Crimson Lake (Crimson Lake, Book One)

 

CANDICE FOX

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Forge, 2020.

How acquired: Borrowed from my mom.

First line: I was having some seriously dark thoughts when I found Woman.

(For Goodreads synopsis, scroll down.)

My thoughts: A unique plot, with Ted, an accused child rapist/murderer (his case was dropped for lack of evidence that could sway a jury) teaming up with Amanda, a convicted murderer turned private investigator, to look into the disappearance of a local well known author. Told in first person POV by Ted, a former police detective, we get a deep dive into what his life is like after having spent eight months in prison and losing his job, his reputation, his wife, his baby daughter, and all of his friends. While working with Amanda, a strange and quirky woman who pled guilty to her crime, he begins to secretly look into her case and stir things up.

I love stories set in Australia, though mostly what I've read was in the Outback, so I did not expect to read about people in cities and towns living with crocodiles practically in their back yards. The author did a wonderful job setting the atmosphere, and convincing me I do not want to live anywhere near a croc. Though I wouldn't mind having a goose and her babies for pets, as Ted finds himself doing.

I never knew where the plot would go next, and the last 30 pages or so had me on the edge of my seat. I need the second book immediately!

Goodreads synopsis: How do you move on when the world won't let you?

12:46: Claire Bingley stands alone at a bus stop
12:47: Ted Conkaffey parks his car beside her
12:52: The girl is missing . . .

Six minutes in the wrong place at the wrong time--that's all it took to ruin Sydney detective Ted Conkaffey's life. Accused but not convicted of a brutal abduction, Ted is now a free man--and public enemy number one. Maintaining his innocence, he flees north to keep a low profile amidst the steamy, croc-infested wetlands of Crimson Lake.

There, Ted's lawyer introduces him to eccentric private investigator Amanda Pharrell, herself a convicted murderer. Not entirely convinced Amanda is a cold-blooded killer, Ted agrees to help with her investigation, a case full of deception and obsession, while secretly digging into her troubled past. The residents of Crimson Lake are watching the pair's every move . . . and the town offers no place to hide.