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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