Tag: Murder Mystery

Quick Review – Fatal Legacy by Lindsey Davis

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Murder Mystery, Quick Review3 Comments

Fatal Legacy Cover

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (Trade Paperback – 11 April 2023)

Series: Flavia Albia – Book 11

Length: 397 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Return to one of my favourite historical fiction series with another clever crime fiction read set in ancient Rome with Fatal Legacy by Lindsey Davis.

While I have had the pleasure of reading many great historical fiction series and books over the years, few have been as enjoyable to me as the Flavia Albia books by legendary author Lindsey Davis.  The follow-up to her iconic and long-running Falco novels, the series follow the titular Flavia Albia, a private investigator in Rome who finds herself involved with a series of unusual or gruesome crimes, often resulting in a series of over-the-top events.  I have had a great deal of fun with the Flavia Albia books over the years, including The Third Nero, Pandora’s Boy, A Capitol Death, The Grove of the Caesars (one of my favourite books of 2020), A Comedy of Terrors and Desperate Undertakings (one of my favourite books of 2022), and I am always excited to check out the latest novel in the series, especially when it has an intriguing plot behind it.

Plot Synopsis:

An unpaid bar bill leads Flavia Albia to her most bitter and complex case yet.

Decades earlier Appius Tranquillus Surus wrote his will: it freed his slaves and bequeathed his businesses to them. He left an orchard to the Prisci, a family he was friendly with, on the condition that his freedmen could still take its harvest.

The convoluted arrangement has led to a feud between the two families, each of which has its own internal strife. Endless claims and counterclaims lead to violence and even death. Lawyers have given up in exasperation as the case limps on. The original will has disappeared, along with a falsified codicil – and might there be another one?

But is there a solution? Two youngsters from each side of the divide, Gaius Venuleius and Cosca Sabatina, have fallen in love, which could unite the feuding families. There is only one problem: were Sabatina’s grandmother and father really liberated in the Surus will? If not, the stigma of slavery will stop the marriage and the dispute will rage on forever.

Reconciliation seems impossible, but Albia will try. Her investigation must cut through decades of secrets, arguments, lies and violence to reach a startling truth.


Fatal Legacy was another compelling and fun entry in the series which once again brings together Davis’ fantastic take on Roman historical fiction with a unique mystery and several entertaining characters.  Fatal Legacy was the 11th book in the Flavia Albia series, and it proved to be quite an exciting and addictive read.

I had a lot of fun with Fatal Legacy’s great story, especially as it requires the protagonist to dive into an elaborate family feud.  Starting off by chance as Flavia attempts to appease one of her many eccentric relatives by investigating an unpaid bar bill, Flavia soon finds a family even more disastrous than her own when she encounters an infamous Roman clan embroiled in a variety of issues, including a feud with another family over a profitable orchard, as well as various internal conflicts and problems.  Hired to find proof that one member of the family was legally freed by their previous master, Flavia is forced to examine the labyrinthine relationships, family history and feuds that define this conflict, all while trying to deal with her own personal concerns.  This swiftly descends into a complex mess of many, many secrets, and readers will be left completely enthralled by how the story unfolds.

This was one of the more unique mysteries that Davis has come up with in her series, which really helped to set this book apart.  I personally enjoyed how Davis changed the focus of the book onto a family’s internal and external history and drama rather than the typical murder investigation, especially as it made for quite entertaining reading.  There are layers upon layers of secrets, betrayals, and hidden family connections that the reader needs to travel through to get to the truth, and you really get caught up in the new characters as a result.  The slow trawl through this history results in several great twists and turns, and it was fun watching the protagonist slowly unwind the many threads of the case, while also trying to avoid as much as their bitter conflict as possible.  I appreciated have Davis tried to break up this family focused investigation in places by adding in a few entertaining scenes, such as a farcical brawl at the protagonist’s house, as well as several over-the-top encounters amongst the family that Flavia is trying to investigate/help.  Despite that, the story does get rather dry and slow in places, especially towards the centre of the book as the reader gets a bit weary of finding out even more layers to the slow-paced mystery that emerges.  It also doesn’t help that this case has low stakes, especially compared to some of Davis’s other books that feature murder and serial killers, and this occasionally dulls the reader’s excitement.  Despite that, Davis manages to bring together quite an excellent read, and I loved the elaborate and fun reveal sequence at the end, which in some ways acts as a parody to classic whodunnits.

In addition to the clever and elaborate mystery, Fatal Legacy also features a great combination of entertaining characters and the typical fun ancient Rome setting.  I always love Davis’ vision of ancient Rome that are featured in the Flavia Albia books, especially as she tries to bring together classic Roman elements with characters and attitudes that are more recognisable in a modern setting.  Having the ancient characters speak with modern dialogue and act in ways we would associate more with contemporary people rather than figures in classic times gives the story a relatable and humorous edge at times, and it is always fun to see this version of ancient Rome.  This combines well with the cast of Fatal Legacy, especially as Davis introduces an eclectic group of new characters whose complex personal problems result in the book’s intriguing mystery.  The fun interactions between Flavia and these figures are very entertaining, and you have to love the protagonist’s cynical and sarcastic observations about the people she is forced to deal with.  The chaotic family she is forced to investigate contrasts comedically with Flavia’s own dysfunctional household, which got a good amount of focus in Fatal Legacy.  I think that Davis featured Flavia’s own family just the right amount in this latest book (sometimes they can be a bit overwhelming and distracting), and it was fun to see them interact, and at one point get into a massive punch up, with some of the case-specific character of the main plot.  All this helps to turn Fatal Legacy into a great read with an excellent blend of mystery, comedy and big personalities.

Overall, I felt that Fatal Legacy was a pretty awesome entry in one of my favourite historical fiction series.  Lindsey Davis wrote an outstanding and distinctive story for Fatal Legacy, and readers will enjoy the complex and character-focussed mystery that emerges as a result.  While aspects of Fatal Legacy’s narrative might not be as sharp as some of the other books in the Flavia Albia series, this was still an excellent read and one that fans of Davis will have a great time reading.

Fatal Legacy Cover 2

Amazon

Quick Reviews – Dark Rooms, Essex Dogs and Blow Back

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Murder Mystery, Quick Review, Thriller5 Comments

In recent weeks, I have been trying to review several older books; especially ones that I read last year but never got a chance to publish about.  I am hoping to rectify that to a degree now by publishing brief reviews for three intriguing 2022 releases that I had a great time reading.

Dark Rooms by Lynda La Plante

Dark Rooms Cover

Publisher: Zaffre (Trade Paperback – 16 August 2022)

Series: Tennison – Book Eight

Length: 319 pages

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Over the last few years, I have had a great time getting through the amazing Tennison series by iconic crime fiction author Lynda La Plante.  A prequel series to the Prime Suspect television series, the Tennison books follows a younger version of Prime Suspect’s protagonist, Jane Tennison, as she works her way up the ranks while investigating several intriguing crimes.  There have been some awesome books in this series so far, including Good Friday, Murder Mile, The Dirty Dozen, Blunt Force and Unholy Murder, each of which is worth a read, especially for fans of the original show.  I managed to get through the eighth book in the series, Dark Rooms, last year, and it is high time I wrote a review for it, especially as the next Tennison thriller is out just around the corner.

Plot Synopsis:

Helena Lanark is an elderly woman, living in a luxurious care home. The heiress of an immense family fortune, she keeps the secret to the horror which once occurred within the Lanark family house.

Jane Tennison is leading a murder investigation into the recent brutal death of a young girl, her decomposed starved body discovered in an old air raid shelter in the garden of the Lanark’s now derelict house. Initially the focus is on identifying the victim, until another body is found, hidden in the walls of the shelter.

As the investigation and search for answers intensifies, Jane travels to Australia. There she discovers the dark secret, that the Lanark family has kept hidden for decades.  A secret, that not only threatens to bring down a family dynasty, but also places Jane Tennison in mortal danger . . .

This was a fairly compelling crime fiction novel from La Plante, although I must admit that it wasn’t my favourite Tennison novel.  Dark Rooms’ story has an excellent start to it, with Tennison investigating the sinister death of a young woman in an abandoned air raid shelter.  This mystery gets even more complicated when the body of a young baby is also found in the basement.  However, this strong start doesn’t last for as long as I would have liked, with the more interesting case about the dead young woman being solved relatively quickly (although with an extremely dark solution), leaving only the mystery of the dead baby behind.

This second case, while interesting in its own way, is simpler than I would have liked, and the mystery behind it is actually a bit obvious.  La Plante does insert some great dramatic elements behind it, especially behind the tragic nature of the events behind it, as well as the unreliability of the main witness, which increases the emotional impact of the story.  I also quite liked the quick journey to Australia that Tennison undertakes to get answers, which was a nice change of pace that I rather enjoyed.  However, none of this helps to make the case as interesting or suspenseful as it needed to be, and I did not get as attached to the second half of the book.  It also didn’t help that La Plante was a reusing a lot of story elements from the previous entries in the series here, with Tennison facing the usual sexist boss and police department, and the author spending too much time on the protagonist’s social life than was strictly needed.  As such, the story drags in the places, and the lack of a particularly substantive and complex mystery ensures that it never really picks up to the degree you hope it would.

Overall, Dark Rooms was a weaker Tennison novel from Lynda La Plante, and one that does not really stand out when compared to some of the more impressive books in the series.  While I am little critical of it, Dark Rooms did have its interesting and powerful moments, and is still worth a read, especially for established fans of the series.  I am hoping that the next book in the series, Taste of Blood, has a better story behind it, and I am still intrigued to see how this series continues.

Amazon

Essex Dogs by Dan Jones

Essex Dogs Cover

Publisher: Head of Zeus (Trade Paperback – 30 August 2022)

Series: Essex Dogs – Book One

Length: 456 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of the more intriguing historical fiction debuts of 2022 had to be the awesome action adventure novel, Essex Dogs by Dan Jones.

Plot Synopsis:

July 1346. Ten men land on the beaches of Normandy. They call themselves the Essex Dogs: an unruly platoon of archers and men-at-arms led by a battle-scarred captain whose best days are behind him. The fight for the throne of the largest kingdom in Western Europe has begun.

Heading ever deeper into enemy territory toward Crécy, this band of brothers knows they are off to fight a battle that will forge nations, and shape the very fabric of human lives. But first they must survive a bloody war in which rules are abandoned and chivalry itself is slaughtered.

Rooted in historical accuracy and told through an unforgettable cast, Essex Dogs delivers the stark reality of medieval war on the ground – and shines a light on the fighters and ordinary people caught in the storm.

This was a very fun and exciting historical read that followed a small band of soldiers, the titular Essex Dogs, as they find themselves in the middle of the initial campaign of the Hundred Years War.  Jones writes a very compelling and action-packed story with a huge focus on camaraderie and survival, as the small band works together to try and overcome the many obstacles before and around them.  Written in the same character and themes as Band of Brothers or Saving Private Ryan, Essex Dogs has a good mixture of compelling historical detail, intense action, and interesting character moments, as the full story unleashes itself upon the reader with some major dramatic moments.  Cleverly working these characters into the middle of all the key events that occurred between the English landing in France all the way up to the Battle of Crécy (with some intriguing real historical extracts to give a fun contrast included at the start of each chapter), you will get wrapped up in Jones’ awesome and electrifying story.

This was a very impressive overall read, and I loved how well Jones managed to bring to life several desperate soldiers and lead them through the chaotic historical events depicted in Essex Dogs.  The captivating action, deep character moments, and inherent tragedy of war really help to turn this into an outstanding read and a pretty great first outing from Dan Jones as an author.  This ended up being one of my favourite debuts of 2022, and I am very interested to see how Jones will continue the story in the upcoming 2023 sequel, Wolves of Winter.

Amazon

Blow Back by James Patterson and Brendan Dubois

Blowback Cover

Publisher: Century (Trade Paperback – 1 September 2022)

Series: Standalone

Length: 503 pages

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Amazon

A great thriller that I had high hopes for in 2022 was the compelling James Patterson novel (co-written with Brendan Dubois), Blow Back, that featured a fun story about an insane US President.

Plot Synopsis:

He’s America’s most brilliant president ever. He’s also a psychopath.

US president Keegan Barrett swept into office on his success as director of the CIA. Six months into his first term, he devises a clandestine power grab with a deadly motive: Revenge.

President Barrett personally orders Special Agents Liam Grey and Noa Himel to execute his plan, but their loyalties are divided. As CIA agents they’ve sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all threats, both foreign and domestic.

When the threat comes directly from the Oval Office, that’s where the blowback begins.


Blow Back ended up being a very entertaining thriller that was extremely easy to read.  The authors deploy the typical Patterson style of short, sharp chapters, and several intriguing character perspectives to showcase the exciting tale, and I loved the great buildup that occurs in the first third of the novel.  Told primarily through the eyes of two US intelligence agents brought in to oversee the President’s planned intelligence revival, the first third of the book is pretty awesome as you watch them change the game in several exciting ways.  There is a ton of action-packed sequences and exciting espionage moments during this first half, as well as some frank and compelling assessments of the state of US, Russian and Chinese intelligence programs in America and across the world, all of which makes for some epic reading.  While the focus is primarily on espionage and the actions of the protagonists, there is also a tangible and compelling sense of dread building in the background as the reader gets closer and closer to seeing what the President is actually planning.

The eventual reveal of the President’s full duplicity and the evil schemes he has cooked up help change the tone of the second half of the book as the protagonists, who have been manipulated the entire way through, are now forced to work outside the system to try and save themselves and the entire world.  This makes for a pulse-pounding second half, and the cool story is loaded with chases, firefights and betrayals, all set around an apocalyptic scenario with a ticking clock behind it.  I honestly had a hard time putting the novel down, and the authors’ easy-to-read style really worked in Blow Back’s favour, producing a lightning quick read with a fun conclusion to it.  I did think that the story did not hit as hard as it possibly could have, and I might have preferred a few more twists or big moments towards the end.  I also didn’t get particularly invested in any of the major protagonists, although I did find President Barrett to be a very fun villain, especially when he completely loses his marbles and goes full evil warmongering tyrant on his enemies.

While I did think that Blow Back’s narrative did have a few issues and could have been a little tighter and more explosive in places, this was a still a very fun read and one that is guaranteed to keep thriller fans highly entertained and engaged.  The fast-paced story proves very hard to put down, and you will get really swept up in Blow Back’s ultra-exciting story of a psychotic and morally bankrupt President trying to destroy the world in his own compelling way.

Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday – Vendetta by Sarah Barrie

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday5 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 week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight an awesome upcoming Australian thriller from an outstanding local author, with Vendetta by Sarah Barrie.

Vendetta Cover

Due my geographical location, I am a massive fan of Australian fiction, especially as there are so many talented authors here creating some amazing and elaborate reads.  I particularly enjoy Australian crime fiction that set dark and compelling stories in locations I am more familiar with, as this usually results in some truly outstanding reads.  One of my favourite Australian crime fiction authors at the moment talented writer Sarah Barrie, who has been killing it over the last couple of years with her fantastic novels.

Barrie is a veteran author with several compelling Australian series under her belt.  I am personally familiar with her due to her amazing Lexi Winter series, which so far features two great books.  These novels follows titular protagonist, Lexi Winters, a vigilante hacker turned police officer, who uses her computer talents to take down the worst criminals around Sydney, often behind her superiors back.  The first book in the series, Unforgiven, saw Lexi attempt to destroy a child paedophile ring that was connected to her own childhood abuse, while in Retribution, she faced off against a notorious crime family who were getting in the way of her vengeance.  Thanks to their clever mysteries, complex characters, and very dark story content, both Unforgiven and Retribution were very impressive reads and they were some of the best Australian fiction I read in 2021 and 2022 respectfully.  I am now a firm fan of this series and I was very happy to hear that a third Lexi Winter novel is coming out later this year.

This new Lexi Winter novel is titled Vendetta and is currently set for release in early November 2023.  Vendetta looks set to continue several of the storylines from the previous two books, with the protagonist struggling to determine whether she is a vigilante or a police officer.  This new book will also apparently dive deeper into her hidden criminal/vigilante past as she is forced to return to an outlaw motorcycle club she used to work for, this time to save some of her friends.  It looks like Lexi is once again going to go rogue in her attempts to get justice and help the people she loves, and this should result in some compelling and emotionally charged storylines, especially as she tries to work out just what side of the legal fence she is on.  The inclusion of a deadly motorcycle gang that the protagonist used to be a part of should also be an interesting feature, especially as they will find themselves at war with their former president who is out for his own form of justice.  This outstanding plot has a lot of potential behind it and it should make for quite the awesome read.

This sounds like such a fun book and I am really glad that we are getting another Lexi Winter novel in a few short months.  Barrie has really proven herself to be such a talented and intense crime fiction author and I cannot wait to see how she continues to explore her complex and damaged protagonist.  I already know that I am going to love this book and I am very excited to see how Vendetta turns out.

Plot Synopsis:

Cop or criminal? When you’re undercover, the lines can get a little blurry. Former vigilante Lexi Winter, returns in a fast-paced, suspenseful crime thriller for readers of Candice Fox and Shelley Burr


Ace hacker, former sex worker and vigilante, Lexi Winter is now a cop and not keen to revisit her criminal past. But when old friends invoke the wrath of a local motorcycle club – the same club Lexi herself used to work for – she races to help them the only way she can: undercover.

If Lexi is to save a child’s life, she is going to have to go back – back to a life she thought she had outrun. Back to the person she used to be. But her timing isn’t great. Former club president Arthur Cronin has finished his long prison sentence and is out for revenge for the death of his wife and child. As he launches a series of bomb attacks on the club members who set him up and the cops who took him down, Lexi is caught in the middle.

Torn between old loyalties and new responsibilities, she must decide once and for all which side she’s on, but even if she does decide to break free, are her old criminal friends ready to let her go?

Waiting on Wednesday – Long Past Dues by James J. Butcher

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Murder Mystery, Waiting on Wednesday2 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 my latest Waiting on Wednesday, I check out a fun upcoming urban fantasy novel from a rising star with Long Past Dues by James J. Butcher.

Long Past Dues Cover

Amazon

Last year I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the excellent urban fantasy book, Dead Man’s Hand, the first book in the Unorthodox Chronicles and the debut novel from new author James J. Butcher.  Butcher, the son of legendary fantasy author Jim Butcher (check out some of my recent Throwback Thursdays), did a really good job with his first book, producing an intriguing and fast-paced urban fantasy read that I had a lot of fun with.  Following a relatively powerless magic user (an Unorthodox) with minor spells who finds themself in the middle of a massive magical conspiracy in Boston when he is accused of killing a powerful magical law enforcement officer and must team up with the victims retired partner to solve the crime.  Dead Man’s Hand was a very interesting and compelling first novel from Butcher, and it ended up being one of my favourite debuts of 2022.

Due to how impressive Butcher’s first book was, I have been keeping an eye out for any potential sequel for a while now and I was quite excited to see that Butcher had follow-up novel coming out later this year with Long Past Dues.  Set for release in October, the second Unorthodox Chronicles book will continue to follow the protagonist from the first novel as he settles into the world of magical law enforcement.  The new plot below sounds very compelling and I look forward to seeing the protagonist engage in a proper investigation, one loaded with magical rituals, hidden secrets and other cool aspects of this great magical world.  Based on how good Butcher’s first novel was, I am already quite keen for this fantastic sounding sequel and I know I am going to have a great time reading this book.  Long Past Dues has a ton of potential and I cannot wait to read the next book from this awesome new author.

Plot Synopsis:

Grimsby, the newest Auditor in the magical Department of Unorthodox Affairs, finds himself in hot water when he intercepts a friend’s case in this fast-paced and thrilling urban fantasy.

Against all odds, Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby has become an Auditor, enforcing laws about magic for Boston’s Department of Unorthodox Affairs. But Grimsby soon realizes the daily grind of his job is far removed from the glamour he imagined. Overlooked for every exciting case, Grimsby tires of being told to handle mundane magical troubles, and appropriates a case file intended for a friend.

Alongside Leslie Mayflower, the temporarily unretired Huntsman, Grimsby aims to crack the case and discover the origin of a strange, unfinished ritual—one that seems to imitate the handiwork of a foe Mayflower put down twenty years ago.

Together, they’ll have to deal with escaped werewolves, a cursed artifact, and a perilous journey to the mysterious subterranean city below Boston, all to uncover the shocking truth. At any cost, Grimsby must stop this ritual from finally being completed. Yet the cost may be paid not by himself but by his friends. . . .

Top Ten Tuesday – Most Anticipated Books Releasing During the Second Half of 2023 (Mystery, Thriller and Historical Fiction)

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, List, Murder Mystery, Thriller12 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics.  In this list, I continue to examine my most anticipated releases for the second half of 2023.  While my previous list looked at the best upcoming fantasy and science fiction novels, this list will look at the crime fiction, thrillers, and historical fiction novels that I am most excited for in the next six months.

Just like with my list about fantasy and science fiction books, this was a bit of a difficult list to pull together.  Even after I excluded fantasy and science fiction novels from it, there were still a ton of great books I could feature, and I had a hard time deciding what to cut.  I was eventually able to whittle it down to a top ten list (with an honourable mentions section), and I am pretty happy with how it turned out.  Just like with my fantasy and science fiction list, the following list does a great job of highlighting what books I am most excited for in the second half of the year, so let us see what makes the cut.

Honourable Mentions:

Killer Traitor Spy by Tim Ayliffe – 5 July 2023

Killer Traitor Spy Cover

Amazon

Agent Eighteen by John Brownlow – 8 August 2023

Assassin Eighteen Cover

A cool sequel to Seventeen, one of the best debuts of 2022, Agent Eighteen will continue Brownlow’s thrilling tale of elite assassins trying to kill each other.

Amazon

Dark Corners by Megan Goldin – 8 August 2023

Dark Corners Cover

Amazon

The Exchange by John Grisham – 17 October 2023

The Exchange Cover

A sequel to the classic John Grisham novel, The Firm.  Need I say more?

Amazon

Top Ten List (by release date):

Kill for Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh – 3 August 2023

Kill For Me Kill For You Cover

A fantastic and intense standalone thriller from the always impressive and fun Steve Cavanagh.  I am a big fan of Cavanagh’s legal thrillers (see my reviews for The Devil’s Advocate and The Accomplice), and I look forward to powering through this awesome book, especially as it has a fantastic Strangers on a Train vibe to it.

Amazon

Ripper by Shelley Burr – 30 August 2023

Ripper Cover

Shelley Burr, the author of Wake, one of the best debuts and Australian fiction novels of 2022, returns with an intriguing new crime fiction novel, Ripper.  Set in a dying Australian town made famous for its serial killer heritage, Ripper sounds like another outstanding read from Burr, and I am interested to see how she continues the cool story started in Wake.

Amazon

Holly by Stephen King – 5 September 2023

Holly Cover

The master of suspense, Stephen King, has yet another awesome book coming out later this year with Holly.  Following one of his most compelling recurring protagonists, Holly Gibney, this new novel from King will see Holly face off against dark secrets, hidden opponents, and a mysterious set of married, octogenarians, to find a missing child.  This sounds like a very cool new book and I cannot wait to dive into the latest, captivating Stephen King novel in a few months’ time.

Amazon

Code Red by Kyle Mills – 12 September 2023

Code Red Cover

For the last few years, I have had a lot of fun with the fantastic Mitch Rapp series, going out of my way to get a copy of each new release in the series.  Following a dangerous government agent who faces off against all manner of elaborate threats, the Mitch Rapp books are a ton of fun and I have deeply enjoyed the excellent stories that author Kyle Mills (who took over from original author Vince Flynn) has come up with (check out my reviews for Red War, Lethal Agent, Total Power, Enemy at the Gates and Oath of Loyalty).  The next book in the series, Code Red, will see Rapp once again face off against the Russians in a deadly conspiracy, and I know I’m going to have a fun time getting through it.

Amazon

The Last True Templar by Boyd and Beth Morrison – 14 September 2023

The Last True Templar Cover

Few new books from 2022 impressed me as much as the fantastic historical fiction novel, The Lawless Land by the team of Boyd and Beth Morrison.  Following an excommunicated knight as he tries to regain his honour by saving a precious artefact from a corrupt cardinal, The Lawless Land was a brilliant, exciting, and powerful historical adventure, and one that I took great joy in reading.  I was very happy to see that the Morrison’s were returning for a sequel this year with The Last True Templar, and I know it is going to be an outstanding read.  I already have a copy of The Last True Templar and I am hoping to read it soon.

Amazon

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman – 15 September 2023

The Last Devil to Die Cover

Few books in 2023 are going to be as awesome as the new Thursday Murder Club book, The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman.  Following on from the exceptional novels, The Thursday Murder Club (one of my favourite novels, debuts and audiobooks of 2020), The Man Who Died Twice (one of my favourite novels and audiobooks of 2021) and The Bullet That Missed (one of my favourite novels and audiobooks of 2022), The Last Devil to Die sounds like an incredible read and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.  Continuing the story of the titular Thursday Murder Club, a group of bored retirees who solve elaborate murders, The Last Devil to Die will no doubt feature Osman’s trademark humour, intelligence and outstanding character work, which is always so impressive.  I already know this is going to be one of the top books of the year and I am so damn excited for it.

Amazon

The Armour of Light by Ken Follett – 26 September 2023

The Armour of Light Cover

I was very happy to find out that Ken Follet was releasing a new historical fiction novel in 2023, especially as it is part of his iconic Kingsbridge series (see my reviews for The Evening and the Morning and A Column of Fire).  This outstanding series follows a range of unique protagonists at various points in the history of the English town of Kingsbridge, and every novel in this series has been pretty damn incredible.  This new book will be set during the start of the industrial revolution and the war with Napoleon, and you just know that Follett is going to have a lot of fun diving into this complex period.  I have no doubt that this epic read is going to effortless grab my attention and this will prove to be one of the best historical novels of the year.

Amazon

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson – 17 October 2023

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect Cover

Few Australian authors are impressing me as much as Benjamin Stevenson these days, especially with his work in the crime fiction genre.  As such, I am very keen for his new book, Everyone on This Train is a Suspect, especially as it is a sequel to his fantastic 2022 novel, Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone.  Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone was one of the funniest and cleverest novels of the year and Stevenson wove together a brilliant narrative that combined a clever mystery with messy family dynamics, all while hilariously parodying classic detective novels/whodunits.  Everyone on This Train is a Suspect looks set to continue this trend by forcing the protagonist to solve a murder on a train full of professional crime fiction authors.  I have no doubt that I am going to laugh myself silly reading this book and I am so damn excited to read it.

Amazon

Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly – 7 November 2023

Resurrection Walk Cover

What would the end of a year be without a new novel from legendary crime fiction author Michael Connelly.  I have had an amazing time reading some of Connelly’s recent novels, including Dark Sacred Night, The Night Fire, The Dark Hours, Desert Star and Fair Warning, and I am always excited for a new novel from this amazing author.  Luckily, I won’t have to wait too much longer as Connelly is releasing the intriguing novel, Resurrection Walk in November.  The seventh book in the Mickey Haller series (make sure to check out my review for the sixth book, The Law of Innocence), Resurrection Walk will see the Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller, defend another desperate client.  Featuring a collaboration with Haller’s brother, Harry Bosch, Resurrection Walk should be an amazing read, and I cannot wait to see what cool shenanigans and heartbreaking character moments Connelly will feature.

Amazon

Rebellion by Simon Scarrow – 14 November 2023

Rebellion Cover

The final upcoming book I want to highlight tonight is the outstanding upcoming historical fiction novel, Rebellion by Simon Scarrow.  The latest book in Scarrow’s long-running Eagles of the Empire series (The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile, The Honour of Rome and Death to the Emperor), Rebellion will follow two veteran soldiers as they try to stop the hordes of Boudica’s rebellion.  I have had an amazing time with the Eagles of the Empire books over the years and this new book from Scarrow is going to be pretty awesome.  The perfect upcoming book to end this list with!

Amazon

Well that’s the end of my second list.  As you can see, there are some outstanding mysteries, thrillers and historical fiction novels coming out in the next six months which should prove to be amazing reads.  Combine that with the fantasy and science fiction releases from my previous list and I know that I am going to have an incredible time in the second half of 2023.  While I am waiting to get my hands on these books, why not let me know if any of the above interest you and let me know what your most anticipated releases for the next six months are in the comments below.

Dead of Night by Simon Scarrow

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Murder Mystery, Thriller10 Comments

Dead of Night Cover

Publisher: Headline (Trade Paperback – 14 February 2023)

Series: Berlin Wartime Thriller – Book Two

Length: 422 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of my favourite historical fiction authors, the always impressive Simon Scarrow, dives back into turbulent World War II Germany with his latest compelling read, Dead of Night, an excellent and intense historical thriller with a dark twist to it.

Readers of this blog will know that I have long been a fan of Simon Scarrow ever since I read his first exceptional novel many years ago.  I particularly enjoy his long-running Eagles of the Empire series, an outstanding adventure series that follows two Roman officers as they travel throughout the empire.  The Eagles of the Empire books are some of the best historical fiction I have ever read, and I have had the pleasure of reviewing several of them, including The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile, The Honour of Rome and Death to the Emperor.  Aside from his Roman novels, Scarrow has also written several other series and standalone books set in various periods of history.  This includes his 2021 release, Blackout, a gritty and complex murder mystery set in Nazi-controlled Berlin.  Blackout was an awesome book, and I was very happy to hear that Scarrow was producing a sequel, Dead of Night, which turned out to be another outstanding read.

Berlin, January 1940.  As Germany’s invasion of Poland rolls along, the Nazis continue to take complete control of their own country.  While the people of Berlin wait to see how the Allies will retaliate, a mysterious death is about to occur with massive ramifications.  A prominent SS doctor and his wife return home, having had a seemingly normal night attending a concert with the Nazi elite of the city.  However, by the morning, the doctor will be dead in his study, the result of an apparent suicide.

After his last near-fatal brush with the Nazi state, Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke of the Berlin Kripo is determined to simply do his job and stay off the party’s radar.  However, when Ruth Frankel, the Jewish woman whose life he saved during his previous investigation, reappears, Horst is once again dragged into unwanted trouble.  The dead SS doctor is an old friend of Ruth’s family, and Ruth has promised his widow that she would help find out the truth behind his death, and Horst is her tool to do so.

Reluctantly agreeing to help, Horst looks into the case and quickly realises that the doctor’s death was no suicide.  However, his superiors soon pull him off the investigation and forbid him from digging any further.  But with his curiosity peaked, Horst cannot turn away, especially when he manages to connect the victim to the mysterious deaths of several children throughout Germany.  Determined to find the truth no matter what, Horst soon discovers a terrible secret that places him in the firing line of the entire Nazi party and other volatile factions in the city.  Can Horst survive this new case, or will the regime he despises finally take him off the board?

This was an excellent read from Scarrow, who has been on a real roll lately with his awesome books.  Dead of Night not only served as an incredible sequel to Blackout, but it also features an intense and historically powerful narrative that had me hooked from the very beginning.

Dead of Night follows several of the same characters from the first book, primarily Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke, who serves as the main protagonist and point of view character, in another intriguing and complex case.  Schenke must again work with Ruth Frankel to investigate the apparent suicide of a prominent SS doctor, which produces an intriguing and compelling early investigation storyline that I really enjoyed.  However, Schenke soon runs into political problems, as well as threats of violence, which force him to conduct a subtle investigation.  At the same time, Schenke’s socially crusading love interest, Karin, requests that he look into the mysterious deaths of several children at a remote medical institute.  This second investigation takes up a good chunk of the novel and the protagonists dive into really starts to enhance the intensity of the plot.  This is because Scarrow starts to utilise particularly sinister elements of Nazi history in the plot, which ensures that the novel gets fairly dark in tone and content.  Scarrow is very subtle in how he brings these elements to the character’s attention, and there is a lot of emotion and disgust that emerges in the story as the protagonists realise what is going on.

From there the two divergent investigations start to come together as subtle clues that the author introduced in the first half of the book are brought to light again.  The revelation of how the two cases are connected is pretty captivating, especially as it gives the ‘antagonists’ of the novel a very compelling and relatable motivation.  The protagonist is forced to make some hard decisions as they come to terms with just what is going on and this leads to some great scenes about the differences between duty and what is right.  Everything leads up to an emotionally charged confrontation which cleverly brings the entire story together and wraps up all the remaining mysteries and character arcs.  This final major sequence is pretty damn awesome and it results in some of the most dramatic and powerful moments in the entire novel.  I really liked how the entire novel came together at the end, especially as the protagonist is left in several unenviable positions while he watches his country descend further into darkness.  I felt that the entire novel was very well paced out, and it doesn’t take long for the readers to get hooked on the story, especially with the two quality mysteries that Scarrow came up with.  The blend of mystery, dark historical moments, and intriguing character interactions is pretty perfect, and it works to create a memorable and haunting tale.  Combined with some of the great twists, many of which are based around evil parts of real-life history, and I felt that Dead of Night surpassed is predecessor in some very awesome ways

For me, the best thing about Dead of Night was the fantastic and distinctive wartime setting that surrounded the plot.  Stories set in Nazi controlled Germany are always intense and dark for obvious reasons, but I felt that Scarrow did a particularly outstanding job of capturing it, especially as he pairs the dark mood with a gritty winter backdrop.  Just like with Blackout, there is a focus on the evils of the Nazi regime in Dead of Night, and quite a lot of the plot is devoted to seeing how normal citizens, including non-political police officers, view what their city and country has turned into.  There is a good focus on the fear and control that the Nazis blanket the city with, and the investigation angles of the narrative become even more complex and compelling due to the protagonist being constantly blocked by his Nazi and SS superiors.  However, the best, or worst, historical elements of the book revolve around one of the cases that Inspector Schenke is dragged into, specifically around the death of several children.  This case thrusts the protagonist right into the heart of some of the darkest things the Nazis ever did to their own people, which really gives this entire book a powerfully tragic edge.  Scarrow uses this historical inclusion to his full advantage, as not only does it provide an excellent motivation for some of the crimes being committed, but it also increases the emotional conflict of the protagonist.  Scarrow really does not hold back when it comes to showcasing these historical horrors and the readers get a full idea of what is going on and the sort of people behind it.  This dark historical inclusion really helped to turn Dead of Night’s narrative into something particularly distinctive and captivating, and I felt that Scarrow did a fantastic job of drawing the reader in by giving them knowledge of this terrible moment from history.

I also need to highlight some of the excellent characters featured within Dead of Night, several of whom carry on from the previous novel in the series.  Most of the focus is around Inspector Horst Schenke, one of the few senior police officers left in Berlin without a connection to the Nazi Party.  Dedicated to the law, Schenke, a man already traumatised by his past, keeps finding it harder and harder to do his job in the new regime.  Despite his best efforts, Schenke keeps getting dragged into the middle of the several Nazi plots and hidden schemes, which constantly place him in political danger.  I loved the deep conflict that this builds within him as he is forced to choose between ignoring what he discovers, or trying to get justice and doing something.  Further complicating matters are his relationships with the two women in his life, his girlfriend, Karin, and the Jewish women he previously saved, Ruth Frankel.  Both keep pushing him to do more to oppose the Nazis or get to the truth of crimes they are covering up, and he is forced to balance his desires to help them with his sense of pragmatism while trying to protect them from the Nazis.

Other great characters in this book include Schenke’s police backup, Sergeant Hauser and former Gestapo agent Liebwitz.  These two are great supporting characters and they provide interesting counterviews to German life, with Hauser being a more everyman figure, while Liebwitz is bound up by his Gestapo training.  Despite the apparent differences between Hauser and Liebwitz, the two work together well and serve as good support to Schenke, and I liked the fun odd-couple team that they formed.  They also have some intriguing moments throughout the book, especially when they encounter some of the horrors of the Nazi regime.  While Hauser has some great emotional reactions, especially when it comes to the death of children, Liebwitz has the more intriguing responses, as he balances his loyalty to the state with his own past experiences and conscious.  Watching him come to terms with some of the evils he witnesses makes for some powerful reading and I am glad that Scarrow added in these intriguing alternate characters.  I also really enjoyed the complex main antagonists of the story, as they had quite a powerful motivation for some of the crimes committed in the book.  While they are not as noble as they believe, the antagonist’s goal still serves to trouble the protagonist’s sense of justice, and interesting compromises have to be made as a result.  I deeply appreciated some of the deep characters that Scarrow featured in this novel and I look forward to seeing how they are utilised in any future books in the series.

Simon Scarrow continues to impress me as one of the best historical fiction authors out there with this incredible new read.  Dead of Night has a brilliant and powerful story behind it that takes full advantage of its bleak and historically rich setting.  Featuring an outstanding investigation narrative and some dark insights into the horrors of the Nazi regime, Dead of Night will easily grab your attention and ensure you will not forget it anytime soon.  A highly recommended novel from one of my favourite authors.

Amazon

Fire With Fire by Candice Fox

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Thriller8 Comments

Fire With Fire Cover

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia (Trade Paperback – 4 April 2023)

Series: Standalone

Length: 480 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of Australia’s most exciting and compelling crime fiction authors, Candice Fox, returns with another intense and impressive novel, the powerful and memorable Fire With Fire.

Over the last several years, few Australian authors have dominated the crime fiction market as effectively as veteran author Candice Fox, who has produced some outstanding reads.  Fox is a very interesting author who started off focusing on the Australian market with several books set out in the wilds of Australia, including her Archer and Bennet series and the Crimson Lake books, the latter of which was recently adapted into the Australian television show, Troppo.  However, in more recent years, Fox has moved on to the larger international audience and has produced several great books set in America, as well as collaborating with legendary author James Patterson for their Detective Harriet Blue series.  I personally know Fox more for her international work rather than her Australian fiction, as I have been lucky enough to receive copies of her last few books, including the gritty standalone read Gathering Dark, the elaborate prison break novel The Chase, and the fantastic and heartfelt 2 Sisters Detective Agency co-written with James Patterson.  Each of these novels has been fun in their own way, and 2 Sisters Detective Agency ended up being one of my favourite Australian books of 2021.  Due to excellent books like these, Fox is now a key addition to my yearly reading schedule, and I just had to grab a copy of her latest novel, Fire With Fire, especially as it had a pretty epic plot behind it.

What starts as a normal day at the understaffed Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Centre in Los Angeles swiftly turns deadly when two people take over the lab, holding three people hostage.  However, this is no ordinary hostage situation, as the kidnappers are husband and wife Ryan and Elsie Delaney.  Two years earlier, the Delaneys’ daughter Tilly went missing at the Santa Monica beach, which the police eventually ruled an accidental drowning.  However, Tilly’s body was never found, key evidence was lost, and her parents never believed the official story and resented a lacklustre police investigation.

Now, desperate for answers, the Delaneys offer the LAPD an ultimatum: find Tilly dead or alive within 24 hours or they will destroy evidence in several major cases, all but destroying key investigations.  Armed with uncanny knowledge of which evidence is the most vital to the LAPD and which samples are too valuable to lose, the Delaneys appear to hold all the cards against the police.  However, the LAPD have no intention of validating the Delaneys’ actions by searching for Tilly.

However, one LAPD detective, Charlie Hoskins, has more motivation to save the evidence in the lab than the rest of the department.  Hoskins has finished up a gruelling five-year undercover stint within the ruthless Death Machines biker gang, an experience he barely survived.  All the evidence that he collected against the gang is now sitting in the lab, and if it goes up in flames, everything he tried to accomplish would be for nothing.  With the rest of the police force angling for a more lethal solution to the Delaney problem, Hoskins decides to find Tilly himself.

Helped by recently fired rookie Lynette Lamb, the woman responsible for blowing his cover with the Death Machines, which saw him literally thrown to the sharks, Hoskins begins a new investigation into Tilly’s disappearance, hoping to find any evidence that can convince the Delaneys that their daughter really did drown.  However, the more they dig, the more Hoskins and Lamb begin to realise that there is something far more sinister behind Tilly’s disappearance.  With time running out before his evidence is destroyed, and with the Death Machines hunting him across LA, can Hoskins find out what happened to Tilly before it’s too late and a lethal gang of killers are set free?

This was another excellent novel from Fox that featured an outstanding and captivating story.  Fox sets the entire narrative up perfectly, first introducing the main characters of Hoskins and Lamb by showing them on the very worst days of their life, as Hoskins is tortured out by the gang he infiltrated, while Lamb is fired on her first day as a rookie cop for being responsible for the leak.  From there, the story focuses on the start of the lab siege as the Delaneys take over and send the police their demands.  I really love this cool main scenario for the Fire With Fire as it is such a brilliant way to gain leverage over a police force.  Fox uses this to great effect to engage the major storylines of the book.  Firstly, there is an intriguing and intense siege storyline as police, led by LAPD Chief of Police Saskia Ferboden, attempt to resolve the situation without the destruction of evidence.  Fox examines many different sides of this situation, from the desperation of the Delaneys, the fear of the hostages in the lab, the emotions of the Delaney’s remaining daughter outside, and the growing hostility of the cops as they watch their evidence get destroyed.  This leads to a captivating series of events as Saskia and her FBI negotiator try to resolve the situation peacefully, only to hit setback after setback, as the Delaneys get violent, the hostages try to be heroic, and all her cops get mutinous at her decisions.

While the storyline around the siege is pretty intense and emotionally powerful, the real meat of the story focuses on Hoskins and Lamb as they attempt to find the Delaneys’ missing daughter, Tilly, before it is too late.  This entire storyline falls together extremely well as the unlikely partnership of Hoskins and Lamb are forced to work together and soon form an entertaining team as they simultaneously investigate the disappearance while also dodging the vengeful gang gunning for Hoskins.  The investigation angle takes them into some interesting directions, and I liked the compelling mystery that Fox wove together for this part of the book.  The author loads in a ton of misleads, alternate suspects, and problematic witnesses, each of whom muddy the water and ensure that the ultimate solution to the case isn’t too clear until the end.  The confrontation between Hoskins and his former gang also forms a great part of this story, especially as there are some excellent twists involved there, and the resulting carnage adds some major danger to the book.  However, the best part of this storyline is the partnership between Hoskins and Lamb, which steals the show with its genuineness and fun moments.

Fox has a highly readable writing style that I felt lent itself to this story and helped to turn it into an enjoyable read.  Pretty much everything about this book, including its flow, its pacing and the balance of story elements is set up really well, and I had a fun time getting through it.  The fast-paced and sharp chapters really move the plot along quickly, and you find yourself reading page after page, trying to see what awesome or intense event will occur next.  I liked how Fox split the story focus around Fire With Fire and the constant changes between the investigation for the missing girl and the deadly siege at the lab, really helps to amplify the intensity of the plot and keep the stakes very high.  I was also very impressed by the excellent blend of mystery, intense drama, high-octane action, and powerful character development, that were the primary features of the plot.  There is a barely a page where Fox isn’t portraying something pretty damn interesting or moving, and you are constantly intrigued with what is going to happen to the characters or the plot moving forward.  This ended up being a pretty amazing read, and I had such a great time getting through it.

One of the major writing highlights of Fire With Fire has to be the complex and damaged characters who formed the basis for much of the story.  There are some exceptional and well-written characters featured throughout this book, and Fox does a great job of showcasing their inner pain, motivations, and compelling personal pasts to the reader as the focus switches between them.  Two of the most notable are the characters of Detective Charlie Hoskins and Lynette Lamb, who serve as the main figures of the investigate arm of the plot.  Hoskins is a tough and independent figure who spent five years infiltrating a deadly criminal gang trying to find evidence to put them all away for murder, only to be discovered at the last minute and tortured.  Barely recovered from his ordeal, Hoskins spends the book trying to protect his hard-won evidence by finding the missing girl.  There is a lot of desperation behind Hoskins as he tries to make all the sacrifices and bad things he did over the last five years matter, and this leads to some great character moments throughout Fire With Fire.  There is also a major trauma component behind Hoskins, as he tries to get over the dark things he experienced during his torture and escape, which leads to him making some reckless decisions.

Hoskins is well matched up with his young and somewhat naïve partner Lynette Lamb.  Lamb is a rookie cop who was targeted without her knowledge and used to find information that exposed Hoskins to his gang.  Fired on her first day on the job, Lamb manages to find Hoskins out of both guilt and determination, hoping that he can get her job back.  Thrust together by circumstance, Lamb stubbornly partners up with Hoskins and works with him to find the missing girl.  There are a lot of great elements to Lamb’s storyline, and out of all the characters in Fire With Fire, she has the most growth as she tries to prove she is tough and capable enough to be a police officer.  The pairing of Hoskins and Lamb is an excellent highlight of the book and I loved how Hoskins reluctantly takes Lamb under his wing and tries to toughen her up., quickly realising there is far more to her than he initially though.  The two make an outstanding team, and they both cover the other’s weakness extremely well.

Aside from Hoskins and Lamb, some of the other standout characters include Ryan and Elsie Delaney, who take over the forensic lab and hold the evidence and people there hostage.  Fox does an outstanding job portraying the desperation behind these two characters as their obsession about finding their missing daughter, bought on by guilt and anger, drives them to extremes.  These two are some of the most complex figures in the entire book, especially as their actions, while bad, are understandable.  Other characters, such as Chief Ferboden and Hoskin’s entertaining friend Surge, help to round out the excellent cast of this book and I felt that these great figures really helped to turn Fire With Fire into a powerful and highly enjoyable read.

Overall, this was an amazing novel from Candice Fox, who once again shows why she is one of Australia’s premier crime fiction authors.  Fire With Fire had an outstanding and clever narrative to it that really drew me in and kept me extremely engaged the entire way through.  The excellent blend of intense narrative, amazing characters and a unique crime fiction scenario was highly effective, and I had a wonderful time reading this awesome book.  Fire With Fire comes highly recommended, and you will get really drawn into this great standalone crime fiction novel.

Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday – Ripper by Shelley Burr

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Waiting on Wednesday4 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 highlight a great new upcoming Australian crime fiction novel from one of the breakout authors of 2022 with Ripper by Shelley Burr.

Ripper Cover

Last year I had the very great pleasure of reading the fantastic first novel from debuting Australian author Shelley Burr, Wake.  Set in a dying rural town out in the middle of the Australian outback, Wake examined an infamous crime where a young girl disappeared from her house without a trace, never to be seen again.  19 years later, two determined people with their own traumas attempt to find out what happened to the missing girl, including her haunted twin sister and a professional investigator with secret reasons for trying to solve the mystery.  Wake ended up being an outstanding novel and I loved how its compelling and intense mystery unfolded while also expertly showing off the desolate local landscape.  This was such an amazing read and it ended up being one of my top debuts and favourite Australian fiction novels of 2022.

Due to how impressive her first book turned out, I have been eager to see what Burr would come up with next and I was very happy that details about her second book was recently released.  This second book is Ripper, which is currently set for release in August 2023, and will take the reader to a new outback town with a murderous past, this time as the location of a serial killer’s final three murders.

Plot Synopsis:

Gemma Guillory has lived in Rainier her entire life. She knows the tiny town’s ins and outs like the back of her hand, the people like they are her family, their quirks as if they were her own.

She knows her once-charming town is now remembered for one reason, and one reason only. That three innocent people died. That the last stop on the Rainier Ripper’s trail of death seventeen years ago was her innocuous little teashop. She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her police officer husband and their marriage to this day and that some of her neighbours are desperate – desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier’s reputation as the murder town.

 When the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma’s doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer’s wake turns to foreboding, and she’s drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland.

 Gemma knows her town. She knows her people. Doesn’t she?


Ripper sounds like it is going to be quite an awesome book.  I love the idea of returning to another town whose reputation has been tainted by a notorious crime, and the setting of Ripper is pretty cool with its connection to the Rainier Ripper.  Seeing a dark tourist company coming to town, only to be targeted by a copycat at the place of the original killer’s last stand sounds fantastic, especially as it is going to reopen all the wounds the previous killings left open.

I have no doubt that Burr will produce an excellent mystery around that premise, however, the thing that is really interesting to me about Ripper’s plot synopsis is the reference to the prisoner Lane Holland.  Holland was one of the protagonists of Wake, so it looks like Ripper is going to be a direct sequel to Burr’s first book.  I am very interested in seeing Burr continue Holland’s story from Wake, especially as the character’s attempts to stop his terrible father saw him sent to jail, and it will be cool to see how the author brings him into this latest story.  While I was definitely going to seek out Burr’s new book no matter what, the fact that is a sequel is a major selling point to me and Ripper is now one of the books I most excited for in the next few months.  Ripper has a ton of potential and I look forward to seeing how this talented new Australian author follows up her first epic novel.

Echo Lake by Joan Sauers

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery4 Comments

Echo Laker Cover

Publisher: Allen & Unwin (Trade Paperback – 2 May 2023)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 375 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Acclaimed Australian screenwriter Joan Sauers makes her crime fiction debut in a big way with the clever and enticing mystery novel, Echo Lake, a riveting read that makes great use of its iconic Australian setting.

Following an ugly divorce, historian Rose McHugh decides to completely uproot her life and move out of the hustle and bustle of Sydney.  Following her dreams of a rural lifestyle, Rose moves to the Southern Highlands of Australia, buying a rustic cabin outside the town of Berrima.  However, despite her hopes of an idealised and quiet life in the countryside, Rose is about to discover that the Southern Highlands have some big secrets.

After an encounter with a local thug, Rose makes an intriguing discovery of an undeveloped roll of film buried in her back garden.  Burning with curiosity, Rose develops the photos, only to discover that they contain the last known pictures of a beautiful young woman who went missing six years earlier and who the police suspect was murdered.  Fascinated by the mysterious turn of events, Rose decides to do her own digging into the case.

However, rather than the fun adventure she was expecting, Rose soon finds herself in grave danger when one of the people she talks to winds up dead.  Going against the advice of the police, Rose continues her investigation, working with a cohort of new friends from around the local towns.  But the closer she gets to the truth, the more she discovers that there is something sinister going on in her new home.  Can Rose uncover the truth before it is too late, or will she also end up a cautionary tale of the Southern Highlands?

This was an excellent first novel from Sauers, who takes the reader on a magical and entertaining journey into a great Australian setting with this gripping murder mystery.  Echo Lake is a fantastic read that really does a good job of drawing you in with its scenic and beautiful locales before hooking you with the captivating mystery.  Sauers starts the story off strongly, showcasing the location while also introducing you to protagonist Rose McHugh, whose complex history, relationships, and canine companion makes her quite an appealing character.  The initial chapters focus on her getting her bearing in the various towns of the Southern Highlands, including meeting members of the supporting cast, before she is dragged into the mystery of the missing woman thanks to a discovery of film in her backyard.  From there the mystery develops at a quick pace, as a witness is murdered, and Joan finds herself both a target and a suspect.  Doing her own investigation, she uncovers several new clues that slowly begin to unravel the mystery, which becomes her new obsession.  At the same time, Sauers provides an intense and compelling examination into Rose’s life in the Southern Highlands, as well as her complex history and desires for the future.  There are some moving moments as Rose attempts to get her life on track and this ties nicely into the final revelations about who the killer is and how they have been targeting people.  This results in an intense and captivating conclusion that I was pretty hooked to, and this ended up being a really good and entertaining read.

I quite liked how Echo Lake turned out, and Sauers did a fantastic job of creating a novel that was both exciting and heartfelt.  Echo Lake falls within the cosy mystery subgenre as the book is often focused on Rose’s life and amateur sleuthing rather than scenes of death and carnage.  I felt that the author got the right balance of character development, scene setting and personal drama within Echo Lake that served as a great counterbalance to the crime fiction side of things.  You really get to know and appreciated Rose and the cast of supporting characters, and it will be fun to see them again if Sauers ends up doing a sequel.  I will admit that I wasn’t always the biggest fan of the protagonist, mainly because Sauers gave her psychic vibes (a major cliché for me) and she makes a lot of silly decisions.  Despite this, I still really enjoyed her emotional journey, and she served as a great focus for the plot.  Sauers also produced a great mystery in Echo Lake, and I liked how twisty and complex it got in the places.  The raft of intriguing and memorable supporting characters worked to create multiple possible suspects, each of whom may have had a connection to the case, and you are left wondering for a good portion of the novel who might have done it.  I think the eventual reveal of the killer was done well and Sauers set it up with some clever clues.  As such, this ends up being a very impressive read and I had a great time getting through this classy and compelling read.

While I loved the story and characters, for me the best and most iconic part of Echo Lake was the author’s brilliant use of setting as she explores the Southern Highlands of Australia.  The Southern Highlands is a historical area of Australia that lies between Canberra and Sydney, and which is now filled with picturesque small towns that cater to the tourist trade.  Sauers’ is clearly a fan of this area and makes great use of this setting throughout Echo Lake, featuring several notable local towns and bush locations, often in entertaining and clever ways.  Due to a lifetime of travelling between Canberra and Sydney, I am well familiar with these towns, and I can say that Sauers did a pretty awesome job of capturing their feel and layout.  You can really sense each town’s distinctive vibes through Sauers’ writing, and I loved how she captured the beauty and sense of community that they have.  The author goes out of her way to feature as many iconic places from these locations as possible, including several of the better cafes, stores, pubs, and even the local dog park.  I was personally happy that Sauers featured the iconic and fun antique shop, Dirty Janes, in her novel (a favourite of my wife/editor), and Echo Lake often came across a bit like a tourist brochure at times.

However, the really impressive setting descriptions in Echo Lake come when Sauers looks at the bushland that surrounds the central town locations.  Many of the most dramatic moments of Echo Lake occur out in the ancient bush and walking trails the area is known for, and the author does a beautiful job showing how isolated, quiet and hauntingly beautiful these bush locations can be.  These descriptions run the gauntlet from awe-inspiring to extremely sinister, depending on the tone of the story, but they always work to enhance the book no matter the scene.  As such, I was deeply impressed by the authors use of setting, and I loved how well she featured this familiar Australian location into this amazing novel.

Overall, Echo Lake was a great first novel from Joan Sauers who produced a comfortable and intriguing Australian murder mystery.  I loved the interesting story and striking settings of Echo Lake, which work wonderfully together to produce a captivating and entertaining read.  A fantastic novel that is really worth checking out.

Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday – Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Waiting on Wednesday5 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 latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight a fantastic upcoming novel that is likely to be one of the funniest and most compelling Australian reads of 2023 with Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson.

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect Cover

Amazon

One of the benefits of living in Australia as I have the great pleasure of receiving and reading multiple Australian novels each year, which has really introduced me to some fantastic writers.  One of the most solid and fun in recent years is Benjamin Stevenson, who has really made his mark on the Australian crime fiction landscape.  Previously known as a comedian with his twin brother, Stevenson made his crime fiction debut back in 2018 with the impressive murder mystery Greenlight.  Released as Trust Me When I Lie and She Lies in the Vines outside of Australia, Greenlight was an excellent novel that followed a guilt-ridden true-crime documentary maker who might have gotten a murderer out of jail.  This was an outstanding read and Stevenson followed it up in 2020 with the sequel book Either Side of Midnight (one of my favourite Australian books of 2020) which saw his protagonist investigate another elaborate murder made to look like a very public suicide.  Both these books were extremely good and I loved the compelling combination of clever mystery and a complex protagonist.

While I enjoyed his original two crime fiction novel, I personally don’t think that Stevenson really hit his stride as an author until last year when he presented his epic read, Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone.  Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone was a brilliant and captivating novel that saw the protagonist recount a complex family tale in memoir format of a very complicated family reunion at a ski resort where the guests started ending up murdered.  Of course, everyone in the family is a potential suspect as, like the title of the book suggests, they have all been responsible for someone’s death in the past.  Not only was this a very clever and entertaining story, but Stevenson also loaded the plot with a ton of humour while also making a ton of homages to classic whodunnits and locked room mysteries.  Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone was an exceptional novel that got an easy five-star rating from me and ended up being one of the best Australian novels of 2022.

I really, really loved Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone, as it was such a fantastic novel, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Stevenson was planning a sequel to it with the focus of this article, Everyone on This Train is a Suspect, which is set for release in October 2023.  As the name suggests, this new novel will see the protagonist of Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone get involved in another series of murders, this time aboard a train setting.

Plot Synopsis:

Ernest Cunningham returns in a deliciously witty locked room (train) mystery.

When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time: I needed a break from real people killing each other. Obviously, that didn’t pan out.

The program is a who’s who of crime writing royalty:

the debut writer (me!)
the forensic science writer
the blockbuster writer
the legal thriller writer
the literary writer
the psychological suspense writer.

But when one of us is murdered, six authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime.

Or commit one.

How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?

Oh dear, now this is going to be pretty damn hilarious.  Look I was already hyped about Stevenson’s new novel well before I knew the plot details, but the above synopsis is so fun.  There are so many layers to this upcoming story, including the clear Murder of the Orient Express homages, the setting aboard the iconic Ghan train, and the fact that every suspect on the train is a mystery writer of some variety.  The idea that one of these authors (which includes the protagonist) is a potential killer and they are using their literary skills to get away with it is brilliant and has a lot of potential from a mystery and narrative perspective.

However, the thing that I am most looking forward to in Everyone on This Train is a Suspect is the way that Stevenson will no doubt lovingly lampoon every single one of these different crime fiction sub-genres in his own fantastic way.  He did such an outstanding job of both satirising and exemplifying the whodunnit novel in his last book, which is what I assume he is planning for the sequel.  Simultaneously examining and making fun of several different crime fiction genres is going to be a big ask from the author, but I honestly have no doubt he can pull it off and turn it into something special for all crime fiction readers.

Look, based on how good Stevenson’s previous novels, especially Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone, was, there was very little chance that I wouldn’t have grabbed this book later this year.  But the fact that Everyone on This Train is a Suspect is an awesome sequel to his previous fantastic novel which aims to further reference and examine fun crime fiction elements is a major selling point to me.  Stevenson honestly gets better with every book he writes, and this new novel has so much damn potential as a result.  As such, I have no doubts whatsoever that Everyone on This Train is a Suspect is going to be a remarkable read and I am fully expecting it to be one of the absolute best Australian novels of the year.