crime fiction

Gathering Dark by Candice Fox Review

Janereads6 Comments
Gathering Dark by Candice Fox review
Gathering Dark by Candice Fox, ISBN 9780143789178, 400pp

Gathering Dark is the latest book by Aussie crime writer Candice Fox. I loved Candice’s Crimson Lake series, so I was excited to start this book. Unlike previous Candice Fox books that are set in Australia, Gathering Dark takes place in LA. It tells the story of a young woman’s disappearance and how a bunch of very different women band together to find her.

Blair Harbour was once a respected surgeon until she went to jail for killing a neighbour and lost custody of her child. Now she’s out and trying to keep her nose clean. But then her former cellmate, Sneak, comes crashing back into her life. Sneak’s daughter Dayley is missing and she needs Blair’s help finding her. Their investigation will see them team up with another former prison mate, Ada Maverick, and with the woman who arrested Blair years ago, Detective Jessica Sanchez. Continue reading →

Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox Review

Janereads7 Comments
Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox review
Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox, ISBN 9780143789154, 372pp

Gone by Midnight by Candice Fox is the third book in a crime series set in far north Queensland. I read the first book Crimson Lake earlier this year and absolutely love it, so went on to read the second book Redemption Point. I recommend that you start with these two books before reading Gone by Midnight. But it can be read as a stand-alone book if you want to. Just realise that there will be spoilers from book one and two in it.

This crime series is set in the fictional far north Queensland town of Crimson Lake near Cairns. It follows disgraced ex-cop and falsely imprisoned Ted Conkaffey, now turned Private Investigator, and his convicted killer and eccentric partner Amanda Pharrell. Amanda is quirky, heavily tattooed, has no filter and is a brilliant investigator. Ted is a more by-the-book investigator, but his life has been changed forever after being jailed for a heinous crime he didn’t commit which turned him into one of the most hated people in Australia. In Gone by Midnight he is trying to live a normal life, do his job, and look after his small daughter on her first approved visit to stay with him. His ex-wife is visiting a wellness retreat nearby. Continue reading →

Redemption Point by Candice Fox Review

Janereads5 Comments
Redemption Point by Candice Fox review photo
Redemption Point by Candice Fox review, ISBN 9780143793366, 410pp

A fellow Australian bookstagrammer introduced me to Candice Fox. My friend kept raving about what a great crime writer Candice is and I finally listened to her advice and read Crimson Lake. I was instantly hooked by this book and author. Redemption Point is the second book in this crime series, though you could read it as a stand-alone book if you want to. But I recommend that you read Crimson Lake first!

I wouldn’t say that I’m a huge crime fiction reader, but I do appreciate reading this genre when it’s well-written, has awesome plot twists that I can’t guess, and characters who are interesting and unique. Candice Fox delivers all this and more. If you like Australian author Jane Harper’s books, and you’re after something a bit grittier but just as good, this is a great series to try. Continue reading →

Crimson Lake by Candice Fox Review

Janereads7 Comments
Crimson Lake by Candice Fox review
Crimson Lake by Candice Fox, ISBN 9781784758066, 405pp

I have to admit that I would never have picked up Crimson Lake by Candice Fox if not for the repeated recommendation from a bookstagram friend. Candice Fox is an Australian crime writer who has about eleven books under her belt, including a few co-written with publishing superstar James Patterson.

Don’t get me wrong, I do like reading crime novels by Australian authors — Jane Harper is my favourite — but I don’t read this genre too often and I have a “to be read” pile bursting at the seams. But my husband found me a second-hand copy of Crimson Lake and I was then out of excuses. I had to give Candice Fox a chance.

And my verdict? Crimson Lake is one of the best books I’ve read for ages. Continue reading →

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan Review

Janereads7 Comments
The Ruin
The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan, ISBN 9781460754214, 380pp, Pub Feb 2018

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan is a debut novel set in Galway, Ireland. I was sent a copy of this book for review by HarperCollins Australia and it sat in my to be read pile for a while. When I finally picked it up, I was instantly hooked by the writing and expert plotting. The Ruin very much reads like it should be book ten from a well-established author instead of a debut. I read mostly crime thrillers rather than police procedural novels, but I’ve read enough of this genre to know that this is a high quality example.

The Ruin has been compared to the bestselling The Dry (probably because Dervla and Jane Harper both live in Australia) but I think it’s very different from The Dry.

Continue reading →