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Sunday 17 January 2021

What do SILVER and BLOODLINE have in common?

 



My January 2021 self-imposed reading goal of letting my mood guide me in selecting books that are already on my shelf is off to a flying start! On first glance, my first two choices, SILVER and BLOODLINE don’t have much in common. SILVER: male Aussie author, middle-aged male protagonist, rural small town Australian setting, murder, present time, intrigue, conspiracy, secrets and the past coming back to haunt you. BLOODLINE: female US author, young female protagonist, rural small town Minnesotan setting, 1968 timeline, creepy neighbours, danger is closing in. But I found a common theme running through both novels that is obviously my go-to theme right now.

 

Two little words may give you a clue: small town. Both novels really make the most of their small town settings, creating a sinister, tense, claustrophobic atmosphere that had me frantically turning the pages. And whilst I had many theories, the ultimate reveal, definitely straying into the realm of the elaborate conspiracy theory in both stories, ultimately came as a surprise.

 

SILVER is the second book in the Martin Scarsden series, and if you have read and enjoyed SCRUBLANDS you will be pleased to know that Hammer has once again evoked his powers to create a tense, atmospheric novel set in rural Australia. This time, Martin takes us to the coast, to Port Silver, the town he grew up in and which he has tried so hard to escape. He is not off to a good start, however, stumbling into a murder scene within a few pages of the opening chapter, and things soon go wrong from here.

 

In typical Hammer style, from here follows a multi-layers plot with many colourful characters and diverse threads that ultimately connect in an action packed finale that I could not have seen coming. If you like a simple whodunit where you can use your own detective skills to follow the clues, you might soon find yourself out of depth here, but for those of us who are looking for a totally original and unpredictable premise, this book is perfect. I loved the tense, claustrophobic setting that evokes many a small coastal Australian town, and I knew the area he was describing from previous travel, which made it all the more vivid in my mind. You will be hard pressed to find a better setting than this, it really was armchair travel at its best! I also appreciated learning more about Martin’s past, which really fleshed him out as a character I can’t wait to revisit in TRUST, the next book in the series.

 

 

BLOODLINE is my first book by Jess Lourey, but I was instantly drawn to its 1968 timeline and its small rural Minnesotan town setting. Even more so when I heard that it was based on a true unsolved crime that had been committed in the author’s own home town! I was pleased to find that the lead was an enigmatic, plucky young woman, who is finding herself stranded in Lilydale, her boyfriend’s hometown. Joan, a city girl through and through, finds the overly friendly gestures of her new neighbours strangely intrusive, and as time progresses even threatening. The small idyllic town seems to harbour a darkness that is not immediately obvious on the surface, but which becomes more menacing as the townspeople hear of Joan’s pregnancy. Suddenly, everyone seems to be watching her every move. But worse, her boyfriend and close friend believe that it is all in her mind. Is Joan going crazy, or is there really something sinister afoot in Lilydale? From here follows a dark, sinister tale of secrets that definitely strayed into the realm of the conspiracy theory towards the end. But whilst it required a bit of suspension of disbelief, the claustrophobic atmosphere had woven its evil web and I was totally hooked and invested in the story. With my penchant for sinister small town settings I discovered that I had already bought the author’s previous novel, UNSPEAKABLE THINGS, which is also set in rural Minnesota. I can’t wait to read it!

 

So here we are, and I am very pleased with the start of my reading year. Living in a small town myself, I see the potential for dark secrets festering in a seemingly idyllic setting. If you could set a mystery anywhere, what backdrop would you chose?


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