crime thriller | Lost in a Good Book

Every Last Suspect by Nicola Moriarty

Published: 04 June 2024 (print)/04 June 2024 (audio)
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia/Bolinda Publishing
Pages: 384/8 hrs and 56 mins
Narrator: Claire Warrillow, Eva Seymour, George El Hindi, Jessica Stanley
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Domestic Thriller/Mystery
★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Complicated, driven, loving. Manipulative, irresistible, monstrous.

Love or hate her, Harriet Osman is impossible to turn down. But someone in her life has finally snapped, leaving her lying in a pool of her own blood. Harriet isn’t one to die quietly though, and she is determined to reveal her killer before she goes.

Was it her devoted husband, Malek, with a violent past? Her best friend and lover, Victoria, with a deadly secret only Harriet knew? Or the new woman in her life, fellow school mum Karen? The one with an impeccable reputation … or so she says.

Bullying, friendships and games (in and out of the bedroom) combine with envy, lust and revenge, creating a darkly twisted tale of drama and suspense where the question isn’t who killed Harriet, but why did it take them so long?

I recently heard Moriarty speak at the Newcastle Writers’ Festival and was intrigue by her new book. I’ve enjoyed her books in the past and the premise was interesting and a different way to approach a mystery and a whodunit. The victim uses her dying moments to try and work out who has killed her. Who would have a motive to harm her? If only it could be figured out before she died then maybe she could leave a clue to those who find her. It piqued my interest and I was curious to see how it played out, especially Moriarty’s discussion about having a character who was unlikable, but balanced to also gain sympathy from readers.

I enjoyed the breakdown of the points of view, the three suspects Harriet believes could be her murderer. As we get each perspective we see how Harriet has influenced their behaviour and impacted on their lives in ways even they couldn’t imagine.

One thing I love about well done mysteries is having characters who can be complicated enough to have depth and feel real on the page, but also needing enough motive and be the kind of person who could kill someone. Moriarty does this incredibly well because as these lives play out in the Western Suburbs, the almost parasitic way Harriet has infiltrated their thoughts and their lives is enough to make you think they have a chance to risk everything to get payback.

The possible motives of the characters are fantastic and I loved the complexity and unique way everything is revealed. The surprise/non surprise party for Harriet is a great way to gather everyone and I loved how it’s a jumping off point to set things in motion as well as bring everything to a head.

The representation of messy families, jealousies, fears, hidden pasts, and semi toxic friendships is wonderful and nothing ever felt false or overdone. Each character brings their history and personality to the story and you could feel their real lives being impacted by Harriet and her actions.

I loved how complex Harriet was. She is a mean girl, a toxic friend, a person everyone loved and wanted to be friends with but could also burn you at the slightest thing. She was flawed but not entirely bad either and having her deductions in her own head as she dies it gives us an insight into her motives that beautifully contrast how those motives are perceived by everyone around her. Her flaws and own short comings make her be perceived in a harsh light, more than she intends, but she is also in no way completely innocent either. Moriarty has balanced her wonderfully.

The ending is deeply satisfying because not only is the revelation fantastic, the wrap up is incredibly clever. Things you don’t think are important come back, and things that felt important weren’t or they are in a different way. Unconnected things become connected and there’s misleads and expectations that don’t come to light. All the while making you think if some things had been discovered sooner would they have made a difference? You’re never really sure and it’s a great thing to leave readers thinking about.

You can purchase Every Last Suspect via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Flank Street by A. J. Sendall

Published: 15th May 2015
Publisher: Ascend Digital Publications
Pages: 310
Format: Ebook
Genre: Crime Thriller
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Flank Street is set in Australia, mainly in Sydney’s Kings Cross. It’s written in first person from the distorted reality of Micky DeWitt, a shiftless career criminal and world sailor.

Micky arrives in Sydney by boat, broke and on the lookout for opportunity. After taking a job as barman in a Kings Cross pub, he’s eventually approached by a high-end escort who needs something stolen.

Nothing is what it seems, as Micky falls into a honey trap that spins his life out of control.
Some characters from Heather make an appearance, including Mitchell, and the enigmatic Ray Peterson.

Note: I was provided with a copy of this book from the author for review.

This is the second book in the Sydney Underworld series and takes place before the events set in Heather but remains connected to the life at Kings Cross and includes many familiar faces. It was interesting to read about what the Cross was like before Loretto Reed took over and where certain characters started out, and knowing how the story pans out it was great to see little clues and references scattered throughout. Reading this also made me realise I had made assumptions in Heather which I hadn’t noticed, and having read Heather it made this a better read as well because there was a deeper understanding of even minor characters.

Told from a first-person perspective Flank Street focuses on Micky, a guy with a mysterious past who turns up to Sydney on his boat with the intention of getting involved with the underbelly of Sydney life. I liked Micky’s no-nonsense approach, he knew what he wanted and he went out and got it. His history is not really known and while he makes passing references to where he has been, there is still not a lot known about him. While I would love to know more about Micky’s history it isn’t important to the story and it also made him fit in well with his new life, someone with secrets, a vague past, with a certain set of skills.

It’s hard not to see similarities between Heather and Sam from the first book and Micky and Carol in this one, but at the same time they are also totally separate as well. While Sam enters the Kings Cross life after being convinced by another and with a mission to achieve, Micky chooses it because it is a world where he is comfortable and a place where he is looking to get in with a particular type of people and seeing where that road leads him.

Having only heard about Carol in snippets previously it was easy to see her as a victim, but getting to know her makes you realise she isn’t the nicest person, nor is she that innocent. From early on Carol got little sympathy for me, she was manipulative and selfish and it appears she has secrets of her own. Her association with Micky was curious, never quite trusting one another and both trying to get something from the other. Micky isn’t a fool, he is smart and he is wary but he does get talked into things. Even after telling himself she is not to be trusted that she is playing him, he still goes along with her ideas, against his gut instinct.

I loved getting back into the gritty Underworld of Sydney, albeit from a different angle. Sendall captures the atmosphere of that life and the control one person can have over a place but doesn’t make it too over the top, unrealistic, or even overly dramatic. The hidden threat and the secret agenda of nearly everyone involved means that everyone can be hiding something and not really knowing what people are thinking or are capable of makes for an enthralling read.

Much like Heather this story is one of boats, the underworld, and an outsider looking for a way in, but Sendall makes it much more than that. He has managed to create an elaborate story with intricate connections and complex and mysterious characters that all come together in an engaging and clever read. Flank Street is a wonderful continuation of the series and with a conclusion that boggles your mind and makes you rethink everything you have read Sendall makes sure to uphold your interest and eagerness for the next book in the series.

You can purchase Flank Street via the following

Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.com.au

Barnes & Noble | Createspace