"Beautiful things are hard to keep alive."
Smithson, set in between mountain ranges in Australia, is a community that has seen recent growth over the past decade. Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock has lived there all her life, attended the local high school, and is now a detective with the local police. When the body of a woman is found in Sonny Lake, Gemma is stunned to find out that the victim is an old classmate of hers -- the gorgeous and talented Rosalind Ryan. It's been 10 years since their school leaving and Rosalind had returned to teach drama at Smithson High. She was murdered just after the first performance of the play she had worked so hard to put on and the whole town is in shock as Rosalind was respected and loved by all.
Gemma has some serious secrets, however, and her feelings about Rosalind aren't quite along the same line, but she commits herself to the investigation. She's partners (with benefits) with DS Felix McKinnon and both immediately apply themselves to the routine of a big murder case. NO SPOILERS but this is a very complicated situation compounded by Gemma's history.
Basically a police procedural and crime thriller, this debut offers a real atmospheric read along with the mystery of who killed Rosalind and why. Gemma is quite the complex character and I alternated between liking and despising her -- she is a bit of a hot mess, actually, and has demons that threaten her present day that are being dredged up by her past. Her partner, Felix, doesn't help matters and their involvement threatens more than just their home situations. There were many other significant characters and many theories and possible motives regarding the murder as well as the requisite red herrings though a savvy reader will make some accurate guesses. All told, it's a good read and I did love the detail and description about the town and its inhabitants. The weather -- December in Australia is unbearably hot -- also added to the levels of tension and the heaviness of the tone of the book. I'm quite interested to see what happens to Gemma after the conclusion of this particular case and hope that she's going to get herself together and come to terms with what happened in her past. I loved the writing style and the flip between THEN and NOW.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the e-book ARC to read and review. I realized just recently that it was far overdue and plan to start the second in the series immediately so that I can have it finished by the publication date! Next up: INTO THE NIGHT.
This is the first in a new series.
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