Cosy & Haunting: Read our Review of Murder at Thornwood Park by Joan Sauers

Set within an intriguing village community of friends, neighbours (and enemies), all living at the edge of the atmospheric forests of the mysterious Southern Highlands.

When historian Rose McHugh is left a mysterious bequest after the death of the reclusive heiress of Thornwood Park, she’s excited to visit the estate.

But when Rose realises she may have found evidence of women going missing, she delves deeper. During World War II, the nearby Robertson Hotel housed trainees of the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force, who often attended lavish parties thrown by Thornwood’s wealthy owners.

Unearthing a decades-old mystery is a challenge… particularly when it may lead to the unmasking of a serial killer. And it appears that someone in the misty Southern Highlands will do anything to keep the killer’s identity hidden.

Born in New York, Joan Sauers is a screenwriter, producer and author who worked in London, Los Angeles and New York before settling in Australia. She has lectured in screenwriting in Sydney, London, Paris, Berlin and Casablanca, and has had seventeen books published in Australia, the United States, India and Japan. Joan has written for television series including Heartbreak High, Wakefield and Ladies in Black, and currently has a comedy feature film in development with Denim Pictures. She lives with her family in the Southern Highlands.

Sauers is back with another masterfully written thriller. Murder at Thornwood Park completely consumed me from the very first chapter. I couldn’t put it down. The atmosphere Sauers creates is dark, haunting and immersive, perfectly complementing Rose’s investigation. Every chapter delivered another twist that kept me shocked and desperate to know what would happen next.

One aspect that really stayed with me was the historical detail woven throughout the story. The Robertson Hotel, a central location in Rose’s journey, is layered with fascinating Australian history that I’d never encountered in a book before. Learning how the building was used during World War II, and later discovering how that history connected to the serial killer, was genuinely captivating. It was eerie, intriguing and incredibly entertaining all at once.

If you love mysteries with unforgettable settings, this book is a must-read. The misty Southern Highlands are vividly brought to life through Sauers’ clean prose and excellent pacing. I could picture every scene in detail, which made the intense moments hit even harder. I lost a lot of sleep because of this book, not only because it is heart-pounding, but because it is utterly addictive, with a killer mystery at its core.

Buy a copy of Murder at Thornwood Park by Joan Sauers here