Taut, Suspenseful and Utterly Compelling: Read Our Review of Black River by Matthew Spencer

Taut, suspenseful and utterly compelling, Black River is one of the best thrillers you’ll read this year.

A long, burning summer in Sydney. A young woman found murdered in the deserted grounds of an elite boarding school. A serial killer preying on victims along the banks of the Parramatta River. A city on edge.

Adam Bowman, a battling journalist who grew up as the son of a teacher at Prince Albert College, might be the only person who can uncover the links between the school murder and the ‘Blue Moon Killer’. But he will have to go into the darkest places of his childhood to piece together the clues. Detective Sergeant Rose Riley, meanwhile, is part of the taskforce desperately trying to find the killer before he strikes again. Adam Bowman’s excavation of his past might turn out to be Rose’s biggest trump card or it may bring the whole investigation crashing down, putting her own life in danger.

Journalist Matthew Spencer used his own childhood as inspiration for this excellent debut. He grew up the son of teachers, living on the 320-acre campus of a boys’ boarding school. Long summers on the largely deserted property while exploring the remnant bush with its tributary flowing off the Parramatta River are all weaved into Black River, adding to its authenticity.

A serial killer is weaving terror in Sydney’s North West, with two bodies in the river at Gladesville and now another young woman in Parramatta. Journalist Adam Bowman just happened to grow up on the Elite school campus where her body was found, so is sent to see what he can uncover about the case, which brings him face-to-face with his own past.

Spencer’s use of Sydney here is fresh and atmospheric. It opens with an inner-city newsroom. The killer is preying on victims along the banks of the Parramatta River, a location I’ve yet to see in a crime novel. The elite Parramatta boarding school grounds add privilege and tension to the case. It’s summer, and the tone is set – dark, tense and gritty.

Spencer’s writing is taut and pitch-perfect, as one would expect from a journalist with decades of experience. He builds the tension, not giving too much away too soon, and keeping you guessing throughout each twist and turn.

Black River is an exceptional debut, and one of the best Australian crimes to hit the shelves so far this year.

Buy a copy of Black River here.