Some secrets you try to hide. Others you don't dare let out ... Twin Peaks meets The Dry in a deliciously dark and twisted tale that unravels a small town
Ambitious young journalist Marlowe 'Lo' Robertson would do anything to escape the suffocating confines of her small home town. While begrudgingly covering the annual show for the local paper, Lo is horrified to discover the mutilated corpse of Lily Williams, the reigning showgirl and Lo's best friend. Seven strange symbols have been ruthlessly carved into Lily's back. But when Lo reports her grisly find to the town's police chief, he makes her promise not to tell anyone about the symbols. Lo obliges, though it's not like she has much of a choice - after all, he is also her father.
When Lily's murder makes headlines around the country and the town is invaded by the media, Lo seizes the opportunity to track down the killer and make a name for herself by breaking the biggest story of her life.
What Lo uncovers is that her sleepy home town has been harbouring a deadly secret, one so shocking that it will captivate the entire nation. Lo's story will change the course of her life forever, but in a way she could never have dreamed of.
A dark and twisty thriller set in regional Australia
There are plenty of unexpected twists and untrustworthy characters in journalist Nicola West's crime-thriller fiction debut, Catch Us The Foxes.
The book is presented as meta-fiction, in that the major part of the narrative consists of a manuscript entitled "The Showgirl's Secret", authored by the main protagonist. Journalist-turned-celebrated-true-crime-writer Marlowe "Lo" Robertson relates events that take place over the course of a single week in and around the NSW coastal town of Kiama, located 120km south of Sydney.
While attending the town of Kiama's agricultural show and taking photographs for the local newspaper, Lo stumbles upon the lifeless body of her erstwhile best friend and current Kiama showgirl, Lily Williams. Not only has Lily been brutally murdered, but Lo observes a series of unusual symbols carved into the flesh on her back. While her father, the town’s senior police officer, cautions her against telling anyone about the mysterious wounds, Lo's journalistic instincts take hold and she begins her own investigation into the curious events leading up to Lily's murder.
Her investigations lead her to uncover startling revelations suggesting that a strange and exclusive death cult is operating in Kiama, engaging in child abuse and murder. Lo senses that a cover-up is being orchestrated to account for Lily's untimely death, and she begins to believe that she's found a career-breaking story.
Catch Us the Foxes explores a range of themes, including small-town attitudes, the impact of xenophobia, police corruption, journalistic integrity and parent-child relationships. I found it an intriguing read but must admit that I found the concluding twist somewhat unsatisfying in the context of the whole.
That said, I see a lot of promise in Nicola West's writing - her character development and dialogue was excellent, and the small town setting skilfully drawn. I'd recommend Catch Us the Foxes to readers who enjoy high drama in their thrillers, dark and twisty themes and well-described regional Australian settings. I look forward to reading future releases by Nicola West.
Sarah, 29/07/2021
