of police corruption in the story, with the long-term impacts of cover-ups, conspiracies and other darker elements of the police, such as sexism, having a compelling role in the plot.  Other compelling inclusions examine the roles and responsibility of journalists in modern society, as well as some interesting references to reality television stars.  I really felt these elements worked well alongside the crime fiction storyline, and Ayliffe expertly utilises and explores these in the plot.

Overall, The Wrong Man was a fantastic and powerful piece of Australian fiction that once again highlights Tim Ayliffe’s ability to tell a compelling and intense narrative.  Cleverly continuing the author’s series while also exploring cool new protagonists, The Wrong Man was an excellent and captivating read that I had an outstanding time getting through.

Amazon

Endgame by Sarah Barrie

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Thriller4 Comments

Publisher: HQ (Trade Paperback – 1 November 2024)

Series: Lexi Winter – Book Four

Length: 398 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Outstanding Australian author Sarah Barrie brings her dark and powerful Lexi Winter series to a compelling conclusion with the exceptional novel Endgame.

Over the last couple of years, I have been really enjoying Australian author Sarah Barrie’s epic Lexi Winter crime fiction series.  One of the darker Australian series I have had the pleasure of reading, the Lexi Winter books follow a former vigilante turned police officer as she takes down some of the worst criminals in Sydney, including a deadly paedophile ring.  This series started with the amazing read, Unforgiven (one of my favourite Australian books of 2021), and continued with the excellent follow-ups Retribution (one of my favourite Australian books of 2022) and Vendetta (one of my favourite Australian books of 2023).  Due to this, Endgame has been one of my most anticipated books of 2024, and I was very eager to see how this novel would unfold, especially as it was marketed as the final book in the Lexi Winter series.

Former vigilante hacker Lexi Winters finally has her life together.  Now a decorated police officer studying to take her detective exams, Lexi’s biggest challenge is balancing her career with her hectic personal life, especially when it comes to looking after her ward, the former runaway Cait.  However, despite her best efforts at normalcy Lexi can never truly relax, especially as she knows her nemesis Vaughn is waiting to get revenge on her.

When a series of brutal murders begins around Sydney, Lexi finds herself brought aboard when it becomes clear they are connected to a resurfaced Vaughn.  Determined to prove that he is better than her, Vaughn challenges Lexi to a very public game of murder.  Five people will be killed by the end of the month, but if Lexi can identify and save the final victim, Vaughn will turn himself in.

With the eyes of nation on them and public support seeming to lie on Vaughn’s side, Lexi finds her sanity tested like never before.  The more she digs into Vaughn’s dark crimes, the further she finds herself slipping over the edge, especially as she begins to see strange figures and ghosts wherever she goes.  With Vaughn’s attacks on her becoming even more personal and her own colleagues losing faith in her, Lexi has no choice but to keep playing her nemesis’s twisted game, even if it will lead to her death.  But Lexi has come too far to lose now, and she will do whatever she must to force an endgame between her and Vaughn.

Barrie continues to showcase why she is one of Australia’s most compelling crime fiction authors with this shocking and powerful final Lexi Winter novel.  Featuring a complex and captivating story loaded with dark moments and intense character work, Endgame was an exceptional novel that I honestly could not get enough of.

Endgame has an excellent and layered narrative behind it that not only stands on its own but helps to bring the entire Lexi Winter series to a powerful end.  Starting off with an interesting and horror-esque introduction that initially seems detached from the main plot, you quickly get drawn into the main narrative when Lexi discovers that her old nemesis, the long-feared Vaughn, has returned to finally get his revenge on her.  Barrie ensures that the story gets very addictive very early as you are drawn into the villain’s challenge, stop him murdering five people and he will turn himself in.

The resulting story moves at a fast and powerful pace as the protagonists do their best to try to find Vaughn and uncover his murders, all while he seems to be one step ahead of them utilising the media to his advantage.  The author keeps increasing the stakes for this main case again and again as Lexi is attacked close to home (literally and figuratively), and she finds herself a desperate mess as well as a constant target by the public.  At the same time, Endgame features a parallel plot involving the mysterious deaths of several teenagers that appear to have been committed by a vengeful spirit.  This secondary storyline, whilst initially a bit odd in the wider context of Endgame’s main narrative, works pretty well, and I liked the unique directions it helped to take the plot, and it links into the main case very well by the end.  Barrie ends up producing quite a fascinating and complex mystery for the protagonists to unfold and I loved some of the intriguing twists that unfold as a result.  While I was able to predict a few things, many of the major reveals were pleasantly surprising and I really appreciated the way in which Barrie layered the relevant clues and hints throughout the earlier plot.  Everything leads up to the big conclusion, which constantly has you on the edge of your seat and serves as a fitting finale to this amazing Australian series.

As with the previous entries in the Lexi Winter series, Endgame is a particularly intense character-driven murder mystery with a very gritty edge to it.  Making good use of its Australian urban setting, Endgame features a powerful plot that both stands on its own, while also serving as a compelling conclusion to the rest of the series.  While Barrie provides more than enough background in the main plot to allow new readers to come in and read Endgame as a standalone novel, for the most part readers are advised to read the rest of the books in the series first, especially as that allows you to get the full emotional impact of the book thanks to the great conclusion of several ongoing storylines and character arcs.

The overall narrative of Endgame is complex and moving, and I appreciated how it was told through several intriguing character perspectives that allowed for a multi-layered view of events.  The way in which the two separate murder plotlines and the multiple character arcs are brought together works extremely well, and Barrie ensures readers are constantly left guessing about how events are going to unfold.  The author also keeps things very dark, as not only are there multiple references to rape and brutal murders but the protagonist endures a range of attacks on herself and those closest to her that are guaranteed to shock most readers.  I appreciate how Barrie doesn’t hold back when it comes to highlighting the impacts of these various crimes, although I can imagine some readers may have a hard time with it.  Throw in some interesting modern commentary about how manipulation of social media and the tabloids allow monsters to become heroes to certain people, and Endgame proved to be one of the more intense Lexi Winter entries, but one that perfectly fits the series’ uncompromising themes and content.

One of the best things about Endgame was the multiple intriguing characters who the plot was set around.  The most prominent of these is series protagonist Lexi Winter, who has had a unique and damaging storyline throughout the series.  However, thanks to the help of her friends and family who she has learnt to let in, Lexi has managed to pull her life together to where it is now.  While Barie does continually make Lexi way too combative and unreasonable, for the most part she is a great protagonist to follow, and I have really appreciated seeing her grow throughout the series.  It was particularly moving to see her take on the role of mentor and guardian in this final book for the runaway Cait, especially as she seeks to help her ward avoid the same mistakes she made when younger.  There is also a good end to a long-running will-they, won’t-they romance arc, which I felt got handled well and which allowed for some additional stakes for the plot.  Much of Endgame revolves around Lexi trying to hold onto her new happiness when her enemy reappears, and the resulting battle to stay in control and not give in to her old habits makes up much of the books dramatic core.  I felt that Barrie did an outstanding job showcasing her protagonist’s battle for self-control in the face of great adversity and trauma, and the author made sure to really build on the dark events of the previous novels.  As such, you get a compelling bit of character work in Endgame around this distinctive and damaged protagonist, which really helps to turn this final entry into something extremely moving.

In addition to Lexi, Endgame also features an array of compelling supporting characters, which includes a mixture of established figures from the previous books, and several new characters who come into this story for this final entry.  Most of these characters proved to be quite interesting, and while a couple, such as Olivia, prove to be quite hard to like in a detrimental way to the plot, for the most part they add a lot to the book.  Highlights for me include Lexi’s ward, Cait, who proves to be a fun addition to the story, especially as she serves as a great foil to the now more serious Lexi.  Lexi’s biker associates were also interesting, especially as they allowed for some memorable interactions with the various police characters, while a new police bodyguard for Lexi ended up being a great addition to the plot.  However, it’s the villains of the narrative who really shine here.  This includes a group of wild teenagers, whose dark behaviour dives into a certain modern societal problem.  Another hidden antagonist added some interesting horror flair to the book, and I appreciated how well Barrie inserted them into the plot.  Finally, the main villain, Vaughn, was such a brilliant and impactful overarching antagonist that you could not wait to see get taken down.  Barrie has used Vaughn as an intimidating bogeyman figure since the first Lexi Winter book, and his long-awaited reappearance here really did not disappoint, especially as he creates a cult of personality around himself as he terrorises the protagonist.  Vaughn proves to be a particularly despicable figure, driven by his own ego to finally beat Lexi, and his nefarious use here was a key part of why Endgame was so impactful.

Overall, Endgame was a deeply captivating and impressive piece of Australian crime fiction that I could not get enough of.  Sarah Barrie did an excellent job bringing her Lexi Winter series to a powerful end, and Endgame’s unique mystery and compelling high stakes really helped to drag readers in.  This was one of the better pieces of Australian fiction this year, and I cannot recommend this series enough to those looking for a darker crime fiction read in the Australian setting.  While I am sad that the Lexi Winter series is over, I am glad we got such an impactful final entry, and I look forward to seeing what Sarah Barrie writes next.

Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday – The Bluff, Pacific Heights and Vanish

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday11 Comments

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.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this week’s post, the name of the game is Australian crime fiction as I check out three outstanding upcoming novels set for release in 2025.

I have mentioned a few times on this blog that I have become a major fan of crime fiction in the last several years, ever since I started reviewing across the genres.  During this time, I have had the pleasure of reading an array of awesome crime fiction reads, although one sub-genre I get a ton of books of is Australian crime fiction.  There are so many great murder mysteries and thrillers released each year that make excellent use of the gritty Australian setting, whether its an outback thriller or a more complex murder mystery set within one of Australia’s urban settings.  Australian’s have proven quite adapt at producing epic and mysterious reads, and I tend to receive quite a few Australian focused books from local publishers as a result.

Naturally, after reading a ton of these great reads over the years, I have become skilled at picking out upcoming Australian crime fiction novels that I think are going to be excellent.  I have already recently identified a few upcoming 2025 Australian debuts that have a lot of potential, so in this post I am going to look at a series of sequels and releases from established authors that are coming out in the new year.  There are three amazing books I want to highlight in this post, and I have a lot of faith that all of them are going to be outstanding.

The first book that I want to talk about is The Bluff by Joanna Jenkins.  Jenkins is an excellent novel, whose debut, How to Kill a Client, was a ton of fun.  A clever and addictive novel that saw the members of an Australian law firm become suspects in a murder after one of the most important, and distasteful, clients dies suspiciously.  I really enjoyed How to Kill a Client, especially as Jenkins created some vivid and compelling characters, and it ended up being one of my favourite debuts of 2023.  As such, I have been curious to see what Jenkin’s would write next, and I was very excited to find out details about her upcoming book, The Bluff, especially it is a sequel to How to Kill a Client.  Set for release in March 2025, The Bluff places Jenkin’s previous big-city lawyer protagonist in a dangerous small-town setting for another intriguing read.

Plot Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of How to Kill a Client comes a page-turning rural thriller of loyalties and lies, murder and greed.

People like Dash didn’t die. He was only what? Mid-thirties? Well off. Adored. By some anyway. World at his feet. Well, Myddle at his feet, which was his world.

Ruth Dawson has taken a break from big city law to fill in for a few months at a mate’s small-town legal practice in Myddle. It’s not what she’s used to . . .

So when she hears the front door of her office open she’s expecting a weird demand, or a question she doesn’t know the answer to. But it’s Bea Baulderstone’s mum, worried that she hasn’t seen her seventeen-year-old daughter for five days, and Constable Gazza Parker is refusing to report the girl missing.

Ruth tries to find Bea, but Myddle is a wall of indifference. Then Dash Rogers is found at his farm gate, dead from a gunshot wound, and suddenly the town is very interested in Bea’s whereabouts.

An unputdownable thriller of deception and greed, The Bluff reveals an enmeshed web of family and community loyalties, set in the lush rural hinterland of east coast Australia.

I really like the sound of The Bluff and it should be an interesting change of pace from Jenkins’ first book.  Forcing the protagonist to deal with small town politics and loyalties while she attempts to find out the truth should result in a great read, and I am intrigued by the mystery that seems to be developing.  I’m also curious to see how Jenkins deals with another seemingly adored figure who dies suddenly, as the last one of those the author featured was a brilliant character study in bad behaviour.  I honestly think that The Bluff has a ton of potential and I cannot wait to dive into as soon as I can.

The next book that I want to highlight in this post is the deeply intriguing novel, Pacific Heights by S. R. White.  White is an exceptional author who has left an impression on the Australian outback thriller scene the last few years.  Known for his Detective Dana Russo series (Prisoner, Red Dirt Road and White Ash Ridge), White has produced some gripping reads that focus more on personalities and character motivations rather than evidence.  This has resulted in some outstanding mysteries, and I really get caught up in his excellent writing.

Due to this, I am always eager for a new book from White and it is generally one of the better Australian novels released at the start of the year.  The author’s next book sounds particularly awesome, as White is releasing a standalone novel outside of his main series with Pacific Heights.  Coming out in late March, Pacific Heights once again dives into human nature as the author brings together another distinctive crime fiction scenario.

Plot Synopsis:

FIVE WITNESSES. FIVE DIFFERENT STORIES. WHO IS THE KILLER?

In the courtyard of the Pacific Heights building, a local waitress is found dead.

Five apartments overlook the murder scene. Five people witnessed a crime take place.
Finding the killer should be simple.

Except none of the witnesses’ stories match.
They all saw something – from a different angle, at a different time.
None of them saw everything. Anyone could be the killer.

Detectives Carl “Bluey” Blueson and Lachlan Dyson, each with their own careers in peril, must solve what others assume is a straightforward case. But to unmask a killer they must unpick a complex puzzle – where the motivations of the witnesses are as mystifying as the crime itself.

How can you solve a crime if anyone could be lying?

Now this is another very cool and captivating scenario from White and it is one that I am really drawn to.  Forcing the protagonists to work out which of the five conflicting eyewitnesses is lying is going to require a deep dive into each of their characters, and I am very interested to see how the detectives unwind the complex motivations, histories and personality traits to determine which of them is telling the truth and which of them is keeping secrets.  As such, this should be a very deep, character-driven crime fiction read, which White really excels at.  Based on the plot synopsis alone, I believe that Pacific Heights is going to be a very exceptional read and I cannot wait to find out who is lying and why.

The final book I want to discuss in this Waiting on Wednesday is Vanish by Shelley Burr.  Burr is another rising Australian author who I have become very attached to.  Her debut novel, Wake, presented a complex and moving story of small-town mystery and the scars it leaves behind when an investigator with his own agenda attempts to uncover the long-hidden fate of a missing girl.  Wake was a very impressive read and it ended up being one of my favourite debuts of 2022.  Burr made sure to continue her story the next year, as she presented an outstanding sequel in 2023 with Ripper (also released as Murder Town).  This book also focused on small town crime, as a new mystery emerges in a picturesque community made infamous by the actions of a serial killer.  Ripper was a very worthy follow-up to Wake, and I loved the outstanding narrative that Burr featured in this awesome sequel.

Due to how impressive and clever Burr’s first two novels were, I have been keen to see what she releases next, and we luckily don’t have too much longer to wait for her third novel, Vanish.  Coming out in April 2025, Vanish will continue to follow the author’s protagonist, Lane Holland, as attempts to uncover long-hidden killers and their victims.  This new novel will take Holland on his darkest adventure yet, as dangerous personalities strike at the protagonist’s deepest desires.

Plot Synopsis:

People go to the isolated Karpathy farm looking for a new life – and are never seen again. A chilling thriller from the award-winning and bestselling author of Australian noir, Shelley Burr.

Lane Holland’s crime-solving career ended the day he went to prison. With his parole hearing approaching, he faces the grim reality that an ex-con can never work as a private eye. Yet one unsolved case continues to haunt him: the disappearance of Matilda Carver two decades ago.

Never one to follow the rules, Lane finds a lead – a mysterious farm community led by the enigmatic Samuel Karpathy. His farm attracts lost souls. People who want a more meaningful life. People who are hiding from their pasts. People with nowhere else to go.

But those who go to the farm seem to vanish without a trace.

Is it a commune? Is it a cult? Is it something even more dangerous? Lane goes undercover at the farm to find its dark secret – but could he too find himself intoxicated by the prospect of a new life on the land?

Inspired by a real-life criminal case, VANISH is a nail-biting novel of suspense by the Number One-selling author of WAKE and RIPPER.


Vanish sounds like another particularly amazing novel from Burr and I am very excited to see how it turns out.  Continuing her protagonist’s attempts to needlessly redeem himself by solving missing persons cases should result in a powerful read, and I am curious to see what dark secrets lie within this mysterious and sinister farm.  Forcing the protagonist to uncover truth amongst a band of lost souls, and a no doubt manipulative leader, should result in a very complex and intense story, and it is one I am very keen to dive into.  Based on Burr’s previous captivating novels, I am very sure that Vanish will be an excellent book that will keep me in suspense right to the very end.

It looks like 2025 is going to be a very good year for Australian crime fiction, especially with new releases from these three very talented authors.  Jenkins, White and Burr have all produced exceptional crime fiction novels in the past, and I have no doubt whatsoever that their new books are going to be just as impressive, especially as all of them feature incredible and unique plot ideas.  I look forward to exploring all these brilliant crime novels, and the new year is really looking up when it comes to awesome Australian fiction.

Everyone this Christmas has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Comedy/Satire, Murder Mystery6 Comments

Publisher: Penguin Australia (Hardcover – 22 October 2024)

Series: Ernest Cunningham – Book Three

Length: 229 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of my favourite Australian authors, the clever and eternally funny Benjamin Stevenson, returns with the third book in his Ernest Cunningham series, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret.

Over the last few years, one of the most impressive Australian crime fiction authors has been the exceptional Benjamin Stevenson.  After a successful career as one half of musical comedy duo The Stevenson Experience, Stevenson has successfully made the move to crime fiction author with several amazing books.  I was a big fan of his debut novel, Greenlight (also released as Trust Me When I Lie and She Lies in the Vines), which Stevenson expertly followed up a year later with the great sequel Either Side of Midnight.  While these initial books were really good, for me Stevenson’s best work has been his Ernest Cunningham novels.

The Ernest Cunningham series follows the titular character, a crime fiction expert from a notorious family, who finds himself caught up in some real-life whodunit situations.  The first book in the series, Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone, was particularly impressive, and it cleverly combined the author’s great sense of humour with a compelling mystery.  I really enjoyed this exceptional book (one of my favourite Australian novels of 2022), especially as the author successfully played to his comedic background to produce an outstanding read that satirised classic crime fiction conventions.  Stevenson continued to impress the following year, with the amazing book Everyone on this Train is a Suspect.  One of my favourite books and pieces of Australian fiction of 2023, Everyone on this Train is a Suspect was a worthy sequel to the first Ernest Cunningham book, and I loved how the author took the opportunity to further parody various crime fiction subgenres.  Due to how much fun I’ve had with the previous novels in the series, I was very excited when I found out Stevenson was releasing an Ernest Cunningham Christmas special.  This latest book, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret, was an excellent read that continued to showcase unique style and flair for outrageous stories.

Ernest Cunningham, amateur detective, novelist and all-round meddler, had been looking forward to Christmas with his highly dysfunctional family.  However, a surprising phone call from his ex-wive, Erin, forces him to journey to the Blue Mountains to solve another murder.  Erin has been accused of killing her new husband, a wealthy philanthropist and former actor dedicated to helping former drug addicts by introducing them to the performing arts.  Found upstairs covered in the victim’s blood, the case against Erin seems airtight, but Ernest isn’t willing to believe that the women he used to love is capable of committing murder.

Determined to prove Erin’s innocence, Ernest begins to investigate hoping to find anything that will clear her name.  His first stop is a large charity Christmas show headlined by a famed magician that the victim had been working on in the leadup to his death.  Exploring backstage, Ernest soon discovers that the staff of the charity show are a mixed bag of tricksters, manipulators and performers, each of whom had history with the victim.  But before he can investigate any further, another person dies publicly on stage.

With the police refusing to listen and time counting down to Christmas, Ernest once again uses his knowledge of the conventions of crime fiction to try and solve the case.  However, all his suspects have motive, and all of them know how to lie and misdirect.  Can Ernest work out which of these performers is concealing the truth, or will a killer get away with murder this Christmas?

This was another outstanding novel from Stevenson, who clearly has a ton of fun with his Ernest Cunningham books.  A brilliant Christmas special, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret proved to be yet another captivating and hilarious book that proved extremely hard to put down.

Everyone this Christmas has a Secret proved to be a very entertaining addition to the Ernest Cunningham series.  Using the conventions of a Christmas special, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret provides readers with a short standalone book that can easily be enjoyed by any reader, even those unfamiliar with the previous entries in the series.  Due to the limited length of the novel, Stevenson wastes no time diving into the plot, and you are soon presented with a new unique murder mystery, with the protagonist’s ex-wife painted as the killer.  After some effective introductions to the case, the protagonist travels to the charity show that seems to lie at the heart of the case and begins to learn more about the potential suspect.  This was a necessarily concise introduction, although it works to set up much of the future plot, and there are a ton of subtle clues hidden throughout the first half.  This first half leads to a dramatic and exciting second murder that changes the scope of the plot and forces the protagonist to up his game.

Stevenson doesn’t waste any time after this second death, moving the plot at a murderous pace (pun intended), and bombarding the reader with clues, reveals and intrigues.  There are several great twists here as we get closer to the conclusion, and I loved how the protagonist worked his way through the Christmas mystery in his own unique way.  Everything leads up to the big reveal, where Ernest brings all his suspects together in a single location and talks them through the solution to the murder.  There are some brilliant moments here as Ernest eliminates suspects, bringing all the hidden secrets to life and slowly whittling down the field of potential killers.  The big reveal about the real killer was well handled and extremely clever, as the author brings together the multitude of clues he sprinkled throughout the plot in an entertaining manner.  While the identity of the murder was a tad obvious to me thanks to one clue in particular, the route the protagonist takes to get there is fun, and I loved seeing everything come together.  The resulting final confrontation is a little over-dramatic and follows the pattern of the other novels in the series, but it proved to be a great ending to this shorter, Christmas-themed Ernest Cunningham book, and I loved how well this book sat as a standalone entry to the series.

As with the previous books in this series, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret is a cleverly written and highly entertaining read that seeks to blend a complex murder mystery with comedic writing that satirises classic fiction tropes, especially those around golden-age crime fiction.  Perfectly set in the iconic Australian setting of the Blue Mountains and told from the first-person chronicle perspective of protagonist Ernest Cunningham, this book has a compelling, quick-fire narrative enhanced by the protagonist’s amusing observations about the situation and the people involved in the case.  Stevenson expertly utilises his comedy background to keep the mood of Everyone this Christmas has a Secret light, and you will love the fantastic way he keeps the audience laughing, while also providing some very clever in-jokes for those readers familiar with classic murder mysteries and whodunnits.

Stevenson also leans into the Christmas theme of this book by including a range of themes and tropes from holiday special novels/shows, which helps to give this third book a unique and memorable edge.  The author’s rules for holiday specials, which are set down at the end of the novel, are cleverly overlayed over his established rules for detective fiction, and I really appreciated how Stevenson incorporated them into the plot.  As such, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret has a distinctive change in style compared to the previous novels, which I think worked extremely well.  If I had one criticism, it would be that the shorter length of this novel ensured that Stevenson didn’t have as much space or time to try to implement some of his classic meta-hints (like revealing on what page a murder was going to occur, or how many times the killer’s name is mentioned in the book), and the entire book did feel a bit rushed at times.  Still, this was a great read, and one that works both as a continuation of the Ernest Cunningham series, as well as a compelling, holiday standalone read.

Due to its nature as a standalone holiday special, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret doesn’t feature a massive amount of character development, and apart from the protagonist there is a noticeable lack of recurring characters physically appearing here (it’s one of the rules of a holiday special).  That being said, it was fun to see protagonist and humorous point-of-view character Ernest Cunningham again, especially as he is starting to lean into his role as a detective.  While his investigation style is still quite chaotic (earning him the moniker “the Slapdash Detective”), Cunningham proves to be a much more skilled sleuth, although he once again makes some foolish mistakes at the grand reveal at the end.  Aside from Cunningham, the rest of the cast is fun, with an intriguing mixture of suspects, victims, and related characters.  While Stevenson does a good job introducing these characters and setting up some competing motivations, I did think the speed of the plot didn’t allow the reader to really appreciate this extended cast as much, and as such the big reveal at the end loses a little punch.  Still, Stevenson features a solid cast for a shorter holiday special, and I enjoyed seeing how Ernest dives through their chaotic lives to find the killer.

Benjamin Stevenson once again shows why he is one of Australia’s top crime fiction authors with another captivating and clever murder mystery book, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret.  Once again featuring the author’s trademark humour and satirical take on classic whodunnit tales, Everyone this Christmas has a Secret was a great read that was both gripping and fun.  I look forward to seeing how the author continues the Ernest Cunningham books in the future, although I must admit I do wonder how far Stevenson can take this concept.  An overall excellent and funny murder mystery that anyone can enjoy this Christmas.

Amazon

Quick Review – The Youngest Son by John Byrnes

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Historical Fiction, Quick Review10 Comments

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia (Trade Paperback – 30 July 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 386 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Rising Australian author John Byrnes dives into a new genre with the fascinating and compelling historical fiction novel, The Youngest Son, which focuses an exciting and moving narrative around one damaged family.

Plot Synopsis:

On the unforgiving streets of 1920s Sydney, the Leach family have nothing but each other.

In a tale spanning decades, three children of the broken, working-class family find adventure, heartache and trouble as their lives drift apart.

John finds faith and love at a young age. The inevitable clash between the two leads him into a different kind of brotherhood as war clouds gather.

Maureen dreams of a life ‘just like the movies’ and waits to be swept off her feet. Yet at every crossroad, she makes the wrong choice.

Bob discovers a natural talent with his fists and an instinct for trouble. But with every win he earns the hard way, more enemies rise.

From police corruption and gambling dens to brothels and blood feuds, the Leach family toil in Sydney’s seedy underbelly and on battlefields far away. Against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the Second World War, The Youngest Son chronicles one family’s mesmerising fate in a grand saga and a masterclass in epic storytelling.

The Youngest Son was a fast-paced and addictive novel that cleverly followed the youngest members of a disadvantaged working class 1920s Sydney family through the highs and lows of early 20th century Australian history.  Byrnes, who really impressed me last year with his first novel, the gripping modern thriller Headland (one of my favourite debuts of 2023), did an outstanding job diving into the historical fiction genre, and I enjoyed the excellent and personal story that emerged.

The plot of The Youngest Son works very well, as Byrnes follows the varied lives of the three Leach children, John, Maureen and Bob, as well as a raft of other entertaining and complex characters.  Starting in the 1920s and continuing towards the end of World War II, The Youngest Son’s narrative splits between each of these primary characters and follows the highs and lows of their lives.  This includes the criminal activities of the youngest son, Bob, whose career fighting for Sydney’s criminal underbelly leads him into trouble time and time again.  The oldest son, John, attempts to live a good life and join the church, but misfortune and deceit instead lead him towards the horrors of war.  Finally, the daughter of the Leach family, Maureen, tries to find the excitement and glamour missing from her working-class life, but finds only heartbreak and bad decisions as she is constantly led along the wrong path in life.  Each of these characters experience conflict, betrayal, and tragedy as they attempt to find their way in life, and it helps produce one hell of a story.

I really enjoy historical fiction books that follow the lives of multiple characters as they follow their own path amid the backdrop of real-life history, and it is a format that has served many authors, such as Ken Follett, Jeffrey Archer and Peter Watt extremely well over the years.  Byrnes is another great author who perfectly utilised this story telling method, and I had a lot of fun getting to know the Leach family and their various friends and associates.  The author pulls together a great layered narrative, and I loved the mixture of story elements that emerged, including personal stories of self-discovery, a gritty war narrative, and a continued dive into the criminal underbelly of Sydney during the 1930s and 40s.  While all these major storylines are great in their own way, I personally found myself drawn more to Bob’s narrative, mainly because his dangerous dive into the world of underground boxing is full of excitement and action.

Each of the three main protagonists have intriguing journeys in their respective chapters, and I deeply enjoyed where each of their specific storylines go.  All their story arcs have a great mixture of success, tragedy and self-discovery, and you grow attached to all of them as a result.  The storylines also blend into a fantastic major narrative, and while for the most part they are kept separate from each other, they play off each other well, ensuring that readers get a good mixture of emotions and different experiences, as well as alternating character highs and lows.  Byrnes also makes excellent use of the 1930s and 40s background setting throughout The Youngest Son, and the author ensures each character’s story cleverly evolves to face the various changes occurring around Sydney.  The entire narrative goes in some interesting directions, and you willingly follow these characters wherever they end up, even if that leads you even deeper into tragedy.

While the three main characters are all entertaining in their own ways, I felt that the fourth perspective character Byrnes added in really helped to make The Youngest Son especially special.  This fourth character is the villainous Vince, a cowardly street thug who makes a big impact on the Leach family’s lives in different ways.  Vince proves to be a great recurring antagonist, and his slimy story of success blends in well with the alternating fortunes of the Leach children while also providing some real entertainment value.  You really cannot help but dislike Vince as he succeeds, but you really can’t look away as he succeeds, especially as his various dastardly and snivelling interactions with the other characters, primarily Bob and Maureen, prove to be excellent bridges between these protagonist’s respective storylines.  I really appreciate how Byrnes wove the story of Vince amongst the other major narrative threads of The Youngest Son, and the use of the excellent antagonist continuously moves the plot in the best direction, including with the big finale.

Overall, I felt that this was a great book from John Byrnes, who created an amazing and captivating novel with The Youngest Son.  A slick and easy-to-read novel with some real heart that makes excellent use of its impressive character-driven narrative, historical setting, and engaging protagonists, The Youngest Son is an awesome book to get lost in, and it was fantastic to see how Byrnes has grown as an author.

Amazon

Quick Review – The Death of Dora Black by Lainie Anderson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Historical Fiction, Murder Mystery, Quick Review5 Comments

Publisher: Hachette Australia (Trade Paperback – 28 August 2024)

Series: Petticoat Police Mystery – Book One

Length: 312 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Australian author Lainie Anderson presents a fun and compelling historical murder mystery that looks at a unique Australian historical figure with The Death of Dora Black.

Plot Synopsis:

Summer, Adelaide, 1917. The impeccably dressed Miss Kate Cocks might look more like a schoolmistress than a policewoman, but don’t let that fool you. She’s a household name, wrangling wayward husbands into repentance, seeing through deceptive clairvoyants, and rescuing young women (whether they like it or not) with the help of a five-foot cane and her sassy junior constable, Ethel Bromley.

When shop assistant Dora Black is found dead on a city beach, Miss Cocks and Ethel are ordered to stay out of the investigation and leave it to the men. But when Dora’s workmate goes missing soon after, the women suspect something sinister, and determine to take matters into their own hands. After all, who knows Adelaide better than the indomitable Miss Cocks?

*In 1915, Fanny Kate Boadicea Cocks became the first policewoman in the British Empire employed on the same salary as men. This novel is a rich exploration of that little-known chapter of Australian history.*


The Death of Dora Black was a particularly interesting and entertaining read from Lainie Anderson, who has struck upon a fascinating figure to set her book around.  The first book in Anderson’s new Petticoat Policy Mystery series, The Death of Dora Black was a clever novel that blended the real-life history of the infamous Miss Kate Cocks with the author’s own crime fiction narrative.

Starting out in Adelaide, 1917, the book’s story sees formidable real-life police officer Miss Kate Cocks become embroiled in a deadly murder mystery when shop assistant Dora Black is found dead on the city’s beach.  What follows is an excellent story that blends the historical exploits of Cocks, which included helping the needy of Adelaide in her own unique way and attempting to save the morality of the young women of the city with her cane, with a gritty informal murder investigation.  This later investigation of course adds most of the meat to the story, as Cocks, and her junior constable Ethel Bromley, uncover a dark conspiracy of murder, drugs and kidnapping, with its roots deep in the heart of the city.

Anderson brings these disparate elements together into a fantastic overall read, and it was fascinating to see the more cozy and historical elements you would associate with Kate Cocks and her real-life actions blend with a darker murder plot.  I felt that Anderson’s main murder mystery was very well set out, and the resulting investigation by two underestimated women got quite thrilling and exciting.  There are some dark moments and intriguing twists featured throughout this plot, and Anderson produces a particularly powerful crime fiction narrative.  The entire murder mystery and the investigative arc came together extremely well, and I really enjoyed seeing Anderson’s unique protagonists trying to solve the case in their own unique way.  The background setting of Adelaide during World War I also added quite a lot to the narrative, and the author provided a complex and detailed recreation of the historical setting.

The real highlight of The Death of Dora Black was the intriguing main protagonists, Miss Kate Cocks and her junior constable Ethel Bromley.  The two protagonists play off each other extremely well throughout the course of the novel, and the blend of personalities, with the strict but caring Kate and the sassy and exceedingly keen Ethel, proved to be a winning combination.  Readers will particularly enjoy Anderson’s portrayal of Miss Kate Cocks in this book, especially as the author tried to capture all this unique figures’ quirks and historical reputation.  Anderson, who is a major expert on Kate Cocks, paints her as a particularly complex and conflicted figure driven by her religious principals but also willing to do the moral choice and help anyone in need.  It was fascinating to see Miss Cocks wander around historical Adeliade, distributing her moral judgement with her cane, while also solving problems no-one else can.  Anderson succeeded in capturing various aspects of her occasionally controversial history, and I really appreciated the way in which she converted her into a fearsome crime-fighting force, capable of hunting down murderers and drug smugglers.  The utilisation of this very distinctive figure helped to turn The Death of Dora Black into something very special, and I look forward to more exploits with Miss Kate Cocks in the future.

Overall, I felt that The Death of Dora Black was an amazing and highly entertaining novel from Lainie Anderson, who successfully brings her real-life historical protagonist to life and sets a wonderfully enjoyable crime fiction book around her.  Clever, fascinating, and with a lot of crossover appeal to many different readers, The Death of Dora Black was a great book, and I had a ton of fun getting through it.

Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday – Gunnawah and The Reunion

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday14 Comments

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.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight two intriguing upcoming Australian crime fiction debuts.

2025 is already shaping up to be a big year for Australian crime fiction debuts, as there are several compelling and epic novels from first-time authors set for release next year.  I always love checking out compelling Australian fiction from new authors, and it is fun to see these writers develop their style and produce complex reads set in our distinctive landscapes.  As such, I am very excited for 2025, especially with the focuses of today’s Waiting on Wednesday set for release right at the start of the year.

The first debut I want to highlight is the awesome and unique sounding novel, Gunnawah from new author Ronni Salt.  Set for release on 1 January 2025, Gunnawah is an interesting crime fiction novel, that will feature a rural mystery with a historical background setting.

Plot Synopsis:

It’s 1974 in the Riverina

The weather is hot

But the body in the Murray River is stone cold . . .

A captivating and compulsive crime thriller about guns, drugs and a young woman dead on the money

Riverina 1974:

When nineteen-year-old farmgirl Adelaide Hoffman applies for a cadetship at the Gunnawah Gazette, she sees it as her ticket out of a life too small for her. Its owner, Valdene Bullark, sees something of the girl she once was in young Adelaide.

Val puts Adelaide straight to work. What starts as a routine assignment covering an irrigation project soon puts Adelaide on the trail of a much bigger story. Water is money in farming communities, and when Adelaide starts asking questions, it’s as if she’s poked a stick in a bull ant’s nest. Violence follows. Someone will do whatever it takes to stop Adelaide and Val finding out how far the river of corruption and crime runs.

Shady deals. Vested interests. A labyrinth of lies. It seems everyone in Gunnawah has a secret to keep. But how many want to stop Adelaide dead?

Set deep in the heart of rural Australia during the era of Gough Whitlam, pub brawls and flared jeans, Gunnawah is a compulsive crime thriller of corruption, guns and drugs from Australian Noir’s most arresting new voice.

I feel that Gunnawah has a lot going for it, especially as Salt looks set to combine rural crime antics with Australia’s distinctive 1970s vibe.  The combination of 70s nostalgia, unique criminal activity, and plucky characters trying to get to the truth has some big potential, and I’m personally interested in seeing what sort of story Salt has planned here, especially with the focus seemingly on corruption around farmland irrigation.  This is one of the more distinctive crime fiction books coming out in 2025, and I have a feeling that Gunnawah is going to be a top debut of next year, and I cannot wait to see how Salt will impress us.

The other fascinating Australian crime fiction debut coming out in early 2025 that I want to highlight is The Reunion by Bronwyn Rivers.  Set in the iconic and beautiful Blue Mountains wilderness, The Reunion will see five isolated protagonists relive the sins of their shared past as the truth comes for them.  The Reunion has a very cool story concept around it that has really grabbed my attention, and I am quite keen to grab it in February 2025.

Plot Synopsis:

THEY’LL WISH THEY NEVER WENT BACK.

Ten years ago, six teenagers hiked into the Blue Mountains wilderness – and only five came out alive.

The survivors have barely seen each other since the tragic bushwalk. Yet when an invitation arrives to attend a 10-year memorial of their friend’s death, Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack find themselves travelling back into the rugged landscape where it all began.

The weekend at an isolated homestead in the bush – no phone signal, no distractions – should be a chance to reflect and reconnect.

But each of the friends has been carrying secrets from the fateful hike. And someone will stop at nothing to get the truth.

This is another particularly cool sounding book, and I think that Rivers has an excellent story idea that is really going to pay off.  The classic scenario of isolated protagonists revisiting a traumatic event from years before is always a reliable basis for a story, and I am curious to see how Rivers will make it her own.  Unwrapping the separate and joint secrets of five protagonists has a lot of potential, and I cannot wait to see what sort of twists and compelling reveals this new author comes up with.  I am also very excited to see how Rivers will utilise the wilderness setting of the Blue Mountains in The Reunion.  I literally just got back from a holiday in the Blue Mountains, so I can imagine some of the elaborate bushland settings and locals that can be used to hide secrets, bodies and lies.

Overall, I think that both Gunnawah and The Reunion have a lot of potential and I am very excited to read them.  I cannot wait to see how these first Australian crime fiction novels from Ronni Salt and Bronwyn Rivers will turn out and they will probably be amongst my top debut novels of 2025.

Waiting on Wednesday – Endgame by Sarah Barrie

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday6 Comments

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 look at an epic upcoming Australian thriller that is bound to get very dark, with Endgame by Sarah Barrie.

Endgame Cover

Amazon

I have a lot of love for complex reads by my fellow Australians, and boy have there some great Australian crime fiction series coming out in recent years.  One of my absolute favourites has been the Lexi Winter series by impressive Australian author Sarah Barrie.  A dark and compelling crime fiction series, the Lexi Winter books follow the titular protagonist whose childhood was destroyed by a murderous paedophile.  Growing up rough, Lexi became a talented hacker and vigilante, who targeted suspected child abusers.  The first book in the series, Unforgiven, saw Lexi team up with several intriguing police characters when the man who ruined her life once again began killing young children.  Unforgiven was an extremely awesome and captivating novel, that effortlessly blended powerful character work with a dark thriller scenario that kept me on my toes the entire way through.  This ended up being one of my favourite Australian books of 2021, and I deeply enjoyed it.

Due to how good Unforgiven was, I ended up grabbing the next two books in the series the second they came out.  Made up of Retribution (one of my favourite Australian books of 2022) and Vendetta (one of my favourite Australian books of 2023), the Lexi Winter series went in some very interesting directions as Lexi attempted to make the jump from vigilante to legitimate police officer, while also facing off against criminals and demons from her past.  Both sequels were extremely compelling and exciting, and I have had so much fun with this great Australian series.

Naturally, I am very eager to see how this series is going to come to an end, and it looks like Barrie is about to put the finishing touches on her captivating story, with the upcoming book Endgame.  Billed as the fourth and final entry in the series, Endgame will force the protagonist to go up against her nemesis in a final game of cat and mouse that will destroy everyone around her.  Set for release in late October 2024, Endgame sounds extremely cool, and you can see that Barrie is going to bring the emotional pain to her readers in this finale.

Plot Synopsis:

Vigilante turned cop Lexi Winter is drawn into the investigation of a chain of apparently random murders. As the bodies pile up, Lexi realises she is a pawn in a psychotic – and deadly – game.

Lexi Winter is studying for her detective exams but her nemesis Vaughn is out there somewhere and her concentration is fractured. Just as she’s wondering if her hypervigilance is tipping over into madness, Vaughn resurfaces and issues a challenge. Five people will be dead by the end of the month. If Lexi can identify and save the last one before the deadline, he’ll turn himself in.

As Lexi’s colleagues scramble to untangle what it all means, Lexi is implicated deeper and deeper into the murders. On top of this, she begins to see a strange figure everywhere she goes. Branded as suffering from PTSD, Lexi’s credibility is in tatters with her colleagues, but Lexi knows it isn’t her mind that is the problem. A wicked game is afoot, and Lexi is just a chess piece in play – and she suspects that check mate will mean her death. There is only one thing that Lexi can do – play along, wait for the chance to strike back, and bring about the endgame…

Now this sounds like a very epic addition to the series as Barrie is definitely planning to end this story on a very dark note, which I am very there for.  A violent game of cat and mouse between the series’ big bad and a traumatised protagonist is an extremely strong basis for a story, and you have to know that Barrie is going to really dive into the dark side of Lexi’s mind in Endgame.  Having the protagonist once again isolated from all the new friends and connections she has made as they lose faith in her sanity is going to be very hard to watch, but I am confident that it will lead to a great overall story.

I have no doubt whatsoever that Endgame is going to be an extremely awesome piece of Australian crime fiction.  Sarah Barrie has been absolutely killing it with her Lexi Winter books the last couple of years, and this dark conclusion she has been building towards is going to be epic.  I am even more excited for Endgame after the above plot synopsis, and this may end up being one of the most compelling and emotionally charged novels I read this year.

Waiting on Wednesday – High Wire by Candice Fox

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday8 Comments

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 week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I look at an awesome upcoming piece of Australian fiction from an author who is having a particularly good 2024, with High Wire by Candice Fox.

High Wire Cover

Amazon

This really is the year of the Fox as Australian author Candice Fox introduces her third epic thriller of 2024 with the exciting sounding High Wire.  Fox is an author who I have come to really appreciate over the years, especially as she has wowed me with some truly amazing reads.  This includes her great standalone novels, Fire With Fire, Gathering Dark and The Chase, as well as the novel she cowrote with James Patterson, 2 Sisters Detective Agency.  All these novels feature some intriguing and clever concepts that Fox works into effective and powerful stories that you can’t turn away from.  This was particularly true in 2024 as Fox’s other two books from this year, The Murder Inn (with Patterson) and Devil’s Kitchen, were extremely impressive and really drove home how good an author Fox is.

As such, it is little wonder that I am excited for Fox’s new novel, High Wire, which is currently set for release in late September 2024.  High Wire sees Fox return her focus to the Australian outback, as two people get caught up in all manner of trouble in the very worst place you could imagine.

Plot Synopsis:

You only take the High Wire if you’re desperate – or up to no good.|

A notorious unmarked track through outback Australia, the ‘Wire’ crosses slabs of lawless land, body dumping grounds and mobile phone blackspots.

Harvey Buck is certainly desperate. Racing to be with his dying girlfriend, he encounters Clare Holland, whose car has broken down. He offers the hapless traveller a ride . . . and then their nightmare begins.

The pair are ambushed by a vengeful crew – and strapped into bomb vests. As part of a deadly game, Harvey and Clare are forced to commit a series of increasingly murderous missions, or else be blown to smithereens.

Senior Sergeant Edna Norris is dealing with a runaway teenager; not an unusual job in a place where people go to disappear. But an unfolding crime spree turns this outback cop’s night into a fight for survival. Hot on Harvey and Clare’s trail, Edna finds a burnt-out car, a missing woman, a bank robbery and a bullet-riddled body.

And this road trip from hell has only just begun . . .


High Wire sounds like it is going to be a pretty full-on and intense read, which I am totally here for.  An explosive race across the country with murderous intentions, dangerous games, and two apparently innocent people trapped in badly escalating situation has all the potential to be an amazing story, especially with a talented author like Candice Fox at the wheel.  Throw in the author’s ability to bring the wild outback Australian setting to life, as well as some great and intriguing characters, and I feel that High Wire is going to be a pretty epic book.

Honestly, after the 2024 that Candice Fox has been having, there is no way that I will not be picking up High Wire when it comes out later this year.  Fox’s other two books this year have been extremely impressive, and High Wire looks set to follow that trend.  This upcoming book has such an exciting and over-the-top plot behind it, and I fully believe that Fox will turn it into something special.  This is easily one of my most anticipated pieces of Australian fiction coming out in the second half of 2024 and I cannot wait to read it.

White Ash Ridge by S. R. White

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery6 Comments

White Ash Ridge Cover

Publisher: Headline (Trade Paperback – 12 March 2024)

Series: Detective Dana Russo – Book Four

Length: 343 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

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.

Amazon