Crimson Lake

12.46: Thirteen-year-old 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 – that’s all it took to ruin Detective Ted Conkaffey’s life. Accused but not convicted of Claire’s abduction, he escapes north, to the steamy, croc-infested wetlands of Crimson Lake.

Amanda Pharrell knows what it’s like to be public enemy number one. Maybe it’s her murderous past that makes her so good as a private investigator, tracking lost souls in the wilderness. Her latest target, missing author Jake Scully, has a life more shrouded in secrets than her own – so she enlists help from the one person in town more hated than she is: Ted Conkaffey.

But the residents of Crimson Lake are watching the pair’s every move. And for Ted, a man already at breaking point, this town is offering no place to hide . . .

Review by Sarah McDuling

Candice Fox is my hero! Award-winning Australian crime writer of the Archer & Bennett series, she also co-wrote Never, Never with James Patterson, which was definitely one of my favourite crime reads of 2016.

When I first heard about Crimson Lake, I thought it sounded amazing, and suspected that I would love it. And I was right! I have devoured everything Candice Fox has ever written, but even burdened by my incredibly high expectations, Crimson Lake still managed to blow me away.

This book is a gripping thriller containing three mysteries woven together in an expertly crafted and perfectly paced plot which held me utterly captivated from the first page. The characters are layered and compelling, the story is dark and disturbing, the atmosphere is vivid and highly evocative - all of which I have come to expect from this talented author.

Set in a small town in north Queensland, this is the story of former policemen Ted Conkaffey, who was arrested but never actually convicted of the brutal kidnapping and rape of 13-year-old Claire Bingley. Ted maintains his innocence and was released due to lack of evidence, however, the world has judged him guilty.

Meanwhile, Amanda Pharrell is the local Private Investigator... and also a convicted killer. Amanda has never claimed to be innocent of committing murder, and yet nor has she ever provided a motive for the killing. When Amanda hires Ted to help her investigate the presumed death of a famous author, it doesn't take long for things to get very complicated. Ted is prickly and defensive. Amanda is eccentric and inappropriate. Both of them are haunted by their painful pasts.

Will Ted ever prove his innocence and clear his name? Is Amanda really a killer? Was popular author, Jake Scully, actually eaten by a crocodile? These are just a few of the questions posed in Crimson Lake, and believe me when I say you will be desperate for the answers.

This book is so totally riveting, I swear my eyeballs felt bruised by the time I finished reading. (I also think I may have forgotten how to blink at some point in the middle.) I really hope Candice Fox plans to write more books about Ted and Amanda. I'm just not ready to say goodbye to these characters yet!