Book Description
A fast paced serial killer thriller
In the arid expanses of Australia’s red deserts, a killer is preying on British female backpackers. dubbed ‘The Dingo’ by the media, he stalks his prey then disappears without a trace.
In a bid to catch the man responsible, the local police call on the talents of Melbourne’s finest, ex British cop, Lawrence James and leading criminal psychologist Jesse Sanderson.
Meanwhile, James has unfinished business with Melbourne crime kingpin, Cyrus Bain, a gangster who will do whatever it takes to stay out of jail.
When another young girl disappears, it is a race against time to catch the killer.
Can James bring The Dingo to justice?
Will he escape with his life intact?
In their hunt for the murderer, James and Sanderson unearth some disturbing secrets that many would rather remain buried.
My Thoughts
Wow! Well it said on the cover this was fast paced and it certainly was! 2 interlinked stories perhaps, the hunt for the Dingo – the serial killer murdering British female travellers and then the parallel story of Lawrence James, involved in the investigation of the Dingo but also the story of his unfinished business with Melbourne crime kingpin Cyrus Bain. Told in the third person narrative in the main with interspersed sections written in the second person narrative – the voice of the Dingo which provided useful insight into the mind and motivations of the killer being hunted in this novel. The story moves around a lot from the actions of Lawrence James to different aspects of the police investigation to a journalist assisting James and following his own thread of the investigation. The overall effect of this makes for a very fast paced read, which in the most part was easy to follow but at times I did have to pause to think about who was who and were we were at!
Along with the fast pace, there were a number of sub plots including the Cyrus Bain aspect of the story, plus the motivations of the killer, and some love interests between the characters. This is the first book in a series with the characters Lawrence James and Jesse Sanderson and the author has packed a lot in to create the foundations going forward, of future plot lines plus character dynamics and behaviours. While this worked, I do think the serial killer aspect of the plot could have been developed further, the premise of this was strong and it could have been a much more central part of the story.
This is a decent debut of a promising crime series which I suspect will develop overtime with increased familiarity with the characters enhancing the reader experience.
About the Author
P. J. Nash was born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, the birthplace of George Eliot and Shakespeare, respectively. Not surprisingly he decided he’d like to become a writer too.
After studying history and working in PR for a few years, he was running a second hand bookshop, when wanderlust and destiny in the form of his future wife took him to Prague.
During the time behind the counter in the shop and travelling on trams between English lessons, he wrote his first crime novel, The Hunt for the Dingo featuring maverick British ex pat cop, Lawrence James and his hunt for a serial killer in Australia. On his return to the UK, he drew on his Bohemian adventures to write his second crime novel featuring Lawrence James and his co-investigator, Dr Jessie Sandersen. He currently lives on a narrowboat with his wife Clare and grumpy cat, Lulu.
In his past life P.J Nash was a Special Constable for the Warwickshire police.
Nash is also a member of the CWA and International Thriller Writers.
Links
Twitter @PJNash2
Many Thanks to Sarah Hardy for arranging this Blog Blitz, inviting me to be involved and providing me with an E Copy of the Book.
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