An addictive new thriller from multi-award-winning author Emma Viskic.
‘You should be careful, Mr Zelic. Because the person who killed Peter Taylor will almost certainly kill again.’ The detective’s glassy eyes didn’t blink. ‘And you’re already in their sights.’
Deaf PI Caleb Zelic has always been an outsider, estranged from family and friends. But when he receives a message that his brother, Anton, is in danger, Caleb sees it as a chance at redemption.
He tracks Anton down to a small, wind-punished island, where secrets run deep and resentments deeper. When a sniper starts terrorising the isolated community, the brothers must rely on each other like never before. But trust comes at a deadly price…
This is the fourth book in the award-winning Caleb Zelic series, with each successive offering better than the last. And that’s saying something. Already, Viskic has won five Davitt Awards and a Ned Kelly Award for Resurrection Bay, which was also shortlisted for the prestigious UK Gold Dagger Award. While each book can be read as a standalone, her growing readership confirms the fact that one book isn’t enough. Emma Viskic is absolutely one of this country’s best crime writers, and by reading one, it’s guaranteed that you’ll read the whole series.
Profoundly deaf, after contracting Meningitis as a child, Caleb Zelic is one of the genre’s most compelling protagonists. His deafness is a tool for adding complexity to him and tension to the plot. Viskic consulted with deaf communities when creating Caleb and continues to study Auslan (Australian sign language).
In this fourth instalment, the characters are familiar, but certainly not stagnant. They evolve in each novel. Now, Caleb is back with his wife Kat and they’re expecting their first child. Although things are good, pending fatherhood adds to Caleb’s internal struggles. His focus is to prioritise Kat and his family, but then he hears that his brother Anton is in danger. Anton has relapsed and is currently in a treatment centre on Muttonbird Island. Caleb arrives there to find all sorts of trouble that will keep you reading until well after lights out.
As always, Viskic’s writing sings; it’s incredibly polished, with taut plotting and laconic humour. It’s not unusual to read reviews about how you’ll never see a twist coming in a thriller, only to read that same book and see each plot twist a mile away. But with Viskic, it’s true. She really does throw some unexpected humdingers at Caleb, leaving you ripping through the pages to the explosive end.
Those Who Perish secures Emma Viskic’s place among our best authors. It’s a thrilling read.
Leave a Reply