Jeff Popple reviews three books about old crimes and current dangers. More of Jeff’s reviews can be found on his blog: murdermayhemandlongdogs.com
Lowbridge by Lucy Campbell
Ultimo, $34.99
Canberra writer Lucy Campbell makes a strong entry into the realm of Australian crime fiction with her debut Lowbridge.
Set in the fictional, small country town of Lowbridge, the eponymous novel is a well-crafted, slow burn of a mystery that revolves around the disappearance of a 17-year-old girl in 1987. Thirty years later, newcomer to Lowbridge, Katherine Ashworth, is trying to recover from her own personal drama and becomes obsessed with the events surrounding the disappearance. Shifting smoothly between 1987 and 2018, Lowbridge is an engaging crime novel that does a good job of recreating the divisions and tensions in semi-rural Australia.
Traced by Catherine Jinks
Text, $32.99
Veteran author Catherine Jinks also makes good use of recent events in Traced.
Set during the COVID pandemic, it opens with Jane Macdonald, a contact tracer for a western Sydney hospital, calling a young woman to advise that she has been identified as a close contact and must isolate. The woman becomes hysterical, claiming her fiancé will be extremely angry and that she fears for her safety. Jane soon comes to realise that the fiancé is the same man that she and her daughter have been hiding from for the past six years. A powerful examination of domestic abuse and control.
Zero Hours by Ruth Ware
Simon & Schuster, $32.99
Best known for her intricate British whodunits, Ruth Ware heads down a different path with Zero Days, which is a classic chase thriller.
Hired by companies to break into buildings and test security systems, Jack and her husband Gabe are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes wrong, Jack arrives home late to find Gabe murdered. She is devastated, but it soon becomes clear that the police have only one suspect in mind – her. In order to clear her name, and to find her husband’s killer, Jack goes on the run. Fast paced, and highly addictive reading.
