A Bad Place Alone

by J.T. Viner

NOBODY SHOULD DIE ALONEA woman is bound and garrotted, her naked corpse dumped in an alley in the city’s red light district.

Using a false identity, she is part of the hidden population that lives in the city’s underground. Desperate and far from home, she has become prey for something evil.

Newly promoted, Tony Packer heads the team hunting her killer. Tracing the few leads they have, they uncover a world of slum landlords, people smugglers and migrant exploitation.

And they discover she was not the first to disappear.

Under pressure to get a quick result, Packer’s team begins to close in on the obvious suspect.

But there are pieces that don’t fit, things that don’t make sense. Something darker lurks beneath the surface, just out of Packer's sight.

Can he find the answers before the killer strikes again?

A Bad Place Alone is the first in a new series of knife-edge thrillers set in the underbelly of Perth, Western Australia, based on the real-life experiences of former prosecutor, JT Viner.

Perfect for fans of JD Kirk, Ian Rankin, Jack Gatland, JM Dalgleish, Patricia Cornwell and other police procedural thrillers.

Genres: Crime

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 10, 2024

Reviews

[Fiona Blakely · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was hard to put this book down. Right from the first chapter, it gripped hard and did not let go.

A murder that seems to make sense at first seems on becomes something even stranger as Tony Packer and the other detectives follow up the clues and uncover the tragic life of the victim. The focus on solid police work reminded me of Ruth Rendell’s books, while the dysfunctional detective Packer made me think of Rebus.

This book was a great read that didn’t disappoint.

[Peter Caprici · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me right from the start. Beginning with the discovery of a naked body dumped in an alleyway, through a series of twists and turns as we learn more about the woman's tragic life, and then to the final, nasty conclusion. I thought I had picked the murderer, but I discovered I was wrong right near the end of the book. Like all good mysteries, it seemed obvious once it was explained how the clues fitted together.

Tony Packer is an interesting character. He is insomniac and haunted by visions of the crimes he investigates, which helps him to understand and track the murderer. The rest of his team of detectives are also well-rounded with quirks of their own, although this never gets in the way of the main story. I hope we learn more about them in subsequent books.

JT Viner joins the ranks of other great police mystery writers, but with a uniquely Australian twist.

I can't wait for the next book to be released.

[Peter Truss · Rating 5 out of 5]

JT Viner is like the Australian JD Kirk.

His debut novel, A Bad Place Alone, is a classic murder mystery. It all starts with a woman's body found strangled and left naked in an alleyway in the worst part of the city. The detective in charge of the investigation (Tony Packer) is a police officer who works on instinct, feeling the way the murderer thinks and seeing visions of the murder.

We are also introduced to Tony's sidekick, George Thompson, who is bad-tempered and impulsive. They are also supported by an interesting team of other police officers who help with the investigation.

There were a few good twists along the way as we learn more about why the woman in the alley died. The final answer to the mystery is brutal and ugly.

Great book.

[Jezza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good police thriller that had me gripped from the start. What started off looking like a serial killer story became something completely unexpected along the way.

The two main characters is Tony Packer, who is a police detective who can see how the murder was committed, and his assistant, George Thompson, who helps tie all the pieces together. There was also a good team backing them up, too.

A combination of really good characters and surprising twists made this a really interesting story.

I will definitely be buying the rest of the series when it is released.

[KAY BOSHIER · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average

This was just O.K. The plot was believable, as it should be, as it is supposed to be based on the author's experience as a prosecution lawyer. However, the ending falls short, almost as though the author was under pressure to finish the book and didn't quite develop the final few chapters.

There are some attempts to develop interesting characters but it falls short there too. However, there is a current of negativity overall about Perth and the seedier areas that is depressing. Various editing errors (e.g. words left out) are annoying.

[Danny Lentini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It had a really strong story with some surprises along the way and an unexpected ending.

The characters were well thought out and interesting, especially the main character, Tony Packer, and his second in command, George Thompson.

The dialogue was very believable, capturing the way Australians talk really well, which gave it a really genuine feeling.

I will definitely be reading the next book when it comes out.

[Janet Golding · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book almost in one go it was so good. Detective Packer is a sarcastic and flawed main character and I love him!

The murder of a prostitute (or is she?) takes Detective Packer and his team through a seedy underground of slums and nasty people with things to hide. A few main suspect emerge but like all great detective stories the killer is not the one you expect.

This was a really great start to a new series.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

JT Viner’s debut novel, A Bad Place Alone, was a first-class thriller that ticked all the boxes - a cynical detective and a supporting team of interesting characters, a brutal murder, a series of plot twists to keep the story moving, and a satisfying conclusion to the mystery.

This was an excellent read and I highly recommend it. I hope the next in the series is just as good.

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to read this book, I was only able to get through four chapters. The poor editing is what threw me off. I couldn't get past the sentence structure/verb tense, verb placment, character's name changed, changing the items identified, repetitions, and misspellings.
The story has potential, and I may try it again after a rewrite.

[tracy walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

I liked it but it wasn't tense enough for me i found myself not really caring about any of the characters but having K9 said that I will probably read the other two in the series just to see how it pans out

[Susan Schliesske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I enjoyed reading this Crime Thriller about Detective Packer and his team..not sure though how Detective Packer kept going without sleep at least he did have very short naps.

[Nita · Rating 3 out of 5]

great storyline

Plot was good, writing good but novel needed proofreading. So many errors and the misspelling of Osborne Park was really annoying. However I am looking forward to reading more of this authors work.

[Linda Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent start to a new series.

Great story with heaps of twists and turns, compelling characters, authentic dialogue and a brilliant climax.

Straight on to the next in the series.

Highly recommended.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The language used to describe the victim and other female characters is dated for a crime novel published—and apparently set—in 2024, even if it is set in Perth. Add in male police characters with old‑school attitudes, plus a spoiler alert: the predictable budding romance between the moody detective and the pathologist clearly being set up for future instalments. Then throw in a few editing slips (a character even changes mid‑conversation at one point), and the whole thing ends up as a meh read.

[janice robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bad place alone

Never heard of this author before but I really sure this read and I intend to read more in this series

[Judith Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Bad Place Alone

Extremely true to life,so glad the Police never gave up and got the correct people,such a lesson to be learned.

[Johnnie Giuffrida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good easy reading

Good storyline and suspense throughout the book. Good descriptive and realistic context about all the events in the story. A really good read.

[Mavis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story although a bit sickening near the end and I can't see why a good story needs bad language. I wish books like films tell you if there is course language in it .

[Bill Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced, thrilling, and full of twists.

The characters were full of personality and the interplay between them kept things going. There was some surprising humour which helped to soften some of the more violent parts of the story.

But the heart of the book was the heart of any great crime thriller - a mystery that gradually becomes clearer as the clues are revealed and is only cleared up completely at the end of the story.

[Kate Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a new author however I am really glad I tried this book.

I loved the main character and his team. I also loved the mystery and the ending which I did not expect.

A great debut for this writer.