Experience 55 Originated By James Delargy Format Digital Edition

the opening pages of his first novelIrish born author James Delargy creates instant intrigue when two men clearly in fear of their lives enter a remote Western Australian town in short succession claiming to have barely escaped a serial killer The details of their ordeals are virtually identical except that each names the other as the killer and themselves as numberWith his staff of four Wilbrooks Sergeant Chandler Jenkins is ill euipped to mount a search when one of the men disappears and finds his town overrun by the expensively besuited Inspector Mitchell Andrews and his slick looking team of ten Mitch and Chandler started out in the force together but ten years earlier their paths divergedDelargys protagonist is a young cop with integrity whose focus on the case is blurred by the uncomfortable history he has with Mitch Chandler chose family life while ambitious Mitch chose a career now though Chandler finds that what he does have is under threat While Chandler is a believable character although his self pity and resentment wears a little thin Mitch seems exaggerated to almost a stereotype The minor characters show a little depth but dont really get a chance to shine A secondary narrative details the search ten years earlier for a missing bush walker that highlighted how very different Chandler and Mitch were both as policemen and as people a difference that seems if anything to have amplified over the intervening years Delargys descriptive prose easily conveys the Pilbara the dry searing heat the desiccated landscape the vastness the challenge of distance and the isolation Well articulated too are the small town attitudes with some sense of community but also gossip nosiness and the disconnection from the city The resultant boredom evidenced by the younger police officers hunger for some excitementDelargy certainly keeps his reader guessing about what really happened and whether either of the two are telling the truth as he sprinkles clues and red herrings throughout the story inserting twists and turns right up to a dramatic climax and the shocking conclusion A crime thriller that starts with great promise but doesnt uite deliver This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Australia Another Aussie crime writer establishes himself as the latest to pen an intense and intriguing novel with a fabulous premise Set in Western Australia Wilbrook is a small empty shell of a town with the remnants of a history that included gold mining blue asbestos and iron ore Sergeant Chandler Jenkins leads his small police team where domestics are the usual fare Everything is about to change when a terrified injured man Gabriel enters the police station with a scary tale of being held by a serial killer Heath intent on killing him telling he will be numberHe manages to escape and is unsettled and jittery convinced Heath will find him Chandler sees him to the local hotel with one of his team Jim on guard outside the building Another injured man Heath is bought to the station for attempting to steal a car Heath claims he only wanted the car to escape a serial killer named Gabriel who was planning to kill him as numberuntil he escaped With well nigh identical stories who is Chandler to believe Or perhaps they are eually guilty with the pair being in cahoots working together until they fell outThe story has two timelines the present and one fromwhen Chandler and Mitchell Andrews were rookie cops involved in search for a young missing hiker Martin lost in the unforgiving heat of the outback accompanied by a distraught father with his younger son Davie Something clearly causes a deep schism between Chandler and Mitchell in the past that resulted in Mitchell moving to the city whilst climbing the promotional ladder Mitchell is now a Inspector and Chandler's boss he arrives in Wilbrook to takeover police operations to get to the bottom of what is clearly going to be a huge case He brings his own team with every intention of sidelining

Chandler A fraught and tense relationship highlights the differences between the two men Mitchell is a highly ambitious and political animal constantly denigrating Chandler not averse to manipulation engaging in brutality and not interested in developing team relationships Jenkins takes it upon himself to ensure the well being of his team and takes a keen interest in their development The past has strong links and uncomfortable echoes in the present as Chandler is to find to his costWhilst I really enjoyed this wonderful debut with its strong sense of location and the depiction of never ending heat I am not so keen on the ending Delargy does a terrific job in building suspense and tension as the reader wonders doubts debates and looks for clues as to whether the serial killer is Gabriel or Heath It is Chandler who is interested in getting to the bottom of who the two men are digging into their past history and trying to discern the motive behind the killings The characterisation is done well with Chandler the good guy and Mitchell is a self centred and unpleasant individual his interest primarily in the glory he thinks he will accrue anytime things do not go his way he has a scapegoat lined up This novel is another great addition to the rising genre of Aussie Noir I found it entertaining and engaging and such gripping reading fare despite the unsatisfying ending Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for an ARC There werevictims before this Who is numberA thriller with a killer hook and an ending that will make you gaspWilbrook in Western Australia is a sleepy remote town that sits on the edge of miles and miles of unexplored wilderness It is home to Police Sergeant Chandler Jenkins who is proud to run the town's small police station a place used to dealing with domestic disputes and noise complaintsAll that changes on a scorching day when an injured man stumbles into Chandler's station He's covered in dried blood His name is Gabriel He tells Chandler what he remembersHe was drugged and driven to a cabin in the mountains and tied up in iron chains The man who took him was called Heath Heath told Gabriel he was going to be numberHisth victimHeath is a serial killerAs a manhunt is launched a man who says he is Heath walks into the same station He tells Chandler he was taken by a man named Gabriel Gabriel told Heath he was going to be victimGabriel is the serial killerTwo suspects Two identical stories Which one is the truthJames Delargy has written one of the most exciting debuts ofHe masterfully paints the picture of a remote Western Australian town and its people swallowed whole by the hunt for a serial killer This novel has been sold incountries so far and has just been optioned for film Wow this is one book that will get a grip on you and wont let go Two suspects each with the same story blaming the other A possiblebodies somewhere Small town cop Chandler has no choice but to call in the bigwigs including his estranged former best friend MitchMitch and his crew come in and take over but Mitch is an arrogant moron I have no idea how he got to such a high ranking and the whole thing goes belly up With a police force divided and a serial killer on the loose this makes for an action packed explosive story As we race towards the stunning conclusion we have to ask ourselves could this really happenThis is a wonderful debut James Delargy tells a tale so astonishing it comes alive on the page The harsh outback setting adds to the atmosphere the flawed and the irritating characters all giving voice to a marvellous story I dare you to put this book down Recommended for crime lovers everywhererounded upMy thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review This book started so well with two men in police custody each one claiming to be the victim of the other Who to believe and how to discover the truthWhat a great premise which led to an interesting and intriguing story The Australian setting was well done but I thought the characters needed work Most of them had a name but no background and the two main players who did have a lot of background Chandler and Mitch became rather tedious with their overdramatised feudStill a good readable story until the last page That was one of the worst endings ever I am afraid my disappointment in that has affected both my rating and my review Whoa This was one high tension read I don't think my heartbeat returned to normal the whole way through And that ending Mr Delargy How Could YouThis is a very clever debut novel with two young men beaten and bloodied first one and then the other walking in to a police station claiming to be backpackers with an alarming story of abduction by a man who told them they were going to be killed as his victim numberBoth tell identical stories of being locked and shackled in a small hut followed by a terrifying escape through the harsh and rugged bush surrounding the small outback town in northern Western Australia The local Sergent Chandler Jenkins doesn't know who to believe Either one of them is guilty or they're both working together to abduct and kill lone backpackers Chandler has no choice but to call the regional commander specifically Inspector Mitchell Andrews with whom he has past history Once colleagues starting out together in the force Mitch felt he was made for higher command and forced his way to the top growing in arrogance and self importance as he went Delargy keeps us guessing most of the way through this novel as to how this will all end As well as the conflict between the two suspects both claiming their innocence there is tension between Chandler and Mitch as Mitch walks in and takes over his station and sneeringly orders his staff around Flashbacks to their early days in the local force when they were both on an extended search for a missing man highlights their different natures and approaches to policing It is Chandler who will eventually through good police work discover the identity and motives of the killer but not before the tension builds to a pressure that is about to explode A well written debut novel with well depicted characters and a well paced intense plot Definitely a new writer to look out for in the futureWith thanks to Netgalley and Simon Schuster for a digital ARC to read One sitting totally absorbing and utterly addictive read with a KILLER ending that is “” the novel coming next year from James DeLargey definitely a writer to watch although Im not sure Id like to live in his headOne victim One killer But which is which This is the conundrum facing our beleagured main protagonist Chandler manning a small police station in the back end of nowhere suddenly thrust into a case beyond imagination Invaded by an old nemesis whose belief in his own investigative skills is second to none Chandler leaps from one disaster to another as the press descend and suddenly the spotlight is everywhere The plotting is taut and very very clever the characters are all intriguing and fascinating not least our two prospective killers who youll waver between with every passing chapter The setting is wide open and beautifully described adding an atmospheric sense of place to proceedings the wilderness being a character in its own rightOverall this was a hugely fun read in its mystery element and packs uite the emotional punch on occasion too The ending really is killer I let out a little yelp fairly sure that one isnt leaving my head anytime soon Brilliant Loved it Highly Recommended.