4 Star
The lead homicide investigator in a rural town, Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is deeply unnerved when a high school classmate is found strangled, her body floating in a lake. And not just any classmate, but Rosalind Ryan, whose beauty and inscrutability exerted a magnetic pull on Smithson High School, first during Rosalind's student years and then again when she returned to teach drama.
As much as Rosalind's life was a mystery to Gemma when they were students together, her death presents even more of a puzzle. What made Rosalind quit her teaching job in Sydney and return to her hometown? Why did she live in a small, run-down apartment when her father was one of the town's richest men? And despite her many admirers, did anyone in the town truly know her?
Rosalind's enigmas frustrate and obsess Gemma, who has her own dangerous secrets—an affair with her colleague and past tragedies that may not stay in the past.
Sabrina-Kate - 4 Star
As I have said before, I do truly love mysteries with crime fiction and this combined the best of both worlds. Gemma Woodstock is the police officer investigating the terrible crime, in order to find out who killed her former friend, Rosalind Ryan. A bit of a crisis of conscience and a coming to terms of the trauma- this book alternates through the past and present in order to put every piece of the puzzle together.
Gemma is not a terribly compelling character as she is not particularly likeable but her life definitely drew me in. The mystery kept me intrigued and I was very entertained. I liked how I was unable to unravel the story until the author decided to put everything together. Gemma has a messy life, past and present, which helped to keep me guessing about all that was happening and had happened.
A fantastic thriller, full of mystery and suspense, I enjoyed this author’s writing style quite a lot and got to know a bit about New South Wales where it is set.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for our review copy. All opinions are our own.
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A page-turner by a first-time novelist. The plot (police procedural?) has many layers, twists and turns. She is an excellent writer; I’ll look for more from this author.
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