A slow, complicated mystery that pays off in the end.
Past and present collide as an Australian woman confronts a series of mysteries in Roach’s dramatic debut novel.
In 2006, Lola Harris must return to her small Australian hometown of York for a funeral and to receive her inheritance following the death of her foster mom, Blossom—one of “two tidy deaths” revealed in the novel’s opening line. On the plane, she looks over an article about an exotic dancer and convicted murderer named Lovely Lorrelai, which Blossom sent her before she died, and she hears from a fellow passenger that a serial rapist has apparently returned to the town after an eight-year absence. Back in York, she bumps into familiar figures from her childhood: Perry, a pest; Ben “Walshy” Walsh, whom she still considers the love of her life; Shelley Turner, a friend with dark secrets; and Mary, Lola’s old boss at the local bar, who gives Lola a key that Blossom left her. Each person will play a role in solving the mystery that Lola uncovers, which involves a book of sketches of Lorrelai. In the book’s second part, Lorrelai speaks for herself as the story makes a startling shift to the past—one that will excite and infuriate readers (in the best way) and leads to a cliffhanger in the present day. In general, the novel switches between Lola’s childhood and adulthood quite seamlessly; her memories, interspersed throughout, effectively inform the most urgent events of the present and enrich the cast of characters as well. In Part 2, what feels at first like a digression turns into its own rich story with additional intrigue, although it’s not quite as exciting or dramatic as Part 1. A tense third act successfully ties it all together with a satisfying resolution to each thread. Along the way, Roach finds moments to illustrate nature, as when “bugs dance in the beams” of car headlights. These reflections on the Australian setting are a consistent treat even as tension builds at every turn.
A slow, complicated mystery that pays off in the end.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2021
ISBN: 979-8541064643
Page Count: 323
Publisher: Independently Published
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Fast-moving excitement with a satisfying finish.
The feds must protect an accused criminal and an orphaned girl.
Maybe you’ve met him before as protagonist of The 6:20 Man (2022): Ex-Army Ranger Travis Devine, who’d had the dubious fortune to tangle with “the girl on the train,” is now assigned by his homeland security boss to protect Danny Glass, who's awaiting trial on multiple RICO charges in Washington state. Devine has what it takes: He “was a closer, snooper, fixer, investigator,” and, when necessary, a killer. These skills are on full display as the deaths of three key witnesses grind justice to a temporary halt. Glass has a 12-year-old niece, Betsy Odom, and each is the other’s only living relative—her parents recently died of an apparent drug overdose. The FBI has temporary guardianship of Betsy, who's a handful. She tells Travis that though she’s not yet 13, she's 28 in “life-shit years.” The financially well-heeled Glass wants to be her legal guardian with an eye to eventual adoption, but what are his real motives? And what happens to her if he's convicted? Meanwhile, Betsy insists that her parents never touched drugs, and she begs Travis to find out how they really died. This becomes part of a mission that oozes danger. The small town of Ricketts has a woman mayor who’s full of charm on the surface, but deeply corrupt and deadly when crossed. She may be linked to a subversive group called "12/24/65," as in 1865, when the Ku Klux Klan beast was born. Blood flows, bombs explode, and people perish, both good guys and not-so-good guys. Readers might ponder why in fiction as well as in life, it sometimes seems necessary for many to die so one may live. And what about the girl on the train? She's not necessary to the plot, but she's a fun addition as she pops in and out of the pages, occasionally leaving notes for Travis. Maybe she still wants him dead.
Fast-moving excitement with a satisfying finish.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781538757901
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.
Stephanie Plum’s 31st adventure shows that Trenton’s preeminent fugitive-apprehension agent still has plenty of tricks up her sleeve, and needs every one of them.
The current caseload for Stephanie and Lula—the ex-prostitute file clerk at her cousin Vincent Plum’s bail bonds company, who serves as her unflappable sidekick—begins with two “failures to appear.” Eugene Fleck is suspected of being Robin Hoodie, who robs from the rich and, yes, distributes the proceeds to the poor. Racketeer Bruno Jug, who’s missed his court date on charges of tax evasion, is also suspected of drugging and raping a 14-year-old. But neither of these fugitives can hold a candle to Zoran Djordjevic, aka Fang, a self-proclaimed vampire wanted in connection with the gruesome fate of his late wife and three other missing women. As usual, Stephanie’s personal life is just as helter-skelter as her professional life as a bounty hunter. She’s managed to get herself engaged both to Det. Joe Morelli, of the Trenton PD, and Ranger, a former Special Forces agent who runs a private security firm; she thinks she may be pregnant; and she’s willing to marry the father, whichever of her fiances that turns out to be. On top of it all, her nothingburger schoolmate Herbert Slovinski suddenly pops up at one of the funerals she ferries her Grandma Mazur to, hitting on her relentlessly and gilding his importunities by cleaning and painting her shabby apartment and laying new carpet. Luckily, Lula’s on hand to offer cupcakes that stave off the worst disasters, and whenever this hodgepodge threatens to slow down, another FTA appears, or fails to appear.
As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781668003138
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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