Bay of Fires in Aussie Readers

Feb 15, 2013 Jenny rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2013

I have just finished this and feel very disappointed. The writing, technically speaking, is excellent and deserves a 4-5 stars - as does the characterization - but the story barely makes a 2. Bay of Fires is touted as a murder mystery, and while there is a dead body and someone with a guilty secret, the author pays little attention to building suspense and infusing menace into her plot, which it desperately needs. Instead she focuses on describing fish and wind / dust-swept landscapes, and bangs ...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Brenda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: aussie-authors, borrowed-from-library, mystery, 2013-release

Sarah Avery had returned to her parents’ home in the Bay of Fires on the east coast of Tasmania, after a turbulent break-up with her boyfriend, and the quitting of her job at a barramundi farm in Queensland. It was the Christmas holidays and her sister Erica was also home, with her long-time boyfriend Steve. Sarah wasn’t coping with the trauma that was keeping her awake at night, and took to drinking way too much. She also fished day in and day out, alone and happier without company. So when a l Sarah Avery had returned to her parents’ home in the Bay of Fires on the east coast of Tasmania, after a turbulent break-up with her boyfriend, and the quitting of her job at a barramundi farm in Queensland. It was the Christmas holidays and her sister Erica was also home, with her long-time boyfriend Steve. Sarah wasn’t coping with the trauma that was keeping her awake at night, and took to drinking way too much. She also fished day in and day out, alone and happier without company. So when a local fisherman, Roger Coker, whom everyone said was extremely strange, weird even, appeared in front of her early one morning, saying a body had washed up on the beach, Sarah was drawn to go down to check his story out. When she realized she knew the person, she was shocked, shattered!

Hall Flynn was a journalist from the Tassie Voice, a local newspaper from Hobart, and his editor had sent him to the Bay of Fires to investigate the murder, and the fact that another teenager had vanished the previous year, and had never been found. Upon his arrival at the guesthouse where he would be staying for the duration of the investigation, he learned that the Swiss tourist whose body had been found, had also stayed in the guesthouse, so Jane, owner and manager, was his first interview.

As we met the different characters who inhabited the Bay of Fires, the community seemed all too willing to point the finger at one another. Hall infiltrated each group, some willing to talk, some not… As Sarah and Hall developed a tentative but strange relationship, bitterness escalated amongst the close group of people. Everyone was scared, no-one felt safe, and homes were being locked, where they never had before. Would the murderer be found? Was it one of them?

My main problem with this book was that it was very disjointed. It was not the gripping murder mystery I was expecting, even though there was definitely intrigue and suspense throughout. I had a problem with the ending too, but I’ll say no more about that! I really enjoyed the scenery, the views of the beach, the sand in my toes that I could definitely feel! The author made me feel like I was there, that I was breathing the salt air!

Overall, an lightly enjoyable but unremarkable read. (3.5 if I could!)
...more

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Nov 19, 2013 Gerda rated it liked it

This book was quite enjoyable and has made me want to visit the Bay of Fires. It has beautiful descriptions of the area and the author seems to know a lot about fishing in the area. Having said that, it did wonder at some stage about the amount of alcohol consumed by just about every character in this book but especially the main characters, Sarah and Hall. It seems that drunken parties are the norm during the Christmas break in this part of Tasmania.
It does makes sense when you get to the end ...more

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