From the bestselling breakout author of The Bluffs comes a heart-stopping new thriller set on the rugged coast of Tasmania about modern-day pirates, family bonds and betrayals, and the hidden dangers that lurk in the deep…
If you encounter the Black Wind while out there at sea, all you can do is race back to shore. There’s no predicting it, no sailing it, no living with it. And if you’re a Dempsey, it can play tricks on your mind…
On the Tasman Peninsula, nestled amidst the largest sea-cliffs in the southern hemisphere, is Shacktown. Here the Dempsey family have run a drug ring for generations, using the fishing industry and the deadly Black Wind as cover. But when thirteen-year-old Forest Dempsey walks out of the ocean, bruised and branded, everything is imperilled—because Forest has been believed dead for the last seven years.
Mackerel Dempsey, out of jail on strict bail conditions, is trying to change his fate, doing his best to keep out of trouble before his next court date. His cousin Ahab has renounced the family altogether, in favour of working to keep the town and its fragile tourism economy safe. But in their search for answers about Forest, both Mackerel and Ahab can’t help but be drawn back into the underworld. What on earth happened to the boy all those years ago? And does it have anything to do with the infamous drug kingpin Blackbeard, who is rumoured to be moving in on Shacktown?
When secrets long thought buried at sea wash up on shore, generations of the Dempsey family must stand up for what they believe in, even if it means sacrificing everything. But in the gritty fight between right and wrong, blood isn’t always thicker than water, and everyone is at risk of being pulled under…
One great thing to come out 2020 was Kyle Perry’s breakout debut, The Bluffs, which was a big hit with BR readers, and one of the best crime thrillers I read last year. Now he returns with his latest novel, The Deep, which builds on his stellar character-work and haunting Tasmanian setting, making for one hell of a thrill ride.
The story follows the inner-workings of the Dempsey crime family as old secrets get washed ashore. What really ended up sticking with me was the relationships between the family members, especially Mackerel and the matriarch Ivy. Perry nails these complex relationships by exploring themes of toxic masculinity and what it means to be a family.
Despite a deep fear of the ocean, I was completely enthralled by this tale of modern-day piracy. Perry’s layered characters and atmospheric setting make for a compelling story. From the harsh Tasmanian coastline to the terrifying underwater scenes, it seems no matter where you go in Perry’s stories, danger follows, and his pitch perfect plotting keeps the reader tearing through the pages until the final one.
Kyle Perry shines—no sign of the dreaded second book syndrome here. With The Deep, Perry has delivered yet another incredible page-turner, cementing his place as a brilliant new voice in Australian crime fiction.
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