Originally published in the Canberra Weekly on 29 May 2025.
A copy of this column also appeared on the Canberra Daily website.
Make sure to check out my extended reviews of Vanish, Whisper in the Wind and Whisky Valley.
Tag: Whisky Valley
Quick review – Whisky Valley by Joan Sauers
Publisher: Allen & Unwin (ebook – 3 June 2025)
Series: Southern Highland Mystery – Book 2
Length: 384 pages
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Australian screenwriter Joan Sauers returns to the Southern Highlands with another cosy and compelling mystery Whisky Valley.
Back in 2023, I had the pleasure of reading Joan Sauers’s first book, Echo Lake, a cosy Australian mystery that really stood out thanks to its great use of several small towns in the picturesque Southern Highlands as a background setting. While not my usual cup of tea, I quite enjoyed Echo Lake, especially as I drive through the Southern Highlands all the time, and I was curious when Sauers released a sequel novel last year. This second book from Sauers, Whisky Valley, proved to be another fantastic read, that combines entertaining characters with beautiful locations and a clever mystery.
Plot Synopsis:
A missing violinist. A rising flood. A race against time. Intrigue, music and danger collide in Whisky Valley.
After nearly being murdered last year, Rose McHugh battles anxiety as she uses her investigative skills to find her son’s best friend, a famous violinist who is missing along with his priceless violin.
As floodwaters rise, Rose uncovers secrets and lies among the missing man’s fellow musicians, as well as their patron and her enigmatic psychologist husband.
But when a body is found, can Rose shield her son from suspicion?
Whisky Valley was a genuinely nice and enjoyable mystery novel from Sauers, who provided a great balance between character moments and the underlying murder narrative. Bringing back protagonist Rose McHugh as she continues her troubled settlement in her beloved Southern Highlands, Whisky Valley quickly introduces a new crime involving a missing violinist with connections to Rose’s son. Determined to solve the case before her son is suspected, Rose soon uncovers deeper secrets beneath the musical world of the victim and uncovers details of a troubled family.
I quite enjoyed how this new mystery from Sauers unfolded, and there was a certain amount of uncertainty and alternating suspects that will keep readers guessing until the end. Indeed, I felt that the mystery in Whisky Valley was stronger than that of the first book, and I really enjoyed just how captivating and suspenseful events got as this book progressed. This great mystery blended well with the other key aspects of the book, including the protagonist’s continued exploration of her new local area, her various relationships and friendships, including a new romance, and the fallout from the trauma of Echo Lake. This allowed for a quite emotionally rich novel at times, especially with a lot of compelling conflicts and complex problems coming out of the woodwork. Sauers did a great job building up a lot of different issues in the plot and slowly resolving them throughout the course of Whisky Valley, and you come away a lot closer to the relatable protagonist of this novel as a result.
While I did enjoy Sauers’ latest mystery, my favourite part of Whisky Valley had to be the author’s excellent use of the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales as a backdrop for her mystery. Sauers has a clear love of the Southern Highlands, which is quite evident in this series, as the protagonist lovingly describes various picturesque places found throughout the area. As someone who spends a bit of time visiting or travelling through the Southern Highlands, it was really entertaining to see the protagonist explore various locations I was familiar with throughout the course of the book, and it helped to give a sense of realism to the plot at times. These locations also serve as compelling backdrops to the crimes and drama of the story, and thanks to Sauers’ great descriptions, you can really envision some of the remote locales where murders are taking place, even if you’ve never been to this unique part of Australia. Throw in some interesting dives into the region’s history and culture, which is a fantastic inclusion to the book, and you come away really appreciating Sauers’s use of the Southern Highlands in this series, especially after how well she uses it in Whisky Valley.
Joan Sauers continues to impress with her compelling and heartwarming cosy murder mystery series. Her second book, Whisky Valley, was another great read that combined a fantastic mystery with some interesting character moments a wonderful background setting. An excellent read that I enjoyed checking out.
WWW Wednesday – 21 May 2025
WWW Wednesday is a weekly post hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
So, let’s get to it.
What are you currently reading:
Whisper in the Wind by Luke Arnold (Trade Paperback)
I just started reading the epic urban fantasy novel, Whisper in the Wind by Luke Arnold. An intriguing addition to the author’s Fetch Phillips series, Whisper in the Wind returns the reader to the ravaged Sunder City as the damaged protagonist is forced back into his private investigator ways to solve a series of murders and uncover a hidden revolutionary. I’ve only made a little bit of progress with Whisper in the Wind at the moment, but it is proving to be an excellent book with a really fun plot behind it.
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie (Audiobook)
I’m currently halfway through the epic and outrageous dark fantasy novel, The Devils by Joe Abercrombie, and boy is it proving to be something special. One of my most anticipated fantasy novels of 2025, The Devils follows a mismatched group of monsters as they try to survive a dark and magic-filled alternate medieval Europe and place an unlikely princess on the throne of Troy. Wildy entertaining and deliciously over-the-top, The Devils is so damn good, and I am loving every single second I spend listening to it.
What did you recently finish reading?
Vanish by Shelley Burr (ebook)
An outstanding and compelling piece of Australian crime fiction.
Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman (Audiobook)
An amazing addition to the long-running Alex Delaware series, Open Season was very impressive, and I loved its cool mystery.
Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
I had so much fun once again revisiting Terry Pratchett’s outstanding classic, Feet of Clay, which perfectly combines crime fiction and fantasy elements, wrapped up in the author’s unstoppable humour.
Whisky Valley by Joan Sauers (ebook)
The cool sequel to Echo Lake, Whisky Valley was an excellent and comfy read that makes good use of its Australian setting.
What do you think you’ll read next?
Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler
If I get a chance next week than I’m definitely going to read the hilarious fantasy novel, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me by Django Wexler. The sequel to the amazing and deeply funny How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me will see the new titular Dark Lord try to save the pesky humans she is supposed to conquer, all while trying to survive her own minions. Sure to be an amazing and highly addictive read, I know I am going to love this incredible book.
That’s it for this week; check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.
The Unseen Library 