Crimson Lake (Crimson Lake, #1) in Aussie Readers

Nov 27, 2017 PattyMacDotComma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: australian-author, kindle, aa-ce, mystery-crime-thriller, aa

4.5★
“Another passer-by in the dark. I wasn’t safe here. I ditched the car in the rainforest and walked through the bush to the mangroves, fumbling along in the dark, trying not to think about crocodiles. Spider webs caught in my outstretched hands and palms sliced at my forearms as I made my way to the gate.”

Ted Conkaffey is in strife. He did his time and has fled to a small town near Cairns in Far North Queensland to start a new life. I use the phrase “did his time” loosely. He was jailed as th ...more

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Mar 23, 2017 Brenda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: aussie-authors, net-galley, first-in-a-series, read-on-kindle, thriller, 2017-release, crime, arc, own-read

3.5★s

After spending eight months in prison after being accused of thirteen year old Claire Bingley’s abduction and rape, then having the charges dropped through lack of evidence, ex-Detective Ted Conkaffey knew he needed to escape Sydney and everything it now represented to him. When he found himself in Crimson Lake near Cairns in far north Queensland, he thought he’d be safe. The dilapidated rental; the lack of material belongings – none of that bothered him and he found himself buried in a bot ...more

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Jan 12, 2017 Josh rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie_crime, crime, read_2017, own, review_books

Crimson Lake, set in and around the tropical north Queensland city of Cairns is centered around three distinct crimes linked by circumstance after the fact. Candice Fox weaves both Amanda's and Ted's history into the present day setting; that, along with the coupling of the damaged protagonists gives the book added depth, making Crimson Lake a meaty read but still an easy page turner.

Crime one is the abduction and rape of a 13yr old girl, last seen at a Sydney bus stop talking to then Detective ...more

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Feb 08, 2017 Tien rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, australian-author, crime, australia, favorites

I was soooo excited to see Candice Fox was to release a new book. I must admit to being a teeny weeny disappointed to find out that it is NOT an Archer & Bennett but still… It’s a must-read. If you love crime novels, Candice Fox’s books are must-reads!

Despite being told that this is her best book yet, I can NOT make this distinction. I love ALL her books fairly equally and they are ALL my favourites. The mysteries are terrific but the characters and what she made them go through are just mind-bo I was soooo excited to see Candice Fox was to release a new book. I must admit to being a teeny weeny disappointed to find out that it is NOT an Archer & Bennett but still… It’s a must-read. If you love crime novels, Candice Fox’s books are must-reads!

Despite being told that this is her best book yet, I can NOT make this distinction. I love ALL her books fairly equally and they are ALL my favourites. The mysteries are terrific but the characters and what she made them go through are just mind-boggling. They are fragile. They are broken. They are survivors.

The main difference in Crimson Lake to the Archer & Bennett books to my mind is that it’s cracking hilarious. Wait a minute, Amanda Pharrell is horrendously hilarious. I can see some people might find her annoying and if she’s someone I know IRL, I’d probably want to kill her myself but seriously the stuff she said were Lough Out Loud Funny. Err, yes, I’m most probably that crazy lady on the train… Here’s one of the things she said that cracked me up to no end & I kept going back to it:

"… I’m dead fascinated with your case. I’m so fascinated, someone should pin me in their hair and wear me to the races."

We don’t know very much how Amanda’s mind works as the novel is told from Ted Conkaffey’s perspective but one thing we do know is that she’s full on contradictions. She’d slunk away for certain confrontations and yet,

"…doesn’t anything scare you anymore?"
"Not really," she said brightly…

Ted Conkaffey is hiding. He’s tired and he’s sad. He has had no choice but to accept what fate has dealt him to date. The geese found him. Amanda baffled him. Her cases interest his mind and his brain geared up to put these puzzles together. Maybe there is something else he could do even now… Despite being told from Ted’s perspective; Amanda completely took over the whole book. Maybe we’ll have her perspective in the next book?

Aside from these amazing characterisation, I also love Fox’s prose; the way she draws you to the characters then the setting and then weaves tangled weave of mysterious circumstances which leave you guessing ‘til the end. Crimson Lake, with its tightly developed plot, unique characters and a snapping end, is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thanks to Penguin Books Australia for copy of book in exchange of honest review ...more

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Mar 15, 2017 Robin rated it it was amazing

This is the sort of book you have to keep reading once you start - forget about the housework!
There are three separate narratives going on here- Ted's backstory, as the ex-cop accused but not convicted of abducting a teenager, private investigator Amanda Pharrell, who served time as a juvenile for murder and Ted's attempt to discover the truth about it, and the case she is investigating, the disappearance of local author Jake Scully.

The author keeps all the balls juggling, increasing the tensio ...more

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Dec 28, 2022 Averil rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2022

I have a rule that I always read a book before watching the TV or film adaptation. However, I watched most of the show Troppo on the ABC before learning it was a book first, called Crimson Lake.
It's completely usual and generally understandable when adaptions waver away from the source material in places. However, much of this book came as a surprise as one of the key plotlines from the book was so totally different from the show. That's not a negative as such, but it did make for a unanticipat ...more

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Sep 30, 2017 Tracey rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, crime, australian, 2017

You have been accused of a heinous crime, the murder and rape of a child, you are police officer, you have no alibi and your family and friends all believe you are guilty. For Ted Conkaffey he went from having it all to a man trying to keep a low profile in the backwaters of Cairns. He becomes involved with convicted killer Amanda Pharrell, who even though she has a long history with Crimson Lake manages to establish her own investigative agency. The two become involved trying to determine what ...more

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May 29, 2018 Sandi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, crime-mystery-thriller-suspense, read-2018

An entertaining and tense story set in Queensland Australia. The rural setting was very well described and the characters unique but the actual plot was a bit lacking until a furious finish at the end.

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Apr 15, 2017 Lauredhel added it

Shelves: australian-women-writers-challenge, australian, crime, aww2017

A return to form by Fox! If you're looking for a steamy (in the literal sense, not smutty) Australian crime thriller, go no further. ...more

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May 29, 2023 Karen rated it liked it

I have read others in this series, but I had not read the first one where it all started. Ted Conkaffey was a cop working in the drug squad, married with a baby girl and in a matter of minutes it was all taken away from him. He was accused but not convicted of a young girls abduction, he spent eight months in prison, but there was not enough evidence so he was released. He escaped north to Crimson Lake, just outside Cairns. He meets Amanda Pharrell, who has set up as a Private Investigator, and ...more

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