In the croc-infested wetlands of Crimson Lake, Ted Conkaffey is living a shadow of his former life. Accused but not convicted of the abduction and sexual crimes against A teenage girl.
Amanda Pharrell is the local teen murderess, fairly fresh out of prison and starting her own private investigator business, but something about her crime doesn’t quite ring true.
When local author, Jake Scully, goes missing Amanda enlists the help at the top of the towns most hated list, Ted.
With the residents of Crimson Lake watching their every move will the pair be able to solve the case? Or will their own misdemeanours from the past overshadow the present?
At first glance I thought this novel had promise, but I soon became bogged down by the details of too many narrative strands. This book follows not one, not two, but three different cases and although this wasn’t hard to follow I felt that none of them had my full focus. Too much was going on for me to really feel invested in any of the plot outcomes or the characters themselves.
The relationship between Amanda and Ted was sometimes comical, which offered brief windows of light relief in a mostly bleak story.
Unfortunately, as my interest was finally piqued the conclusion was wrapped up in a few paltry pages. Not only was it a swift almost rushed ending but I also felt the outcome was somewhat ridiculous. Almost as though Fox hadn’t known herself what would happen and had scribbled some thoughts down to meet a deadline.
If not for the story, then what was it that kept me going you may ask? Well the writing, it was engaging and of a high standard and the descriptions were immersive. Sadly, with a more defined plot this book could have been a real winner.
** Thank you to Random House UK, via NetGalley, for this ARC **