📖 Book Review ~ Exiles by Jane Harper

 

Macmillan
2 February 2023

Aaron Falk #3

My thanks to the publisher and Laura Sherlock PR for my copy of this book

At a busy festival site on a warm spring night, a baby lies alone in her pram, her mother vanishing into the crowds.

A year on, Kim Gillespie’s absence casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather deep in the heart of South Australian wine country to welcome a new addition to the family.

Joining the celebrations is federal investigator Aaron Falk. But as he soaks up life in the lush valley, he begins to suspect this tight-knit group may be more fractured than it seems.

Between Falk’s closest friend, a missing mother, and a woman he’s drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge.

📖 My Review..

I hadn't read any of the previous books in the Aaron Falk series but this hasn't spoiled my enjoyment of this third and final book. Federal Investigator Falk arrives in the small town of Marralee to attend the christening of his friend's son. His arrival coincides with the one year anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Kim Gillespie who went missing on the night of the local festival leaving behind her baby daughter. This gap of a year has caused local feelings to run high and Falk, together with his friend Raco, and other friends of Kim and in particular Kim's teenage daughter, Zoe, all  continue to search for clues to find out just what has happened to this young mother.

The story works well, there is a nice amount of detail to keep the mystery at the forefront of the novel and yet this character driven story focuses more on the after effects of Kim's disappearance and the consequences which may have led up to her going missing. I have enjoyed getting to know Falk, he's an interesting character, and he obviously takes his role as an investigator seriously and yet, I think, in this final novel we see a somewhat quieter side to him, especially as he has a difficult decision to make which will affect his future going forward.

I enjoyed the several twists and  turns and the involvement of other characters who add to the overall dynamic of the story and I felt that everything was wrapped up nicely at the end.  Overall, Exiles is a well written mystery and although part of a series can easily be read as a stand alone story. 

About the Author

Jane Harper is the international bestselling author of The Dry, Force of Nature and The Lost Man. Jane is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and has won numerous top awards including the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year, the Australian Indie Awards Book of the Year, the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel, and the British Book Awards Crime and Thriller Book of the Year. Her books are published in more than 36 territories worldwide, with The Dry in production as a major motion picture starring Eric Bana. Jane worked as a print journalist for thirteen years both in Australia and the UK, and now lives in Melbourne.

Twitter @janeharperautho

@panmacmillan @LauraSherlock21

📖 Book Review ~ The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

Mirror Books
21 January 3021

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

A true crime podcast host covering a controversial trial finds herself drawn deep into a small town's dark past and a brutal crime that took place there years before. Ever since her true-crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall has become a household name--and the last hope for people seeking justice. But she's used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The new season of Rachel's podcast has brought her to a small town being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. A local golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season 3 a success, Rachel throws herself into her investigation - but the mysterious letters keep coming. Someone is following her, and she won't stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insist she was murdered - and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody in town wants to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases - and a revelation that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

📖 My thoughts..

Rachel Krall's true crime podcast, 'Guilty or Not Guilty, attracts much public attention especially when the case she covers is as controversial as the rape trial which is taking place in the small North Carolina town of Neapolis. Tensions are running high in this introverted place where old secrets run deep and generations of hurt lie dormant. Rachel rarely lets her public persona interfere with her personally but when she is targeted with a series of cryptic messages urging her to look into a twenty five year old mystery she becomes drawn into another Neapolis story which will have far reaching consequences.

The Night Swim is really two stories in one. In one thread we have the controversial courtroom drama in which the local golden boy is accused of raping a teenage girl who also happens to be the granddaughter of the chief of police. Media attention is high and Rachel's podcast is as popular as ever. And then, in the other thread, we have a twenty five year old mystery surrounding the death of another local teenager, one who was alleged drowned in a mysterious circumstances.

The two stories are drawn together very cleverly and the author has succeeded in making both threads equally compelling. Each story covers emotionally deep subjects which the author handles sensitively, but which highlights, especially in the courtroom sections, just how emotive and difficult a rape trial is  for victims who are subjected to even more violation by defence lawyers who seek to destroy them.

The Night Swim is a compelling crime drama by a talented author.

About the Author

Megan Goldin worked as a correspondent for Reuters and other media outlets where she covered war, peace, international terrorism and financial meltdowns in the Middle East and Asia. She is now based in Melbourne, Australia where she raises three sons and is a foster mum to Labrador puppies learning to be guide dogs. 

Website

Twitter @megangoldin #TheNightSwim

@TheMirrorBooks

Blog Tour ~ The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to host today's stop on The Dark Lake Blog Tour

Atlantic Books
1 March 2018

My thanks to the publishers and Random Things Tours for my copy of the book and the invitation to be part of this blog tour

What's it all about...

A hot summer. A shocking murder. A town of secrets, waiting to explode...A beautiful young teacher has been murdered, her body found in the lake, strewn with red roses. Local policewoman Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock pushes to be assigned to the case, concealing the fact that she knew the murdered woman in high school years before. But that's not all Gemma's trying to hide. As the investigation digs deeper into the victim's past, other secrets threaten to come to light, secrets that were supposed to remain buried. The lake holds the key to solving the murder, but it also has the power to drag Gemma down into its dark depths...

My Thoughts about it...

The small Australian town of Smithson is rocked to its core when one of the local high school teachers is found dead in mysterious circumstances. Rosalind Ryan is a popular teacher, her pupils love her and her recent school theatre production of a reworking of Romeo and Juliet has been the high spot of her career. When local detective, Sergeant Gemma Woodstock arrives to investigate the murder she finds rather more than she bargained for, as the victim is well known to her, as Rosalind and Gemma were once pupils at the very same high school.

What then follows is a tense crime thriller which looks at the murder investigation in some detail and which also explores the emotional aspect of the connection between Rosalind and Gemma. Their combined secrets are buried deep and it takes a while before their connection starts to surface but when it does, the direction the story takes becomes darker and darker.

The Dark Lake is one of those suspenseful crime stories which makes you really think about what's happening and the twists and turns in the plot are well designed to keep you guessing. However, quite a lot of the story is taken up with the details of Gemma's life, and her complicated relationships sometimes take centre stage rather more than the murder investigation.This is no criticism, as the details of Gemma's rather complex life are finely intertwined with that of the town and its people.

The author writes well and certainly knows how to crank up the tension and whilst there are little clues dropped into the narrative, they're very subtle and interesting to observe. I enjoyed the flipping back and forth of the time frame which gives insight into the real background of the story which I can't say too much about but it all blends in very well.

There is no doubt that The Dark Lake is a remarkably accomplished debut novel and, as it's the first book in a proposed crime series, it certainly gets everything off to a very good start. 

An author to watch, I think.

About the Author

Sarah’s first novel, The Dark Lake, was published in Australia by Allen & Unwin in May 2017 and in the USA and Canada in October. Sarah lives in Melbourne, Australia and has two young sons. She has fifteen years experience in the advertising industry and is currently a director at creative projects company Mr Smith.

Sarah’s second book, Into The Night, featuring Detective Gemma Woodstock, will be published in 2018.

Twitter @sarahbailey1982 #TheDarkLake

@AllenandUnwin

Amazon UK

Do visit the other stops on the Blog Tour

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Review ~ Crimson Lake by Candice Fox

Arrow
May 2017

What's it all about...

12.46: 13-year-old Claire Bingley stands alone at a bus stop

12.47: Ted Conkaffey parks his car beside her

12.52: The girl is missing . . .Six minutes - that’s all it took to ruin Detective Ted Conkaffey’s life. Accused but not convicted of Claire’s abduction, he escapes north, to the steamy, croc-infested wetlands of Crimson Lake.

What did I think about it..

Detective Ted Conkaffey's life is turned upside down after being accused, but not convicted, of the abduction of thirteen year old Claire Bingley. With both his personal and professional life in turmoil Ted escapes to Cairns and to the remote wetlands and crocodile infested waters of Crimson Lake. Burdened by a life that is altered beyond recognition, Ted finds that the gloom of his surroundings matches his mood, and his taciturn demeanour does not win him friends or supporters very easily.

However, a chance meeting with private detective, Amanda Pharrell, another social misfit whose life is complicated by her own brand of demons, encourages Ted to become involved in the disappearance of local author, Jake Scully. What then follows is a tense and tightly packed thriller which uses the bleakness of its location to highlight the covert nature of a complicated investigation, and also emphasises the mistrustful way in which the local community perceive these two social misfits.

I really enjoyed this author's style of writing. The story was consistent and the plot never faltered and I soon became immersed in the unfolding narrative. I enjoyed observing the volatile dynamics between Ted and Amanda, and became curious to see how their unorthodox relationship would survive within the wider framework of the story.

I hope that Crimson Lake is the start of a new detective series as I would like to see Conkaffey and Pharrell return in a future investigation.

Best read with...copious glasses of smoky Bourbon..


About the Author

Candice Fox is an award-winning author and commercial success in her native Australia. Her first novel, Hades, won the 2014 Ned Kelly Award for best debut crime novel, with the sequel, Eden, winning the 2015 Ned Kelly Award for best crime novel. Candice is also the author of the critically acclaimed Fall, and co-writer of the James Patterson blockbuster Never Never.

Website 
Twitter @candicefoxbooks

Crimson Lake was published on the 6th April 2017 

An Arrow Paperback Original & eBook, £6.99

My thanks to Gemma at Penguin Random House for my review copy of Crimson Lake.

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