Old loyalties and decades-long feuds rise to the surface in this stunning crime novel, set in a spectacular Australian landscape known for its jagged cliffs and hidden caves.
Detective Sergeant Mark Ariti has taken a few days’ holiday in Broken Bay at precisely the wrong time. The small fishing town on South Australia’s Limestone Coast is now the scene of a terrible tragedy. Renowned cave diver Mya Rennik has drowned while exploring a sinkhole on the land of wealthy farmer Frank Doyle.
As the press descends, Mark’s boss orders him to stay put and assist the police operation. But when they retrieve Mya’s body, a whole new mystery opens up, around the disappearance of a young local woman twenty years before…
Suddenly Mark is diving deep into the town’s history – and in particular the simmering rivalry between its two most prominent families, the Doyles and Sinclairs. Then a murder takes place at the Sinclairs’ old home – and Mark is left wondering which is more dangerous: Broken Bay’s hidden subterranean world or the secretive town above it…
Margaret Hickey blazed onto the Australian crime writing scene in 2021 with Cutters End, that introduced readers to Detective Mark Ariti, a relatable, flawed protagonist. Her 2022 follow-up, Stone Town, was just as well received and had Mark, now a Senior Sergeant hoping for a quiet posting in his old hometown. That didn’t go to plan, but nothing ever does for Mark.
This time, he is on holidays in the South Australian coastal town of Broken Bay, reflecting on his life, and once again embroiled in a murder.
‘God I hate the ocean, Mark thought.’
The poor guy can’t catch a break, but lucky for us because Hickey just gets better and better, delivering another nail-biting read to top off this three-year trifecta.
Once again Hickey uses the setting to add tension. Her past two novels have had a real outback noir feel, however this time, she uses the South Australian coast, along with its limestone coast and underwater caves. It’s a wonderfully fresh setting for a crime novel, and the underwater scenes are suffocatingly horrifying. I was riveted, although won’t be taking up cave diving anytime soon.
The mystery is perfectly plotted, unfolding throughout with the use of flashbacks, community connections, secrets, Mark’s investigative skills and some surprising twists. Hickey pares that with sparse prose, punchy dialogue, some laughs and a cracking pace, meaning this is easily a one-sitting read. Once started, you won’t want to stop.
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