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PI Lane Holland #2
Murder Town
Gemma Guillory knows her once-charming town is now remembered for one reason, and one reason only.
That three innocent people died. That the last stop on the Rainier Ripper's trail of death seventeen years ago was her innocuous little teashop.
She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her police officer husband and their marriage to this day and that some of her neighbours are desperate - desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier's reputation as the murder town.
When the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma's doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer's wake turns to foreboding, and she's drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland.
Gemma knows her town. She knows her people. Doesn't she?
That three innocent people died. That the last stop on the Rainier Ripper's trail of death seventeen years ago was her innocuous little teashop.
She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her police officer husband and their marriage to this day and that some of her neighbours are desperate - desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier's reputation as the murder town.
When the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma's doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer's wake turns to foreboding, and she's drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland.
Gemma knows her town. She knows her people. Doesn't she?
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2023
255 people are currently reading
7883 people want to read
About the author
Shelley Burr
4 books418 followersShelley Burr works at the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment in Canberra, Australia. She grew up splitting her time between Newcastle and Glenrowan, where her father's family are all sheep farmers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 456 reviews
September 14, 2023
After reading Wake by Shelley Burr I was excited to see Ripper on the shelf in my library so I snapped it up, this was a dark compelling novel that drew me in, but as I got further in it wasn’t for me, hoo characters some likeable, some not, the author brought back one character from Wake which was good although for me just my POV it got a bit run down.
17 years earlier Rainer was in terror as the Ripper was running riot in the small town community killing people one by one 3 bodies were found behind a fountain near a tea shop owned by Gemma, before her it was her grandmothers.
Gemma decides to find the Ripper before he strikes again, but the townsfolk are hiding secrets they don’t want revealed. This was an okay read liked Wake more… Why you ask ? the answer is I don’t know 🤷 it waffled on too much for me.
17 years earlier Rainer was in terror as the Ripper was running riot in the small town community killing people one by one 3 bodies were found behind a fountain near a tea shop owned by Gemma, before her it was her grandmothers.
Gemma decides to find the Ripper before he strikes again, but the townsfolk are hiding secrets they don’t want revealed. This was an okay read liked Wake more… Why you ask ? the answer is I don’t know 🤷 it waffled on too much for me.
January 19, 2025
Stuffed to the brim with red herrings, misdirection, and deftly interwoven subplots, Murder Town had me under its thrall from beginning to end. After all, from the true-to-life small town feel to the dynamic dual POVs, its complex plot and evocative setting came brilliantly to life. Starting off not quite as a slow burn but also not quite fast-paced, the ratcheting tension and rising momentum kept me spellbound for sure. And let me tell you, by the time I reached that well-played climax and downright jaw-dropping twist, I was thoroughly won over hook, line, and sinker.
The only bit that rubbed me the wrong way was the complexity that edged into complicated in terms of the plot. With a murder scheme that took some concentrating to unravel, a bit of the fun was removed from the great big reveal. Nevertheless, it was a truly epic case of phenomenal misdirection. The kind that easily stacked up to the likes of the masterful Grand Dame herself—Agatha Christie.
All said and done, with realistic characters that evoked a small town vibe and an atmospheric plot heavy with despair, it was deeply plausible while also feeling just fictional enough to grab and hold my attention. The best pieces of this mystery/thriller, however, were the ruinous secrets and equally explosive dark lies. Loosely linked to the first book in the series, Wake, I still recommend reading it, well, first. I didn’t and I truly regret it as I missed out on one whopper of a backstory. All I know is that I’m now itching to read book three as the stellar last chapter set it all up with utter perfection. Rating of 4 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
Gemma Guillory has lived in the Australian Outback enclave of Rainier her entire life. She knows the tiny, red-dust town’s ins and outs by heart, knows the people like they are her family, their quirks as if they were her own.
She also knows her once charming town is now remembered for one reason and one reason only: three innocent people died there at the hands of a serial killer. The last stop on the Rainier Ripper’s trail of deaths fifteen years ago was her picturesque little tea shop. She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her policeman husband and their marriage to this day, and some of her neighbors are desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier’s notoriety as the “Murder Town.”
When the tour guide is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma’s doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer’s wake explodes into the light, and Gemma is drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland, a former private investigator who earned a living cracking cold cases before he ran afoul of the law.
Thank you to Shelley Burr and William Morrow for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: November 5, 2024
Trigger warning: mental health problems, adoption, mention of: knife violence, fall from a height
The only bit that rubbed me the wrong way was the complexity that edged into complicated in terms of the plot. With a murder scheme that took some concentrating to unravel, a bit of the fun was removed from the great big reveal. Nevertheless, it was a truly epic case of phenomenal misdirection. The kind that easily stacked up to the likes of the masterful Grand Dame herself—Agatha Christie.
All said and done, with realistic characters that evoked a small town vibe and an atmospheric plot heavy with despair, it was deeply plausible while also feeling just fictional enough to grab and hold my attention. The best pieces of this mystery/thriller, however, were the ruinous secrets and equally explosive dark lies. Loosely linked to the first book in the series, Wake, I still recommend reading it, well, first. I didn’t and I truly regret it as I missed out on one whopper of a backstory. All I know is that I’m now itching to read book three as the stellar last chapter set it all up with utter perfection. Rating of 4 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
Gemma Guillory has lived in the Australian Outback enclave of Rainier her entire life. She knows the tiny, red-dust town’s ins and outs by heart, knows the people like they are her family, their quirks as if they were her own.
She also knows her once charming town is now remembered for one reason and one reason only: three innocent people died there at the hands of a serial killer. The last stop on the Rainier Ripper’s trail of deaths fifteen years ago was her picturesque little tea shop. She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her policeman husband and their marriage to this day, and some of her neighbors are desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier’s notoriety as the “Murder Town.”
When the tour guide is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma’s doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer’s wake explodes into the light, and Gemma is drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland, a former private investigator who earned a living cracking cold cases before he ran afoul of the law.
Thank you to Shelley Burr and William Morrow for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: November 5, 2024
Trigger warning: mental health problems, adoption, mention of: knife violence, fall from a height
December 8, 2024
My latest literary visit to the Antipodes proved to be a tricky one. In recent times, I’ve been used to tales set in Outback settings where an isolated group of people are pretty much cut off from what’s going on in the rest of the world. This creates a rather primitive environment where communications with anyone outside their enclave are few and far between. This time around, the setting is a small town mid-way between Melbourne and Sydney, albeit a town that feels almost as cut off as the Outback. It turns out that this town used to be on the main drag between the two cities, but a new major road now bypasses the town, leaving it a place that few people stop.
We learn that some years ago, there had been a series of murders here, these attributed to a serial killer now incarcerated, most likely for the rest of his life. A proposal is now to be debated in the town to allow a ‘tour’ to be set up to attract the type of ghoul who might be interested in visiting a place where such dreadful deeds had once been perpetrated. Understandably, there were those who feel this might bring much needed money into the town and others who are repelled by such a plan. A town meeting had been set up to debate the proposal and vote on whether to agree to the venture or scrap it.
The first snag here is that a large troupe of characters are quickly introduced together with details of their respective links to each other, these being often complex and multi-stranded. Without a back story to go with each of them, I quickly found that I’d lost track of who was who. My solution was to create a manual ‘map’ of names, complete with arrows and annotations, to help me navigate my way through the book. I’d very soon added around twenty names to my crib sheet. I’ve resorted to this type of exercise as a means of maintaining some kind of grip on a narrative before, but it’s something I really hate having to do.
The second issue is that the very little happens in the first half of the book. It drags along as additional figures are constantly introduced (each being added to my dramatis personae, which by now was starting to resemble a complex engineering schematic). I was struggling badly, but I’d put so much effort into trying to keep abreast of things that I felt I now needed to stick with this tricky tale with a labyrinthine cast.
Thankfully, beyond the halfway point, things started to liven up as events took an unlikely turn – in fact, it was a very unlikely turn! The pace had now stepped up a notch, and I’d at least become interested in the fate of a few of the major characters. But this is when the third major issue raised its head: an endgame in which the author attempted to make use of various linkages between the characters in order to arrive at a frankly ludicrous conclusion.
I’m afraid it’s a two star offering for me – and that much only because I managed to haul my way through to the finish.
My thanks to the publisher for supplying a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
We learn that some years ago, there had been a series of murders here, these attributed to a serial killer now incarcerated, most likely for the rest of his life. A proposal is now to be debated in the town to allow a ‘tour’ to be set up to attract the type of ghoul who might be interested in visiting a place where such dreadful deeds had once been perpetrated. Understandably, there were those who feel this might bring much needed money into the town and others who are repelled by such a plan. A town meeting had been set up to debate the proposal and vote on whether to agree to the venture or scrap it.
The first snag here is that a large troupe of characters are quickly introduced together with details of their respective links to each other, these being often complex and multi-stranded. Without a back story to go with each of them, I quickly found that I’d lost track of who was who. My solution was to create a manual ‘map’ of names, complete with arrows and annotations, to help me navigate my way through the book. I’d very soon added around twenty names to my crib sheet. I’ve resorted to this type of exercise as a means of maintaining some kind of grip on a narrative before, but it’s something I really hate having to do.
The second issue is that the very little happens in the first half of the book. It drags along as additional figures are constantly introduced (each being added to my dramatis personae, which by now was starting to resemble a complex engineering schematic). I was struggling badly, but I’d put so much effort into trying to keep abreast of things that I felt I now needed to stick with this tricky tale with a labyrinthine cast.
Thankfully, beyond the halfway point, things started to liven up as events took an unlikely turn – in fact, it was a very unlikely turn! The pace had now stepped up a notch, and I’d at least become interested in the fate of a few of the major characters. But this is when the third major issue raised its head: an endgame in which the author attempted to make use of various linkages between the characters in order to arrive at a frankly ludicrous conclusion.
I’m afraid it’s a two star offering for me – and that much only because I managed to haul my way through to the finish.
My thanks to the publisher for supplying a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
September 1, 2023
The tourism company wanted to spread the word about their little town of Rainier, set midway between Sydney and Melbourne, and with the highway bypass, losing their income fast. Their claim to fame was the murders seventeen years prior, and the capture of the man they all called the Rainier Ripper. Some of the townsfolk were against it, some for. But Gemma Guillory knew up close and personal the damage the murders had done to the town - one of the victims had died in her arms and her police officer husband was still traumatised.
When the tour operator was murdered while the people of the town were gathered together in Gemma's teashop in what appeared to be a copycat murder, it felt like the horrors of years ago had started again. Soon Gemma was drawn into the investigation, but was she making it all worse? In trying to keep her daughter Violet safe, was she putting her in danger?
Ripper is Aussie author Shelley Burr's second crime novel, set in a small fictional rural town in an area I've been many times. While I enjoyed the plot, I felt the characters, especially the main ones, didn't have any depth and I had a hard time getting to know them. Hugh, Gemma's husband, hardly had a part, even in his position as one of the town's police officers - he flitted in and out of their home like he was a stranger. And I didn't particularly like Gemma - the big jump from the murders to Hugh and Gemma's daughter being sixteen years of age, left a gap that could have been filled better in the prologue, in my opinion.
With thanks to Hachette AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
When the tour operator was murdered while the people of the town were gathered together in Gemma's teashop in what appeared to be a copycat murder, it felt like the horrors of years ago had started again. Soon Gemma was drawn into the investigation, but was she making it all worse? In trying to keep her daughter Violet safe, was she putting her in danger?
Ripper is Aussie author Shelley Burr's second crime novel, set in a small fictional rural town in an area I've been many times. While I enjoyed the plot, I felt the characters, especially the main ones, didn't have any depth and I had a hard time getting to know them. Hugh, Gemma's husband, hardly had a part, even in his position as one of the town's police officers - he flitted in and out of their home like he was a stranger. And I didn't particularly like Gemma - the big jump from the murders to Hugh and Gemma's daughter being sixteen years of age, left a gap that could have been filled better in the prologue, in my opinion.
With thanks to Hachette AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
October 24, 2023
Ripper is another absorbing Australian rural mystery-thriller, and the second book I’ve read in a row set on Wiradjuri country in central southern NSW . The fictional town of Rainier in which Ripper is set is on the real-life location of Tarcutta, the town exactly equidistant on the road between Melbourne and Sydney, although it's been bypassed by the Hume Highway since 2011. The nearest major town (in fact a large regional city) is Wagga Wagga, about 50km away.
Ripper opens with a gripping prologue, in which 19-year-old Gemma Grey is confronted late at night by a man frantically beating at the locked door of her grandmother's tea shop, while she's looking after it on her own. Gemma calls the local police and, together with Constable Hugh Guillory, remains by the man's side until he takes his last breath.
Eighteen years later, Gemma - now Gemma Guillory - and other residents of Rainier reluctantly attend a walkabout, as tour leader Lochlan Lewis leads a trial version of his planned Rainier Ripper themed tour, focussing on the sites of the three serial murders that happened here, a fourth victim narrowly escaping a similar fate due to timely police intervention. Attitudes to Lewis's enterprise differ markedly between attendees - family members of the victims are angry about the murders being portrayed as some form of entertainment, while others in the community see the potential business that the tours could bring to the town, which has struggled since the highway bypass was built.
As heated discussion begins following the tour, another murder occurs, mirroring the circumstances of one of the "Rainier Ripper" killings. Is there a copycat at work, or could imprisoned killer Jan Henning-Klosner have had an accomplice waiting all this time to strike again?
This latest crime starts Gemma reconsidering the details of the earlier murders, and she begins asking questions of her fellow residents, notwithstanding that her own husband is one of two local police officers. It seems that there are secrets swirling around the town she thought she knew so well - will she uncover the truth before her own life is put at risk?
Meanwhile, disgraced former private investigator Lane Holland (who series readers will remember from Wake) is serving a sentence at the same facility as notorious serial killer Jan Henning-Klosner. After an incident in a prison bathroom, Holland is approached by the prison governor, who asks him to inveigle himself into Henning-Klosner's confidence and extract further information about the one Rainier victim - a young woman - whose identity remains a mystery.
I found Ripper an engrossing read, although there were a few plot points that I felt stretched belief a little too far. This was a twisty and engaging mystery in the "old sins cast long shadows" mould. While I guessed a couple of elements of the solution earlier in the book, Shelley Burr's misdirection successfully fooled me as to one major revelation.
As I grew up in nearby Wagga, I found the small-town setting of Ripper rang true, as did Burr's depiction of the bitter cold of winter in inland NSW. Most of the characters have something to hide, all making believable potential suspects for something throughout the narrative. While they're not necessarily likeable individuals, and many of the relationships are fraught, I found their complex backgrounds and motivations fascinating. It was also great to see a non-binary character sensitively portrayed.
I'd recommend Ripper to readers who enjoy twisty character-based thrillers set in regional and rural Australia. I look forward to the next (third) book in Shelley Burr's series featuring private investigator Lane Holland. It will be interesting to see where she takes the character from here...
Ripper opens with a gripping prologue, in which 19-year-old Gemma Grey is confronted late at night by a man frantically beating at the locked door of her grandmother's tea shop, while she's looking after it on her own. Gemma calls the local police and, together with Constable Hugh Guillory, remains by the man's side until he takes his last breath.
Eighteen years later, Gemma - now Gemma Guillory - and other residents of Rainier reluctantly attend a walkabout, as tour leader Lochlan Lewis leads a trial version of his planned Rainier Ripper themed tour, focussing on the sites of the three serial murders that happened here, a fourth victim narrowly escaping a similar fate due to timely police intervention. Attitudes to Lewis's enterprise differ markedly between attendees - family members of the victims are angry about the murders being portrayed as some form of entertainment, while others in the community see the potential business that the tours could bring to the town, which has struggled since the highway bypass was built.
As heated discussion begins following the tour, another murder occurs, mirroring the circumstances of one of the "Rainier Ripper" killings. Is there a copycat at work, or could imprisoned killer Jan Henning-Klosner have had an accomplice waiting all this time to strike again?
This latest crime starts Gemma reconsidering the details of the earlier murders, and she begins asking questions of her fellow residents, notwithstanding that her own husband is one of two local police officers. It seems that there are secrets swirling around the town she thought she knew so well - will she uncover the truth before her own life is put at risk?
Meanwhile, disgraced former private investigator Lane Holland (who series readers will remember from Wake) is serving a sentence at the same facility as notorious serial killer Jan Henning-Klosner. After an incident in a prison bathroom, Holland is approached by the prison governor, who asks him to inveigle himself into Henning-Klosner's confidence and extract further information about the one Rainier victim - a young woman - whose identity remains a mystery.
I found Ripper an engrossing read, although there were a few plot points that I felt stretched belief a little too far. This was a twisty and engaging mystery in the "old sins cast long shadows" mould. While I guessed a couple of elements of the solution earlier in the book, Shelley Burr's misdirection successfully fooled me as to one major revelation.
As I grew up in nearby Wagga, I found the small-town setting of Ripper rang true, as did Burr's depiction of the bitter cold of winter in inland NSW. Most of the characters have something to hide, all making believable potential suspects for something throughout the narrative. While they're not necessarily likeable individuals, and many of the relationships are fraught, I found their complex backgrounds and motivations fascinating. It was also great to see a non-binary character sensitively portrayed.
I'd recommend Ripper to readers who enjoy twisty character-based thrillers set in regional and rural Australia. I look forward to the next (third) book in Shelley Burr's series featuring private investigator Lane Holland. It will be interesting to see where she takes the character from here...
August 14, 2023
How exciting is Australian crime fiction right now?! Last year I read and loved Wake by Shelley Burr and I was so keen for more. Let me tell you, Ripper absolutely delivered. I could not put it down and devoured it cover to cover on a lazy Sunday at home.
Just as in Wake, Ripper is a dark and atmospheric story with plenty of drama. Small towns are always great settings for a murder. 17 years earlier, the Rainier Ripper put this town on the map for all the wrong reasons. The town are now struggling to stay afloat and are considering allowing a true crime walking tour to set up and show the sites where the Ripper struck. Only, on the night that the tour guide comes to show the towns people the plan, he is murdered, Ripper style.
Tell me that doesn’t make you excited to read it? As you would expect, there are plenty of secret’s among the people of the town, secrets that they are desperate to keep hidden. You will just have to read it to find out.
I loved that we saw a character return from Wake, in a somewhat different kind of role than before. It was very well done, cleverly plotted and kept me guessing until the very end.
I can’t recommend Ripper and Wake more. Get theses books on your TBR now. Ripper is published in Australia on August 30th.
Just as in Wake, Ripper is a dark and atmospheric story with plenty of drama. Small towns are always great settings for a murder. 17 years earlier, the Rainier Ripper put this town on the map for all the wrong reasons. The town are now struggling to stay afloat and are considering allowing a true crime walking tour to set up and show the sites where the Ripper struck. Only, on the night that the tour guide comes to show the towns people the plan, he is murdered, Ripper style.
Tell me that doesn’t make you excited to read it? As you would expect, there are plenty of secret’s among the people of the town, secrets that they are desperate to keep hidden. You will just have to read it to find out.
I loved that we saw a character return from Wake, in a somewhat different kind of role than before. It was very well done, cleverly plotted and kept me guessing until the very end.
I can’t recommend Ripper and Wake more. Get theses books on your TBR now. Ripper is published in Australia on August 30th.
September 30, 2023
A small town, Rainier that will always be remembered as where the Ripper murdered three people, seventeen years ago and Gemma Guillory, is still running the tea shop still remembers what happened, but there is a tour operator who wants to bring it all back running tours, not everyone in the town is happy and then another murder, the same as the first murder but who because the Ripper is in jail.
Gemma is married to police officer Hugh, he was there seventeen years ago, and now they have sixteen year old daughter Violet, when the tour operator is found dead in the fountain the night of the meeting, the residents are shocked and the tensions run high throughout the town, who is the copycat killer? There are a lot of questions to be asked but will they get the answers.
Gemma is doing her best to uncover the truth and then Lane Holland a prisoner in jail with the Rainier Ripper is called in to help to help uncover the identity of one of the murder victims, there are so many questions and finger pointing.
This story has a great story line filled with twists, secrets and cover-ups, it did take me while at the start to get to know the characters and put them all into place for me. Gemma was determined to get to the bottom of it all, but what she finds is not what she expected. A good story overall and one that I enjoyed, I did enjoy Lane Hollands part in it and look forward to the next one.
Gemma is married to police officer Hugh, he was there seventeen years ago, and now they have sixteen year old daughter Violet, when the tour operator is found dead in the fountain the night of the meeting, the residents are shocked and the tensions run high throughout the town, who is the copycat killer? There are a lot of questions to be asked but will they get the answers.
Gemma is doing her best to uncover the truth and then Lane Holland a prisoner in jail with the Rainier Ripper is called in to help to help uncover the identity of one of the murder victims, there are so many questions and finger pointing.
This story has a great story line filled with twists, secrets and cover-ups, it did take me while at the start to get to know the characters and put them all into place for me. Gemma was determined to get to the bottom of it all, but what she finds is not what she expected. A good story overall and one that I enjoyed, I did enjoy Lane Hollands part in it and look forward to the next one.
November 20, 2024
Australian Author Shelley Burr's sophomore novel, MURDER TOWN, is an intense, highly atmospheric thriller set in Rainer, Australia, a fictional small town whose only claim to fame is a series of horrific murders by the notorious serial killer, the Rainier Ripper, and his subsequent capture. Almost two decades later, desperate locals debate whether to allow a tourism company to promote the dark tragedy by spotlighting their dying town with the Ripper Trail Tour. Gemma Guillory, her police officer husband, and other locals are still traumatized by the events that occurred when the last victim of the killer died in Gemma's arms at her quaint tea shop. She fears publicity generated by the tour will open old wounds, spill secrets and rattle skeletons best left to rest. The choice is ripped from their hands when a tour representative is murdered in a manner closely resembling that of the Rainer Ripper, and the undercurrent of unrest rippling through their quiet town ignites in an inferno of fear and chaos. Gemma and her husband are pulled back into the nightmare along with a prisoner, former investigator and cold case expert Lane Holland. Once again, a killer is stalking their vulnerable town. With time running out, Gemma questions how well she knows her neighbors.
MURDER TOWN is the follow up to Burr's phenomenally successful first novel Wake, and while it stands alone, there is a crossover character featured in both books. Burr excels in setting highly immersive, atmospheric scenes that pull readers into the story utilizing sight, smell, touch, and sound while creating a keen sense of place. A steadily increasing pace is driven by an undertone of malice permeating the pages as readers and characters navigate a minefield of twists through a unique plot line that culminates in a final shocking reveal. Fans of classic murder mysteries, crime fiction, and thrillers will devour MURDER TOWN--the gripping story of a small-town community pushed to the edge.
Special thanks to publisher William Morrow for a gifted arc of this title for review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. This review is published in The Big Thrill Magazine and is also available on my blog Cross My Heart Reviews.
MURDER TOWN is the follow up to Burr's phenomenally successful first novel Wake, and while it stands alone, there is a crossover character featured in both books. Burr excels in setting highly immersive, atmospheric scenes that pull readers into the story utilizing sight, smell, touch, and sound while creating a keen sense of place. A steadily increasing pace is driven by an undertone of malice permeating the pages as readers and characters navigate a minefield of twists through a unique plot line that culminates in a final shocking reveal. Fans of classic murder mysteries, crime fiction, and thrillers will devour MURDER TOWN--the gripping story of a small-town community pushed to the edge.
Special thanks to publisher William Morrow for a gifted arc of this title for review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. This review is published in The Big Thrill Magazine and is also available on my blog Cross My Heart Reviews.
December 31, 2023
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**4.5 stars**
Ripper by Shelley Burr. (2023).
(PI Lane Holland; #2)
Gemma knows her once-charming town is now remembered for one reason only - three innocent people died, and her little teashop was the last stop on the Rainier Ripper's trail of death 17 years ago. Now some of her neighbours are desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company to cash in on the murder history. When the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma's doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer's wake turns to foreboding, and she's drawn into the investigation. So is prisoner Lane Holland...
I was really looking forward to this novel because I thought the author's debut book, 'Wake' was excellent. After reading this one, I can confirm it too is excellent! This book features one of the leads from the previous novel being private investigator Lane who is now in prison. You could easily read this book as a standalone though. With many twists and turns, this is a clever and compelling storyline. With classic elements like red herrings, misdirection, and the complicated relationships of a small town's inhabitants, this is a very enjoyable book.
Overall: a fantastic small-town Australian murder thriller that I'd happily recommend.
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**4.5 stars**
Ripper by Shelley Burr. (2023).
(PI Lane Holland; #2)
Gemma knows her once-charming town is now remembered for one reason only - three innocent people died, and her little teashop was the last stop on the Rainier Ripper's trail of death 17 years ago. Now some of her neighbours are desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company to cash in on the murder history. When the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma's doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer's wake turns to foreboding, and she's drawn into the investigation. So is prisoner Lane Holland...
I was really looking forward to this novel because I thought the author's debut book, 'Wake' was excellent. After reading this one, I can confirm it too is excellent! This book features one of the leads from the previous novel being private investigator Lane who is now in prison. You could easily read this book as a standalone though. With many twists and turns, this is a clever and compelling storyline. With classic elements like red herrings, misdirection, and the complicated relationships of a small town's inhabitants, this is a very enjoyable book.
Overall: a fantastic small-town Australian murder thriller that I'd happily recommend.
December 7, 2023
No no no. This can’t be the same author that wrote the excellent Wake. The books couldn’t be more different. This is just so poor, I’m at a loss to explain it.
A sort of poor man’s Agatha Christie effort, I was annoyed right off the bat as we are overwhelmed with a cast of characters in the opening chapters with little or no development. I had no idea who was who and it didn’t get any better as the book went on. I struggled to figure out who was who, such was the lack of character development anywhere.
Gemma, our main character and the one who is supposed to carry the story was uninteresting in the extreme and mildly annoying. Married to the local policeman and with their marriage apparently in trouble, the husbands (I can’t even remember his name) character development was non existent!
The story was over complicated and frankly ludicrous. Totally unbelievable with characters who you didn’t know (or care about) I’m sorry to say this was one hot mess.
I’m so incredibly disappointed as I really loved the authors debut Wake. Awful stuff altogether.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.
A sort of poor man’s Agatha Christie effort, I was annoyed right off the bat as we are overwhelmed with a cast of characters in the opening chapters with little or no development. I had no idea who was who and it didn’t get any better as the book went on. I struggled to figure out who was who, such was the lack of character development anywhere.
Gemma, our main character and the one who is supposed to carry the story was uninteresting in the extreme and mildly annoying. Married to the local policeman and with their marriage apparently in trouble, the husbands (I can’t even remember his name) character development was non existent!
The story was over complicated and frankly ludicrous. Totally unbelievable with characters who you didn’t know (or care about) I’m sorry to say this was one hot mess.
I’m so incredibly disappointed as I really loved the authors debut Wake. Awful stuff altogether.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.
October 22, 2024
With three gruesome murders over a short space of time the tiny town of Ranier was bestowed the unwanted moniker Murder Town. A tourist company has arrived in town, planning to run tours through town, hoping to make a buck from the town’s misfortune.
But it seems, after all those years, the Ranier Ripper hadn’t finished their work, taking out the tour operator with his throat slashed and left in the fountain in the middle of town.
Gemma Guillory was an eyewitness to the third murder 18 years earlier. She knows first hand the trauma involved and remains today as the owner of the town’s teashop, now married to the police officer who attended the scene on that night. To add to the trauma, the latest murder has also taken place outside the windows of her store and it seems the nightmare is about to start again.
Inexorably, Gemma is drawn into this current investigation. She now has a daughter and wants to protect her, her husband is still a police officer in town and her connection to him means she’s across the details. Not only that, but people in town for the proposed tour presentation are staying at her place - and there’s a connection with them and the original murder victims.
Ripper provides us with a subtle connection to Shelley Burr’s first novel, Wake, through the presence of that bok’s protagonist Lane Holland. After the events of Wake, Lane is now in prison serving a lengthy sentence. He’s brought into things because the Ranier Ripper is also in the same prison. The head warden, who has a special interest in the case and understanding Lane worked as an investigator, puts him to work to try to reveal details of each of the three murders.
There’s clearly more to be found out about both the 18 year old murders and the latest one. Ranier’s a dangerous place to be and Lane’s prison cell’s not much better and it all ensures that this becomes an extremely tense investigation.
I found this to be a strong thriller with enough mystery wrapped into the original murders to ensure that I was fully engaged throughout. The small town attitudes of the local characters were deftly portrayed with their natural welcoming disposition solidly challenged by the outrage of, once again, having to live through another violent event in their backyard. Almost every exchange is tinged with sharpness, piling the tension on as we went.
This is another powerful small town thriller with a complexity that kind of sneaks up on you. Although Lane Holland’s role is only relatively minor, there’s clearly a set up going on for a future story that’s going to be told.
But it seems, after all those years, the Ranier Ripper hadn’t finished their work, taking out the tour operator with his throat slashed and left in the fountain in the middle of town.
Gemma Guillory was an eyewitness to the third murder 18 years earlier. She knows first hand the trauma involved and remains today as the owner of the town’s teashop, now married to the police officer who attended the scene on that night. To add to the trauma, the latest murder has also taken place outside the windows of her store and it seems the nightmare is about to start again.
Inexorably, Gemma is drawn into this current investigation. She now has a daughter and wants to protect her, her husband is still a police officer in town and her connection to him means she’s across the details. Not only that, but people in town for the proposed tour presentation are staying at her place - and there’s a connection with them and the original murder victims.
Ripper provides us with a subtle connection to Shelley Burr’s first novel, Wake, through the presence of that bok’s protagonist Lane Holland. After the events of Wake, Lane is now in prison serving a lengthy sentence. He’s brought into things because the Ranier Ripper is also in the same prison. The head warden, who has a special interest in the case and understanding Lane worked as an investigator, puts him to work to try to reveal details of each of the three murders.
There’s clearly more to be found out about both the 18 year old murders and the latest one. Ranier’s a dangerous place to be and Lane’s prison cell’s not much better and it all ensures that this becomes an extremely tense investigation.
I found this to be a strong thriller with enough mystery wrapped into the original murders to ensure that I was fully engaged throughout. The small town attitudes of the local characters were deftly portrayed with their natural welcoming disposition solidly challenged by the outrage of, once again, having to live through another violent event in their backyard. Almost every exchange is tinged with sharpness, piling the tension on as we went.
This is another powerful small town thriller with a complexity that kind of sneaks up on you. Although Lane Holland’s role is only relatively minor, there’s clearly a set up going on for a future story that’s going to be told.
April 11, 2024
Murder Town' is a good thriller with a decent mystery at its heart. It's filled with old secrets and present-day lies. It's set in a small town that has suffered a steady decline in the fifteen years since the murders, blighting the lives of the remaining locals while also seeming to offer them their only path to survival. The suspect pool is small but interesting. Best of all, although the man convicted of the killings is in jail, another murder is committed in the same style at a time when most of the townsfolk are gathered together.
The story is told mostly from the point of view of Gemma Guillory, a lifelong resident of the town, who has a personal connection to the killings (the final victim died in her arms when she was nineteen), is (unhappily) married to a local police detective, has secrets of her own and is just starting to discover that she knows much less about her neighbours than she thought she did. As she tries to figure out who did the latest killings she has to rethink her relationship with everyone around her and re-evaluate what really happened fifteen years earlier.
I liked Gemma Guilory and I became engaged in her search for the truth, especially as it started to put her safety at risk.
If I'd read 'Murder Town' without having read the first P I Lane Holland book, 'Wake' first, I'd probably have settled in and enjoyed myself.
Unfortunately, I bought 'Murder Town' with the hope that it would follow a similar path to 'Wake' and deliver a similar emotional punch. It had a similar structure but a lesser emotional impact.
'Wake' was not so much a mystery novel as a story about two survivors of a trauma whose lives have been twisted out of shape in different ways by the unanswered questions surrounding the disappearance of a little girl from a sheep farm nineteen years earlier. What I liked most about it was that it was a slow-burn story where the plot twists weren’t built to shock or surprise but to deepen the reader’s engagement with the characters.
'Wake' was not so much a mystery novel as a story about two survivors of a trauma whose lives have been twisted out of shape in different ways by the unanswered questions surrounding the disappearance of a little girl from a sheep farm nineteen years earlier. What I liked most about it was that it was a slow-burn story where the plot twists weren’t built to shock or surprise but to deepen the reader’s engagement with the characters.
'Murder Town' is much more plot-driven and while the twists and surprises add tension and excitement, they're not character-driven.
Like 'Wake', the present-day events are driven by traumatic killings that took place fifteen years earlier and the story is told from two points of view, Gemma Guillory and Lane Holland. The biggest difference is that there is no connection and almost no interaction between Guillory and Holland and Holland's involvement required a significant suspension of disbelief.
In 'Murder Town' Lane Holland is in prison, serving time after being convicted of murder as a result of the events at the end of 'Wake'. This made sense. Where else would he be? What I struggled with were the plot gymnastics necessary to get him involved in this story at all.
Shelley Burr solved the problem by having Holland share a cell with the man convicted of the three killings fifteen years earlier and by giving the prison governor a personal agenda.
The upside of this approach was that I got an up close and personal view of the convicted killer and Holland's investigation gave me access to information and perspectives that Gemma Guillory didn't have. The downside was that Holland felt more like a plot device than a character and I found myself wondering if the novel might have worked better without him.
The story is told mostly from the point of view of Gemma Guillory, a lifelong resident of the town, who has a personal connection to the killings (the final victim died in her arms when she was nineteen), is (unhappily) married to a local police detective, has secrets of her own and is just starting to discover that she knows much less about her neighbours than she thought she did. As she tries to figure out who did the latest killings she has to rethink her relationship with everyone around her and re-evaluate what really happened fifteen years earlier.
I liked Gemma Guilory and I became engaged in her search for the truth, especially as it started to put her safety at risk.
If I'd read 'Murder Town' without having read the first P I Lane Holland book, 'Wake' first, I'd probably have settled in and enjoyed myself.
Unfortunately, I bought 'Murder Town' with the hope that it would follow a similar path to 'Wake' and deliver a similar emotional punch. It had a similar structure but a lesser emotional impact.
'Wake' was not so much a mystery novel as a story about two survivors of a trauma whose lives have been twisted out of shape in different ways by the unanswered questions surrounding the disappearance of a little girl from a sheep farm nineteen years earlier. What I liked most about it was that it was a slow-burn story where the plot twists weren’t built to shock or surprise but to deepen the reader’s engagement with the characters.
'Wake' was not so much a mystery novel as a story about two survivors of a trauma whose lives have been twisted out of shape in different ways by the unanswered questions surrounding the disappearance of a little girl from a sheep farm nineteen years earlier. What I liked most about it was that it was a slow-burn story where the plot twists weren’t built to shock or surprise but to deepen the reader’s engagement with the characters.
'Murder Town' is much more plot-driven and while the twists and surprises add tension and excitement, they're not character-driven.
Like 'Wake', the present-day events are driven by traumatic killings that took place fifteen years earlier and the story is told from two points of view, Gemma Guillory and Lane Holland. The biggest difference is that there is no connection and almost no interaction between Guillory and Holland and Holland's involvement required a significant suspension of disbelief.
In 'Murder Town' Lane Holland is in prison, serving time after being convicted of murder as a result of the events at the end of 'Wake'. This made sense. Where else would he be? What I struggled with were the plot gymnastics necessary to get him involved in this story at all.
Shelley Burr solved the problem by having Holland share a cell with the man convicted of the three killings fifteen years earlier and by giving the prison governor a personal agenda.
The upside of this approach was that I got an up close and personal view of the convicted killer and Holland's investigation gave me access to information and perspectives that Gemma Guillory didn't have. The downside was that Holland felt more like a plot device than a character and I found myself wondering if the novel might have worked better without him.
October 2, 2023
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
Shelley Burr, the 2023 Matt Richell Award Winner for New Writer of the Year is back with her hotly anticipated second novel. Ripper is a stifling small town Aussie crime novel that covers theme of community politics, murder, guilt versus innocence, incarceration and dark tourism. Ripper is an edgy and terrifying murder tale novel from a rising star in the field of Aussie crime fiction.
Rainier is the subject town of Shelley Burr’s follow up novel to her highly successful debut Wake. We meet Gemma Guillory, a woman who is part of the social fabric of the once quaint town of Rainier, which is now known as a notorious murder village. This tiny dot on the map is known for being the horrific murder site of three victims of the Rainier Ripper. Although this tragic event occurred almost two decades ago, it was Gemma’s teashop that was the last port of call on this heinous killer’s violent spree. This horrible scene has continued to haunt Gemma, her police officer husband and those who remain living in Rainier. Now, a new chapter in Rainier’s history emerges as a tourism plan is put in place to attract visitors to the dark side of Rainier’s nightmare past. But this idea is soon thwarted when a tour representative is killed in a situation that closely resembles the original Ripper slayings. Gemma is again thrust into the new investigation and encounters a dark figure named Lane Holland. Rainier’s population can be trusted, can’t they?
I can usually judge if I’m going to enjoy a book when the prologue draws me in. This was the case completely with Shelley’s Burr’s Ripper, the sophomore novel from the highly acclaimed Australian crime writer. The opening of Ripper absolutely blew me away and I felt the need to read this one late into the night. I couldn’t put it down! Filled with tension, dark desire, suspicion, danger and deception, Ripper was a captivating Aussie crime yarn.
I went straight into Ripper after concluding Shelley Burr’s first release, Wake. I think this was a good move as although Ripper is not a sequel to Wake it does share the same enigmatic male lead character. I appreciated the reappearance of Lane Holland from Wake. It was interesting to hear what happened beyond the ending of Wake. Lane’s fate is sealed by a stint in prison and I liked the focus on the incarceration episodes of this tale. In terms of the other characters added to Ripper, I enjoyed followed Gemma’s story, along with the other inhabitants of the town of Rainier. Burr’s characterisation is as strong as her debut, perhaps even a touch better than her first novel. The interactions and interplay between the cast in Ripper was fantastic. I’m sure fans of Wake or even those who are new to Burr’s writing will get swept up into the storm of Ripper.
Burr’s writing is pointed and immersive. The atmosphere is also thick with desperation and despair. A pulse pounding landscape and a plenty of amped up tension rounds off this novel well. My highlight was the focus on the dark voyeuristic style of tourism, which we see in the tour plans for Rainier. I thought this was an excellent punch line for an Aussie crime novel. It is clear that Burr is able to think outside the box and deliver something that is a clear deviation from the Aussie crime mystery crowd.
Ripper is a story of rebuilding, restitution, inherited trauma, violence, small town politics, grief tourism and dark secrets. Turn to this Aussie crime meditation if you have quench for quality Australian based murder mystery novels.
*Thanks is extended to Hachette Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Shelley Burr, the 2023 Matt Richell Award Winner for New Writer of the Year is back with her hotly anticipated second novel. Ripper is a stifling small town Aussie crime novel that covers theme of community politics, murder, guilt versus innocence, incarceration and dark tourism. Ripper is an edgy and terrifying murder tale novel from a rising star in the field of Aussie crime fiction.
Rainier is the subject town of Shelley Burr’s follow up novel to her highly successful debut Wake. We meet Gemma Guillory, a woman who is part of the social fabric of the once quaint town of Rainier, which is now known as a notorious murder village. This tiny dot on the map is known for being the horrific murder site of three victims of the Rainier Ripper. Although this tragic event occurred almost two decades ago, it was Gemma’s teashop that was the last port of call on this heinous killer’s violent spree. This horrible scene has continued to haunt Gemma, her police officer husband and those who remain living in Rainier. Now, a new chapter in Rainier’s history emerges as a tourism plan is put in place to attract visitors to the dark side of Rainier’s nightmare past. But this idea is soon thwarted when a tour representative is killed in a situation that closely resembles the original Ripper slayings. Gemma is again thrust into the new investigation and encounters a dark figure named Lane Holland. Rainier’s population can be trusted, can’t they?
I can usually judge if I’m going to enjoy a book when the prologue draws me in. This was the case completely with Shelley’s Burr’s Ripper, the sophomore novel from the highly acclaimed Australian crime writer. The opening of Ripper absolutely blew me away and I felt the need to read this one late into the night. I couldn’t put it down! Filled with tension, dark desire, suspicion, danger and deception, Ripper was a captivating Aussie crime yarn.
I went straight into Ripper after concluding Shelley Burr’s first release, Wake. I think this was a good move as although Ripper is not a sequel to Wake it does share the same enigmatic male lead character. I appreciated the reappearance of Lane Holland from Wake. It was interesting to hear what happened beyond the ending of Wake. Lane’s fate is sealed by a stint in prison and I liked the focus on the incarceration episodes of this tale. In terms of the other characters added to Ripper, I enjoyed followed Gemma’s story, along with the other inhabitants of the town of Rainier. Burr’s characterisation is as strong as her debut, perhaps even a touch better than her first novel. The interactions and interplay between the cast in Ripper was fantastic. I’m sure fans of Wake or even those who are new to Burr’s writing will get swept up into the storm of Ripper.
Burr’s writing is pointed and immersive. The atmosphere is also thick with desperation and despair. A pulse pounding landscape and a plenty of amped up tension rounds off this novel well. My highlight was the focus on the dark voyeuristic style of tourism, which we see in the tour plans for Rainier. I thought this was an excellent punch line for an Aussie crime novel. It is clear that Burr is able to think outside the box and deliver something that is a clear deviation from the Aussie crime mystery crowd.
Ripper is a story of rebuilding, restitution, inherited trauma, violence, small town politics, grief tourism and dark secrets. Turn to this Aussie crime meditation if you have quench for quality Australian based murder mystery novels.
*Thanks is extended to Hachette Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
August 14, 2024
I received a free copy of, Murder Town, by Shelley Burr, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Gemma Guillory lives in Australia, Ranier, her town is famous for a serial killer who has never been caught. This was an interesting read, it was good, but I did not enjoy the language at times.
October 20, 2024
Gemma loves the area she lives. When a body is found. She hopes the individuals will be caught. This book lagged at times.
August 31, 2023
⭐️4 Stars⭐️
Wow incredibly intense and haunting.
Ripper is Aussie author Shelley Burr’s second novel and it’s set in a tiny Australian town known for its dark history of murder.
Local cafe owner Gemma and police officer husband Hugh are still haunted by the trail of death seventeen years ago ending at Gemma’s little teashop!
The town of Rainer is about to welcome a tourism company keen to cash in on the towns murderous past but the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat and Gemma is drawn into solving the murder.
There are plenty of secrets in this town!
Darkly atmospheric and complexly plotted in a clever way this is certainly a gripping novel you won’t want to put down.
I recommend you check out the author’s first book Wake also!
Publication Date 30 August 2023
Publisher Hachette Australia
A huge thanks to Hachette Australia for a copy of the book!
Wow incredibly intense and haunting.
Ripper is Aussie author Shelley Burr’s second novel and it’s set in a tiny Australian town known for its dark history of murder.
Local cafe owner Gemma and police officer husband Hugh are still haunted by the trail of death seventeen years ago ending at Gemma’s little teashop!
The town of Rainer is about to welcome a tourism company keen to cash in on the towns murderous past but the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat and Gemma is drawn into solving the murder.
There are plenty of secrets in this town!
Darkly atmospheric and complexly plotted in a clever way this is certainly a gripping novel you won’t want to put down.
I recommend you check out the author’s first book Wake also!
Publication Date 30 August 2023
Publisher Hachette Australia
A huge thanks to Hachette Australia for a copy of the book!
October 29, 2023
Too many characters, trying to be too twisty and just ended up confusing. The story was long and dragged out and once I put the book down it was hard to pick up again.
Disappointing as I was really looking forward to this book after wake.
Disappointing as I was really looking forward to this book after wake.
September 6, 2023
I unfortunately didn’t enjoy this as much as I was hoping. I found the first half really slow and a bit difficult to get through, and also had no idea who was who with characters - I felt like there were about a million town characters and their children, and I was really lost! The last half of the book was a bit more engaging and I enjoyed Lane’s part of the story a lot more.
The ending was okay, I don’t know if it’s just me but I still didn’t really know the characters enough to love how it finishes.
3/5
The ending was okay, I don’t know if it’s just me but I still didn’t really know the characters enough to love how it finishes.
3/5
June 19, 2023
Australian author Shelley Burr's second novel takes us to a tiny Australian town with a dark history. Rainier was once a popular truck-stop between Melbourne and Sydney. These days it's best known for being the site of multiple murders.
Ripper is darkly gripping from the first pages. Like Shelley's debut novel, WAKE, Ripper is atmospheric, with a strong sense of place. The complex characters are so well described I felt like I'd met them.
Startling, filmic and haunting!
Ripper is darkly gripping from the first pages. Like Shelley's debut novel, WAKE, Ripper is atmospheric, with a strong sense of place. The complex characters are so well described I felt like I'd met them.
Startling, filmic and haunting!
September 9, 2023
Rep: Wiradjuri side character, nonbinary side character, Melanesian side character
September 18, 2025
This is the second book in the series featuring private investigator Lane Holland, although throughout this book he is in prison following the death of his murdering father in the previous book!
The other primary setting for the book is the fictional rural town of Rainier, located midway between Sydney and Melbourne, where, 17 years earlier, two local men and an unidentified woman were murdered by a man who came to be known as the Rainier Ripper - who is currently incarcerated in the same prison as Lane Holland.
Now, the community in Rainier are meeting to discuss a proposal from a tour operator to feature the town in a Murder Tour - some are in favour as the town has now been bypassed by the main road and local businesses are suffering and some against due to being relatives of the victims or uncomfortable for profiting from their notoriety. Then, the tour operator himself is found dead in the fountain where the first Ripper victim was found and the town is torn apart with suspicion.
As Lane is asked by the prison governor to try to get more information from the Ripper himself, the residents of the town start to turn on each other....
This was another excellent crime drama from this author, with plenty of twists, turns and unexpected revelations to keep me guessing throughout. Perhaps not quite as gripping or atmospheric as the first book but still looking forward very much to the next in the series, the premise of which was introduced at the end of this one - so, it's off to the library to get a request in! - 9/10.
The other primary setting for the book is the fictional rural town of Rainier, located midway between Sydney and Melbourne, where, 17 years earlier, two local men and an unidentified woman were murdered by a man who came to be known as the Rainier Ripper - who is currently incarcerated in the same prison as Lane Holland.
Now, the community in Rainier are meeting to discuss a proposal from a tour operator to feature the town in a Murder Tour - some are in favour as the town has now been bypassed by the main road and local businesses are suffering and some against due to being relatives of the victims or uncomfortable for profiting from their notoriety. Then, the tour operator himself is found dead in the fountain where the first Ripper victim was found and the town is torn apart with suspicion.
As Lane is asked by the prison governor to try to get more information from the Ripper himself, the residents of the town start to turn on each other....
This was another excellent crime drama from this author, with plenty of twists, turns and unexpected revelations to keep me guessing throughout. Perhaps not quite as gripping or atmospheric as the first book but still looking forward very much to the next in the series, the premise of which was introduced at the end of this one - so, it's off to the library to get a request in! - 9/10.
November 30, 2023
At first glance, Rainier isn't anything special. It's a charming town conveniently situated smack bang in between Sydney and Melbourne. The kind of place where you stop for gas, or a wee, and go right back on your way to wherever it is you're going. Nobody would really give this place a second look under normal circumstances.
However, once upon a time seventeen years ago, Rainier was the location of three brutal murders. And in this day and age of true crime obsession, suddenly there is renewed interest. A tour operator would like to put Rainier and its bloody past back on the map. Some residents approve, albeit it for financial reasons. Others do not. So when the tour operator is found dead, who is responsible and why? Is it someone who wants to scare people off? Or the opposite, thinking that a fresh murder will bring in more bookings? Is this death in any way connected to the original ones?
This story is mainly told via Gemma, the owner of the local teashop, who was unfortunate enough to witness the death of victim number three all those years ago. Those events still haunt her to this day. But she's not the only one. Those murders affected a lot of the town residents, and to this day many questions remain unanswered. One thing is for sure, the death of the tour operator can't be attributed to the original killer since he's in prison.
And that's where former private investigator Lane Holland comes in. If you read Burr's excellent debut 'Wake', then you will be familiar with Lane and you'll also know why he's in prison. If not, not to worry, there's enough there to fill you in. But obviously you should most definitely read 'Wake' anyway, because it's really, really good. Anywho, Lane is in the perfect position to make contact with the Ripper and maybe help the investigation into the current murder along that way. All is not what it seems, though.
There's something about small town mysteries that will always lure me in. Of course, there are secrets lurking around every corner of Rainier. There were some I was able to work out, even if I initially thought my theories were way out there. Others were not so straightforward and Burr kept me guessing until the reveal. Rainier offers quite a list of potential suspects. Especially because many of the residents are rather unlikeable, except for the teenagers. But 'Murder Town' isn't entirely about solving these riddles. It's also about family, loss and grief, the impact others' lies or secrets can have on us, and the choices or decisions we make in our lives.
'Murder Town' is a compelling and addictive page-turner with that dreaded "one more chapter" vibe that makes you stay up way past your bedtime because you just have to know how things end. So maybe Lane's part in this story won't exactly be winning him any awards, but it does lead to the perfect set-up for a follow-up book. Naturally I can't tell you anything about that because that would spoil it, but I can't wait to find out more. If you're a crime fiction fan, I definitely recommend this series and Shelley Burr has easily grabbed herself a place on my go-to list.
However, once upon a time seventeen years ago, Rainier was the location of three brutal murders. And in this day and age of true crime obsession, suddenly there is renewed interest. A tour operator would like to put Rainier and its bloody past back on the map. Some residents approve, albeit it for financial reasons. Others do not. So when the tour operator is found dead, who is responsible and why? Is it someone who wants to scare people off? Or the opposite, thinking that a fresh murder will bring in more bookings? Is this death in any way connected to the original ones?
This story is mainly told via Gemma, the owner of the local teashop, who was unfortunate enough to witness the death of victim number three all those years ago. Those events still haunt her to this day. But she's not the only one. Those murders affected a lot of the town residents, and to this day many questions remain unanswered. One thing is for sure, the death of the tour operator can't be attributed to the original killer since he's in prison.
And that's where former private investigator Lane Holland comes in. If you read Burr's excellent debut 'Wake', then you will be familiar with Lane and you'll also know why he's in prison. If not, not to worry, there's enough there to fill you in. But obviously you should most definitely read 'Wake' anyway, because it's really, really good. Anywho, Lane is in the perfect position to make contact with the Ripper and maybe help the investigation into the current murder along that way. All is not what it seems, though.
There's something about small town mysteries that will always lure me in. Of course, there are secrets lurking around every corner of Rainier. There were some I was able to work out, even if I initially thought my theories were way out there. Others were not so straightforward and Burr kept me guessing until the reveal. Rainier offers quite a list of potential suspects. Especially because many of the residents are rather unlikeable, except for the teenagers. But 'Murder Town' isn't entirely about solving these riddles. It's also about family, loss and grief, the impact others' lies or secrets can have on us, and the choices or decisions we make in our lives.
'Murder Town' is a compelling and addictive page-turner with that dreaded "one more chapter" vibe that makes you stay up way past your bedtime because you just have to know how things end. So maybe Lane's part in this story won't exactly be winning him any awards, but it does lead to the perfect set-up for a follow-up book. Naturally I can't tell you anything about that because that would spoil it, but I can't wait to find out more. If you're a crime fiction fan, I definitely recommend this series and Shelley Burr has easily grabbed herself a place on my go-to list.
November 5, 2024
*** Happy Publication Day ***
Burr's first novel, WAKE, was excellent and a promising start to a police procedural series. This book, MURDER TOWN, is a standalone and is just as good.
Fifteen years ago, the small Australian Outback town of Rainer had a series of gruesome murders committed by a man dubbed the Rainier Ripper. The town has tried to move on, but when a promoter for a walking tour of the murder sites is killed in the same manner as one of the Ripper's victims, notoriety returns to Ranier and long-buried secrets may be uncovered. With the original Ripper safely locked up in prison, the town is afraid a copycat killer is recreating the murders.
Gemma Guillory, the wife of one of the town's police officers, is significantly affected by the latest killing and is now haunted by her association with the killings fifteen years ago. Afraid for her family, Gemma opens up to a former private investigator who is behind bars with the Ripper in hopes of finding out who killed the tour operator. Little does she know that finding the copycat killer will put her life in jeopardy and possibly those closest to her.
This is an atmospheric, gripping read. Burr excellently captures small-town life and the people who inhabit them. The plot is complex but plausible; the twists and the big reveal are unexpected. My only misgiving is how Gemma outwits the police by solving the murder and uncovering the truth about the previous murders. 4/5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is November 5, 2024.
Burr's first novel, WAKE, was excellent and a promising start to a police procedural series. This book, MURDER TOWN, is a standalone and is just as good.
Fifteen years ago, the small Australian Outback town of Rainer had a series of gruesome murders committed by a man dubbed the Rainier Ripper. The town has tried to move on, but when a promoter for a walking tour of the murder sites is killed in the same manner as one of the Ripper's victims, notoriety returns to Ranier and long-buried secrets may be uncovered. With the original Ripper safely locked up in prison, the town is afraid a copycat killer is recreating the murders.
Gemma Guillory, the wife of one of the town's police officers, is significantly affected by the latest killing and is now haunted by her association with the killings fifteen years ago. Afraid for her family, Gemma opens up to a former private investigator who is behind bars with the Ripper in hopes of finding out who killed the tour operator. Little does she know that finding the copycat killer will put her life in jeopardy and possibly those closest to her.
This is an atmospheric, gripping read. Burr excellently captures small-town life and the people who inhabit them. The plot is complex but plausible; the twists and the big reveal are unexpected. My only misgiving is how Gemma outwits the police by solving the murder and uncovering the truth about the previous murders. 4/5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is November 5, 2024.
December 29, 2023
Having now had over 300 books from NetGalley I am disappointed in myself that this is the first time I have not finished a book. At 11% I read “Jac had announced they were non-binary, identifying as neither a boy nor a girl, a year earlier.” Fine. Then at 25% I read “I’m sure this is going to be especially hard for Jac, is there anything you want me to do for them?” … followed by … “Jac wasn’t around the first time. It’s not going to affect them the way it does me or Vincent’s parents. It was before they were born, and they’ve got a great father.” Every time there is a ‘them’ or ‘they’ in these quotes we are talking about one person - Jac. I don’t know whether this non-binary business adds anything to the story because I didn’t read any further. It makes the reading very difficult to understand and follow and I was already confused by all the characters that had been introduced by this point.
I am sorry, but if authors want to introduce these non-binary pronouns into their writing they may well find an accepting audience but I suspect it might be small, and I won’t be in it. When TV programmes can carry content warnings of violence or gruesome scenes, maybe books should carry front cover content warnings of the use of non-binary pronouns? Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers. Sorry this one wasn’t for me.
I am sorry, but if authors want to introduce these non-binary pronouns into their writing they may well find an accepting audience but I suspect it might be small, and I won’t be in it. When TV programmes can carry content warnings of violence or gruesome scenes, maybe books should carry front cover content warnings of the use of non-binary pronouns? Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers. Sorry this one wasn’t for me.
October 18, 2024
I enjoyed this engrossing and twisty thriller set in New Zealand. Although this is the second in a series, it reads well as a stand alone! I will definitely seek out book one and the sequel.
Set in Rainier, a small town where everyone knows everyone and their business, the town has been the site of two killings that landed a serial killer in prison.
When a third brutal killing takes place, multiple people become suspects. Gemma and Hugh, tea shop operator and cop, Aubrey and Mick, friend and Hugh’s coworker, Marcus Shadwell, brother of the murder victim. PI Lane Holland serving time in prison is brought on to try to get information from Jan the serial killer, who is in the same prison.
This story has so many threads and stories all woven together to a great ending that sets up for book three in the Lane Holland series.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Set in Rainier, a small town where everyone knows everyone and their business, the town has been the site of two killings that landed a serial killer in prison.
When a third brutal killing takes place, multiple people become suspects. Gemma and Hugh, tea shop operator and cop, Aubrey and Mick, friend and Hugh’s coworker, Marcus Shadwell, brother of the murder victim. PI Lane Holland serving time in prison is brought on to try to get information from Jan the serial killer, who is in the same prison.
This story has so many threads and stories all woven together to a great ending that sets up for book three in the Lane Holland series.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
November 5, 2024
Completely full of twists and turns all the way through, this book grabbed my attention and didn't let go. The plot and the characters were all so complex, with a lot of layers that were peeled back more and more, the further along I got in the book. I will say though, that there were a ton of characters that were just so unlikeable, that I just found myself not really caring about them at all.
September 14, 2023
Shelley Burr blew me away with Wake, which I think was sensational. This book didn't have the same impact on me and I felt it lacked the careful structure, characterisation, and plotting of Wake.
There's something to be said for introducing too many characters too quickly and with little backstory. It made the first few chapters a case of this reader needing to confirm who that person was again, or check how that person is related to that person. It does work itself out more as the book progresses, but it didn't make for a wonderful beginning to the story. When the story was meant to drag me into the scene, the need to recheck the characters drew me out of the story too often.
The story lacked suspense and tension, especially character driven suspense and tension, which this slow-burn book needed. There are definite attempts to introduce this into the story, but most attempts don't feel organic. It felt a bit clumsy, to be honest. Something I didn't expect. And then when tension should have been building, it often felt forgotten and half done.
The conclusion is anti-climactic and, I'd have to say, absurd. It's one of those endings where I imagine an author spinning a wheel and just going with whatever idea the wheel lands at. The saving grace of this book is the setting, which is well described.
I expected I'd rave about how wonderful this book is, but I can't.
There's something to be said for introducing too many characters too quickly and with little backstory. It made the first few chapters a case of this reader needing to confirm who that person was again, or check how that person is related to that person. It does work itself out more as the book progresses, but it didn't make for a wonderful beginning to the story. When the story was meant to drag me into the scene, the need to recheck the characters drew me out of the story too often.
The story lacked suspense and tension, especially character driven suspense and tension, which this slow-burn book needed. There are definite attempts to introduce this into the story, but most attempts don't feel organic. It felt a bit clumsy, to be honest. Something I didn't expect. And then when tension should have been building, it often felt forgotten and half done.
The conclusion is anti-climactic and, I'd have to say, absurd. It's one of those endings where I imagine an author spinning a wheel and just going with whatever idea the wheel lands at. The saving grace of this book is the setting, which is well described.
I expected I'd rave about how wonderful this book is, but I can't.
December 1, 2023
Do you ever get that way that you remember how much you loved a book but really struggle to remember the story or why you loved it so much?
That was me with Burr's first novel, Wake. I genuinely remember enjoying it and being surprised it was a debut novel but I really struggled to remember any details from it.
Which is why it took me a bit of time to actually realise this was a follow up book with Lane Holland.
To be fair, this is partly due to the fact that there are quite a lot of characters in this book, initially and Lane doesn't come into the book right away (well thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it).
Anyway, this was another excellent novel by Burr and she is fast becoming an author who will always creep to the top of my (ever expanding) TBR pile.
Burr does a great job in terms of location and really has the reader in the middle of the book. The story was complex, again mainly due to the number of characters, but once you get them straight in your head the book powers through to a brilliant conclusion.
And the ending sets up the next book in the series perfectly... Let's hope when the time comes, I'm able to remember this one!
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
That was me with Burr's first novel, Wake. I genuinely remember enjoying it and being surprised it was a debut novel but I really struggled to remember any details from it.
Which is why it took me a bit of time to actually realise this was a follow up book with Lane Holland.
To be fair, this is partly due to the fact that there are quite a lot of characters in this book, initially and Lane doesn't come into the book right away (well thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it).
Anyway, this was another excellent novel by Burr and she is fast becoming an author who will always creep to the top of my (ever expanding) TBR pile.
Burr does a great job in terms of location and really has the reader in the middle of the book. The story was complex, again mainly due to the number of characters, but once you get them straight in your head the book powers through to a brilliant conclusion.
And the ending sets up the next book in the series perfectly... Let's hope when the time comes, I'm able to remember this one!
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
January 12, 2024
It pains me to give this book a low rating as I loved Shelley's first book and her writing in this one is the same high standard, but it's the plot and the premise that let it down for me. Burr has some seriously inventive and original ideas here, the problem for me is that each one is complex enough to carry a book on its own. Three or more in one book is overload and the result stretches the plot's credibility (as well as the reader) to breaking point leaving it in farce territory. Not where I want my crime novels to sit.
I also wonder if Burr suffered from the second novel curse and the amazing success of her first book: immense pressure from her publisher to churn out number two quickly, and trying a bit to hard, perhaps. Either way, I'm looking forward to her third novel because she has a great style and technique...and if these great idea of hers can find a better balance she'll have another winner on her hands.
I also wonder if Burr suffered from the second novel curse and the amazing success of her first book: immense pressure from her publisher to churn out number two quickly, and trying a bit to hard, perhaps. Either way, I'm looking forward to her third novel because she has a great style and technique...and if these great idea of hers can find a better balance she'll have another winner on her hands.
August 20, 2023
What an incredible ‘who done it’. Rainer is a small town struggling to stay afloat after three murders were committed seventeen years ago. Lachlan Lewis a tour guide, wants to put Rainer back on the map with a murder tour until he is killed by a copycat killer.
Crime fiction at its finest. The characters are not who you think they are and the book just keeps you guessing as you peel back the layers and get to the bottom of the seventeen-year mystery.
I loved that this book had a split narrative and you explore the story through Gemma’s eyes as the story unfolds on the outside and Lanes as he tries to get answers from The Rainer Ripper.
Ripper is a gripping novel that had me enthralled till the last page.
Thank you to @betterreadingau and @hachette Australia for allowing me the opportunity to review this book.
Crime fiction at its finest. The characters are not who you think they are and the book just keeps you guessing as you peel back the layers and get to the bottom of the seventeen-year mystery.
I loved that this book had a split narrative and you explore the story through Gemma’s eyes as the story unfolds on the outside and Lanes as he tries to get answers from The Rainer Ripper.
Ripper is a gripping novel that had me enthralled till the last page.
Thank you to @betterreadingau and @hachette Australia for allowing me the opportunity to review this book.
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