The Bluff by Joanna Jenkins

On March 10, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery4 Comments

Publisher: Allen & Unwin (Trade Paperback – 4 March 2025)

Series: How to Kill a Client – Book Two

Length: 432 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Impressive new Australian author Joanna Jenkins presents another captivating piece of crime fiction with the gripping and emotionally charged read, The Bluff.

Back in 2023 I had the very great pleasure of reading the fantastic legal thriller, How to Kill a Client. The debut novel of Australian author Joanna Jenkins, How to Kill a Client followed various members of a prestigious Australian law firm who are forced to deal with the fallout of the murder of one of their biggest clients, a man who everyone in the firm had a motive to kill. Jenkins produced an outstanding story in her first novel, and How to Kill a Client ended up being one of my favourite debuts and pieces of Australian fiction of 2023. Due to how good her first book was, I have been keeping an eye out for anything else from Jenkins and I was very happy to see she had a new book coming out in 2025 with The Bluff. A surprising sequel to How to Kill a Client, The Bluff has been on my to-read list for a while, and I was very glad that I finally got the chance to check it out.

Plot Synopsis:

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.

The Bluff was an extremely captivating and complex Australian thriller from Joanna Jenkins that stands on its own feet while also serving as a great sequel to How to Kill a Client. Featuring a fantastic character-driven story loaded with mystery, impressive storytelling and an excellent rural setting, The Bluff had me hooked very quickly, and I ended up powering through it in a day.

I really enjoyed the amazing story that Jenkins came up with for The Bluff, as she provides both an intriguing mystery, and some great character development. A mostly standalone plot set after the events of How to Kill a Client, the reader is reintroduced to high profile layer Ruth Dawson, who is taking a break from the high-flying life to manage a small law firm in the small New South Wales town of Myddle. This change in setting and story focus towards a rural thriller, rather than the big-city legal thriller of Jenkins’ previous book, proved to be quite effective, as was the very clever way the author set out The Bluff’s story.

Jenkins ensured that readers get dragged into The Bluff’s tale almost immediately, with two very quick sequences at the start: one that showed a key moment of the plot without any context, and then a subsequent scene where the protagonist is reintroduced and then finds out about the narrative’s two main mysteries, a missing girl and a murder. With these important bits of information in your brain, the reader is then transported back six months and is shown all the events that occurred over this period that led up to the disappearance of Bea Baulderstone and the murder of Dash Rogers. Through this six-month period, you become acquainted with all the key players around Myddle and observe their interactions with the victims and the protagonist, and you begin the appreciate the complex web of relationships, problems and personalities that surround the case, as well as the many potential motivations for the book’s main crimes.

This dive back in time was an outstanding writing choice by Jenkins that allowed the reader to really appreciate the full breadth of the relationships and troubles that accompany the crime, all while perfectly utilising The Bluff’s excellent rural setting. With every brick of plot laid down to hint at the events to come, you find yourself becoming more and more involved with the plot as you try to picture how and why the murder will occur and which of the many interesting and emotional characters may commit it. The inclusion of a countdown at the start of each new chapter gives a great ticking clock vibe to The Bluff, and you become more and more anxious and excited as you get closer the plot’s principal event. The reader also begins to appreciate just how despicable the main murder victim is, and that allows for an even more compelling read, as you can see just how many potential people have a motive to kill him, as well as cause the disappearance of the missing girl.

The final third of The Bluff is probably the best, and I flew through it to find out how the story ends. The final series of events leading up to the pivotal killings are particularly dark (and potentially triggering for some readers), and it was fascinating to see everyone’s emotional state in advance of this crime, especially as there are so many potential suspects. However, rather than show the killings there, Jenkins instead jumps back to the timeline from the front of the book and spends the last 100 or so pages dealing with the subsequent investigation, with the protagonist pulling events together. I liked this delay, as it provided an excellent trickle effect for the twists and also allowed the protagonist to shine as she uses her knowledge of events and her own skills at deduction to identify the culprit and protect her friends in the town. The eventual solutions for the mysteries were very clever, and Jenkins did such a great job subtly dropping the clues throughout the backstory of the plot and setting up the various motivations. I really appreciated the many complex and compelling twists which fit into the plot perfectly, especially the last one that really made you think.

This entire brilliant story is wrapped up in some great character arcs, as Jenkins features a range of protagonists and potential suspects, each of whom were quite compelling and brought different shades of drama to the plot. I loved seeing their complex relationships and interactions throughout the plot of The Bluff, especially those that could lead to them committing the book’s main crimes. There are some really great characters here, and it was especially interesting to see more of series protagonist Ruth Dawson, who is not only continuing to move on from the personal trauma and loneliness that was a key part of How to Kill Your Client, but is also trying to figure out where her life is going after the collapse of her previous law firm. These character arcs come together in a very satisfying manner at the end of The Bluff, and a lot of this book’s complexity and strength came from how relatable and compelling Jenkins’ made these various characters, especially when it comes to their anger, fear and potential ability to commit murder.

Overall, The Bluff was an exceptional and deeply impressive sequel from Joanna Jenkins that I think was even stronger than the excellent first book. Featuring a very clever and well-written narrative that brings together powerful character storylines and a great rural setting with complex mystery, The Bluff proved to be extremely captivating, and you will become engrossed in uncovering the full extent of the plot. One of the best Australian crime fiction books of 2025 so far, The Bluff comes highly recommended and is really worth checking out.

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Quick Review – Crusade by Richard Cullen

On March 4, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Quick Review5 Comments

Publisher: Boldwood Books (ebook – 10 February 2025)

Series: Chronicles of the Black Lion – Book Two

Length: 369 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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If you’re in the mood for some excellent and exciting historical fiction, look no further than the outstanding read Crusade by fantastic author Richard Cullen. Cullen, who also writes as fantasy author R. S. Ford (see my review for his book Engines of Empire), provides a fantastic second entry in his Chronicles of the Black Lion historical series with Crusade. An amazing sequel to his 2024 novel, Rebellion, Crusade continues to follow his protagonist, Estienne Wace, former squire to William Marshal, on another powerful journey, this time into the Fifth Crusade.

Plot Synopsis:

Egypt 1219AD.

Abandoning the safety of England for the perilous shores of the Levant, Estienne Wace is thrust into the turmoil of the Fifth Crusade. Burning with righteous purpose, he is determined to reclaim the Holy Land in the name of Christ.

War rages along the banks of the Nile as a crusading army besieges the Saracen city of Damietta, certain that the price they pay in blood will return the glory and treasures they crave. But as the Black Lion roars, and the siege grinds on, Estienne’s unwavering faith is tested more and more by the grim reality of this brutal conflict.

As the siege turns on a knife edge, Estienne finds himself thrust upon a journey across the merciless desert. Stripped of everything, and forced into a dangerous alliance, he will grapple with the true meaning of faith, honour, and the price of salvation, in a land where nothing is as he once believed.

Crusade was a captivating and worthy sequel to Rebellion that provided readers with the intriguing next chapter in the life of Cullen’s main character. Easily read as a standalone historical adventure or a continuation of the author’s previous book, Crusade starts off strong and keeps the action coming quick and fast, as the protagonist is thrown into battle to seize the Saracen city of Damietta. There are some awesome sequences here, as Cullen produces some high-quality and intense medieval combat scenes that allow the reader to feel every hack and thrust of the protagonist’s sword. At the same time, the author also provides the reader with some introspection, as the protagonist has his first doubts about the crusade he has sworn to fight for.

Cullen quickly moves the reader into one of the more memorable parts of Crusade, as the protagonist finds himself separated from his crusader brethren and is instead captured and sold into slavery. Forced to cross the desert, Estienne faces innumerable hardships as he attempts to escape, including slavers, the elements, a surprise band of Mongolian raiders, and a gigantic and vengeful warrior who has sworn to hunt down and kill him. This proved to be a really fun part of the book, as the author provides innumerable perils, while also introducing or expanding on several interesting supporting characters. You really get stuck into Crusade’s story here, and it sets up the final third of the book extremely well, as a doubtful Estienne takes part in the final conflicts of the Fifth Crusade. Cullen features these final battles nicely, especially with some dual perspectives from Estienne’s gigantic rival, and you get some interesting closure as the final battles of the crusade emerge. Everything ends on a hopeful note, and you are left wondering what adventures will appear next in the series as the protagonist embarks on a new journey.

As with Rebellion before it, one of the things that I personally enjoyed about Crusade was Cullen’s excellent use of historical elements as he dove into the compelling events surrounding the Fifth Crusade. One of the lesser utilised crusades in historical fiction, the Fifth Crusade saw the armies of Christendom invade Egypt, with a combined force of multiple nations and knightly orders. This was a clever historical event to set a story in, especially as it fits in right after the First Barons’ War, which was the focus of Rebellion. Cullen clearly did his research when it came to this conflict, and I liked how he fit his protagonist in amongst the key events of the crusade. Estienne proves to be a good witness to the major conflicts of the war, and his subsequent wanderings in the desert also provided some interesting historical context, especially with the appearance of the Mongolians and other desert groups. I deeply appreciated this cool examination of this period, and I love that Cullen is taking the opportunity to feature some less well-known conflicts with his books. It will be interesting to see what wars or key historical events Cullen will set his next entry in the Chronicles of the Black Lion series around, but I am sure I will find it fascinating.

Richard Cullen continues to impress with his cool historical fiction. Crusade proved to be a great addition to Chronicles of the Black Lion series, and I enjoyed its excellent action, compelling historical inclusions and intriguing narrative. I look forward to seeing where Cullen will take his series next, and I am having fun with these awesome books.

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Quick Review – An Eye For An Eye by Jeffrey Archer

On February 13, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Quick Review, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Harper Collins (ebook – 24 September 2024)

Series: William Warwick – Book Seven

Length: 384 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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One of the world’s most interesting and well-known authors, Jeffrey Archer, returns for the penultimate entry in his long-running William Warwick series, An Eye For An Eye.

Well-known British figure Jeffrey Archer has carved an intriguing niche for himself as a crime fiction author over the last few decades. Known for his compelling and fast-paced crime fiction reads, which often contain a historical element to them, Archer has written a huge body of work, including his Kane and Abel books, his Clifton Chronicles and standalone novels such as Heads You Win. His most recent focus has been his entertaining William Warwick series, which follows the titular protagonist as he rises the ranks of the Metropolitan Police over a period of years while solving a series of complex crimes and facing off against his dastardly nemesis. I have had a brilliant time with several books in this series, including Nothing Ventured, Hidden in Plain Sight, Turn a Blind Eye and Traitors Gate, all of which have proven to be quite exciting and enjoyable. As such, it was an easy choice to grab the latest entry in the series, An Eye For An Eye, which had an excellent plot behind it. The seventh book in the series, An Eye For An Eye is the second to last William Warwick book, and Archer keeps the excitement going all the way to the end.

Plot Synopsis:

In one of the most luxurious cities on earth…

A billion-dollar deal is about to go badly wrong. A lavish night out is about to end in murder. And the British government is about to be plunged into crisis.

In the heart of the British establishment…

Lord Hartley, the latest in a line of peers going back over two hundred years, lies dying. But his will triggers an inheritance with explosive consequences.

Two deaths. Continents apart. No obvious connection.

So why are they both at the centre of a master criminal’s plot for revenge?

And can Scotland Yard’s William Warwick uncover the truth before it’s too late…

The ultimate race-against-time is about to begin.

Archer pulls together another compelling, intense and exciting story for An Eye For An Eye that combines an intriguing new storyline with some of the series’ existing plotlines. Starting off with a murder in Riyadh that throws the British government into turmoil, the plot sees William Warwick and his team drawn into an international concern, as one of their team members, the roguish Inspector Ross Hogan, is recruited to save a British government delegate and the heir to the Hartley family, who has been framed and falsely imprisoned for murder. However, things become even more problematic when the protagonist’s old criminal rival, Miles Faulkner, becomes involved with the plot, desperate to not only have his revenge against Warwick, Hogan, and their loved ones but also steal a valuable letter from the Hartley family.

What follows is the usual game of cat and mouse between the protagonists and the vengeful Faulkner, as Warwick’s team attempts to counter the criminal’s various ploys, while also trying to find evidence that will allow them to put him away again. This combines nicely with the larger storyline around the international conspiracy involving the imprisonment of the British delegate, and I liked the compelling back-and-forth twists as the protagonists doggedly try to stop Faulkner getting out on top. There are some fun twists as we get towards the end of the book, and readers are treated to the usual fast-paced excitement that they have come to know and appreciate over the course of the series. Everything comes together nicely in a gripping cliffhanger conclusion as Archer lays the groundwork for the final book in the series, which looks set to be the big showdown between the long-time series rivals.

As with the previous books in the William Warwick series, An Eye For An Eye was a really entertaining and fast-paced read that kept dragging the reader along with it. Featuring a wonderful blend of intrigue, schemes, complex thrills and interesting character work, An Eye For An Eye was very fun and you honestly have a hard time putting down the constantly moving story. Archer once again brings back his eccentric group of protagonists, which include Chief Superintendent William Warwick, his boisterous family, the various key police officers he has teamed up over the years, as well as a fun collection of rogues and victims introduced in this plot. Thanks to Archer’s use of quick-changing character perspectives, you get an interesting look at the plot from various points of view, which allowed for an intricate tale with a lot of moving parts to it.

Out of all these characters, my favourite has to be the main series antagonist, Miles Faulkner, a master criminal and schemer who the protagonist has been feuding with since the very first novel. Thanks to their lengthy history and many defeats, Faulkner is a little obsessed with Warwick, Hogan, and their colleagues and families, engaging in a series of plots against them that range from killing their key witness to trying to get Warwick’s wife fired from her gallery directorship. While this rivalry and the elaborate means that Faulkner utilises to spite and try to destroy the protagonists is very over the top, especially as it has been going now for seven books and over 20 in-series years, it is frankly very entertaining, and I love how much energy Archer puts into writing Faulkner as the ultimate gentleman criminal. The back-and-forth schemes and ploys between Faulkner and the protagonists are always a highlight of any book in the series, and An Eye For An Eye showcases this perfectly, delighting both new readers and those already invested in the long-running feud. Indeed, the conclusion of this book brings this into focus perfectly, and I cannot wait to see how they finish off this feud in the final William Warwick book later this year.

Jeffery Archer once again impresses with his exciting and captivating William Warwick novel, An Eye For An Eye. Setting his fun protagonists on a compelling new crime fiction adventure while also featuring the author’s fantastic recurring villain, An Eye For An Eye had me hooked the entire way through, and it is so easy to sit back and enjoy this fantastic read. A gripping and highly enjoyable novel, I look forward to seeing how Archer wraps up the series with his next and final William Warwick book.

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Warhammer 40,000: Leontus: Lord Solar by Rob Young

On February 13, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer2 Comments

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 25 January 2025)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 5 hours and 44 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Warhammer 40,000 fiction in 2025 starts off strong with the compelling, character-focused novel, Leontus: Lord Solar by Rob Young.

Back in 2023 I had the very great pleasure of reading my first book from Rob Young, Longshot. A cool and intense character-driven Warhammer 40,000 novel that followed a sniper war on a T’au held world, Longshot was a fantastic first book from Young, and it ended up being one of my favourite debuts of 2023. As such, I have been very intrigued to see how Young would continue his Warhammer fiction career, and his next novel, Leontus: Lord Solar, proved to be an excellent new entry to the Warhammer 40,000 canon. Focused on a legendary human leader, Leontus: Lord Solar was an impactful read that I shot through very quickly.

On the world of Fortuna Minor, an Astra Militarum taskforce of soldiers from various Imperial Guard regiments encounters grave disaster. Sent to eliminate an invading ork horde, the Astra Militarum soldiers find themselves overwhelmed on the landing fields of Fortuna Minor and are slaughtered, while their reinforcements are forced to retreat into space thanks to the orks’ fighters and spacecraft. Surrounded, outnumbered and lacking resources, only a few humans manage to escape the massacre, including legendary hero of the Imperium of Man, Arcadian Leontus, Lord Commander of the Segmentum Solar.

One of humanity’s most dedicated defenders and a master tactician, Leontus has no intention of giving up in the face of the ork invasion, even with his armies lost and devastated. Determined to not only survive but complete the objective of reclaiming Fortuna Minor, Leontus rallies a small group of survivors and prisoners liberated from the ork camps to his cause and begins a desperate campaign to fight ensure that the armies of the Imperium can triumph on this latest battlefield.

Effectively welding his scattered force of mismatched and poorly armed soldiers into a coherent army, Leontus soon finds success against the orks, bringing hope to his demoralised troops. But in the face of overwhelming odds, a determined and dangerously intelligent opponent, and his own lack of resources, can even the brilliant Leontus succeed, especially when his own men begin to question his tactics and motivations?

Leontus: Lord Solar was an excellent and fun Warhammer 40,000 novel that allowed Young to bring an iconic figure from the game to life. A compelling and exciting read, Leontus: Lord Solar was a real blast to check out, especially as Young presents an impressive and direct narrative that you quickly sink your teeth into.

This was a very fast-paced and exciting Warhammer 40,000 novel that quickly throws you into the fray and successfully keeps your attention the entire way through. Starting off with fire and blood as the Imperial Guard regiments are devastated by orks as they land, the story sets itself around some of the main supporting characters, particularly Belgutei, an Attilan Rough Rider, and Keori Arnetz, a Catachan medic. Fighting there way out of the killing fields, Belgutei and Arnetz, as well as a handful of other survivors, link up with the titular Leontus, who leads them to safety and initiates a desperate guerrilla campaign against the orks, bringing together scattered troops, rescuing prisoners and ambushing ork convoys.

The resulting narrative is highly compelling and action-packed, as the brilliant yet practical Leontus proves to be a skilled commander, inspiring his disparate and demoralised troops, while also engaging in some risky and intense actions. Young does an excellent job balancing the narrative amongst the three main protagonists, as well as a couple of interesting supporting figures, and I liked how the author tended to focus more on Belgutei and Arnetz, which allowed for an intriguing outsider perspective of Leontus and his actions. There are some powerful character interactions, especially between Leontus and Belgutei, as the two clash over strategy and the fate of the survivors, which adds some dramatic spice to the overall exciting dish. The action scenes flow fast and heavy as the book nears its end, including some dark sacrifices, and everything leads up to a massive and intense final battle, where so many of your favourite characters are in peril. The book ends on a complex note, as Leontus proves his status as a tactician and hero, although the reader is left to decide on his humanity. An outstanding overall Warhammer 40,000 narrative that is guaranteed to quickly hook you and keep your attention to the end.

Young once again shows his impressive ability when it comes to writing Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and I loved the short, brutal and captivating way Leontus: Lord Solar was presented. While I was initially worried that it would be too similar to the Ciaphas Cain book, Death or Glory, which also featured a human hero marooned on an ork-held world, Young ensured that Leontus: Lord Solar stood out on its own feet. The quick-fire narrative, intense and tactical action sequences, and cool scenario ensured this was a distinctive read, and one guaranteed to keep your attention the entire way through. Primarily a character-focused story around the iconic in-game figure of Arcadian Leontus, Lord Commander of the Segmentum Solar, Young does an excellent job of highlighting the protagonist and showcasing him in a compelling way. The author chose to primarily show Leontus through the eyes of his supporting characters, which allowed for a more nuanced take on the titular protagonist, while the occasional scene shown from Leontus’ perspective hinted at plans the character is hiding from his soldiers. Throw in some excellent supporting characters and a memorable, if somewhat underutilised antagonist (who was simultaneously awesome and freaky), and this proved to be an amazing novel with some excellent character-driven strife and complexity at its core.

As with Young’s previous book, Longshot, Leontus: Lord Solar is an outstanding piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and one that would serve as a good introduction to the wider universe for new readers. The quickfire storytelling, classic action between humans and orks, and lack of excessive lore makes Leontus: Lord Solar a very accessible read, especially as Young doesn’t excessively dive into the history of his main protagonist. Established readers of Warhammer fiction will naturally get a little more out of this book, especially as it was very cool to see the titular character in action in all his tactical glory, and I felt that Young did an exceptional job capturing and presenting this figure. In addition, the book also features some intriguing unit makeups as Leontus bands together an irregular force of surviving Cadians, Catachans, Kreig troopers and Attilan Rough Riders. The interactions between the groups and Leontus was pretty fun, and I liked the mixtures of styles of battle strategies. Of them, I felt that the Attilan Rough Riders were shown off the best, and their explosive cavalry charges were awesome to read and reminded me of Warhammer Fantasy fiction at times. All of this and more ensured that Leontus: Lord Solar was a very cool Warhammer 40,000 novel, and it is one I would recommend to all fans of the franchise.

As I tend to with most Warhammer novels I enjoy, I decided to check out Leontus: Lord Solar on audiobook, which was another fantastic experience. As I have stated innumerable times, Warhammer fiction really lends itself to the audiobook format, and having talented narrators read out the over-the-top stories allows for all the best bits of the universe and its grim dark themes to come to life. This was particularly true for Leontus: Lord Solar, whose compelling character focused storylines and intense action sequences proved to be a lot of fun to listen to. Coming in with a relatively short runtime under six hours long, dedicated listeners can really fly through Leontus: Lord Solar, and I enjoyed how quick the pace turned out to be. I also really appreciated the choice in narrator as David Seddon is a skilled voice actor who really impressed me in previous Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks Dredge Runners and Kasrkin. Seddon did an excellent job with Leontus: Lord Solar, as not only did he move the story along at a fantastic and enjoyable pace, but he also provided some excellent voices for the various characters. His take on the titular Leontus was extremely good, and you get a real sense of the character’s nobility, as well as his determination to win, through the performance. The rest of the human characters also came across extremely well, and Seddon expertly gifts them accents that cleverly corresponded to their regiment and their real-world military influence. This great voice work really enhanced the already exciting narrative, and I found myself getting really engrossed in this audiobook version as a result.

With this fantastic second book, Leontus: Lord Solar, Rob Young has nicely set himself up as a rising author of Warhammer fiction, especially as he brings a compelling figure from the game to life. Featuring some awesome action, compelling characters, and an entertaining narrative, Leontus: Lord Solar was an outstanding Warhammer 40,000 novel to start the year with, and I look forward to seeing what amazing adventures Young brings to the franchise in the future.

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Warhammer 40,000: Titanicus by Dan Abnett

On January 30, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer3 Comments

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 September 2008)

Series: Warhammer 40,000/Sabbat Worlds Crusade

Length: 13 hours and 38 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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The Titans walk to war in this brutal and captivating Warhammer 40,000 novel from the legendary Dan Abnett, Titanicus.

Of the many great Warhammer 40,000 authors out there, few are as impressive as Dan Abnett, who has envisioned an incredible number of awesome battlefields and unique character-focused war stories across the Warhammer universe. Abnett has written a ton of exceptional and powerful books around the franchise, including several series considered to be the seminal texts of the extended universe. This includes his brilliant Eisenhorn trilogy (Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus), and he has multiple entries in my favourite Warhammer 40,000 books list. However, his best-known series is the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, which I am currently in the middle of reading.

The Gaunt’s Ghosts books are a key series of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that follows the frontline human soldier of this grimdark universe. Set in an extended multi-planet campaign, known as the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books follow a ragged regiment of soldiers as they attempt to survive the dark servants of Chaos coming for them. I am having an exceptional time reading the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, with books like First and Only, Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard, The Guns of Tanith, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr, really impressing me with the complex stories and intense action. While I need to read more of the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, I have taken a quick break to read some of the spin-off novels Abnett wrote around his main series. Also set around the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, these spin-off novels follow other campaigns in this massive sector spanning war and provide Warhammer fans with a more in-depth view of these battles. These spin-offs include the exceptional Double Eagle, which I had the great pleasure of reading last year, and which featured so many awesome duels between flyers. Titanicus was another spectacular book shows a new and highly destructive battlefront of the crusade by focusing on the iconic Titan Legions of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

As war rage across the stars, the forces of Chaos constantly seek a way to disrupt the vital Sabbat World Crusade and destroy the human forces fighting to bring new worlds into the Imperium of Man. To that end, the archenemy launches an ambitious and devastating surprise assault on the vital forge world of Orestes, whose under-strength defenders find themselves under mass attack from Chaos Titan war engines. With both the citizens of the Imperium of Man and the forges of the Adeptus Mechanicus under threat, the planet appeals for help and soon finds its prayers answered from the stars in dramatic fashion.

Fresh from their own wars and heading out to join the crusade, the Titans of the Legio Invicta arrive on Orestes, determined to help their Mechanicus brethren. Finding the forces of Orestes severely outwatched, the Invicta Titans stride to war, causing everything to tremble at the god-machines wrath. Soon the world is engulfed in an engine war, with both sides wielding enough firepower to crack the planet and the entire population of Orestes caught in the conflict.

But as the war continues, a far more insidious threat arises that could impact far more than just the war on Orestes. Deep secrets from within Orestes Forge soon begin to spill out, risking a schism between the Imperium of Man and the Adeptus Mechanicus. With the planet trembling under the battling machines and enemy forces growing by the day, can Legio Invicta overcome the peril growing within their brotherhood before Orestes and the entire galaxy is put to the flame?

Dan Abnett presets another brilliant war story that is epic in every definition of the word. Successfully presenting the awesome power of the Titans, Titanicus is a deeply compelling and impressive Warhammer 40,000 novel that I honestly could not get enough of. Intense, exciting and so darn cool, Titanicus gets an easy five-star rating from me, as Abnett once again shows just how talented he is.

Titanicus had a particularly awesome and multi-layered standalone war narrative behind it that hooked me thanks to the author’s nuanced take on the destructive conflicts of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Starting off with some dark death to hammer home how grim the situation is, you are soon thrust into the main story as the planet of Orestes comes under attack and the defenders are pushed to the limit. However, hope soon arrives with the landing of Legio Invicta, who back up Orestes’s existing Titans and defenders with their own engines and troops. Abnett quickly and effectively sets up multiple character specific storylines as the book progresses that show various alternative viewpoints of the war. The author works hard to showcase multiple levels of the conflict, from the top commanders all the way to the lowliest of soldiers, and I really enjoyed some of the intriguing storylines that emerged. This includes desperate tales of survival by following human troops caught behind enemy lines and pursued by mechanical monsters, compelling dives into the minds of the Titan pilots, looks at the various political forces on Orestes, and even some fascinating storylines inside the Adeptus Mechanicus forge. Abnett did an amazing job highlighting the desperate strife and the complex conflicts these figures endured, and you get a fantastic overarching look at the machine war that proves hard to look away from.

As the plot of Titanicus continues, the various storylines go in some interesting directions, as you follow each of the characters or groups on their own unique journeys. Abnett did a really good job of ensuring these unique storylines effectively played off each other as the book continues, and the way characters reacted to events from other plotlines was quite clever and helped to produce a cohesive and intense overarching narrative. The introduction of a compelling storyline around intrigue and dissent amongst the Adeptus Mechanicus characters provides some extra drama and character conflicts, which added some interesting complexity to the plot, especially as it gave you an alternative group of antagonists which worked well alongside the menacing forces of Chaos, whose perspective you don’t see. I appreciated how well Abnett set this storyline up in advance, and there are some clever hints to this, and other big events, earlier in the plot.

The final third of Titanicus is particularly impressive and intense, as the author brings together his various storylines extremely well. I especially enjoyed some of the massive action sequences, while the resolution of the Adeptus Mechanicus storyline was powerful and full of drama as big personalities try to overcome mistrust and dissent. While I would have liked to have seen the final battle in full, I think Abnett’s effective summary worked pretty well, and I understand that spending another few hours in combat would have watered down the author’s main message. Each major character’s arc is resolved in a very satisfying manner, and there is an excellent blend of dramatic moments and intense action to keep the reader hooked. I appreciated how a couple of these conclusions were more depressing, rather than being uniformly happy, which fits both the grimdark nature of Warhammer 40,000 as well as Abnett’s overarching themes that war has no true winners. This story really came together well, and I deeply enjoyed the complex standalone narrative that Abnett came up with.

This was another insanely well written novel from Abnett, who excels at telling dark, deeply personal war stories from multiple perspectives. The author provides the perfect balance of excitement, deep intrigue and fantastic character growth in Titanicus, all expertly set within the amazing Warhammer 40,000 universe, and it proves to be such an addictive read. I personally became engrossed in the various character-driven storylines that emerged throughout the plot, especially the long-running storylines that lasted the entire book. However, even the more minor character arcs, such as the occasional scene from a normal citizen living in the city to an extended look at the crew of a doomed machine, was hard hitting and Abnett really gets you invested in these personal tales. As I mentioned above, these often-separate storylines worked extremely well in concert with each other, and Abnett did such a good job pulling them together into a brilliant, overarching narrative.

Of course, you can’t talk about Titanicus’s writing without going into how incredible the action sequences are. Abnett crafts together so many deeply intense and powerful battle scenes throughout Titanicus that constantly had the blood pumping as you watched your favourite characters brave the dark gauntlet of battle time and time again. The author had a lot of fun envisioning war on multiple fronts, and I loved how we got to see infantry fights, tank battles and entertaining skirmishes between various augmented foes as the story continued. However, easily the most awesome thing about Titanicus is the Titans themselves. Insanely massive and powerful walking war machines, the Titans steal any scene they are in, and there are so many great reactions as the normal human characters see the Titans fight, especially when the despoiled enemy machines advance on them. However, it is the sequences shown from the perspective of the Titan pilots themselves that are the best, as you become fully immersed into the battles in the scenes as the machines rain down destruction and depth. You can honestly feel the insane powerful and destructive ability of the Titans as you move throughout Titanicus, and every single battle involving one of these massive walkers is epic on so many levels.

As with the rest of Abnett’s books, Titanicus proved to be a particularly strong entry in the Warhammer 40,000 canon. Serving as a companion piece to the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, Titanicus is a must-read to anyone who has enjoyed Abnett’s main series and the overarching campaign it is a part of. However, as there are no overlapping characters or major storylines, Titanicus can also be easily read as a standalone novel, and indeed would be a great introduction to Abnett’s writing style and his ability to write awesome war stories. Titanicus would also be the perfect entry novel to anyone interested in exploring Warhammer 40,000 fiction, especially science fiction readers who love the idea of giant piloted war machines. The cool action, complex character arcs and fantastic standalone narrative ensures that anyone can really dive into Titanicus and have a brilliant time, and I honestly think this book would appeal to a wide range of different readers.

However, as with most books in the franchise, Titanicus will mostly appeal to those established Warhammer 40,000 fans who will love Abnett’s dive into some unique aspects of the universe. Naturally, this is primarily going to be around the Titans, who are a very awesome part of the Warhammer 40,000 setting that are often underutilised in fiction due to being too overpowered (or getting badly nerfed when they do appear). I think Abnett did these war machines perfect justice in Titanicus, and you really come away appreciating every aspect of them, including their raw power, their powerful spirit, and the love the crews have for them. However, Abnett also dives into the dark side of the machine, and some of the sequences that show the pilots losing their humanity were particularly jarring. Honestly, I thought Abnett’s portray of the Titans was just brilliant, and I have yet to see another Warhammer author do any better. Abnett also takes a lot of time to dive into the lore surrounding the Adeptus Mechanics. While these parts of the book might be slightly confusing for newer readers, established fans will love seeing Abnett explore these machine-worshipping figures, especially as a theological schism becomes a major plot issue. Other cool lore aspects include examining the uneasy relationship between the Imperium and the Mechanicus on planets they share, the dark side of human life on a planet under siege, and even little fun moments, like a toy maker finally finding success as he makes models of the Titans battling across the world. All these elements make Titanicus a particularly epic read for fans of the franchise, and I personally loved seeing Abnett’s take on all these cool universe inclusions.

While the writing, story and Warhammer 40,000 elements are all exceptional on their own, what really brings them together and makes Titanicus truly awesome are the multiple cool characters scattered throughout the plot. Abnett introduces a huge range of fantastic and complex characters in Titanicus who you grow quite attached to as the plot continues. All the characters, from major figures to minor one-scene characters, are fantastically written and cleverly influence the plot in their own cool ways. Highlights for me included the desperate crew of a destroyed tank who try to escape on foot, only to find more danger in front of them. A group of inexperienced conscripts who are completely unprepared for the horrors of war also prove to be really entertaining, and you grow invested in their struggles to survive and the tragedies that await them. Abnett also examines several intriguing Adeptus Mechanicus figures within the Orestes Forge, whose frustrations, ambitions and struggles for power are far more human than they’d like to believe. However, the best character arc for me was the one that revolved around the crew of a Legio Invicta’s Titan who are forced to accept an Orestes’ Princeps (the pilot plugged into the Titan’s mind) when their own dies without a successor. The resulting conflicts between the inexperienced and arrogant outsider pilot and the veteran Legio Invicta crew, which includes the Titan’s moderati (second-in-command), who finds himself under a suspended death sentence, sets the scene perfectly, and you become really intrigued in seeing how the Titan will survive. Watching these figures come together as a crew is a highlight of Titanicus, although Abnett does an excellent job twisting that around later when internal conflict splits the protagonists. All these characters, and many more, gave Titanicus some real emotional heft, and I became so damn invested in seeing the final fate of so many of these outstanding protagonists.

I think that it’s kind of a given that I listened to Titanicus on audiobook rather than seeking out a physical copy of the book. Warhammer audiobooks are so damn good, and frankly there is no better way to enjoy the franchise’s awesome narratives and compelling action. This is particularly true for Titanicus, as the intricate details and impressive combat sequences really shine through even better when read out. I especially loved how incredibly epic the various Titan-on-Titan battles came across in this audiobook format, and the fantastic voice of narrator Toby Longworth ensured that you were enrapt by every single second of carnage. Longworth, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, always does an exceptional job bringing Abnett’s amazing stories to life, and he was once again exceptional here in Titanicus. Longworth captures all the characters in Titanicus perfectly, and you get a real sense of their personalities, emotions and their reactions to the insane events of the book. This includes the various Adeptus Mechanicus figures, which Longworth voices in all their mechanical glory, and you can just imagine these augmented figures, and indeed all the complex characters of Titanicus, as Longworth describes them. This makes for such an exceptional experience, and I flew through the audiobook’s near 14-hour long runtime extremely quickly. There is honestly no other way to enjoy Titanicus than on audiobook, and you are guaranteed to have an amazing time.

Dan Abnett continues to showcase why he is such a highly regarded author of Warhammer fiction with the brilliant and captivating Titanicus. Perfectly showcasing a war between one of the franchise’s most epic components, the massive Titan war engines, Titanicus was an exceptional read from start to finish and one that I cannot recommend enough. I had such a great time with Titanicus, and I look forward to reading even more Warhammer 40,000 books from Dan Abnett this year.

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Quick Review – The Wrong Man by Tim Ayliffe

On January 28, 2025 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

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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.

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High Wire by Candice Fox

On January 21, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Thriller4 Comments

Publisher: Bantam (Trade Paperback – 24 September 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 480 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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One of Australia’s top authors of crime fiction finishes of 2024 with a massive bang as Candice Fox presents the powerful thriller, High Wire.

Few authors had the awesome year that Candice Fox did in 2024, as the author released three impressive crime fiction reads. The first of these was the fast-paced crime fiction read, The Murder Inn, which Fox cowrote with the legendary James Patterson. The sequel to their previous book, The Inn, The Murder Inn was a fantastic book that once again highlighted how well Fox and Patterson work together (see my review for their other book 2 Sisters Detective Agency). Fox also released the intense character-driven thriller, Devil’s Kitchen, that saw two highly damaged characters attempt to uncover the secrets of a seemingly heroic group of firefighters with a true dark side to them. Both The Murder Inn and Devil’s Kitchen were outstanding reads, and I was very happy I checked them out. However, Fox decided to provide us with even more fun before the year was over with the standalone novel High Wire. Taking the author back to her home country, High Wire was a compelling and deeply intense Australian thriller that takes you hostage and refuses to let go.

Out in the outback of Australia lies a notorious unmarked track known as the High Wire. Cutting across the country from Broome to Sydney, the High Wire is a lawless road full of small towns, unregulated trails and mobile phone blackspots. A favourite hangout of smugglers, hijackers and criminals, only the desperate, the dangerous and those looking for trouble use the High Wire.

Harvey Buck, former soldier and current recluse, knows all about the dangers of the High Wire, but desperation forces him to travel along it to reach his dying girlfriend. Despite knowing better, he stops to pick up a hapless traveller, Clare Holland, whose car has broken down on the road. However, Clare isn’t the person he should be worried about, as the two are soon ambushed by a masked assailants with their own sinister agenda.

Strapped into bomb vests, Harvey and Clare are forced into a twisted game by vengeful figures from Harvey’s past seeking to ruin his life and reputation. Forced to commit a series of increasingly murderous missions across several small towns, the two prisoners try to work together to escape and stop the insanity going on around them. Harvey and Clare’s only hope may be Senior Sergeant Edna Norris, one of the few police officers stationed on the Wire, and who soon begins to follow the trail of destruction being left in their wake. But Edna has her own problems, especially when Clare’s husband arrives on the scene with his own dark plans.

High Wire was another awesome book from Candice Fox that provides readers will some of the best Australian thrills and action that there were likely to get in 2024. Featuring a bold, compelling and powerful character-driven tale of revenge and escape, High Wire was an outstanding read from one of my favourite Australian authors and one that I cannot recommend enough.

Fox hits the ground running hard with High Wire’s excellent narrative, and I honestly was hooked early on thanks to the compelling and intense story. Quickly introducing the protagonist, Harvey Buck, as well as the High Wire, the lawless road that serves as an intriguing background setting for the plot. After a quick introduction to a secondary protagonist, the mysterious Clare Holland, the main plot of High Wire takes off as the two are ambushed by a group of armed attackers, who take them prisoner after a bloody shootout, and strap them into elaborate bomb vests. Fox keeps the tension running high here, as it becomes clear that the kidnappers know Harvey and are seeking revenge for some past misdeed. Around the same time, the readers are introduced to the other major point-of-view character, Senior Sergeant Edna Norris, who finds herself on the trail of Harvey, Clare and the kidnappers without knowing who is responsible and with an unlikely teenage sidekick helping and hindering her in equal measure.

The plot soon becomes even more intense on several levels, as Fox works several intriguing storylines and elements simultaneously to tell a complex and exciting narrative. The main plot around Harvey and Clare proves to be quite intense, as the two are forced to commit a series of brutal crimes while also trying to escape or take out their captors. Fox carefully doles out intriguing background on both Harvey and Clare to the readers, and you soon discover both have complicated pasts, as Clare is running from her suddenly murderous husband, while Harvey’s past connection to the kidnappers is revealed in a series of dark flashbacks. These flashbacks help to paint the main storyline in some different shades of grey, as you begin to realise that Harvey isn’t the moral hero you initially believed he would be, and while the antagonists are worse, you begin to doubt that Harvey deserves to survive.

At the same time, the focus on Edna and her intriguing supporting cast goes in some interesting directions, as she follows the carnage left behind by the kidnappers and their unwilling pawns. Not only is Edna forced to deal with her hard-headed charge Talon, but she finds herself in all manner of trouble when Clare’s husband, Gareth Holland the Northern Territory Police Commissioner, arrives on the scene looking for his wife. Instantly suspicious of Gareth, Edna is forced off the case due to police politics but continues to try and investigate, determining that she needs to get to Clare first. Edna’s storyline, which I personally enjoyed the most in High Wire, goes in some fantastic directions, and she soon finds herself forced to survive the murderous attentions of Gareth, while also trying to solve the clues being left behind by Harvey. Fox does an excellent job running these somewhat separated storylines simultaneously, and they tie into each other just enough to create an amazing overarching narrative. Fox wrapped these various storylines up in a very effective way, with a satisfying moment in the Edna storyline, while the main narrative goes out on a very dark note, which I felt was a powerful result to some of the character work that Fox had been building up. This honestly ended up being an epic and compelling standalone thriller, and I really appreciated how Fox held back no punches to create this powerful read.

Fox did another amazing job bringing this intense and complex narrative together, and I felt that High Wire was one of her more hard-hitting and enjoyable novels. I loved how the author imbued High Wire with a very dark edge, and between the intense action, despicable villains and deadly plot you really come away not wanting to visit central Australia. The setting of the “High Wire”, a semi-secret road running the length of Australia proved to be an awesome background, and Fox’s strong descriptions of the red-earthed, isolated road combined with its inherent lawlessness and dangerous inhabitants, gave me some major Mad Max vibes as I was reading the book. I felt that Fox utilised this setting perfectly throughout High Wire, and it helped to give this novel a very distinctive feel. The author also made great use of splitting the story across several intriguing central characters. The two main storylines, the one involving Harvey and Clare and the one following Edna and Talon, played off each other extremely well, and having Edna constantly behind the other protagonists and their captors allowed for a great chase narrative, as they tried to interpret all the events going on in front of them. Information from Harvey and Clare also cleverly increased the tension in the other storyline, especially as you learn in advance just how deadly secondary antagonist Gareth Holland is, which allows you to fully appreciate his manipulations and darker agenda. The balance between these two storylines was extremely effective, even with the additional flashback chapters, and this ensured that High Wire had a great pace to it that easily keeps the reader’s attention.

High Wire’s intense and compelling story was greatly enhanced by several fantastic and complex characters whose unique, and often dark narratives, provided some nuanced and complicated tales of personal growth and survival. The main protagonist, Harvey Buck (a great uber-masculine name btw), is a former soldier who spends the book trying to survive the plans of his attackers and save as many people as possible. While Harvey seems to be a good character, Fox makes excellent use of flashbacks to dive into his history with the antagonists, which provides some added complexity to the plot, as both sides have committed atrocities against the other. The same can be said for secondary protagonist, Clare Holland, a seemingly helpless figure inadvertently dragged into events. While Clare is portrayed as a victim for much of the plot, she eventually reveals an intriguing backstory to Harvey that ties into her complicated marriage, which implies she isn’t as innocent as she seems. The character I most got drawn to was local cop, Senior Sergeant Edna Norris, who comes away as one of the few legitimately decent people in the book. Thanks to her caring personality and clever insights, Edna is a protagonist you can get behind 100%, and even when elements of her past are brought up, it proves hard not to still see her as the best figure in the book.

Aside from these key characters, Fox features several intriguing supporting figures in High Wire, including some impressive antagonists. The main supporting character that is featured in the book is Talon, a teenager who is taken under Edna’s wing after she arrests him. An initially annoying and impulsive figure, Talon grows on you as the book continues, especially with his entertaining imagination and surprisingly accurate insights. However, it is the villains of the High Wire who I think stole the show here. The two kidnappers who take control of Harvey and Clare with bomb vests prove to be despicable, if highly damaged figures, and it was fascinating to see how much their current behaviour is due to previous rough treatment from Harvey. Clare’s husband, Gareth Holland, proves to be an excellent secondary antagonist, especially as he has his own murderous agenda and uses his position as Northern Territory Police Commissioner to get away with his goals. In some ways Gareth was a better villain than the kidnappers, especially as he is far more soulless figure who ends up being quite smug and controlling. I really enjoyed the entertaining way that Fox wrapped up Gareth’s storyline in this book, and it was quite satisfying to see him get what he deserved. These character deeply enhanced Hire Wire’s narrative, and it was awesome to see their various storylines unfold.

High Wire ended up being an incredible and thrilling piece of crime fiction from one of Australia’s best writers Candice Fox. Dark, brutal and filled with some complex and damaged characters, High Wire quickly gets you hooked, and you are in for an outstanding time with this brilliant read.

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Quick Review – The Ascent by Adam Plantinga

On January 21, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Quick Review, Thriller7 Comments

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (Paperback – 12 November 2024)

Series: Kurt Argento – Book One

Length: 343 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Intriguing new author Adam Plantinga presents one of the most entertaining and exciting debuts of 2024 with the outstanding and brilliantly over-the-top thriller, The Ascent.

Plot Synopsis:

Kurt Argento, an ex-Detroit street cop who can’t let injustice go—and who has the fighting skills to back up his idealism. If he sees a young girl being dragged into an alley, he’s going to rescue her and cause some damage. When he does just that in a small corrupt Missouri town, he’s brutally beaten and thrown into a maximum-security prison.

Julie Wakefield, a grad student who happens to be the governor’s daughter, is about to take a tour of the prison. But when a malfunction in the security system releases a horde of prisoners, a fierce struggle for survival ensues.

Argento must help a small band of staff and civilians, including Julie and her two state trooper handlers, make their way from the bottom floor to the roof to safety. All that stands in their way are six floors of the most dangerous convicts in Missouri.

The Ascent was a particularly awesome read that I had a fantastic time reading. The debut novel from Adam Plantinga, a police officer who has previously written some non-fiction books on the experiences of law enforcement officials, The Ascent was a bonkers, balls-to-the-wall novel loaded with fun storytelling, intense action, and all the carnage you would ever want.

As you would imagine from a book with the very cool plot synopsis above, The Ascent was a very fast-paced novel designed to grab a reader’s attention fast and keep them hooked with the appropriate offerings of violence, extreme moments and over-the-top characters. Plantinga delivers all that in spades as he quickly introduces his main characters for the book, with a particular focus on protagonist Kurt Argento, a damaged former cop with a hero complex who has left his home city to find himself. Encountering injustice in small town Missouri, Argento is framed by the corrupt sheriff and sent to the Whitehall Correctional Facility, a maximum-security private prison. Serendipitously, secondary protagonist Julie Wakefield, the governor’s daughter, arrives at Whitehall with her security detail at the same time as Argento for an educational tour. While coincidental, this proves to be a rather impactful and effective introduction to the main characters, and I honestly found myself getting really drawn into the book at this point, as you have all information you need before things go to hell.

With the prison’s systems failing and convicts being released from their cells, Argento’s aid is reluctantly accepted by a small group of police, prison guards and other staff to help take Julie from the bottom level of the prison to the roof. Forced to fight up one level of the prison to the next, the plot gets extremely crazy, as the protagonists encounter even worse criminals on each floor of the prison, are hunted by an assassin gunning for Argento and are forced to contend with the demons of several members of the group. Plantinga keeps the action going hard and fast through this part of the book, and you honestly can’t turn away from the intense scenes that occur as the protagonists keep moving up. There is a certain gritty realism to the desperation of the protagonists as they try to survive, and you become even more enthralled by the narrative as they constantly battered main characters fight higher and higher up the prison facing worse odds the entire way. There are some intense betrayals, clever twists, and some truly dark moments as the plot continues, and you will honestly find yourself hooked right up to the brutal finale, with Plantinga featuring a satisfying conclusion that hints at more adventures to come.

I really loved how The Ascent came together, and Plantinga wrote an impactful, hard-hitting action thriller that proved very hard to put down. Between its compelling, if exaggerated plot, gritty action and intriguing characters, there is a lot to love about The Ascent, and I honestly got really hooked on this book as it continued, getting through the last 300 pages in one enjoyable chunk of late-night reading. The wonderfully over-the-top story moved at such a quick-fire pace, while shoving so much cool action into the reader’s face. Plantinga clearly knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the fights in this book, and the reader is gifted to a truly awesome and outrageous amount of violence and carnage, which only gets crazier the further in you get. Between warring gangs, brutal ambushes, desperate battles against killers, and encounters with some truly scary and unhinged beings, the protagonists go through hell, and you honestly are left waiting to see if they will survive, especially as Plantinga throws in some dark sacrifices to keep you on your toes. These intense inclusions work extremely well with the fantastic storytelling, and I had so much fun seeing the characters race from bloody fight to bloody fight. I will say that this is an excessive book at times, and the descriptions of brutal violence and other darker things might not be for every reader, but for those fans of bloody thrillers or brutal action films, this is the perfect book for you to check out.

While I have tended to highlight the action a lot in this review, I must point out that Plantinga brought together a well-written tale of survival that proves to be intense, entertaining and powerful at the same time. The plot about moving up the levels of the prison was cleverly set out, and the actions of the characters always seem quite reasonable and realistic, especially the combination of doubt and determination that resulted from the increased conflict and catastrophe. You could honestly feel the desperation of the characters as the book continued, and while things got quite crazy the further along you got, there was always a grain of realism to the plot, especially as the protagonists struggled more and more the further along they got. If I had one complaint about The Ascent, it’s that they never fully explained or explored the reasons behind the issues impacting the prison, which seems like a major oversight in my opinion, although I may forgive that if it becomes a plot point in later books. I will also say that it is very clear that The Ascent is written by a police officer, although I did think that Plantinga tried to cover the profession with some nuance, which was appreciated.

A key thing about The Ascent that I need to compliment is the excellent character work. Kurt Argento is an outstandingly damaged protagonist going through some real grief at the loss of his wife. Plantinga does a great job setting up his current hero complex and death wish as a consequence of this loss, and you really feel his pain as he keeps trying to do the right thing, even if it kills him. The other main protagonist, Julie, is another well-written character, as this somewhat sheltered character learns to fight back against those coming for her as she comes face to face with the dark side of humanity. These two characters form a great duo, and I appreciated how Plantinga played them off each other, especially towards the end of the book. The other supporting characters in The Ascent were also well-written, and Plantinga introduces an interesting array of disparate personality types that conflict against each other in compelling ways, especially when things get particularly bad. These excellent characters helped to evolve The Ascent above a typical action thriller, and readers will find themselves quite invested in seeing how these figures will survive as a result.

Overall, The Ascent by Adam Plantinga was an epic and highly captivating debut that I had a really, really fun time with. Plantinga presented a true action classic guaranteed to keep your attention the entire way through, and it honestly proves hard to put The Ascent down at times. Dark, bloody and intense in all the best ways, The Ascent was one of the most memorable debuts of 2024 and I am so damn glad I decided to check it out. I cannot wait to read more from Plantinga, and I am already very keen to grab the sequel to The Ascent, Hard Town, which is coming out in a few months’ time.

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Quick Review – Gunnawah by Ronni Salt

On January 19, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Quick Review5 Comments

Publisher: Hachette Australia (Trade Paperback – 1 January 2025)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 328 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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New Australian author Ronni Salt presents a compelling new crime fiction debut with the fantastic novel Gunnawah, an intriguing and distinctive read that explores an intriguing period of rural Australian history.

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

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. The paper’s owner, Valdene Bullark, seeing something of the girl she once was in young Adelaide, puts her 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 like she’s poked a bull ant’s nest. 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. And too many are already dead quiet.

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.

Gunnawah was an excellent first book from Ronni Salt that was an amazing and entertaining bit of Australian fiction to start 2025 on. Cleverly examining the unique landscape of Australia’s Riverina area in the 1970s and diving into its controversial history, Gunnawah was a fast-paced and surprisingly complex read that blended big characters with an addictive crime fiction narrative.

The book has an interesting, if slow, start to it, as the reader is introduced to the protagonist, Adelaide Hoffman, as well as the various other memorable inhabitants of the town. Much of the first third of Gunnawah is dedicated to building these figures up, while also hinting at the many secrets surrounding the town. While readers don’t get a lot of excitement off the bat in Gunnawah, I felt that this slow burn start was vital to the book’s later impact, especially as Salt loads up a ton of clues and hints about the later events of the book.

Things begin to heat up when the protagonists discover that there is a darker side to their small town, especially when it becomes clear a vital new irrigation project has ties to a local drug operation, while other crimes remain hidden in the shadows. There are some tense scenes as Adelaide, Val and their offsider Wayne begin to uncover what’s really going on around Gunnawah. However, it is the last third of the book that really ensures Gunnawah sticks in the mind. Starting off with a big event that is reminiscent of a particularly infamous Australian crime, the protagonists are soon thrust into greater danger and are forced to fight back like the battling Australian farmers they are. There are some awesome scenes here, especially as damaged protagonist Adelaide shows how badass she is, and I liked some of the satisfying conclusions that occur to the main story. Salt also cleverly ties up some other intriguing mysteries that have been running alongside the central plot, and I liked the solutions that emerged, especially as the resulting reveals were well built up in the earlier parts of the book. Readers come away very satisfied with how Salt concludes Gunnawah, and there is some potential to continue this book as a series if the author wants to.

Salt pulls together an intriguing book for her debut that blends a fantastic crime fiction read with some cool historical inclusions and a subtle web of humour that proves hard to get away from. Featuring a mass of interesting perspective characters, Gunnawah’s plot revolves around finding out all their relevant secrets and working together the storylines of the various big personalities in the town. These multiple perspectives help to create a complex and layered narrative, and they often backup the fantastic central characters of Adelaide and Val. The author builds up some excellent character development and human moments throughout Gunnawah, especially as there are some complex and damaged protagonists featured throughout. For example, Adelaide comes into the narrative traumatised by a previous incident that is expanded on as the book continues, and it was great to see her regain her confidence as Gunnawah continues.

The rest of the characters in the novel are an excellent combination of outrageous small-town folk, and a lot of Gunnawah’s humour is built from the fantastically funny interactions between these entertaining figures. For example, Val and Wayne, long-time friends who have history with the seedier side of Sydney before coming to small-town Gunnawah, prove to be a highly entertaining duo, and I enjoyed how they took events into their own hands, especially when it comes to protecting Adelaide. Other great humorous figures include the ambitious, if slightly hapless, mayor of Gunnawah and his social-climbing wife, whose antics in face of the serious crimes going on around town prove to be a lot of fun. These figures, as well as a range of other great exaggerated small-town folk in Gunnawah, add a lot to how entertaining Gunnawah proved to be, and I am curious to see if Salt will revisit them in any future books.

Another amazing aspect of Gunnawah that I really enjoyed was the fantastic historical background surrounding the main setting of the plot. Salt did a great job emulating a Riverina town for this book, and you really got the sense of a small Australian town in the 1970s, with the mixture of farmers, local politics and other country folk. Small towns always work well in Australian crime fiction, especially as readers love to see antics out in the bush, and Salt makes her story stand out by tying the narrative into real-life crime aspects of 1970s Australia. In particular, the narrative features representatives of a criminal organisation active during the period, and one of the major events of the books is highly reminiscent of the Donald Mackay incident. The author also includes a lot of references to larger events occurring around Australia during the period, especially rampant police corruption in New South Wales, as well as a focus on Australian politics. I personally enjoyed seeing the references to the Gough Whitlam era, and Salt actually includes a visit from Whitlam to Gunnawah as part of the plot, which proves to be quite a fun scene, especially when two of the book’s more entertaining personalities become involved. These intriguing historical inclusions give Gunnawah some real authenticity, especially if you are familiar with how bad things got in the Riverina area during the period, and I appreciated how Salt worked it into her narrative.

Ronni Salt comes out of the gate swinging with her first novel as Gunnawah proves to be an outstanding and compelling piece of Australian fiction. An amazing debut to start 2025 on, Gunnawah featured a great blend of crime fiction and historical inclusions to create a gripping and entertaining read. I had an awesome time reading Gunnawah, and I look forward to seeing what Salt writes next.

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Quick Review – Rebellion by Richard Cullen

On January 9, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction8 Comments

Publisher: Boldwood Books (ebook – 26 October 2024)

Series: Chronicles of the Black Lion – Book One

Length: 290 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Prepare for an exciting and compelling historical adventure from excellent author Richard Cullen with the amazing read Rebellion.

Back in 2024 I was lucky to receive a copy of the awesome historical fiction novel Rebellion by Richard Cullen. Cullen, who entered the historical fiction genre a couple of years ago with his Wolf of Kings series, may be better known to some readers as fantasy author Richard S. Ford, who has written several compelling series over the year, including The Age of Uprising series (check out my review for the first book in that series, Engines of Empire). His latest release, Rebellion, is the first book in his Chronicles of the Black Lion series, that takes readers back to the early 13^th century and deadly rebellions against the crown.

Plot Synopsis:

1213AD.

King Richard the Lionheart is dead, and his brother, John Lackland, sits uneasily upon the throne of England.

Across the sea, Prince Louis, heir to the powerful King Philip Augustus of France, looks to King John’s crown with a covetous eye.

But King John must be wary of rebellion, as well as invasion, for even his own barons would see their king unseated, and the French pretender put in his place.

Thrust amid this tumult is young Estienne Wace, orphan squire to Earl William Marshal – the greatest knight to ever serve the kings of England, and one of the few men who still holds faith in King John’s rule.

Raised by Marshal as his ward, Estienne must prove himself worthy of his adopted father’s name, but acceptance may be the least of his troubles. War is looming, as usurpers emerge from every quarter, determined to steal England’s crown from its most wretched king.

Rebellion was an outstanding novel that successfully wrapped around a character-driven tale of adventure and honour with a compelling historical background to form a fantastic and exciting read. Told primarily from the perspective of Estienne Wace, new squire to legendary knight, lord, and royal regent Wiliam Marshal, you see the chaotic events that defined the last few years of King John’s reign, including the First Barons’ War, in compelling detail. For the most part Cullen tells a classic historical coming of age/adventure tale around Estienne, as the young man first learns the ropes of being a squire, and then the reader follows him through several major battles and historical events, either as a fighting participant or a curious observer. This allows for quite a bit of action and excitement, and the young protagonist soon learns the true horrors of war as he grows closer to the Marshal family.

This proves to be a fascinating and very intense historical narrative, and the author enthrals the reader with a great combination of fascinating historical detail, a ton of cool action, and some compelling character work as he features an intriguing mixture of new characters and many established historical figures. I found this combination to work extremely well, and it proved interesting to follow the protagonist as he witnessed the turbulent history of the period and the dark conflicts it birthed. The action flies thick and fast as the story continues, and I loved the awesome array of detailed sequences that emerged, including a lengthy and desperate siege. The author also makes excellent use of some great alternate points of view as the story continues, including a jealous rival to the protagonist, and you are gifted with a compelling and highly intense look at the battles and politics unfolding. While for the most part the main storyline around Estienne is typical historical fiction fare, Cullen throws in some interesting, if not entirely unsurprising, reveals at the end which should lead to some interesting developments in the future. All this helped to produce a very cool story, and its one that I had a hard time putting down at times.

While I love all the above inclusions, my favourite part of Rebellion was the excellent historical details that Cullen worked his cool narrative around, especially as the author has clearly done his research on the subject. It helped that Cullen chose to set his story around a truly fascinating period of English history that hasn’t been too over-utilised in other pieces of historical fiction. As such, readers are gifted with deeply compelling look at the later years of King John’s reign as he lost land and refused to abide by the Magna Carter, and the resulting war that emerged as his various lords rebelled and tried to crown Prince Louise of France as King. Cullen expertly places Estienne in the middle of many of the key events of this period, and through his eyes you get the full picture of the events that led up the war, as well as how it unfolded. I honestly found this to be extremely fascinating, mainly because this war is often overshadowed by other events in English history, and you don’t see it utilised too often in modern fiction. It was pretty damn interesting to see just how close England came to being ruled by a French king, and I honestly didn’t know that the French landed an army in England during this period, nor that Dover was besieged, and it was extremely cool to see it all unfold throughout the plot of Rebellion.

I personally also enjoyed how much Cullen focused on the awesome historical figure of William Marshal in this book, including examining the role that he played in stopping the war and saving England. Marshal, a legendary knight who served several kings, is shown as an older man torn between duty and family, as he tries to save the cruel King John while his son chooses to support the rebelling barons. I have always loved the history surrounding William Marshal and Cullen does a beautiful job bringing this aging example of knightly duty and honour to life and showcasing the complex roles he tried to balance for the sake of England. This portrayal of Willaim Marshal, and indeed all the historical detail in the book, helps to make Rebellion a particularly captivating historical read, and I really appreciated how Cullen worked it all into the story.

Overall Rebellion was an awesome, fascinating and deeply addictive historical fiction novel that I could not get enough of. Richard Cullen did a brilliant job of bringing this historical adventure together, and I had a wonderful time with the cool action and compelling history contained within it. This is a very fun and exciting read that this very easy to get hooked on, and I ended up having an outstanding time with Rebellion. Indeed, I enjoyed it so much that I have already grabbed an early copy of the sequel, Crusade, and I am hoping to read it soon.

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