High Rise by Gabriel Bergmoser

On November 30, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Harper Collins (Trade Paperback – 1 August 2025)

Series: Standalone/The Hunted spin-off

Length: 309 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out 5 stars

Prepare for carnage as rising Australian author Gabriel Bergmoser presents a high-octane and beautifully brutal thriller, High Rise, an outstanding and deeply entertaining novel with some real intensity behind it.

Gabriel Bergmoser is an intriguing author who has written some compelling and exciting pieces of Australian fiction over the last few years. Originally known more for his work as a playwright, Bergmoser has been more active as a thriller author in recent years with his Hunted books, as well as the standalone novel The Caretaker. High Rise serves as continuation of Bergmoser’s previous Hunted books, The Hunted and The Inheritance, as well as some of the author’s separately released Audible Originals, and follows a supporting character from The Inheritance on his own brutal adventure.

Plot Synopsis:

After a year of searching, rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin has finally found his estranged daughter, Morgan, holed up in the top floor of a rundown, grimy high-rise building. The trouble is, Jack’s unconventional policing and information-gathering methods in the past has made him some serious enemies. And what Jack doesn’t know as he heads into the building, intent on saving his daughter, is firstly, that Morgan doesn’t want to be saved – particularly not by him – and secondly, that the entire criminal underworld in the city are on their way too… There’s a bounty on his head, and they’re after his blood – and they don’t mind if Morgan is collateral damage.

As bounty hunters and gang members converge on the building, father and daughter are thrown into a desperate fight for survival through fifteen storeys of deadly enemies – with only each other to rely on. Die Hard meets The Raid, but the funnier, grittier Australian version. Fast, furious and ferocious, this is thriller writing at its nail-biting, unputdownable best.

Now that was a load of fun. High Rise was a highly entertaining and relentlessly exciting Australian novel, as Bergmoser unleashes one of his dangerous protagonists on a horde of criminals. Featuring a continuous blast of action, violence and family drama, High Rise was an amazing and addictive novel that I absolutely powered through.

I had a great time reading the ultra-exciting narrative featured within High Rise, especially as Bergmoser eagerly created an Australian thriller in the same vein as some classic over-the-top action films. Starting off fast with an effective reintroduction to protagonist Jack Carlin, Bergmoser sets up the main points of the narrative extremely well, and you soon get stuck into the main part of the book, with Jack finding himself trapped on the top floor of a high-rise building filled with petty criminals, bikies, thugs and even some professional hitmen. What follows is an entertaining blitz of outrageous and brutal action as Jack, and his daughter Morgan, attempt to fight their way downstairs.

Unsurprisingly for an action-packed brawl against criminals and killers, the plot of High Rise moves at a very quick pace. Bergmoser does a good job splitting the narrative between the two main protagonists, Jack and Morgan, which allows the author to dive into their strained relationship, as well as their own complicated pasts. Thanks to some creative splitting up, both characters have some interesting solo moments in the middle part of the novel, which also features some unlikely allies. The climax of the story comes on fast, and there are a couple of good twists there, as well as the appearance of a figure fans of Bergmoser will be very familiar with. While the identity of the main antagonist of the novel isn’t too surprising, some of the supporting villains were quite fun, especially as the author made good use of the character history he introduced in this novel. Everything leads up to an intense and emotionally charged finale, which features even more over-the-top action for the reader to enjoy, including some very unique weaponry for an urban Australian setting. The conclusion of the High Rise was quite poignant and served as a good wrap up to the character development Bergmoser had been exploring throughout the book. This was an overall exciting and intense narrative that has a lot of great moments for action fans.

Bergmoser did a great job of showcasing his action-packed story throughout High Rise, and this proved to be a very entertaining and addictive read as a result. The many, many fight sequences I have already gushed about are well-written, and readers can easily visualise these brutal battles and over-the-top sequences thanks to Bergmoser’s descriptive style. The author also successfully kept up his frenetic pace the entire way through, which allowed me to easy power through this book quickly. There is a certain level of humour to High Rise, especially with a range of clueless goons and other entertaining characters, and things do get a little ridiculous at times. This bit of comedic charm is well balanced by the deeper personal issues of the two protagonists, whose dysfunction is further showcased by various flashback sequence, which Bergmoser works into the plot without slowing the pace of the book down. As such, there are no impediments to powering through this book quickly, and I guarantee most readers will knock this off in only a few sessions.

As I mentioned at the start of the novel, High Rise serves as an extension to the author’s Hunted series. The protagonist has previously appeared in some of Bergmoser’s previous novels and audiobook releases, most prominently The Inheritance, while another of the author’s protagonists is reintroduced later in the novel. Despite being part of a larger series, any reader interested in checking out High Rise should be able to follow the plot of this novel without any issues. Indeed, I personally haven’t had the chance to read Bergmoser’s previous books, and I was able to enjoy High Rise quite easily. While there are references to previous events from the series, and the author is a little cagey at first about the protagonist’s connections to Maggie, the main character of The Hunted and The Inheritance, Bergmoser quickly fills in any necessary gaps with his accessible writing, and new readers should be able to follow along easily. As such, High Rise is a great book for any thriller reader, and indeed it works quite well as an introduction to Bergmoser and his writing style.

While I did decide to read High Rise mainly because of its fun-sounding plot and the excessive violence it promised, I came away appreciating the great character work that Bergmoser featured. Most of the book follows main protagonist Jack Carlin and his daughter Morgan, both of whom have a troubled past and a tense relationship with each other. The author does an excellent job diving into their complex personal history, especially with the novel’s regular split in perspective, and you get some intriguing insights into their pasts, much of which impacts their current motivations and reactions. This includes Carlin’s regretful history as a corrupt cop, much of which impacted his relationship with Morgan, who herself suffered a dark childhood due to her mother, as well as her own alcohol induced mistakes. These character elements become cleverly entwined with the main narrative, and the antagonism and mistrust between the two added to the drama of the plot. I think that Bergmoser handled this troubled relationship very well, and it was a great highlight of High Rise’s plot, especially attempt to address it in their own troubled way.

While High Rise is primarily focused on Jack and Morgan, several other characters do get their moment to shine. This includes Maggie, the protagonist of several of the author’s previous books, who has a more supporting role in this novel after appearing later in the plot. Due to her lack of perspective chapters, Maggie does have less of an impact than the author’s previous novels, but her intense personality and unique friendship with Jack ensure she stands out. Other key figures, including a Swedish assassin and the violent former member of a bikie club that Jack and Maggie previously destroyed, add some interesting flair to the plot, especially when some unlikely alliances form, and both had some memorable histories and appearances here. Throw in an army of low-level thugs and criminals who also attempt to claim the bounty on Jack, including some who have history with him, and High Rise features a very entertaining cast of characters, and it was very fun to see them try to kill each other.

Gabriel Bergmoser continues to produce extremely thrilling and entertaining Australian crime fiction content with his latest novel High Rise. A relentlessly brutal novel, loaded with action, bloodshed and some fantastic emotional depth, High Rise was a great read that I had an amazing time getting through. Highly recommended!

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Retreat by Krysten Ritter (with Lindsay Jamieson)

On October 12, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Sphere (Trade Paperback – 25 March 2025)

Series: Standalone

Length: 265 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

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In the mood for a highly entertaining thriller from a famous face entering the thriller fiction scene? Then look no further than the excellent and compelling novel Retreat by actress Krysten Ritter, cowritten with the assistance of editor Lindsay Jamieson.

Plot Synopsis:

Even for a con artist, Liz is about to take things way, way too far . . .

Liz has always had a knack for charming people and gaining their trust. That’s what makes her such a talented con artist. But lately the pressure’s rising – Liz’s past crimes have started snapping at her heels. So she leaps at the chance to escape to the Mexican coast to decorate a socialite’s new villa, planning to lie low, enjoy paradise, and behave herself for once.

When Liz is mistaken for her absent employer, Isabelle, she can’t help getting drawn into this glamorous seafront community. But dangerous secrets lurk beneath the surface, and it’s not long before Liz realises that this time, she might be in over her head . . .

Spoiler: it’s going to be carnage.

Retreat was a fun novel that I ended reading thanks to the interesting combination of Ritter as author, as well as the above entertaining synopsis. Serving as Ritter’s second novel after her 2017 debut, Bonfire, Retreat was a clever and highly compelling thriller that I ended up having a great time reading, especially as I coincidentally got through it while also embarking on an exciting international trip.

The plot of Retreat has an excellent start as it introduces the reader to the protagonist, Liz, a struggling con artist in New York who finds the city very unwelcoming to her after one con too many. Offered a legitimate decorating job, Liz travels Punta Mita on the Mexican coast and discovers a society of rich socialites and businesspeople living in fancy beachside villas. Noticing her similarity to her new employer, Isabelle Beresford, Liz has fun pretending to be Isabelle, using the socialite’s status to enjoy the exclusive clubs and facilities of the luxurious community. However, her seemingly harmless scheme hits some real trouble when she comes across the bodies of Isabelle and her husband, who apparently died while on a hike. Despite her misgivings, Liz eventually decides to hide the bodies and take on Isabelle’s persona full time, becoming addicted to the rich lifestyle of Punta Mita. However, trouble is on the horizon as secrets from both Liz and Isabelle’s past comes back to haunt her, while the schemes and backstabbing politics of the uber-rich social scene threaten to overwhelm her. Worse, when new bodies start to drop, Liz begins to realise that her employers might have been murdered, and a dangerous killer is now stalking her.

I really enjoyed how this cool story unfolded, and Liz proves to be a fascinating central character to follow, while Ritter also excels at portraying the vibrant coastline and elite luxury of the Mexican villas. The con artist nature of the protagonist pairs well with the dark secrets of the elite social circles she finds herself in, while the lies, schemes and affairs she encounters, add some fantastic and scandalous spice to this great thriller narrative. Ritter also throws in a great deal of desperation for the protagonist, as she attempts to keep her many stories straight and maintain the Isabelle Beresford persona. However, this becomes more difficult the further into Retreat we get, as Ritter throws in more wrinkles and problematic new characters, each of whom threatens the protagonist in different ways.

All this clever storytelling leads up to the thrilling and captivating final third of the novel, which is loaded with cool twists and shocking reveals, especially as Liz learns more about the person she’s impersonating. After an ill-advised relationship leads to even more trouble, Liz enters a series of deadly confrontations when both her freedom and her life are threatened. After an intense sequence where romance turns to murder, Ritter drops the book’s big bomb, with a great reveal that changes everything you thought you knew about the plot. While I saw parts of this twist coming, the full extent of it was surprising, and I loved how dramatically Ritter swerves both the reader and her protagonist. This great twist is followed up by a really cool alternate perspective chapter that reveals everything and brings the reader to the big conclusion of the story. Ritter has fun leaving the ending on an ambiguous end, which honestly is the perfect follow-up for such a fantastic twist, which also ensures Retreat sticks in your mind as you wonder about the full implications of the last two chapters. I honestly really loved how this entire novel came together, and Ritter did an exceptional job turning a cool thriller with great characters and a dive into modern high society, into something extremely twisted and special.

With some excellent writing and a very clever story, Krysten Ritter successfully presents her compelling second novel, Retreat. A highly exciting read loaded with surprises and shocks, Retreat had me hooked very early on, and I really enjoyed how the entire plot came together. An overall very impressive read, and one that makes me curious to see what Ritter writes next.

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Artifact by Jeremy Robinson

On October 6, 2025October 6, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Podium Audio (Audiobook – 26 August 2025)

Series: Standalone

Length: 9 hours and 56 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of my very favourite authors of outrageous fiction, Jeremy Robinson, returns with another intense and horrifying science fiction thriller, Artifact, a captivating and powerful novel I couldn’t get enough of.

Jeremy Robinson is an outstanding author who has a fantastic career writing clever, fun, and occasionally terrifying thrillers, often featuring intriguing science fiction elements. Best known for his Antarktos Saga, Chess Team and Nemesis Saga series, Robinson has written a staggering amount of fiction over the years, including additional cool series and standalone reads. I personally got into Robinson’s work a few years ago when I read a few books from his massive, interconnected Infinite Timeline series, including Tribe, The Dark and Mind Bullet (the latter two of which were amongst my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), all of which were incredibly fun and addictive. I have also started getting into Robinson’s standalone novels, such as last year’s fantastic novel Point Nemo (one of my favourite audiobooks of 2024), which contain some amazing stories. As such, I was very excited when I got a copy of Robinson’s awesome new novel, Artifact, on audiobook, which sounded extremely amazing. I honestly started listening to Artifact the same day I found out about it, and boy was I glad that I did.

Plot Synopsis:

In an isolated Alaskan town, the local sheriff uncovers a secret lab where generative A.I. and bioprinting have unleashed grotesque, living anomalies—and now, something monstrous is loose.

Sheriff Colton Graves prefers the quiet life in Raven’s Rest, Alaska, a remote town accessible only by tunnel and home to a hardy mix of locals and secrets buried in the ice. But when a camel wanders down Main Street—its head grotesquely sprouting a dozen eyes—Colton knows his quiet days are over. The bizarre incident leads him to NovaGen, a nearby research facility constructed inside a Cold War bunker, buried in the mountains above town. There, a trail of blood and eerie silence hints at something far more sinister than an escaped animal experiment.

With his deputies—the sharp-witted Tali and rookie Ethan—Colton recruits a few trusted locals, including the unshakable Marit, Tali’s sister, the intimidating ‘Grizz’ Norval, and Edgar ‘Old Red’ Rydell, an aging man plagued by demons from when he worked at the bunker during its covert cold war days.

Together, they investigate the abandoned lab. What begins as a search for missing scientists soon reveals chilling evidence: pools of blood without bodies, cryptic warnings left behind, a bloody six-fingered handprint, and the revelation of a new technology: a generative A.I. capable of printing living organisms. As they descend deeper into the lab, it becomes clear that the answers they seek may come at a terrifying cost—and that what was made in the dark may not be content to stay there.

Jeremy Robinson once again greatly impresses with his new thriller Artifact. A complex and deeply clever read loaded with weird science, fantastic humour and incredible action, Artifact was an exceptional read that had me hooked very early on and kept my attention all the way to the end. A particularly intense novel with so many amazing elements to it, Artifact gets a full five-star rating from me, especially on audiobook, and I ended up powering through it so damn quickly.

I deeply enjoyed the compelling and fast-paced narrative that Robinson featured in Artifact, which amps up the intrigue and excitement quickly and keeps it going all the way to the very end. Starting with an enticing inciting event of a multi-eyed camel arriving in the middle of a snowed-over Alaskan town, the initial narrative of Artifact is quick and effective, with the protagonists quickly realising that something dark has occurred at the nearby and mysterious NovaGen facility. Pulling together a band of scrappy locals, the group begin their decent into the facility, only to encounter mysterious creatures and tragic death.

Robinson soon takes the novel into twisted science fiction territory as you are shown the variety of experiments taking place in the facility. In particular, the staff of NovaGen are bio-printing monsters and other creatures, which has inevitably gone wrong. Forced to put an end to the experiments and save the town from potential destruction, Colton and his team continue to descend the various levels of the facility, all while being hunted by the worst monsters humans can imagine. The author does an excellent job of building and maintaining tension throughout Artifact’s story, and you are expertly drawn into the personal struggles of the characters as they try to understand and withstand the horrors of the facility. There are some outstanding twists and sudden deaths as the story draws towards its conclusion, and I enjoyed the mixture of shocking moments and well-crafted reveals many chapters in the making, which results in an outstanding novel where you never quite know what is happening next. Robinson ends the book on a mostly hopeful note, along with an amusing cliffhanger, and this proved to be an impressive standalone narrative that is guaranteed to entertain.

I felt that the author pulled Artifact together in a very entertaining manner that allowed for the maximum thrills, tension and character development. Perfectly utilising the first-person perspective that Robinson is so fond of, Artifact is a great standalone read that requires no prior knowledge of the author’s other works to enjoy (although there are a few fun references established fans will chuckle at). The author does an excellent job of effectively setting out the key elements of Artifact throughout its run, including with the advanced science elements of the book. These science elements are both compelling and quite interesting, and you can tell that Robinson did a bit of research into the subject. This research allowed the author to envision some dark and horrifying creations of potentially realistic science, and I loved how the creatures the protagonist encounter was a combination of weaponised efficiency and dark human imagination.

These fantastic science fiction creations, and the dark conspiracy that birthed them, work well with the author’s Michael Crichton inspired scenario, to create a lot of excellent tension and uncertainty that keeps readers constantly on the edge of their seat. I loved the constant uncertainty of what traumatising event was about to come out of nowhere next, and there are some great twists and reveals scattered throughout this captivating novel. Throw in a series of particularly thrilling action sequences as the protagonists face off against printed monstrosities and the other disturbing denizens of NovaGen, and there is a lot to love about how Artifact was written, especially as it perfectly enhances Robinson’s fantastic and captivating narrative.

My favourite elements of Artifact were the complex and compelling characters whom Robinson set his narrative around. Robinson has always excelled at creating entertaining characters, and I think he did a wonderful job pulling together a layered cast of Alaskan outcasts and rogues to fill the pages of Artifact.

The most prominent of these characters is main protagonist Sheriff Colton Graves, from whose perspective we see the events of this book unfold. Colton is a widowed lawman who enjoys the simple life at Raven’s Rest, but who quickly rises to the challenge when strangeness invades his town. Effectively established as a compelling and solid centre to the book’s plot, Colton is an easy character to like thanks to his fun humour, clever insights and leadership skills. However, Robinson makes Colton even more interesting as the book continues by revealing some fascinating character details that are expertly weaved into the story. This includes a new romance for Colton that helps him to move forward from his dead wife and serves as his inspiration to continue pushing through the horrors of the NovaGen lab. In addition to this, the story reveals that Colton has autism and hypersensitivity, and these conditions have strong impacts on the plot and the way the perspective protagonist interacts with the world. Robinson does an exceptional job really diving into these fascinating aspects of his protagonist, and it was clear that the author was trying to showcase the conditions as accurately as possible based on his own personal experiences. I think that Robinson really succeeded in showcasing these character elements, and while certain aspects are no doubt enhanced to fit in with the science fiction aspects of the book, it was mostly realistic. I really enjoyed how Robinson made Colton a particularly likeable and relatable protagonist, and he helps to make Artifact a very distinctive read.

In addition to Colton, Robinson loads up Artifact with a great collection of memorable supporting characters who are perfectly utilised in the narrative and add some entertaining spice on top of the protagonist. Highlights for me include the troubled and mysterious Old Red, a survivalist with dark connections to facility, who serves as the groups guide and secret badass. I also had a lot of fun with Grizz, a tough, bear-killing lady with the scars to prove it. Colton’s deputy, Tali, was the perfect backup for the protagonist, while her sister, Marit, proved to be an excellent love interest to Colton, which resulted in some complicated and emotional sequences. The rest of the cast, including some unique figures found in the bunker, are also quite entertaining, be they friend, bio-engineered organism, or evil antagonist, and I loved some of the amazing interactions that emerged. I will warn readers not to get too attached to any characters, as most figures don’t last as long as you’d want, but Robinson makes full use of every character he features, even if they only have a brief life in the book.

As with all the previous Robinson novels I’ve enjoyed, I chose to check out Artifact on audiobook, which was a ton of fun. I have always found that Robinson’s novels come across particularly well on audiobook, and Artifact was no exception as I powered through its near 10-hour long runtime very quickly. Part of the reason why I had such a great time with this audiobook is the return of one of my favourite audiobook narrators R. C. Bray. Bray, who has lent his voice to most of Robinson’s audiobooks, is a truly exceptional narrator, and I just love any story read out in his gravelly and distinctive voice. This was particularly true for Artifact, where the intense action and the horrifying descriptions of the laboratory’s contents were so much more impactful thanks to Bray’s calm and powerful take on events. Bray also expertly showcases each of the key characters of the novel, and I felt he developed fitting and personal voices for each of the members of the cast. While I love Bray’s voice for Old Red and the slacker Jimmy, his best work was saved for main protagonist and point-of-view character Colton. Bray has long perfected voicing Robinson’s various first-perspective protagonists, and he always manages to cover their complex personalities, dialogue and interactions extremely well. His take on Colton was very moving in Artifact, and I felt that Bray really enhanced Robinson’s depictions of this character’s quirks and unique viewpoints on life. Due to this impressive narration, and Robinson’s general cinematic writing style, the Artifact audiobook is exceptional, and it’s easily the best way to enjoy this novel.

With all the chaotic action, crazy science fiction elements, and great character I’ve come to expect from Jeremy Robinson, Artifact was an outstanding novel I had a blast getting through. Featuring a thrilling plot, laden with shocks and monsters, Artifact grabs the reader’s attention early and refuses to let go. This book comes very highly recommended from me, especially on audiobook, and anyone keen for a horror-filled and deeply intense thriller is going to have an outstanding time with Artifact.

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Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill

On September 24, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery1 Comment

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (ebook – 19 August 2025)

Series: Standalone

Length: 310 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Those looking for a fun and very meta murder mystery that looks back at the classics should check out the very amusing new novel from Australian author Sulari Gentill, Five Found Dead.

There are few Australian crime fiction authors whose works have entertained me over the years as much as Sulari Gentill’s have. An amazing author who knows how to combine unique premises with compelling mysteries, Gentill has written some great novels over the years. I am a particular fan of her Rowland Sinclair series about an unlikely gentleman protagonist in the 1930s who solved crimes loaded with historical cameos, while some of her more recent standalone novels, such as Crossing the Lines, The Woman in the Library and The Mystery Writer, have also received critical acclaim. As such, I was very happy to get my hands on her latest novel, Five Found Dead, which had a very fun plot behind it which resulted in quite an exciting and fast-paced read.

Plot Synopsis:

On a train, there are only so many places to hide…

Crime fiction author Joe Penvale has won the most brutal battle of his life. Now that he has finished his intense medical treatment, he and his twin sister, Meredith, are boarding the glorious Orient Express in Paris, hoping for some much-needed rest and rejuvenation. Meredith also hopes that the literary ghosts on the train will nudge Joe’s muse awake, and he’ll be inspired to write again. And he is; after their first evening spent getting to know some of their fellow travelers, Joe pulls out his laptop and opens a new document. Seems like this trip is just what the doctor ordered…

And then some. The next morning, Joe and Meredith are shocked to witness that the cabin next door has become a crime scene, bathed in blood but with no body in sight. The pair soon find themselves caught up in an Agatha Christie-esque murder investigation. Without any help from the authorities, and with the victim still not found, Joe and Meredith are asked to join a group of fellow passengers with law enforcement backgrounds to look into the mysterious disappearance of the man in Cabin16G. But when the steward guarding the crime scene is murdered, it marks the beginning of a killing spree which leaves five found dead—and one still missing. Now Joe and Meredith must fight once again to preserve their newfound future and to catch a cunning killer before they reach the end of the line.

Gentill brings the fun with this very compelling and exciting crime fiction novel that serves as a great love letter to a classic Agatha Christie novel. Bringing together a colourful array of characters, including an overabundance of cliche detectives and setting them loose against an apparent serial killer, Five Found Dead was a very easy book to fall in love with, and I ended up powering through it in less than a day.

The plot for Five Found Dead had a lot of interesting elements to it, which resulted in a very fast-paced novel that hit a lot of entertaining notes. Starting off with some quick introductions to the lawyer protagonist and her author brother, you soon find yourself aboard the iconic Orient Express. A natural setting for any murder mystery, Gentill brought together an amusing array of characters inspired by classic crime fiction novels, many of whom are revealed to have law enforcement backgrounds, as well as a very similar grudge. The story naturally soon devolves into a compelling murder mystery when a guest disappears from their blood-soaked room. Thanks to a new strain of coronavirus infecting part of the train, the passengers find themselves stuck on the rails, and it falls to the protagonists and the various assembled detectives to solve the case. However, a series of additional murders quickly unfold across the train, resulting in chaos and anarchy, especially when the normal passengers of the train attempt to escape the growing massacre.

I loved the excellent and fast pace of Five Found Dead as Gentill cleverly lays out the respective murders and keeps increasing the stakes of the plot. While much of the story is intentionally silly, including the appearance of so many stereotypical detectives with connections to the initial victim, the author works it into a great investigation angle, and I had fun working out who was behind the killings. There are some fantastic twists and turns throughout the book, and while I saw a few reveals coming thanks to the featured clues, the identity of the actual antagonist hit me by surprise. Some of this was due to the clever red herrings and potential alternate suspects that Gentill included, although I must admit the brilliantly crazy disguise utilised by the killer helped a lot. This led to a very exciting and over-the-top conclusion, where all the secrets come out and the various fun storylines come together. I had an absolute blast getting to the end of Five Found Dead, and Gentill crafted an extremely exciting murder mystery here that served as an homage to the classic, while also bringing its own flair to the occasion.

While Five Found Dead is loaded with amazing and familiar characters, I feel that I need to highlight protagonist Meredith Penvale and her brother Joe as the two best written characters in the novel. A pair of Australian twins, Meredith and Joe have journeyed to the Orient Express to celebrate Joe’s recent cancer remission and to rejuvenate his writing muse. While much of the story revolves around Meredith’s inadvertent role as amateur detective aboard this train of suspicious souls, Gentill also spends time examining the emotional health of these two main characters, and as a result dives deep into the impacts of cancer and the effects it can have on both the sufferers and their loved ones. In this case, Meredith is the loyal sister who sacrificed a successful career to care for her brother and, now that he’s recovered, is wondering where her life will go and whether to follow her true passions. Joe, on the other hand, is a seemingly light-hearted figure who has an amusing meta initial arc about a murder mystery set onboard the Orient Express. However, there is also a lot of hidden fear in Joe about his cancer returning, which sees him literally running from bad news, while also trying to keep this potential truth from his long-suffering sister. You can tell that Gentill put a lot of herself into these two characters, and their personal focuses outside the mystery are extremely realistic and powerful. Indeed, these personal concerns and the powerful writing that accompanies them gives Five Found Dead some much needed emotional heft that helped to evolve this novel into something truly special. Throw in all the additional eccentric figures that accompany Meredith and Joe onto the Orient Express, and Five Found Dead has a truly amazing cast who enhance the entire story.

Overall, I found Five Found Dead to be an addictive and engaging novel that I honestly couldn’t stop reading. Sulari Gentill’s latest standalone novel was a wonderful blend of mystery, charming humour and complex characters, that came together into something extremely awesome. I really enjoyed Five Found Dead, and it is an excellent read for someone in the mood for a light-hearted murder mystery with some amazing heart to it.

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Quick Review – Landfall by James Bradley

On August 20, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Quick Review, Science Fiction, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Penguin (ebook – 23 April 2025)

Series: Standalone

Length: 336 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

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Those in the mood for a though-provoking and powerful Australian crime fiction read would do well to check out the excellent 2025 release, Landfall. Written by acclaimed Australian author James Bradley, Landfall was a clever and intense standalone novel that presented a gritty crime fiction scenario in a dark Australian future.

Plot Synopsis:

In an already swamped city, a disastrous weather system looms, making the search to find a missing child urgent.

A missing child.

A city on edge.

Time is running out…

The world is in the grip of climate catastrophe. Sydney has been transformed by rising sea levels, soaring temperatures and rocketing social divide and unrest.

When a small girl on the margins goes missing, Senior Detective Sadiya Azad is assigned to find her. She knows exactly what it is to be displaced, and swallowed by the landscape. A murder at the site of the child’s disappearance suggests a connection and web of corruption, but fear keeps eyes turned and mouths closed.

With few leads to go on and only days until a deadly storm strikes the city, Sadiya and offsider Detective Sergeant Paul Findlay find themselves locked in a race against time.

Chilling and utterly compelling, Landfall is crime writing at its best – and a terrifying vision of the future bearing down on us.

Landfall was an excellent and exciting novel from earlier this year that presented a compelling crime fiction read with a complex and emotionally charged background setting. Taking place in a dystopian version of modern Sydney that is starting to flood due to climate change, Landfall follows Senior Detective Sadiya Azad and her new partner, Detective Sergeant Paul Findlay, as they attempt to find a child who went missing around the Tideline, a slum area of the city that has been most impacted by rising sea levels. However, they soon find their investigation hampered by multiple elements including corrupt policing, uncooperative family members with their own political agendas, rampart social divides and more. This proves to be a strong start to Landfall, and Bradley does a good job of setting up the reality of Sydney, as well as introducing the case and some of the key players.

The story takes an interesting turn when a murdered body is found at a site connected to the child’s disappearance. Assuming the two cases are linked, the protagonists are forced to investigate suspects related to the murder victim and her corporate ties, and the missing child, trying to find out who is responsible, while also dealing with the dark threat of an oncoming tropical cyclone that looks set to destroy half the city. At the same time, several other key perspective character are introduced, including Tasim, a refugee living on the streets, who witnesses the abduction and finds himself dragged into events, and Sadiya’s dementia-suffering father, Arman, whose fractured mind provides greater context to their family’s history, as well as showing the early days of some of the environmental crisis’s impacting the world.

These character-focused storylines combine nicely to create an intriguing and compelling overall narrative, and I liked the various themes and outlooks at the future they contained. The main investigative focus of Sadiya’s narrative is well balanced by the more human stories of Tasim and Arman, and Bradley also makes use of some intense flashback sequences to really build up the tragedy surrounding all these figures. The mystery narrative also goes in some interesting directions, and while the culprit isn’t too surprising, Bradley does a good job focusing on the characters building their case and pulling together the conclusions. Unsurprisingly, the climax of Landfall comes together amid the cyclone, with all the characters facing the storm in different ways. This last part of the book, while dramatic and featuring a high-stakes backdrop, was a little rushed, and could have used a little padding to make it more satisfying. Still, this is a mostly well-balanced narrative that allows for a good conclusion to the main story arc while also allowing Bradley to make all his thematic points.

Landfall ended up being an excellent overall read and Bradley succeeded in pulling together a complex novel with a lot of moving parts to it. The central mystery element of the novel, while compelling on its own, was greatly enhanced by the author’s examinations of the future, which features some dire predictions and warnings, wrapped up in very human stories to make them even more impactful. While an excellent police protagonist, I felt that Sadiya’s personal story was a bit overshadowed by Tasim and Arman’s arcs, especially as Tasmin’s story about losing his family to heatwaves and the harsh journey to Australia, as well as the very realistic depictions of dementia with Arman. All three of these character’s stories are well wrapped up in the final chapters of the book, although I do wish there had been another chapter or two just to showcase what happened in the aftermath. The overall focus on the potential dire future for Sydney and the world was probably the most impressive and notable part of Landfall, and Bradley provided a compelling, if terrifying, portrait of probable events to come that gives this book a fantastic edge that scrapes the edge of overshadowing the main mystery, and allows for quite a powerful overall read.

With its complex characters, intense story, and compelling visions of the future, Landfall by James Bradley was one of the more distinctive Australian novels of 2025, and I was glad I got the chance to check out my first book from the author. An extremely interesting novel that blends crime fiction with social messaging, Landfall comes highly recommended, especially for those with one eye on the future.

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When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

On April 16, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Comedy/Satire, Science Fiction1 Comment

Publisher: Tor (ebook – 25 March 2025)

Series: Standalone

Length: 336 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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Prepare for one of the most outrageous and original science fiction novels of 2025 with the fun, heartwarming and very entertaining novel, When the Moon Hits Your Eye by the always fantastic John Scalzi.

John Scalzi is a very entertaining science fiction author who has been providing his unique take on the genre for years. Best known for Old Man’s War and The Interdependency series, Scalzi has also written a range of distinctive standalone science fiction novels that provide interesting takes on the world, as well as satirising certain elements of pop culture. I have had a wonderful time reading novels like Redshirts, The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villian, and all of them proved to be amazing books. As such, I have been making a strong effort to read all Scalzi’s new novels, including his 2025 release, When the Moon Hits Your Eye. A captivating read with a unique premise behind it, When the Moon Hits Your Eye was one of my most anticipated books of 2025, and I am so glad that I got the chance to read it.

Plot Synopsis:

The moon has turned into cheese.

Now humanity has to deal with it.

For some it’s an opportunity. For others it’s a moment to question their faith: In God, in science, in everything. Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty. And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now… something absolutely impossible.

Astronauts and billionaires, comedians and bank executives, professors and presidents, teenagers and terminal patients at the end of their lives — over the length of an entire lunar cycle, each get their moment in the moonlight. To panic, to plan, to wonder and to pray, to laugh and to grieve. All in a kaleidoscopic novel that goes all the places you’d expect, and then to so many places you wouldn’t.

It’s a wild moonage daydream. Ride this rocket.

Alright, so I knew going in that I was going to love When the Moon Hits Your Eye, primarily because it’s John Scalzi examining what happens when the moon turns to cheese, and that’s such an awesomely wacky premise. However, even with that expectation, I was surprised at how much fun I had with When the Moon Hits Your Eye, especially as Scalzi presents a compelling, thoroughly amusing and genuinely nice book that I ended up powering through in only a couple of days.

This was an extremely enjoyable novel, and I loved the impressive and multi-layered narrative that Scalzi was able to wrap around his original central plot idea. Starting with a couple of great introductory chapters that showcased the people of Earth becoming aware of the makeup of the moon suddenly and inexplicably changing from rock to a cheese-like substance, the book soon evolves into a series of loosely connected stories, set over the course of the first lunar cycle of the new cheese moon. These stories are designed to show the various reactions people in America have to the moon’s sudden change, and Scalzi has fun coming up with a range of great scenarios that only he could imagine. Many of these involve scientists, government officials and astronauts as they explore the more scientific nature of the cheesy moon and how it impacts the larger world, and this forms the core of When the Moon Hits Your Eye’s narrative, moving the overall plot along with new developments.

These main stories are well mixed with much more personal tales of ordinary people who find the unusual world circumstances impacting their lives in various ways as they try to make sense of their new reality. Scalzi really tries to showcase different layers of society with these stories, as he explores how religious people, philosophers, pop scientists, movie producers and even cheese shop owners would react to the unlikely scenario. These resulting ordinary-people based narratives blended extremely well with the core storylines about the official examination of the new moon and provided the reader with an outstanding range of emotions, humour and complex character-driven tales that expertly captured the human experience and examine how people react to the unexpected and the impossible.

Scalzi goes a variety of interesting places as the overall narrative of When the Moon Hits Your Eye continues, and I appreciated how well he set out the crazy lunar cycle. There is a more desperate edge to the second half of this book, especially as the cheese-based moon causes massive problems for the world, but this allows Scalzi to really dive into the emotional heart of the story, especially as he revisits several characters throughout the course of the book to see how these impossible events have changed their perspective and lives. The story comes to a very interesting, if slightly sudden, end, and while I think there was room for Scalzi to possibly provide readers greater closure with some of his character arcs, I felt that his conclusion was fun and fitting, especially with its cynical, if realistic, take on Earth’s future and how it will likely look back at the past.

This ended up being a very fun and moving novel, especially as Scalzi really dove into the human side of the problem and tried to examine the various ways people would either come together and drift apart over something this insane happening. While I’m sure some of book’s science is a little iffy, Scalzi sells the entire event in a realistic manner, and anyone can come into When the Moon Hits Your Eye and follow along with its plot, especially when it comes to the moving character-focused stories. Scalzi has a real talent for creating some elaborate short narratives around interesting protagonists, and the cool range of cool stories set under the book’s big plot event were all quite entertaining and unique in their own way. While some go for outright humour, others try to mirror recent real-world events, while more have much more personal and complex stories that looked at the darker side of the changes to the moon. All feature Scalzi’s realistic and relatable characters, and I felt that the author had a great, if cynical handle, on the modern mindset and the different ways humans would react to a sudden, major event like this.

As for the many cool stories contained within When the Moon Hits Your Eye, I tended to enjoy the more outrageous or outright funny tales, primarily because Scalzi used his imagination to come up with some truly hilarious, if surprisingly realistic moments. For example, one brilliant chapter focused on a Hollywood producer bombarded by moon and cheese focused screenplays, each one more ridiculous then the last. Other highlights included stories following employees of an entitled uber-wealthy who wants to become the first person to eat moon cheese, a poorly received Saturday Night Live taping, and a Vegas-based narrative resulted in a very over-the-top political scandal, all of which made me chuckle. These funnier stories were well balanced by more heartfelt narratives in unusual times, such as the tales surrounding two rival cheese shops that resulted in romance, familial reconnection, and other tales of emotional growth. I personally found myself connecting to a particularly moving story about an aspiring and struggling fantasy author whose writing dreams are eclipsed by the changes to the moon. Throw in several more central plot threads that move the story along in some surprisingly dark ways, including the narratives surrounding a billionaire tech-mogul with delusions of grandeur. These stories all form quite an impressive narrative web, and I really cannot emphasise just how well they came together, nor how entertaining they are both a singular and a joint level.

John Scalzi dives into one of his craziest scenarios with When the Moon Hits Your Eye, an ultra-compelling and fantastically over-the-top novel that I couldn’t get enough of. Smart, moving and oh-so funny, When the Moon Hits Your Eye was a breathtaking novel that brings you laughs, joy, and Scalzi’s brilliant insights into human nature. A highly recommend book for anyone looking for something entertaining or just a little unusual.

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The Reunion by Bronwyn Rivers

On April 15, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Constable (Trade Paperback – 11 February 2025)

Series: Standalone

Length: 360

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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New author Bronwyn Rivers bursts onto the Australian crime fiction scene in a big way with her impressive debut, The Reunion, a compelling and highly addictive read set in Australia’s iconic Blue Mountains that brings up dark secrets from the past.

Plot Synopsis:

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

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

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

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

The Reunion was an impressive first novel from Rivers, who brings together a powerful, character-focused mystery that drags her protagonists through trying times in both the present and the past. Intense, captivating and filled with great twists, The Reunion was an excellent Australian debut that I had an amazing time reading.

This was a very exciting and intricate Australian crime fiction book that follows several damaged characters as they navigate their darkest secrets. Following five school friends reuniting for the 10-year anniversary of their friend Ed’s death, The Reunion starts with a necessary introduction of the characters in the present and their current issues. Cut with flashback chapters to the fateful group hike where Ed died, the initial 50 pages of the book are a tad slow to start with, although there is some very useful set-up here, as Rivers establishes the key characters and the scenario they are getting into. However, I didn’t think things really get started until the protagonists find themselves trapped in Ed’s family homestead in the Blue Mountains, caught up in a desperate plan by his grieving mother, who is convinced that there is more to the story then they ever told.

Suddenly finding themselves alone on the homestead with no water, no communication, and no ability to safely leave the property, the five friends start to find their secrets coming to light around them, which they must confront before Ed’s mother will let them leave. The protagonists’ attempts to survive at the homestead are perfectly cut with a variety of flashback chapters that showcase both the events of the hike and look at other key events of the protagonists’ lives that give them potential motive for killing Ed all those years ago. The blend of past and present storylines works extremely well to tell a complex story of lies, secrets and dark events, and you soon become obsessed with working out what really happened all those years before, as well as how the current scenario plays out. I felt that these storylines came together extremely well, as not only is there an intriguing end to the flashback sequences in the bush, but the main story ends with some intense and dangerous moments as the well-written and complex protagonists face the consequences of their actions. Featuring a surprisingly fast-paced but satisfying end to the captivating narrative, The Reunion came together extremely well, and I personally really liked the final twist, which wraps everything up in a fantastic way.

I felt that Rivers pulled together The Reunion quite nicely, and this ended up being a tight and powerful crime fiction read that really grabs the reader’s attention. Featuring an excellent narrative that perfectly oscillates between the present storyline and the various glimpse of the past, Rivers was able to provide a very moving and thrilling read that cleverly explored the history and psyches of the damaged characters and provided greater context for the main plot. The switches each chapter between the five characters worked well to expand each of their roles, and it was fascinating to see the differences between all the protagonists in the past and the present. While Rivers could have possibly made it a bit clearer who each chapter was focussing on (say by putting the name next to the chapter number), the switch between characters allowed for a highly personal read, as you experience each character’s growth and current damage. The author also ensures that the reader gets some interesting alternate views of the hike’s missing person, Ed, especially as the more you see of him the more you realise several characters may have had very valid reasons to kill him, which helps to deepen the mystery. Throw in the excellent use of the beautiful Blue Mountains setting as background for this story, which Rivers lovingly brings to life with her effective descriptions, and this was a very cool standalone crime fiction read that had a lot of impressive layers to it.

An overall sharp, captivating and well-thought-out Australian crime fiction debut, The Reunion was an outstanding first book from Bronwyn Rivers that proved hard not to enjoy. Featuring great twists, damaged characters, and excellent use of flashback chapters to paint a complex story of secrets, betrayal and tragedy, The Reunion comes highly recommended, especially for those readers keen for an impressive new talent.

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Quick Review – Little Red Death by A. K. Benedict

On March 10, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Murder Mystery1 Comment

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (ebook – 13 February 2025)

Series: Standalone

Length: 383 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

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I had a wonderful time reading one of the more unique murder mystery novels of 2025, the compelling and occasionally bonkers novel, Litte Red Death by bestselling author A. K. Benedict.

Plot Synopsis:

ONCE UPON A TIME LIKE YOU’VE NEVER READ IT BEFORE . . .

DI Lyla Rondell is on the case of a lifetime. Tasked with investigating a series of perplexing deaths, the only lead she has is that each appears to be based on a different classic fairy tale. Far from the stuff of bedtime stories, the press is having a field day with what they have named the Grimm Ripper Murders.

But as the bodies stack up, Lyla’s whole world is about to flip on its head. Because the killer’s bloody trail stretches deep into her own origin story, and when she discovers the truth, nothing will ever be the same again.

Faced with the fact that everything she knows is fiction, Lyla will have to take a little creative license of her own if she’s going to turn the final page on the killings . . .

Little Red Death was a quite a fascinating read that went in some very surprising directions. While I was expecting a less conventional crime fiction book, I honestly wasn’t prepared for just how fantastical Little Red Death turned out to be, as Benedict loads in some memorable twists that change everything, while keeping the readers engaged with its compelling plot.

I felt that Little Red Death started off strong and provided some intriguing details that will hook most readers. The main plotline revolves around DI Lyla Rondell, who is called in to investigate a killing that has been inspired by classic Grimm fairytales. This case strikes Lyla hard, as years before the girl she loved suddenly disappeared with a classic fairytale plot device left behind. Receiving taunting messages apparently from the killer, known as the Grimm Ripper, as more vicious fairytale themed murders are carried, Lyla becomes obsessed with the case, hoping that she will finally find her missing friend. This initial storyline around Lyla is quite impactful in its own right, and Benedict ensures that the first half of the book is made further intriguing thanks to a perspective from a second major character, Katie, a mystery writer who has been kidnapped by the killer and is now being forced to write a series of twisted fairytale murder stories that the Grimm Ripper is using as a guideline for his crimes. These two major storylines blend quite nicely, and Benedict cleverly layers in some clues at the major events to come, which was very well done in hindsight. However, despite some hints about the unusual nature of events, nothing quite prepares you for the big twist at the centre of the book.

Now, I don’t want to give too much away about what the big twist is, especially as it is quite fun to find out on your own. I will say that Benedict does set it up nicely, and it fits the unusual nature of Little Red Death extremely well. While I can see some murder mystery purists not enjoying it, especially as it veers the story towards fantasy grounds, I personally liked it. I must admit that I did laugh like crazy when I initially discovered what was happening, because it is pretty out there, but Benedict really commits to it, and it makes Little Red Death really stand out. Because of this twist, the second half of Little Red Death has a very different tone to it, but it also allows for some great character moments, especially as the main protagonists discover more about themselves and are forced to come to terms with some very hard truths. It leads up nicely to a series of big twists and shocking moments at the end, which were quite clever in their way, although it did feel like Benedict was trying to make things too complicated at times. Still, it was a very fun ending, and I liked the sadistically satisfying and unique overall conclusion to Little Red Death, which is extremely meta and brings together a lot of fun references from the rest of the book.

Little Red Death proved to be a very exciting and outrageous book in the end, and I think that Benedict did a great job of introducing and utilising all her unique ideas to create a very distinctive story. As I mentioned above, the use of multiple character perspectives between Lyla and Katie worked very well to tell a layered narrative with some great added complexity, especially after the big twist showcases their unlikely connection. Benedict also has fun including a series of Katie’s twisted fairytales throughout the book, which allows the reader to see the inspiration behind the killer’s next murders. These stories, and other inclusions, add a great self-referential edge to the plot, especially as the characters discuss writing techniques and how to come up with elaborate murders which clearly emulate the author’s own personal experiences. It also allowed Benedict to showcase knowledge of the original Grimm fairytales, and she twists the classic tales into even darker scenarios. Benedict further adds to the mystery and darker elements of the story by including multiple subtle meta references and hints throughout the book. While a few of these at the start seem weird, by the end you realise that Benedict was trying something very clever, and they play in nicely to the book’s complex ending. I quite liked this fun way in which the author tried to make Little Red Death just a bit more memorable and zanier, and it ensures that you come away from the book really thinking about the full implications of the plot and what it means to both the reader and all the characters.

With a very out-there plot, a unique mystery and some intriguing characters, Little Red Death was one of the more distinctive novels of 2025, and one that I had an outstanding time with. A. K. Benedict clearly had fun coming up with this dark fairytale themed romp (or maybe not depending on how you see the final meta twist), and Little Red Death is really worth a read, especially if you enjoy unusual and exciting murder mysteries.

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High Wire by Candice Fox

On January 21, 2025 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Thriller3 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 – Starter Villain by John Scalzi

On December 26, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Comedy/Satire, Quick Review, Science Fiction4 Comments

Publisher: Tor (ebook – 23 September 2023)

Series: Standalone

Length: 256 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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As we are getting towards the end of 2024, it’s probably about time I got around to writing something about one of the more hilarious and wildly entertaining books I checked out last year, the outstanding novel Starter Villain by John Scalzi.

John Scalzi is an outstanding science fiction author who has produced some intriguing and thoughtful books over the years. Best known for his Old Man’s War series that followed the science fiction adventures of old human military volunteers whose minds are transferred to younger, genetically modified body, Scalzi is a highly inventive writer who creates some elaborate and powerful scenarios. While he has written some very compelling science fiction series, I best know Scalzi from his standalone books where he and turns some outrageous ideas into wonderful tales of humanity. My favourite is Redshirts, a fantastic and very clever Star Trek parody that imagines life aboard an Enterprise-esque ship from the point of view of the expendable lower-decks crew. I also had a ton of fun with Scalzi’s 2022 novel, The Kaiju Preservation Society, which showcased the intriguing adventures of an organisation dedicated to preserving kaiju in a parallel universe. All these books were very fun, which is why I made sure to grab a copy of the 2023 release, Starter Villian, which had a great plot behind it.

Plot Synopsis:

Inheriting your uncle’s supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who’s running the place.

Charlie’s life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.

Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.

But becoming a supervillain isn’t all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they’re coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.

It’s up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.

In a dog-eat-dog world…be a cat.

This was a highly entertaining novel from Scalzi, who provides his own unique take on supervillains in all the best ways. Starting off with a very comical funeral scene, Starter Villain only gets better from there as the protagonist, Charlie, finds his life unexpectantly changed when he inherits his uncle’s supervillain business and associated wealth. Scalzi provides a fantastic introduction to the unique new world of super science and sinister business practices, and you are soon caught up in Charlie’s unlikely rise to the top. The first half of the book is loaded with intriguing scenes as Scalzi lets his imagination run wild, and you have a fantastic time learning about sentient cats, crude talking dolphins constantly going on strike, and the other unlikely inventions and people that now make up Charlie’s life. This compelling introduction to the world works well in setting up the second half of the story, as Charlie meets a cabal of similar uber-rich supervillains who all seek to exploit him. When a series of events outside of his control force him into a battle of survival against these supervillains, Charlie needs all his new allies and his own unique ideas to win the day, even if victory isn’t quite what he imagined.

Starter Villain was such a lovely and impressive read, and I loved seeing Scalzi utilise his humour into something more terrestrial, yet still out of this world. Featuring the author’s typical fast pace, Starter Villain hits the ground running and throws you right into the middle of Scalzi’s fantastic and memorable ideas. The resulting story is clever, addictive, and features some amazing twists, all of which is very awesome to see unfold. While there is a lot of mad science, Scalzi does try to ground the supervillain antics, and I loved the author’s thoughts on how such an organisation could exist in the modern world and what sort of nefarious actions they would participate in. Naturally this means corporations and the uber-wealthy, which is depressingly accurate if you consider recent events, although this does mean that the antagonists are very easy to dislike and entirely unredeemable. The author loads in so much clever humour around the general supervillain scenario, and I loved the fantastic jokes about the profession, the inventions that are being created, and the unusual ways they stay in power. A lot of jokes about supervillains also provide some excellent commentary on current society, which cynical people like me will enjoy (a joke about a potential Australian recruit to the supervillain cabal hit close to home, which was just perfect). This is a hilarious and well-put together read that expertly showcases the author’s inventive spirit.

I also want to mention the fantastic range of complex and eccentric characters featured throughout Starter Villain, who helped to make the story even more unique and funny. Most of the book’s focus goes around the protagonist, Charlie, who finds himself thrust into a new world of dangerous rich elites and supervillain logic. Charlie proves to be a great central figure for Starter Villain’s plot, mainly because he plays a great everyman character whose reaction to the narrative’s crazy events mirrors that of the reader. While slightly bland compared to the other outrageous characters, Charlie does experience some excellent growth, especially as he learns to take responsibility and to appreciate the life he has. I also enjoyed how Charlie, despite being new to the supervillain lifestyle, was able to work out solutions to his organisation’s big problems often by being his typical thoughtful self. The rest of the characters in Starter Villain are all allowed to go wild due to having Charlie as the perspective protagonist, and I loved the array of talking dolphins, unusual scientists, murderous goons and rich manipulators that Charlie had to either work with or overcome. My favourite figures were easily the highly intelligent sentient cats, who really run the company and who have been manipulating Charlie his whole life. Scalzi has a lot of fun showcasing the cunning cats in charge, and I felt this whole awesome crew of characters helped to turn Starter Villain into an extremely fun read.

Overall, Starter Villain was an amazing read from John Scalzi that proves impossible not to love. Featuring the author’s infectious humour and love for inventive scenarios, Starter Villain was such a great book, and I deeply enjoyed the author’s take on supervillain fiction. Clever, unique and so much fun, Starter Villian is an exceptional read, and I really wish I had written a review for it sooner. I will have to pick up my Scalzi game in the future, and not only have I got a copy of Old Man’s War to read at home, but I am eagerly awaiting his next book, When the Moon Hits Your Eye, which features a very, very interesting sounding story about the moon literally transforming into cheese, an idea I have so much love for and cannot wait to check out.