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Detective Dana Russo #4
White Ash Ridge
A REMOTE HOTEL. FIVE GUESTS. ONE MURDER.
During a broiling heatwave, the inner circle of a high-profile charity attend a critical meeting at White Ash Ridge, a small hotel nestled in the Australian wilderness.
As the temperature rises, a body is found lying in the thick bush, bludgeoned to death.
One of the four remaining guests is a murderer - but who, and why, is a mystery.
Detective Dana Russo knows the national spotlight will be sharply focused on the case.
The charity was formed when the founders' teenage son was killed after intervening in a vicious assault - sparking public outrage and a damning verdict on the police investigation.
But under huge pressure and with few clues - plus suspects who instinctively distrust the police - how can Dana unravel the truth?
During a broiling heatwave, the inner circle of a high-profile charity attend a critical meeting at White Ash Ridge, a small hotel nestled in the Australian wilderness.
As the temperature rises, a body is found lying in the thick bush, bludgeoned to death.
One of the four remaining guests is a murderer - but who, and why, is a mystery.
Detective Dana Russo knows the national spotlight will be sharply focused on the case.
The charity was formed when the founders' teenage son was killed after intervening in a vicious assault - sparking public outrage and a damning verdict on the police investigation.
But under huge pressure and with few clues - plus suspects who instinctively distrust the police - how can Dana unravel the truth?
Kindle Edition
First published March 14, 2024
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186 people want to read
About the author
S.R. White
10 books70 followersS.R. White worked for a UK police force for twelve years, before returning to academic life and taking an MA in Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University. He now lives in Queensland, Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 1, 2024
This represented a little palate cleanser after three hefty fantasy novels. It’s a straightforward Australian-set police procedural, the fourth in a series featuring detective Dana Russo. Needless to say, I had not read any of the previous books. Such is life on the cutting edge of 99p specials.
I’ve often wondered why you get later-in-the-series books on the Kindle Deals page. I suppose they think you’re going to be a completist and buy the others so you can read them in order. Not me.
Detective Russo is an extreme introvert who normally works with a different partner, who doesn’t feature in this book. But it’s not a first-person narrative, and the viewpoint shifts around a little bit, taking in a couple of other characters too.
What would you expect from the title? I’d be looking for a sense of place, an atmosphere, something like The Dry, and so it seems, to begin with. A police constable arrives at a country hotel to secure a crime scene, and we get a lot of descriptions of the heat and the surrounding countryside. We’re in a small town/suburb about four hours from “the City”, which might be Sydney, I don’t know. There’s a bit of a heatwave on, so it really does feel like The Dry.
But after those initial scenes at the crime scene, we’re back to the police headquarters. Most of the action takes place in meeting and interview rooms. There are occasional forays to the City, where another cop interviews a couple of other people and visits places, but really this police procedural is mostly procedure.
The shout line on the cover was “A REMOTE HOTEL. FIVE GUESTS. ONE MURDER.” But really the content of the book doesn’t live up to that. We leave the remote hotel behind quite quickly, and the investigation involves looking at the content of hard drives, accessing message history on phones, and eventually interviewing the suspects. But the suspects don’t get to interact or anything, and the sense that these people have fraught relationship issues is arrived at by proxy.
This wasn’t bad; I found it quite readable, but it’s a bit on the dry side, like a single episode of a long-running cop series. Nothing too ambitious. Competent, and probably quite realistic, but not particularly exciting.
Well, it worked as a palate cleanser. Next on my list: The Big Book of Cyberpunk.
I’ve often wondered why you get later-in-the-series books on the Kindle Deals page. I suppose they think you’re going to be a completist and buy the others so you can read them in order. Not me.
Detective Russo is an extreme introvert who normally works with a different partner, who doesn’t feature in this book. But it’s not a first-person narrative, and the viewpoint shifts around a little bit, taking in a couple of other characters too.
What would you expect from the title? I’d be looking for a sense of place, an atmosphere, something like The Dry, and so it seems, to begin with. A police constable arrives at a country hotel to secure a crime scene, and we get a lot of descriptions of the heat and the surrounding countryside. We’re in a small town/suburb about four hours from “the City”, which might be Sydney, I don’t know. There’s a bit of a heatwave on, so it really does feel like The Dry.
But after those initial scenes at the crime scene, we’re back to the police headquarters. Most of the action takes place in meeting and interview rooms. There are occasional forays to the City, where another cop interviews a couple of other people and visits places, but really this police procedural is mostly procedure.
The shout line on the cover was “A REMOTE HOTEL. FIVE GUESTS. ONE MURDER.” But really the content of the book doesn’t live up to that. We leave the remote hotel behind quite quickly, and the investigation involves looking at the content of hard drives, accessing message history on phones, and eventually interviewing the suspects. But the suspects don’t get to interact or anything, and the sense that these people have fraught relationship issues is arrived at by proxy.
This wasn’t bad; I found it quite readable, but it’s a bit on the dry side, like a single episode of a long-running cop series. Nothing too ambitious. Competent, and probably quite realistic, but not particularly exciting.
Well, it worked as a palate cleanser. Next on my list: The Big Book of Cyberpunk.
December 28, 2024
Love the Dana Russo series and how she and her team work! Bring on the next one!!!
December 29, 2025
Setting: rural Queensland; January 2020.
This is the fourth book in the Australian crime series featuring Detective Dana Russo, the story taking place over two days in a sultry and humid Queensland summer.
Dana is sent to a small country hotel called White Ash Ridge where a man's body has been found. Dana discovers that the entire hotel has been booked out by a group of five people who run a charity, founded after a teenage boy was murdered when trying to stop the racial abuse of a young Somalian girl.
Now one of the group has been murdered and it seems likely that another member of the group is the killer. So Dana and her team must interview all the potential suspects and investigate their backgrounds to try to identify the culprit....
This one was probably my least favourite book in the series so far. Partly this was because it was largely interviews in the police station but mainly because the author seemed to be using the story to raise issues that clearly concern him. One of these was the issue of male anger as opposed to female anger and how they are viewed differently by society, according to one of the characters in the story - told at length and not especially relevant to the storyline, this seemed to be a bit of venting on the part of the author. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the story, setting and characters overall and would still rate it as a 4-star read - 8/10.
This is the fourth book in the Australian crime series featuring Detective Dana Russo, the story taking place over two days in a sultry and humid Queensland summer.
Dana is sent to a small country hotel called White Ash Ridge where a man's body has been found. Dana discovers that the entire hotel has been booked out by a group of five people who run a charity, founded after a teenage boy was murdered when trying to stop the racial abuse of a young Somalian girl.
Now one of the group has been murdered and it seems likely that another member of the group is the killer. So Dana and her team must interview all the potential suspects and investigate their backgrounds to try to identify the culprit....
This one was probably my least favourite book in the series so far. Partly this was because it was largely interviews in the police station but mainly because the author seemed to be using the story to raise issues that clearly concern him. One of these was the issue of male anger as opposed to female anger and how they are viewed differently by society, according to one of the characters in the story - told at length and not especially relevant to the storyline, this seemed to be a bit of venting on the part of the author. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the story, setting and characters overall and would still rate it as a 4-star read - 8/10.
January 1, 2025
I started this book, but had to put it down so now I’m back.
I’ve refound my page, were I was upto. So I’ve skimmed over what I’d previously read, hoping I have forgotten anything important. I might not be able to guess the outcome due to the interruption to my reading.
Page 133 Chapter 16 very funny - “ … She (Dana) realised that the trio ( herself, Mila & Lucy) had a total of three and a half good legs between them, which was a pretty crapy average.” 😂
Page 318- interview with Kimberly 😂 “… worse? … 😂 😂 I shouldn’t laugh but we’ve all seen the red tape that sucks the life out of a project. Very well put.
Great ending, not one I expected.
I’ve refound my page, were I was upto. So I’ve skimmed over what I’d previously read, hoping I have forgotten anything important. I might not be able to guess the outcome due to the interruption to my reading.
Page 133 Chapter 16 very funny - “ … She (Dana) realised that the trio ( herself, Mila & Lucy) had a total of three and a half good legs between them, which was a pretty crapy average.” 😂
Page 318- interview with Kimberly 😂 “… worse? … 😂 😂 I shouldn’t laugh but we’ve all seen the red tape that sucks the life out of a project. Very well put.
Great ending, not one I expected.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2025
White Ash Ridge is the fourth Detective Dana Russo book by S. R. White. At the rural White Ash Ridge hotel, a group from a high-profile charity gathers for a holiday. One night, a guest is murdered, and Detective Dana Russo takes the case. The isolation, with only five guests, makes the case especially puzzling at first. Will Detective Dana Russo solve the mystery, or will this case be the one that defeats her? Readers will continue to follow Detective Dana Russo, which complements the book's plot.
White Ash Ridge is an excellent Australian police procedural that highlights rural Australia, allowing readers to see it through S. R. White's eyes. I enjoy that S. R. White creates characters with disabilities to show readers that people with disabilities can do anything. I enjoyed reading this book and engaged with the characters and the story from the first page to the end.
I do enjoy S. R. White's portrayal of the characters of this book and the way they interact with each other. White Ash Ridge was well written and researched by S. R. White. I like S. R. White's description of the settings, which complemented the book's plot.
I recommend this book.
White Ash Ridge is an excellent Australian police procedural that highlights rural Australia, allowing readers to see it through S. R. White's eyes. I enjoy that S. R. White creates characters with disabilities to show readers that people with disabilities can do anything. I enjoyed reading this book and engaged with the characters and the story from the first page to the end.
I do enjoy S. R. White's portrayal of the characters of this book and the way they interact with each other. White Ash Ridge was well written and researched by S. R. White. I like S. R. White's description of the settings, which complemented the book's plot.
I recommend this book.
July 9, 2024
Bit of a let down. I thought I liked the others in the series. Maybe I'm just not feeling it as it is hard to get into any book ATM
July 21, 2025
**** THIS MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOLIERS, ALTHOUGH NOT PARTICULAR DESCRIPTIONS, MORE VAGUE GENERALISATIONS
I'm really torn with how to rate this one. This is book 4 in the Dana Russo Series, which thus far I have enjoyed well enough. Yet this book would be an easy one to grab if you haven't read any of the others as it doesn't delve into the characters lives, backstories or previous developments. It's like a blank slate which as someone who has followed the development of relationships between the characters and their progress, it just seems to read like none of that matters. I find that disappointing particularly as we made such development in Dana and Lucy's trust in their relationship. All the moments they have shared, the experiences they have gone through together helped shape a beautiful bond between them that I was hoping to flourish more within this book. However, we didn't see that. Apart from a few paragraphs we wouldn't learn much about any of the main players in this book, such as Dana, Lucy, Mike, Rainer, Milo or even our new cop Mila. Perhaps it's just me, but I would've liked to see more about their lives as they juggle the responsibility of investigating homicide and personal life.
Moving onto the story itself, this one is very very slow. Three quarters of the book is complete misdirection, the last quarter throws a curve ball out of the left field solving the case. While I have been known to enjoy stories that keep you guessing, misdirect the audience or even gaslight us, this falls flat. I feel like I wasted my time reading the book, when I could read the first chapter and the last chapter to get the same feel for the book. The middle was fluffy filler, for me.
I know alot of people have enjoyed the novel, which is great. I have read some really fantastic procedural cop series, so it's not an issue of Dana working "by the book", but rather the characters lacking depth and replayability for me.
I'll give it a solid 3.5 stars, as I do enjoy S.R White's writing style, knowledge and intelligence that gets transferred into the stories produced. I will also continue to read the Dana Russo Series in the future, this one just falls flat for me.
I'm really torn with how to rate this one. This is book 4 in the Dana Russo Series, which thus far I have enjoyed well enough. Yet this book would be an easy one to grab if you haven't read any of the others as it doesn't delve into the characters lives, backstories or previous developments. It's like a blank slate which as someone who has followed the development of relationships between the characters and their progress, it just seems to read like none of that matters. I find that disappointing particularly as we made such development in Dana and Lucy's trust in their relationship. All the moments they have shared, the experiences they have gone through together helped shape a beautiful bond between them that I was hoping to flourish more within this book. However, we didn't see that. Apart from a few paragraphs we wouldn't learn much about any of the main players in this book, such as Dana, Lucy, Mike, Rainer, Milo or even our new cop Mila. Perhaps it's just me, but I would've liked to see more about their lives as they juggle the responsibility of investigating homicide and personal life.
Moving onto the story itself, this one is very very slow. Three quarters of the book is complete misdirection, the last quarter throws a curve ball out of the left field solving the case. While I have been known to enjoy stories that keep you guessing, misdirect the audience or even gaslight us, this falls flat. I feel like I wasted my time reading the book, when I could read the first chapter and the last chapter to get the same feel for the book. The middle was fluffy filler, for me.
I know alot of people have enjoyed the novel, which is great. I have read some really fantastic procedural cop series, so it's not an issue of Dana working "by the book", but rather the characters lacking depth and replayability for me.
I'll give it a solid 3.5 stars, as I do enjoy S.R White's writing style, knowledge and intelligence that gets transferred into the stories produced. I will also continue to read the Dana Russo Series in the future, this one just falls flat for me.
September 28, 2024
‘When Constable Rainer Holt stepped out of the patrol car, the heat smashed him.’
White Ash Ridge is a small, isolated hotel in the Australian bush. All five rooms are booked by members of a high-profile charity needing to have critical discussions. It is hot, there is no air-conditioning and the heat and tension both increase when one of the guests is found bludgeoned to death close to the hotel.
Who killed him and why? Detective Dana Russo has her work cut out. The charity was formed when the founders’ teenage son was killed after intervening in a racially motivated assault. The police investigation was poorly handled, and the public was outraged. Given the isolation of the hotel and the fact that only five guests and the husband and daughter staff team were the only people present, it seems highly likely that one of the guests was the murderer.
There’s plenty of pressure on Dana and her team. None of the guests is particularly cooperative and it is only a matter of time before lawyers are involved and/or the case is taken over by other investigators. Fortunately, Dana has great team even though she is missing her usual partner, and a new detective allocated to the team is a largely unknown quantity.
The more the team investigates, the more questions are raised about both the charity and its members. In the absence of physical evidence, Dana and her team need to work carefully and quickly to ascertain the truth.
This is the fourth book in this series, and I enjoyed meeting up with Dana and her team (especially Lucy) again. The story unfolds through interviews with the four charity members and investigations into their lives and the charity. The team is under considerable pressure as the charity members cannot be detained indefinitely, and none of them have a high opinion of the police.
No spoilers here. A clever mystery with a focus on police work. And no, I did not work it out until very close to the end.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
White Ash Ridge is a small, isolated hotel in the Australian bush. All five rooms are booked by members of a high-profile charity needing to have critical discussions. It is hot, there is no air-conditioning and the heat and tension both increase when one of the guests is found bludgeoned to death close to the hotel.
Who killed him and why? Detective Dana Russo has her work cut out. The charity was formed when the founders’ teenage son was killed after intervening in a racially motivated assault. The police investigation was poorly handled, and the public was outraged. Given the isolation of the hotel and the fact that only five guests and the husband and daughter staff team were the only people present, it seems highly likely that one of the guests was the murderer.
There’s plenty of pressure on Dana and her team. None of the guests is particularly cooperative and it is only a matter of time before lawyers are involved and/or the case is taken over by other investigators. Fortunately, Dana has great team even though she is missing her usual partner, and a new detective allocated to the team is a largely unknown quantity.
The more the team investigates, the more questions are raised about both the charity and its members. In the absence of physical evidence, Dana and her team need to work carefully and quickly to ascertain the truth.
This is the fourth book in this series, and I enjoyed meeting up with Dana and her team (especially Lucy) again. The story unfolds through interviews with the four charity members and investigations into their lives and the charity. The team is under considerable pressure as the charity members cannot be detained indefinitely, and none of them have a high opinion of the police.
No spoilers here. A clever mystery with a focus on police work. And no, I did not work it out until very close to the end.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
August 8, 2024
There is a very strong element of policing in this book, and I only realised this as I read into SR White’s biographical info. This is a great crime thriller with a very strong policing element to it, as well as very detailed profiling work to identify the killer of Ryan Grayson. The premise of this book was quite original, and I kept thinking of a few prominent crowd funded donation campaigns where some of the organisers were quite high-profile. The GoneTooSoon charity was holding a meeting at an old country retreat. This was a charity that came from a ‘bungled’ police investigation where the murder of a teenage boy was poorly executed. The main focus of this book was on the very intense and detailed work of the police officers, led by Detective Dana Russo. The investigative tactics, technology and methodical approaches were deliberately and comprehensively explored: it was just as much about the how they worked it out as to who undertook the murder.
The secondary story in this was around Mila, a police officer injured undercover with secrets attached to her injuries. This was drip-fed very slowly throughout the main plot which added to the tension and angst about not knowing everything about everything. The members of the charity were all rather slippery and unlikeable, and this came across in all of their interviews. None could escape scrutiny, not could they escape the contempt they held for each other, even though they were trying to work towards the same thing. I liked the focus on whether they were more focused on the brand and fame of the charity, rather than creating it all for altruistic reasons. The complexities behind Keena and Max highlighted just how hard the pressure of maintaining a legacy can push a relationship towards breaking point.
A different kind of thriller, and not what I expected!
The secondary story in this was around Mila, a police officer injured undercover with secrets attached to her injuries. This was drip-fed very slowly throughout the main plot which added to the tension and angst about not knowing everything about everything. The members of the charity were all rather slippery and unlikeable, and this came across in all of their interviews. None could escape scrutiny, not could they escape the contempt they held for each other, even though they were trying to work towards the same thing. I liked the focus on whether they were more focused on the brand and fame of the charity, rather than creating it all for altruistic reasons. The complexities behind Keena and Max highlighted just how hard the pressure of maintaining a legacy can push a relationship towards breaking point.
A different kind of thriller, and not what I expected!
July 7, 2024
Well that was a great book and it was good to see Dana Russo back to her best.
In White Ash Ridge Dana is up against it. The murdered man, Ryan Grayson, works for the charity GoneTooSoon, which was started after a young man was stabbed to death after stepping into help a young girl being racially abused. Wrong place, wrong time.
But this young mans death spawned a flood of donations and his parents started a charity in his honour to provide outreach facilities, racial awareness and youth counselling. His parents, particularly his mother Keena, is seen as the public's darling and a thorn in the side of the police. It is for this reason that this investigation has to be thorough and timely. The press and the public will have a field day otherwise.
Dana and her team, as well as new arrival Mila Jelovic, get to work gathering evidence and set about finding anything that they can use to unnerve the members of the charity.
These books are not like other crime / police procedurals, and that is exactly what I like about them. It's all about the psychology of the relationship between the police and the accused. The way that Dana interviews people and uses what they say and do against them is incredible. I just love it.
After feeling that the previous book, Red Dirt Road, missed the mark a bit, it was fantastic to see that this book is back to basics and is up there with Hermit and Prisoner.
In White Ash Ridge Dana is up against it. The murdered man, Ryan Grayson, works for the charity GoneTooSoon, which was started after a young man was stabbed to death after stepping into help a young girl being racially abused. Wrong place, wrong time.
But this young mans death spawned a flood of donations and his parents started a charity in his honour to provide outreach facilities, racial awareness and youth counselling. His parents, particularly his mother Keena, is seen as the public's darling and a thorn in the side of the police. It is for this reason that this investigation has to be thorough and timely. The press and the public will have a field day otherwise.
Dana and her team, as well as new arrival Mila Jelovic, get to work gathering evidence and set about finding anything that they can use to unnerve the members of the charity.
These books are not like other crime / police procedurals, and that is exactly what I like about them. It's all about the psychology of the relationship between the police and the accused. The way that Dana interviews people and uses what they say and do against them is incredible. I just love it.
After feeling that the previous book, Red Dirt Road, missed the mark a bit, it was fantastic to see that this book is back to basics and is up there with Hermit and Prisoner.
June 16, 2024
I received a copy of White Ash Ridge from Hachette Australia to review.
Rating of 4.5.
One of Australian’s most distinctive new crime fiction authors returns with a complex murder mystery the blends compelling characters with unique methods, White Ash Ridge by S. R. White.
Murder, deceit and controversy are all that are on the limited menu of the White Ash Ridge hotel, especially when tragedy strikes its guests. An isolated and decaying hotel, hidden away in the Australian wilderness, White Ash Ridge has been booked out by the inner circle of a high-profile charity organisation for urgent discussions about its future. As the relentless heat raises tensions, the body of one of the charity’s founders is found dead on the track outside, his death caused by a blow to the head.
Called to the scene, Detective Dana Russo anticipates another complex murder case. With no one else spotted in the area and tensions running high amongst the charity’s founders, it seems likely that one of the four remaining guests at the White Ash Ridge is the murderer. However, as she begins to investigate, Dana is unprepared for the chaos that is about to descend upon her small command. The charity the victim work for was founded by two parents whose son was killed after intervening in a violent assault. The subsequent failed police investigation sparked public outrage and launched the boy’s mother into Australia’s political orbit.
Now thrust into the centre of a controversial family familiar with the police, Dana must quickly solve the case before events get out of hand. With a lack of physical evidence, Dana and her small team are forced to pull the truth from the four suspects to determine their history with the victim and why anyone would want to kill him. However, they only have limited time before the overwhelming public interest forces her to let the suspects go, likely at the cost of her career and reputation. Can Dana convince her suspects, none of whom have any love of the police, to cooperate before it’s too late, or will the killer walk free thanks to the will of the people?
S. R. White delivers another complex, impressive, and highly distinctive piece of Australian crime fiction with White Ash Ridge. Blending White’s unique murder mystery style with great characters and a compelling situation, White Ash Ridge was an amazing read that I could not get enough of.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2024/06/02/...
An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 4 April 2024:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2024/06/16/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
Rating of 4.5.
One of Australian’s most distinctive new crime fiction authors returns with a complex murder mystery the blends compelling characters with unique methods, White Ash Ridge by S. R. White.
Murder, deceit and controversy are all that are on the limited menu of the White Ash Ridge hotel, especially when tragedy strikes its guests. An isolated and decaying hotel, hidden away in the Australian wilderness, White Ash Ridge has been booked out by the inner circle of a high-profile charity organisation for urgent discussions about its future. As the relentless heat raises tensions, the body of one of the charity’s founders is found dead on the track outside, his death caused by a blow to the head.
Called to the scene, Detective Dana Russo anticipates another complex murder case. With no one else spotted in the area and tensions running high amongst the charity’s founders, it seems likely that one of the four remaining guests at the White Ash Ridge is the murderer. However, as she begins to investigate, Dana is unprepared for the chaos that is about to descend upon her small command. The charity the victim work for was founded by two parents whose son was killed after intervening in a violent assault. The subsequent failed police investigation sparked public outrage and launched the boy’s mother into Australia’s political orbit.
Now thrust into the centre of a controversial family familiar with the police, Dana must quickly solve the case before events get out of hand. With a lack of physical evidence, Dana and her small team are forced to pull the truth from the four suspects to determine their history with the victim and why anyone would want to kill him. However, they only have limited time before the overwhelming public interest forces her to let the suspects go, likely at the cost of her career and reputation. Can Dana convince her suspects, none of whom have any love of the police, to cooperate before it’s too late, or will the killer walk free thanks to the will of the people?
S. R. White delivers another complex, impressive, and highly distinctive piece of Australian crime fiction with White Ash Ridge. Blending White’s unique murder mystery style with great characters and a compelling situation, White Ash Ridge was an amazing read that I could not get enough of.
To see the full review, click on the link below:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2024/06/02/...
An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 4 April 2024:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2024/06/16/...
For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
September 4, 2024
The fourth of the Detective Dana Russo series, White Ash Ridge (2024) by S R White is another engaging Aussie noir crime tale. A murder at a rural hotel, adjacent to bushlands, is investigated by Dana and her close-knit team. There were only five guests, and the father and daughter managing the heritage guest house. As they are all separated and interviewed, inconsistencies in their stories and the underlying tension of the group of guests become apparent. The narrative has a strong policing element, given the introverted nature of Dana and her systematic approach to moving the investigation forward, to identify the murderer amongst the six suspects. Set in the bush and heat of rural Australia, with a subtle psychological mix of the detective team, the slow unfolding of the case, ending a classic whodunit reveal, is a delightful four and a half star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement.
April 30, 2024
3.5* rounded up.
Dana investigates a murder at a charity's retreat. This is complicated by the fact that the charity grew up in the wake of police incompetence after the murder of a teenage boy. I enjoyed this, although it began to drag in the middle - Dana took the approach that she and her team should discuss (at length) various possible scenarios to decide how to question the suspects, whereas I wanted her to just get on and see where the interviews took her.
I was disappointed with the resolution since I do not feel it had not been sufficiently clued for the reader to guess it. The confession Dana obtained did not read like someone's natural speech either - more like someone writing a novel about what they did. On the other hand I liked Mila and her crutches and eye patch and will continue with this series.
Dana investigates a murder at a charity's retreat. This is complicated by the fact that the charity grew up in the wake of police incompetence after the murder of a teenage boy. I enjoyed this, although it began to drag in the middle - Dana took the approach that she and her team should discuss (at length) various possible scenarios to decide how to question the suspects, whereas I wanted her to just get on and see where the interviews took her.
I was disappointed with the resolution since I do not feel it had not been sufficiently clued for the reader to guess it. The confession Dana obtained did not read like someone's natural speech either - more like someone writing a novel about what they did. On the other hand I liked Mila and her crutches and eye patch and will continue with this series.
May 20, 2024
Keena Flynn, Max Flynn, Ryan Grayson, Kimberley Collins and Terence Matlock have gathered at a remote hotel, four hours away from a major city, to discuss their charity’s next steps. This charity has sprung up through the public’s sympathy at the murder of Ollie Flynn, Keena and Max’s 14 year old son’s senseless murder. The heat and lack of airconditioning take their toll on all them, including the hotel’s owner and his daughter. Then a body is found. Which of the Gang of Four is responsible? This is is an intense, complicated, minutely described and dialogue driven police procedural which relies on Detective Dana Russo, her investigating team and technological breakthroughs, psychological insight and painstaking police work to solve the crime. Intriguing and enthralling and clever read. Set somewhere in Australia.
November 12, 2025
Finally, I finished a book while in the US! And it was a very good book. Although it took time to read, what with travelling 7,500 miles across America, it was worth the time. Based in Australia, in the heat of the summer, a body is discovered in a small out of the way hotel, with only 4 suspects. Dana, the lead detective, must work out who did it and why. With help from Mila, Lucy and others, she spends her time working through the evidence to reach the conclusion. The detail was superb, and written by a previous London detective, it felt very realistic and well thought through and researched. I didn't work out who it was, which I like. I would read another of his books
#bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #booksreadin2025 #booksilove #booksirecommend
#bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #booksreadin2025 #booksilove #booksirecommend
November 20, 2024
I found this book very slow moving. The story was well written, just very slow. I was surprised at the outcome, although I felt like most of the “clues” that led the detectives to their killer were hidden until after the big reveal. Therefore I don’t think the reader could have possibly guessed who the killer was since they didn’t have all of the information. I do have to say that this book taught me something about Australia! I thought that all of Australia was insanely hot all of the time and apparently that is not the case according to this book! I was also shocked to find that air conditioning is hard to find in that area of Australia! Who knew!?
June 8, 2024
Enjoyed this book. There were a few things I may need to go back and read again as it didn't seem that they were properly explained, although they probably were and I didn't take it in. I thought the killer's motive came a bit out of left field although I had guessed who it was quite early on. I felt there could have been a bit more setup for this. Otherwise Dana, Carl and Mila are great characters and I look forward to reading other investigations with them.
May 6, 2025
This is the fourth book in the this series and, for me at least, this was the fourth best. However, the bar is pretty high and this is still an enjoyable read. As with the the first three books there are extensive scenes in the interview suite, and these are put together really well. And with multiple suspects this adds up to a lot of interviewing. Plus there's the addition of an interesting new member to Dana's team with another great backstory.
August 10, 2025
Murder in a hotel - only 5 suspects - very Agatha Christie - but lacks the suspense of her novels. Very much about the police interview procedure which is interesting to a point but becomes a bit repetitive. Good job they didn’t all ‘no comment’ - would have been a very short novel. Not sure why the culprit confessed so readily? And the pen incident? Surely a lawsuit to follow. Maybe that’s acceptable in Oz policing.
December 28, 2025
Strong on police procedure and building those characters, but the only sense of drama or tension seemed to be from the bastard boss and avoiding the media. Missed an opportunity to build greater tension, I feel, as any interaction between the suspe ts was all reported via statements, not in real time, and the great location set up at the start was underplayed as well.
Still enjoyed it but felt it had potential to be way more electric and less obvious.
Still enjoyed it but felt it had potential to be way more electric and less obvious.
January 1, 2026
I can’t think of any reason why this book is billed as an ‘international best seller’ unless of course people have bought it hoping for a satisfying read from a ‘rising star of Australian crime fiction’ only find it as slow moving and boring as a searing white hot summer afternoon.
Thank goodness for libraries! You borrow this trash, skim through it, read the last two chapters to find out who did it and why and then take it back without wasting a cent.
Thank goodness for libraries! You borrow this trash, skim through it, read the last two chapters to find out who did it and why and then take it back without wasting a cent.
July 14, 2024
A Slog
Drawn out with continuous non-stop one character dialogue. Chapter upon chapter set in an interview room at a police station. Also, an almost full chapter of back story on one character dumped in the middle. It was a hard read, but I finished it as a lesson in what not to do. Where was the action to keep the reader involved and want to turn the page?
Drawn out with continuous non-stop one character dialogue. Chapter upon chapter set in an interview room at a police station. Also, an almost full chapter of back story on one character dumped in the middle. It was a hard read, but I finished it as a lesson in what not to do. Where was the action to keep the reader involved and want to turn the page?
January 21, 2025
Another great Dana Russo case which I didn’t guess til the end. The author still likes to use lots of big words but the story flows well. Hopefully some more books in this series. (I did find one funny mistake - when he refers to Ryan’s office bathroom as having a “Ken Dome-themed towel”pg 169 think that should of been Ken Done (Australian Artist)
February 5, 2025
4.5 .. v good procedural .. a couple of the interviews were a little long but the crime and the investigation is so well described .. Detective Dana Russo is beguiling and her team of Lucy and others are interesting .. ‘ Bluey’ was a kindly field policeman .. the context of hot weather at White Ash Ridge is well drawn .. I enjoyed this and found it easy to read
May 5, 2024
latest awesome work
S. R. White never takes long to get into a plot. You’re hooked from the beginning and it doesn’t let go until the end. Another great read! Can’t wait for the next.
S. R. White never takes long to get into a plot. You’re hooked from the beginning and it doesn’t let go until the end. Another great read! Can’t wait for the next.
November 2, 2024
This was an interesting story. The characters were quite fun to follow.
I've been reading a lot of Australian books and authors lately which is very fun.
Good author who I'll definitely read more of!
I've been reading a lot of Australian books and authors lately which is very fun.
Good author who I'll definitely read more of!
November 19, 2024
The first Dana Russo novel That I have read. I will definitely investigate the others. Very in depth on the interview process and the team work involved in the process of identifying the perpetrator. A nice change from the convoluted plots of novels that I have recently read.
May 9, 2024
DNF at 50% read. It was very slow-paced, and I didn't engage with the characters or care about the outcome.
November 15, 2024
2.5 rounded up.
December 21, 2024
Quite a good plot, but overly verbose. Do cops really talk that much in an interview???
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