How do you move on when the world won’t let you? 12:46: Claire Bingleystands alone at a bus stop 12:47: Ted Conkaffey parks his car beside her 12:52: The girl is missing . . . Six minutes in the wrong place at the wrong time–that’s all it took to ruin Sydney detective Ted Conkaffey’s life. Accused but not convicted of a brutal abduction, Ted is now a free man–and public enemy number one. … public enemy number one. Maintaining his innocence, he flees north to keep a low profile amidst the steamy, croc-infested wetlands of Crimson Lake.
There, Ted’s lawyer introduces him to eccentric private investigator Amanda Pharrell, herself a convicted murderer. Not entirely convinced Amanda is a cold-blooded killer, Ted agrees to help with her investigation, a case full of deception and obsession, while secretly digging into her troubled past. The residents of Crimson Lake are watching the pair’s every move . . . and the town offers no place to hide.
“Complex, human characters, and a dark, meaty story, and fine writing, and a great sense of place – this is one of the best crime thrillers of the year. Sign me up as a big-time Fox fan!” –Lee Child
Crimson Lake by Sydney-based, Ned Kelly award-winning author Candice Fox is a thrilling contemporary crime novel set in Queensland, Australia, perfect for readers of authors like James Patterson, Harlan Coben, Lisa Gardner, and Tana French.
At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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Ted Conkaffey, the hero of this story, had been a cop until he becomes entangled by circumstances and falsely accused of raping a little girl. His colleagues and friends abandon him right from the start. His wife soon follows. And thanks to publicity about the case, the entire nation of Australia despises him. So he flees to the remote area of Crimson Lake, seeking anonymity. He goes to work for Amanda Pharrell, a convicted killer who runs a private detective agency. As they investigate the disappearance of a well-known writer, the locals begin a campaign of harassment against Ted.
This novel held me in thrall, not just because of the mystery but because I became so invested in the characters. Fox made me care deeply about them. At the beginning Ted rescues a family of geese and pays a ridiculously high vet bill to save the wounded mother. I worried more about the safety of those geese than I have about the protagonists of some stories.
The author’s powers of description are formidable. I came to know the characters and the swampy landscape of Queensland intimately. This immersion in the story is the secret of its power over me. Crimson Lake is a strange place, but I plan to go back as soon as I can grab a copy of the next book, Redemption Point.
TW: This book is about a guy accused of a crime on a minor.
I really enjoyed this book, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
It is basically three mysteries in one book. Three different crimes and three different suspects. You would think it gets confusing but it really doesn’t. The writing is great and even though the three different stories in one, it is super easy to follow.
It takes place in Australia, I never been there yet I had a great picture if it form the book, I really enjoyed the world building. It was well described but not overly, just the right amount.
The book, keeps you guessing, it gets you close and then jus leaves you with more question until the end. Something friendship and relationship wise I saw coming but the main plot and “who done it”, I did not see coming as much if at all. I thought about it a couple times but then was like “nahhhh” but that is just part of how the story plays with you.
One of my favorite parts of the book were the “Dear Jake” letters, creepy and fun to read.
Characters, I liked them and I liked the mix of a bit of everything. From nice to bad and the weird and everything in between.
I liked Ted…. I think …..for the most part I liked him but there were a few definite moments and actions I was really weirded-out by him and not sure what to think of him , But I think that was meant to be by the author.
I really liked Amanda, even with all her quirks … maybe even more so. She also brought a bit of humor into the story.
Fabina….. I’m honestly not sure about her … maybe we see more if her next book.
I liked how everything came together at the end, and how other things left a bit open for the next book.
I for one, am really looking forward to read book two.
I rate this book 4
This one started off well and it’s fast paced, but I just didn’t love it. A classic example of “everyone thinks I did a horrible thing but…” and in this case the two main characters both share a background of being suspected (in the case of ex-cop Ted) and convicted (in the case of Amanda) of murder.
Ted’s solution is to run off to the remote community of Crimson Lake. Amanda’s was to start a detective agency. They team up (with an intro from Ted’s lawyer) to solve another case.
I enjoyed the Queensland setting, and the actual characters and story line were okay, but I really did not like the ending and felt quite cheated by it.
Author Candice Fox is deft at evoking Australia’s menacing rainforests and wetlands, home to crocs, snakes, swampy drug lords and unspeakable secrets. She is wonderfully skilled at depicting characters and complex relationships: a Sydney detective broken by unjust child abduction charges and a weird but utterly engaging PI and convicted murderer who hires him to solve the disappearance of a best-selling author. Even the minor characters are intriguing. But it is the way she puts words together that kept me eagerly turning the pages. Here is an example: ”She turned all her dark power on me, like a spider rearing in a corner, and in just the way a threatened arachnid would, she curled in on herself, twisted, and crept away into the dark.” There’s more like this. It’s brilliant.
Wow!!! This was such a really strange story but, oddly enough, I really liked it. It was bizarrely fascinating. Not sure if it’s because it’s set in Australia or if it’s because the two MC’s are completely damaged basketcases. I can see how this type of story would probably not interest a lot of mystery/thriller readers but, I liked it.
I will definitely continue with the series, especially since it looks like it’s just a trilogy series. I like trilogies, they’re a nice break from some of the really long, drawn out series that I’m currently totally obsessed with and completely committed to.
Crmson Lake is set in North Queensland, Australia, which only Candice Fox could depict as a barely habitable nest of crocodiles and evil. But she pulls it off and it is to this setting a disgraced detective retreats to hide from the world and somehow proving his innocence of a terrible crime. The characters are so alive that they leap off the page. Warning: Crimson Lake is not for the faint-hearted or readers of cozies!
A really good mystery. Worth a read.
I had a great time with this book! I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book a while ago and am glad that I was finally able to sit down and read it. I was hooked by the story from beginning to end. This was a fantastic start to the series.
The characters in this book were absolutely fantastic! Ted was a police officer before his life fell apart. Everyone believes that he was responsible for the disappearance of a child. He was not convicted but that has done little to sway public opinion. I could not imagine dealing with the things that Ted has been through and he really is at a low place at the start of the story. It was great to see him start working a case with his new partner which seemed to give him some purpose. Ted isn’t even the most interesting character in this book. I was really taken with just about everyone who made an appearance on the page and cannot wait to learn more about Amanda as the series progresses.
The mystery in this book is very well done. There are actually three different mysteries being juggled in this story and I was equally invested in all of them. I had no idea how things would work out but I was eager to keep turning the pages to find out. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting and I loved the fact that there were quite a few surprises along the way.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of mystery thrillers. I found this to be a very fast read filled with quirky characters and a trio of compelling mysteries. I cannot wait to start reading the next book in the series.
I won a copy of this book from Forge Books via Bookish First.
Compelling characters, hard-edged suspense and rock-solid writing.
Some content is dark but handled with class and is not gratuitous.
Strongly recommend.
A clerk at Dymocks Sydney recommended the book when I was seeking a thriller set in Australia. The book was very well written and engrossing. I bought the second one in the series before I had even finished the first one.
Good book, made me look forward to reading the next book on the series.
A fun read that’s a little different crime story from the “who-dun-it” aspect.
Ted Concaffey is a mess. He’s left Sydney and the detective job he loved. He was accused of abducting and raping a young girl. He didn’t do it, and there was never enough evidence for a trial. But his name is blemished, his wife divorced him, and he retreats to Queensland to hide out. Not a great idea. Once he is recognized, it’s game-on for the locals, and it gets nasty. The interesting thing is that through his lawyer he gets hooked up with Amanda Farrell PI. Also damaged goods, she murdered a classmate when she was in high school. Amanda is anything but your usual detective–a bit outrageous, a bit damaged herself, a bit reminiscent of Lisbeth Salander in all the best ways. This unusual pair is hired by a wealthy author’s wife to solve his disappearance. And Ted adopts a mother goose with a broken wing and her six goslings. This is a hair-raising and dark story told by a fresh voice, to me at least. Candice Fox has co-written books with James Patterson, but on her own her voice is clear and distinct. I was plenty scary and all the pieces came together in the end…except those that ended up in the crocodile (this is NOT a spoiler alert). Forge Books provided me with a review copy of this book.
I listened to Euan Morton’s wonderful audio narration of this mystery/thriller and it made long hours in the car fly by. Ted and Amanda are unique, compelling characters I root for so very hard. Amanda and the coroner are also excellent female characters with strength and quirk. The mysteries are satisfying, and I’m loving the sequel. Can’t wait for the third book, and I really hope the proposed TV show gets made.
With wonderfully flawed, yet likable characters, Candice Fox’s Crimson Lake series has been the highlight of my week. Highly recommend the audio version of both this one and the second, Redemption Point. I was truly sad when they ended, but thrilled to find there’s a third in the series. Don’t even try to contact me tomorrow. I’ll be busy reading Gone by Midnight.
Falsely accused policeman and convicted murderer team up to investigate the disappearance of a local celebrity author. Ted is on the run from everyone who believes that he carried out a heinous crime. Amanda is the convicted teenager who has spent years in prison for killing her friend. They are hired by the wife of missing author, Jake. While trying to uncover what happened to Jake, the two investigate each others cases. This is part 1 and I would definitely recommend it.
Quirky doesn’t quite cover it. Wild story and even wilder chararcers. COuldn’t put it down.
Ted is a former police detective who was arrested for the abduction of a young girl named Claire. After 8 months, they release him as they don’t have enough evidence. But he isn’t out of the woods just yet, they can come after him any time they receive new evidence. So he heads North to try and find a quiet life in a small town.
Enter Amanda. She spent time in prison for the murder of a young woman named Lauren. She now runs a private investigative firm and she has a new case. Famous author Jake Scully has gone missing and his wife wants him found, mostly so she can settle out the life insurance, but it’s still a case, and Amanda is eager to solve it. As Ted gets to know her they both start working the case together.
He has questions about her time in prison and her crime, she has questions as to whether he is guilty or not. As the town learns of Ted being in the area, he gets harassed more and more. Things are turning downright dangerous. The reporters are swarming and Ted knows he needs to not talk to them but Fabiana seems genuine. But it seems every time Ted opens up, he gets burned.
There’s a lot of action going on in Crimson Lake. As I noted above, we have Ted looking into Amanda’s case, we have Amanda curious about Ted’s case, though we don’t follow her questioning in the book as it’s told from Ted’s point of view. And then we have both of them looking into the Scully case. You have actin pretty much from the get-go, especially as there are two police officers who are relentless in the harassment of Ted. Even to the point of landing him in the hospital.
While wanting to find a way to prove his innocence, he’s also worried about his wife. As soon as things started getting serious with his case, she left him for the sake of her and their infant daughter. He misses his daughter terribly but he understands why his wife left. So there’s a lot of good storyline to lend you to believe in Ted, that he didn’t do what they’re claiming. This was a fun read, from the very beginning I was hooked, the various scenarios kept you hopping from situation to situation, anxious to find some resolution for everyone involved. Very well done!
I won a copy of this book from BookishFirst. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
Sydney drug squad detective, Ted Conkaffey, is falsely accused of raping and brutally beating 13 year old Claire Bingley. His colleagues, friends and wife all desert him, but after being incarcerated for 8 months, he is released, but not exonerated, because of lack of evidence. He flees north to the small town of Crimson Lake, where his lawyer puts him together with a local PI, Amanda Pharrell, an ex con, convicted murderer. He is brutally harassed by the local police and local vigilantes, but also earns the belief of the local coroner and a reporter, adopts a family of geese and helps his new partner solve a murder. While not my usual genre, I couldn’t put the book down. Captivating characters, a provocative and skillfully written narrative, make this a terrific read.
Ted Conkaffey is a Sydney police detective who has been released from jail after spending 10 months there being wrongfully accused of child molestation. Disgraced in the department’s eyes, he retires and moves to the small town of Crimson Lake in northern Australia.
There he meets Amanda Pharrell, one of the most quirky and endearing characters you’ll ever meet. Amanda is an ex-con who has served a full sentence for murder. She is now a P.I. She enlists Ted’s help in a missing persons case. Hired by the missing man’s wife to find the author of a series of books about young people that are based on biblical chapters. Sort of like the Bible meets Twilight.
The case soon turns to a murder. There’s lots of suspects. Over-zealous fans and people who think the author’s works are blasphemy.
In the meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, Ted’s looking into Amanda’s case. Something doesn’t seem right about it.
So, you’ve got two investigations going on. Good for us!
Written with stylish prose, well-drawn characters and richly atmospheric, “Crimson Lake” is an absorbing read.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and hoping for more adventures to come.