I love stories in which characters are utterly compelled to follow a path, for myriad reasons, even if it leads to their ultimate destruction. Even better when it leads to redemption. I think redemption stories are very much about the world we live in now, where forgiveness and compassion are so precious. This is such a complex novel with twists and complications, and I never knew whether I wanted her to find him or not!
A missing persons mystery, a serial killer thriller, and an epic love story - with a unique twist on each...
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Late one summer, the town of Monta Clare is shattered by the abduction of local teenager Joseph 'Patch' Macauley. Nobody more so than Saint Brown, who is broken by her best friend's disappearance. Soon, she will eat, sleep, breathe, only to find him.
But when she it will break her heart.
Patch lies in a pitch-black room - all alone - for days or maybe weeks. Until he feels a hand in his. Her name…
Imagine a crime novel about eggs! The story is about egg stealing, or trafficking, and a very rare red egg laid by guillemot birds. These eggs are so sought after that people kill for them, and the greed involved in egg trafficking is astounding. The book is based on fact, but the author has done a fabulous job of writing an enthralling and fascinating novel.
A New York Times and Guardian Best Thriller of the Year
A Deadly Pleasures and Minnesota Star Tribune Best Book of the Year
“A cliffhanger of a tale . . . Around the mystery of the fate of the so-called Metland Egg, Bauer constructs a multigenerational drama as captivating as the fabled object itself . . . rich in humor and suspense.”—Wall Street Journal
From the exceptionally original mind of CWA Gold Dagger Award winner and Booker longlisted author Belinda Bauer, a sweeping tale of obsession, greed, ambition, and a crime that has remained unsolved for a hundred years
This is the fifth in the series about a cop who runs a one-person police station in outback South Australia. The heat, the desolation, the weird and wonderful people who live there, all contribute to a fascinating murder mystery. Disher is a master at depicting this world and his cop, Hirsch, is so likeable and determined that you can't help but want him to find the solution, no matter what.
Hirsch is checking firearms. The regular police audit: all weapons secured, ammo stored separately, no unauthorised person with keys to the gun safe. He's checking people, too. The drought is hitting hard in the mid-north, and Hirsch is responsible for the welfare of his scattered flock of battlers, bluebloods, loners and miscreants.
He isn't usually called on for emergency roadside assistance. But with all the other services fully stretched, it's Hirsch who has to grind his way out beyond the Mischance Creek ruins to where some clueless tourist has run into a ditch.
Lou Alcott is turning over a new leaf as a private investigator. Formerly police, she was forced to resign when she attacked a domestic violence perpetrator. She's always vowed to be nothing like her grandfather Hamish, Melbourne's biggest crime boss, delivering an eye for an eye, but this guy had it coming.
On her first day she draws two cases helping at-risk women. First there's Diane Paterson, who has apparently left her husband without a word. Who should Lou believe? The charmingly distraught husband, Diane's suspicious parents, or the freezer full of lovingly prepared food left behind?
Then a house security check for an isolated young woman who is convinced her abusive ex is stalking her again turns worrisome when she fails to show up for their meeting. Lou reports Melinda's odd disappearance to the police but with no signs of a struggle she fears they're not able to act quickly enough.
With her protective radar pinging, Lou keeps digging until she unearths chilling evidence that puts her in the hot seat. Suddenly Lou is embroiled in a cat-and-mouse-game where there will only be one survivor... Will Lou's first case be her last?
