Unforgiven (Lexi Winter #1) in Aussie Readers

Nov 28, 2021 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, read-on-kindle, net-galley, aussie-authors, 2021-release, 5000-2021, crime, arc, own-read, thriller

Lexi Winter was a survivor. A victim of child abuse, she’d saved her younger sister Bailee from a similar fate and then disappeared from her life. Now she was back in Bailee’s life, but living her life on her own terms, a vigilante and after each and every paedophile she could find, whether legally or illegally – it didn’t matter to her. She had no time for the cops after they let her down so badly and even Bailee’s constant entreaty for Lexi to speak to Detective Inspector Rachael Langley fell Lexi Winter was a survivor. A victim of child abuse, she’d saved her younger sister Bailee from a similar fate and then disappeared from her life. Now she was back in Bailee’s life, but living her life on her own terms, a vigilante and after each and every paedophile she could find, whether legally or illegally – it didn’t matter to her. She had no time for the cops after they let her down so badly and even Bailee’s constant entreaty for Lexi to speak to Detective Inspector Rachael Langley fell on deaf ears.

Rachael was the cop who put The Spider away eighteen years prior; the evil perpetrator of innocent children, but when a small child disappeared and was found dead, the killer calling himself The Spider, Rachael was suddenly hit with uncertainties. Had she put away the real Spider eighteen years ago? Was this latest killing a copycat murder?

Silently in the background Lexi continued her work, up against the worst of human depravity. Her abilities on the computer, hacking, finding paedophile sites and tracking them, then passing the information to Bailee who in turn handed it to Rachael – would they catch this latest killer? Lexi’s work as an escort paid the bills, her relationship with JD dulled the pain – but what of her future? Lexi’s neighbour Dawny, was a kind, helpful and understanding friend – Lexi knew Dawny was her only friend…

Unforgiven is the latest thriller from the pen of Aussie author Sarah Barrie and it was brilliant! I couldn’t put it down and read until the small hours to finish it last night – how could I sleep without knowing what was about to happen next? Dawny was a wonderful character; Lexi was a tough, resilient, heart-of-gold person, covering it with sarcasm and wit. I laughed out loud many times, especially in her encounters with Finn and Dawny. Ms Barrie’s books are going from strength to strength, and I’ve read every book she’s written. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
...more

57 likes · Like · see review

Nov 27, 2021 Helen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copy-from-publisher

I don’t know where to start, this is an amazing, brilliant story written with heart and caring and lots of suspense as Sarah Barrie knows how to do, she has taken us on a dark journey into child abuse but given us the fabulous Lexi Winter, once a victim herself now she does everything she can to save children, she has become a vigilante and nothing will stop her from saving the children even breaking the law.

Lexi knows what it is like to live on the streets, she knows what it is like to be abuse I don’t know where to start, this is an amazing, brilliant story written with heart and caring and lots of suspense as Sarah Barrie knows how to do, she has taken us on a dark journey into child abuse but given us the fabulous Lexi Winter, once a victim herself now she does everything she can to save children, she has become a vigilante and nothing will stop her from saving the children even breaking the law.

Lexi knows what it is like to live on the streets, she knows what it is like to be abused to feel unloved and uncared for, she is now twenty eight and has learnt a lot in the last eighteen years. She was a victim of the notorious paedophile the spider but these days she is an escort and has a roof over her head and loves a good whiskey.

Lexi has learnt to be a great hacker and helps her sister Bailee who works for community services tracking the bad guys, the paedophiles and notifying the cops, gathering information brings her into a situation where she witnesses a murder of someone who is very hard to touch, this leads her to a paedophile ring that needs to be shut down and fast, but memories of the past are surfacing and Lexi is getting more determined but it also brings her closer to danger.

Detective Inspector Rachael Langley was the cop who put the spider away all those years ago but let Lexi slip through the cracks and couldn’t save her and now there is someone claiming to be the spider killing young girls again and Rachael is on the case and is under the hammer not only from the government and media but colleagues as well to prove it is a copy- cat before the spider is let out of prison.

This case brings Rachael and Lexi back together, reluctantly at first they work together to do their best to bring the bad guys down, with a cast of fabulous characters, Detective Finn Carson, Jimmy the IT guy they all work together on this case and I cannot not mention Dawny and Desmond. There are many twists and turns, that had my mind going in all directions. This is a must read book set around Gosford on the Central Coast of NSW.

I loved Lexi she is strong, courageous and so caring after all she has been through she has a heart of gold. The ending is brilliant and I really hope that we will be seeing Lexi again, Sarah Barrie is a fabulous author who brings thriller and mystery together in stories that are page turners and I cannot recommend this one enough, it really is fabulous.

My thanks to Harlequin AU for my copy to read and review
...more

28 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2021 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-author, arc-are, netgalley-reviews

Unforgiven is a compelling, gritty thriller from Australian bestselling author, Sarah Barrie.

When the body of a young girl dressed in a mermaid costume is discovered among bushland on the central coast of NSW, doubt is thrown on the conviction and imprisonment of serial killer and paedophile, Thomas Biddle aka The Spider. Lexi Winter has no such doubts, as a victim of Biddle and his paedophile network which included her own parents, she has never forgotten the man who orchestrated her abuse. De Unforgiven is a compelling, gritty thriller from Australian bestselling author, Sarah Barrie.

When the body of a young girl dressed in a mermaid costume is discovered among bushland on the central coast of NSW, doubt is thrown on the conviction and imprisonment of serial killer and paedophile, Thomas Biddle aka The Spider. Lexi Winter has no such doubts, as a victim of Biddle and his paedophile network which included her own parents, she has never forgotten the man who orchestrated her abuse. Determined to prove the latest murder is the work of a copycat, Lexi is reluctantly reunited with Detective Inspector Rachael Langley, who arrested Biddle 18 years ago.

Offering plenty of tense moments, Unforgiven offers a well crafted, fast paced plot. I was caught up in the hunt for the murderous ‘copycat’ as Rachael and Lexi, along with Lexi’s younger sister Bailee, and the members of the task force, work together to expose the truth and prevent the death of any more innocent children.

I liked Lexi a lot, she’s a complex character, essentially a functional alcoholic, who makes her living as an escort. Hardened by her life experiences she is a survivor, tough, resourceful, and sometimes reckless, but also not without her vulnerabilities. It’s brave of Lexi to become involved in the ‘copycat’ case, given both her past, and present (which includes a dead man in her boot), and her general antipathy for authority.

There’s an interesting backstory between Lexi and Rachael which results in tension between the two women that also spills over into Lexi’s relationship another detective on the case who happens to be Rachael’s nephew, Finn Carson. I found both Rachael and Finn to be appealing characters, and I really liked their dynamic with Lexi.

Though Unforgiven deals with the grim subject of child abuse, there is unexpected levity to be found in Lexi’s sarcastic wit, and the behaviour of her remarkably helpful neighbour, Dawny.

Unforgiven is a terrific, riveting read, I’m left with the impression that there will be more books featuring Lexi and her role as a police consultant in the future, and I really hope there will be. ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Dec 31, 2021 Tien rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime, australia, thriller, australian-author

I feel that I should have enjoyed this book a lot more than I actually did. I just feel that this past couple of months, I just wasn’t loving anything I read so it could be a mini slump or just a terrible mood. From my reading of Unforgiven, I would normally have loved it and could barely put it down but I was just reading a slow chapter by chapter. I loved this idea of 2 protagonists from what seems to be opposite sides of life yet their past connected them deeply and their lives are once more ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 28, 2021 Tanya rated it it was amazing

20 years ago, Lexi Winter was a victim of the Spider - a paedophile who shared the videos of him committing his crimes. As an adult she works as an escort, has an unhealthy relationship with JD, and spends her free time hunting down child sex offenders online.

Inspector Rachel Langley was a detective when she was involved in the capture of the Spider. On the night that a documentary about his capture airs, she receives a phone call from a man claiming to be the Spider - and that she's had the wro 20 years ago, Lexi Winter was a victim of the Spider - a paedophile who shared the videos of him committing his crimes. As an adult she works as an escort, has an unhealthy relationship with JD, and spends her free time hunting down child sex offenders online.

Inspector Rachel Langley was a detective when she was involved in the capture of the Spider. On the night that a documentary about his capture airs, she receives a phone call from a man claiming to be the Spider - and that she's had the wrong person behind bars all this time. When a body turns up the next morning - matching his MO exactly Rachel starts to question herself.

It's a lot darker than Barrie's previous books - I would class her previous works as romantic suspense, so although you've got the crime storyline, you also have the romance to break it up, and lighten things up from time to time. Unforgiven doesn't have that - it's just all crime/thriller. There's quite a lot of potentially triggering topics in it also - so proceed with caution if those are an issue.

I loved this book. I read the bulk of it in one day, because I just couldn't put it down. Action-packed, gripping, with fantastic characters - it was just incredible.

Lexi is an amazing character. She's been through hell, but she's still fighting. Despite everything, she wants to do the right thing, it's not just always obvious to her what that is. She's just so damn likeable - you just want her to succeed.

Rachel isn't as instantly likeable as Lexi - she's a bit more standoffish, but she's strong and determined. If she's made a mistake, she wants to right that. We also get flashback to her earlier story - to her first encounter with 10 year old Lexi and the case that defined her career - so we can see her grow into her current role - the impact that this case has made on her life and career.

Of course there's a whole host of additional characters to round out the story - Detective Finn Carson, Lexi's sister Bailee and neighbour Dawny (gosh she was a star of the book!). I hope we get more books in this world with these characters - this would make an outstanding start to a series. I just want more. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 19, 2023 Catsalive rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2023, aww

A very enjoyable read. I love that Lexi channels her energies into tracking down paedophiles & having them prosecuted, rather than killing them which is the way vigilantism seems to be handled in most novels. I got a bit tired of her hard-drinking, I doubt she'd be able to finesse the scum she was chasing with her mental capacity so compromised - understanding the reason for it didn't help.

I read Retribution first, so it was nice to get the background on characters I'd already met. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 03, 2021 Bree T rated it it was amazing

Shelves: crime, mystery, australian, aww2021

Well. This was an absolute screamer.

I’ve read all of Sarah Barrie’s previous books and loved them. So when this turned up, I knew I was going to be in for another fantastic story. This is a little different to the books she’s been writing lately, a natural progression perhaps. It’s still set in Australia, more regionally than remotely, focusing around the Central Coast/Gosford area.

We’re introduced to Lexi, a traumatised adult with an alcohol problem and patchy employment history. In her spare t Well. This was an absolute screamer.

I’ve read all of Sarah Barrie’s previous books and loved them. So when this turned up, I knew I was going to be in for another fantastic story. This is a little different to the books she’s been writing lately, a natural progression perhaps. It’s still set in Australia, more regionally than remotely, focusing around the Central Coast/Gosford area.

We’re introduced to Lexi, a traumatised adult with an alcohol problem and patchy employment history. In her spare time, Lexi helps her sister Bailee, a child protection officer, by posing underage online and gathering data on predators for Bailee to pass on to the police. Lexi doesn’t do police – not anymore.

Detective Inspector Rachel Langley was just a young cop when she helped put the notorious child sexual predator the Spider away. It’s 18 years later and a special TV series has aired, detailing the investigation and Rachel’s success. Now Rachel finds herself on the receiving end of truly terrifying calls, someone telling her she got it wrong. She got the wrong man. And now the “real” Spider is going to make her pay…and the pattern will start all over again.

This is just a rollercoaster of a ride from start to finish. It’s one of those books where I picked it up and thought I’d just get started over breakfast but after the first like, couple of pages of this, I knew I wasn’t going to be putting it down until I’d finished it. It sucks you in and holds you in the whirlpool.

Lexi is tough – she’s had to be. She’s survived things that most people could not even bring themselves to imagine. A despicable childhood, her teenage years spent on the streets, Lexi has a home now but she’s not what you’d call stable in some ways. However, in others, she’s become a functioning adult, independent and more adjusted than you might expect given what she’s experienced. Her income is a bit dubious and a lot of her time is spent helping to unofficially catch child sexual predators. She has managed to have a good relationship with her sister Bailee, which after everything Lexi did to protect her when they were children, must be somewhat gratifying for her. She even has a friend, Dawny, who lives in the same complex (side note – Dawny is just the best character, I adored her right from the beginning, even before I knew anything about her and I only liked her more, the more I found out).

When it gets out that the original man convicted as the Spider might’ve been the wrong one (something Lexi definitely disputes) it does throw her into the path of the police, namely Detective Inspector Rachel Langley, who has unfinished business with Lexi and also Rachel’s nephew, Detective Senior Sergeant Finn Carson. They’re surprised with not just the intimate knowledge that Lexi can bring to their investigation but also her computer skills as well and Rachel wastes no time securing her official assistance, even though this puts the back up of another officer, who has a chip on his shoulder. The way this officer treats Lexi is probably quite common for people within her line of work and even Finn sometimes has to remind himself early on in their acquaintance, not to be that guy. That she’s where she is because of a very specific set of circumstances and it’s really not for anyone else to pass an opinion on that, without having first been through what Lexi has.

The suspense in this built so well as more things pointed towards the fact that maybe Rachel had been wrong all those years ago and now people were going to pay the price for that. It is something that would be every detective’s worst nightmare, especially given the nature of the crimes. Look, there were times when it felt a bit improbable that Lexi was everywhere, doing everything but it’s not exactly unknown in the genre. What I did like was the way that the ending leaves it open for Lexi to pursue this as a legitimate career….and that there are a few loose ends that suggest future novels with Lexi, which I’d really love to see. I think she has real potential as a character that can evolve and grow as well and there’s some differences to her that make her an interesting choice as a lead to carry a series.

If you want something fast paced and addictive, can highly recommend this one.

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review*** ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2023 Rina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

How did I just hear about this book recently?

Lexi Winter was a survivor. She escaped the notorious paedophile and serial killer, The Spider, years ago when she was just a child. Since then, she kept a low profile, working as a sex worker and using her ace hacking skills to vigilantly track down paedophiles and bring them down. Inspector Rachel Langley cracked the Spider case 18 years earlier, but new cases emerged again suddenly and someone told her she had the wrong guy all this time.

I loved b ...more

1 like · Like · see review