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Panic
BRONTE NEEDS A PLACE TO LIE LOW.
She posted a drunken rant that went horrifically viral. Now – jobless, friendless and broke – she’s forced to volunteer as a carer on an isolated rural property. She won’t be paid for looking after dementia sufferer Nell, but at least she’ll have a place to stay.
Bronte’s host is Nell’s daughter Veda, who runs spiritual rebirthing retreats. She also claims the rights of a sovereign citizen and rejects the authority of the state, refusing even to register her car. She has acquired a small but devoted following.
Are they harmless cranks, with their conspiracy theories and outrage at government overreach? Or dangerously paranoid domestic terrorists? And what is the dark secret that Nell, in her confusion, keeps harking back to?
Bronte, increasingly uneasy, would be getting far away from the whole place – if she had anywhere else to go.
Catherine Jinks’ books for adults, young adults and children have been published in a dozen countries and have won numerous awards, including a Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and the CBCA Book of the Year Award (four times). She lives in the Blue Mountains.
‘[Jinks] crafts a taut, tense thriller of a narrative, expertly cranking up the suspense notch by notch.’ Saturday Paper on Traced
She posted a drunken rant that went horrifically viral. Now – jobless, friendless and broke – she’s forced to volunteer as a carer on an isolated rural property. She won’t be paid for looking after dementia sufferer Nell, but at least she’ll have a place to stay.
Bronte’s host is Nell’s daughter Veda, who runs spiritual rebirthing retreats. She also claims the rights of a sovereign citizen and rejects the authority of the state, refusing even to register her car. She has acquired a small but devoted following.
Are they harmless cranks, with their conspiracy theories and outrage at government overreach? Or dangerously paranoid domestic terrorists? And what is the dark secret that Nell, in her confusion, keeps harking back to?
Bronte, increasingly uneasy, would be getting far away from the whole place – if she had anywhere else to go.
Catherine Jinks’ books for adults, young adults and children have been published in a dozen countries and have won numerous awards, including a Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and the CBCA Book of the Year Award (four times). She lives in the Blue Mountains.
‘[Jinks] crafts a taut, tense thriller of a narrative, expertly cranking up the suspense notch by notch.’ Saturday Paper on Traced
343 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 7, 2025
14 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Jinks
62 books537 followersCatherine Jinks is the Australian author of more than thirty books for all ages. She has garnered many awards, including the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award(three times), the Victorian Premier’s Award, the Aurealis Award for Science Fiction, the Australian Ibby Award, and the Davitt Award for Crime Fiction. Her work has been published in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, the United States, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic and Thailand.
Catherine was born in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea, where her father worked as a patrol officer. Her high-school years were spent in Sydney, NSW; in 2006, her alma mater, Ku-ring-gai High School, named its library after her.
From 1982 to 1986, Catherine studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with an honours degree in medieval history. She then worked on Westpac Banking Corporation’s staff magazine for approximately seven years. In 1992 she married Peter Dockrill, a Canadian journalist; in 1993 she and her husband left Australia for a brief spell in Nova Scotia, where she began to write full time. They returned to Australia in 1994, and Catherine gave birth to her daughter Hannah in 1997. Since 1998, she and her family have been living in Leura, NSW.
She has two brothers, and two pet rats. Like most people in Leura, she has become a slave to her garden, but not to the extent that she’ll buy rooting powder.
Catherine has been writing books since she was eight years old. She doesn’t expect to stop writing them any time soon.
Author photo: Catherine Jinks in front of 'Conceptual Networks', by artist Paul du Moulin.
Photo by Paul du Moulin
Catherine was born in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea, where her father worked as a patrol officer. Her high-school years were spent in Sydney, NSW; in 2006, her alma mater, Ku-ring-gai High School, named its library after her.
From 1982 to 1986, Catherine studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with an honours degree in medieval history. She then worked on Westpac Banking Corporation’s staff magazine for approximately seven years. In 1992 she married Peter Dockrill, a Canadian journalist; in 1993 she and her husband left Australia for a brief spell in Nova Scotia, where she began to write full time. They returned to Australia in 1994, and Catherine gave birth to her daughter Hannah in 1997. Since 1998, she and her family have been living in Leura, NSW.
She has two brothers, and two pet rats. Like most people in Leura, she has become a slave to her garden, but not to the extent that she’ll buy rooting powder.
Catherine has been writing books since she was eight years old. She doesn’t expect to stop writing them any time soon.
Author photo: Catherine Jinks in front of 'Conceptual Networks', by artist Paul du Moulin.
Photo by Paul du Moulin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
January 7, 2025
After leaving Katoomba in a rush, to get away from a bad decision, Bronte travelled to Bathurst by train. She was to be met by someone from the retreat she was heading to, as carer for the owner's elderly dementia suffering mother, Nell. Veda ran a spiritual rebirthing centre where people came to work through the trauma of their birth, but all Bronte was concerned about was that she had a roof over her head, meals supplied, a job to keep her busy. But from the very first, Veda was strange. They were stopped by the police on the way to the retreat and Veda refused to get out of the car until finally she was arrested. Bronte was gobsmacked! The police dropped Bronte off and that was when the trouble started; the weirdness of what was happening scared Bronte - what had she let herself in for?
Panic by Aussie author Catherine Jinks is a psychological thriller with it pointing towards a cult. The paranoia and night activities were creepy but the tenseness and chilling atmosphere just wasn't there. Bronte was a great character, though I would have left quickly at the first red flag, which Bronte ignored. I loved the author's historical fiction novel - Shepherd - but unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.
With thanks to NetGalley & Text Publishing for my digital ARC to read and review.
Panic by Aussie author Catherine Jinks is a psychological thriller with it pointing towards a cult. The paranoia and night activities were creepy but the tenseness and chilling atmosphere just wasn't there. Bronte was a great character, though I would have left quickly at the first red flag, which Bronte ignored. I loved the author's historical fiction novel - Shepherd - but unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.
With thanks to NetGalley & Text Publishing for my digital ARC to read and review.
January 17, 2025
Bronte Fleming posted a drunken rant about her boyfriend that went horrifically viral. Now jobless, friendless and broke, she volunteers to be an unpaid carer in return for room and board on an isolated property known as Gwendolynne, just outside of Bathurst in the central west of New South Wales, looking after dementia sufferer Nell. Her host is Nell’s daughter Veda, who runs spiritual rebirthing retreats. Are they harmless cranks, with their conspiracy theories and outrage at government overreach? Or dangerously paranoid domestic terrorists? And what is the dark secret that Nell, in her confusion, keeps harking back to?
Almost from the time Bronte arrives at her destination, things don't seem right and she soon becomes aware that Veda, Veda's boyfriend/husband Troy and her assistant Prish are members of a Sovereign Citizens group which means they don't believe the government's laws apply to them. They are really an annoying bunch. Bronte herself is a likeable character and she gradually becomes a stronger, more confident version of herself. I liked the story but felt there was too much going on and the tension I was expecting never materialised. Some of the chapters are extremely long as well.
Thanks to Text Publishing via Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: January 7, 2025
Almost from the time Bronte arrives at her destination, things don't seem right and she soon becomes aware that Veda, Veda's boyfriend/husband Troy and her assistant Prish are members of a Sovereign Citizens group which means they don't believe the government's laws apply to them. They are really an annoying bunch. Bronte herself is a likeable character and she gradually becomes a stronger, more confident version of herself. I liked the story but felt there was too much going on and the tension I was expecting never materialised. Some of the chapters are extremely long as well.
Thanks to Text Publishing via Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: January 7, 2025
January 12, 2025
A suspense/thriller that makes use of the hate-filled social media as well as the dark spaces where the conspiracy theorists lurk to fuel the motivation behind lots of grim behaviour. Panic by Catherine Jinks follows a situational drama that quickly escalates from a normal situation into an out of control showdown.
Bronte has fled from her home, her friends and her haters. Her crime? She has posted a drunken video on social media and her now ex-boyfriend and his friends are setting out to destroy her reputation.
To get away from the storm of abuse, she’s taken on a job as a carer on an isolated property just outside of Bathurst in the central west of New South Wales. She’s looking forward to being in a place where no one recognises her - where she can get away and wait for the whole thing to blow over.
But it doesn’t take long for her to wonder exactly what she’s gotten herself into. Veda, the woman who has hired her, runs a spiritual retreat for mental healing. That’s not so much a problem. But the fact that, on the way home from being picked up at the train station, they’re pulled over by the police for dodgy number plates sets Veda off on a waaay over the top rant against the “illegal authorities” really sets her on high alert.
The initial run in with the police is the tipping off point. It’s the point where some people might have bailed there and then. Bronte stuck it out, after all, her main objective was to escape the haters on the ‘Net.
Things go from bad to worse and, of course, when Bronte finally decides it’s time to get out of there, it’s all too late.
Panic is an atmospheric thriller that moves quickly from normal to alarm bells. Bronte, as the main character, is a complex personality. She’s clearly bringing problems to the party and this affects her judgement. She comes across as a relatable victim whose main fault is that she tends to suffer from indecision. I felt for her, even when I started to get quite impatient with her.
I had the disquieting experience of feeling as though the story resonated with me until it tipped over into a more manic territory where control, and ultimately believability, was lost.
My thanks to Text Australia and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of Panic which has enabled me to read, enjoy and review this book.
Bronte has fled from her home, her friends and her haters. Her crime? She has posted a drunken video on social media and her now ex-boyfriend and his friends are setting out to destroy her reputation.
To get away from the storm of abuse, she’s taken on a job as a carer on an isolated property just outside of Bathurst in the central west of New South Wales. She’s looking forward to being in a place where no one recognises her - where she can get away and wait for the whole thing to blow over.
But it doesn’t take long for her to wonder exactly what she’s gotten herself into. Veda, the woman who has hired her, runs a spiritual retreat for mental healing. That’s not so much a problem. But the fact that, on the way home from being picked up at the train station, they’re pulled over by the police for dodgy number plates sets Veda off on a waaay over the top rant against the “illegal authorities” really sets her on high alert.
The initial run in with the police is the tipping off point. It’s the point where some people might have bailed there and then. Bronte stuck it out, after all, her main objective was to escape the haters on the ‘Net.
Things go from bad to worse and, of course, when Bronte finally decides it’s time to get out of there, it’s all too late.
Panic is an atmospheric thriller that moves quickly from normal to alarm bells. Bronte, as the main character, is a complex personality. She’s clearly bringing problems to the party and this affects her judgement. She comes across as a relatable victim whose main fault is that she tends to suffer from indecision. I felt for her, even when I started to get quite impatient with her.
I had the disquieting experience of feeling as though the story resonated with me until it tipped over into a more manic territory where control, and ultimately believability, was lost.
My thanks to Text Australia and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of Panic which has enabled me to read, enjoy and review this book.
January 10, 2025
⭐️3.5 Stars⭐️
Panic by Catherine Jinks is a psychological thriller where a young woman has left her home in Katoomba to escape a drunken rant she posted about her boyfriend on social media which went viral.
This story has cult vibes and it’s also centres heavily around sovereign citizens and conspiracy theories.
Bronte accepts a volunteer carers role with free board from Veda, the owner of an isolated wellness retreat. Veda’s elderly mother is suffering dementia, here Bronte will be able to escape all the unwanted attention for a while.
The retreat is a spiritual birthing centre situated at the family’s old farmhouse property called Gwendolynne. They offer a nine day ’neonatalising’ program designed to reverse the traumatic effects of ‘individual birth journeys’ for adults.
Bronte is a wonderful character but she clearly ignores all the red flags at the retreat, there’s clearly some crazy goings on in this story. I loved the finale, it’s absolutely action packed and tense. The book cover is spot on and so true to what I imagined Gwendolynne would look like and I’m wondering if those are bats flying overhead.
Publication Date 07 January 2025
Publisher Text Publishing
A huge thanks to the fabulous team @text_publishing for a copy of the book.
Panic by Catherine Jinks is a psychological thriller where a young woman has left her home in Katoomba to escape a drunken rant she posted about her boyfriend on social media which went viral.
This story has cult vibes and it’s also centres heavily around sovereign citizens and conspiracy theories.
Bronte accepts a volunteer carers role with free board from Veda, the owner of an isolated wellness retreat. Veda’s elderly mother is suffering dementia, here Bronte will be able to escape all the unwanted attention for a while.
The retreat is a spiritual birthing centre situated at the family’s old farmhouse property called Gwendolynne. They offer a nine day ’neonatalising’ program designed to reverse the traumatic effects of ‘individual birth journeys’ for adults.
Bronte is a wonderful character but she clearly ignores all the red flags at the retreat, there’s clearly some crazy goings on in this story. I loved the finale, it’s absolutely action packed and tense. The book cover is spot on and so true to what I imagined Gwendolynne would look like and I’m wondering if those are bats flying overhead.
Publication Date 07 January 2025
Publisher Text Publishing
A huge thanks to the fabulous team @text_publishing for a copy of the book.
March 2, 2025
The pacing of Panic is a little strange, in that there are two “climaxes” with a protracted trial briefly described in between. Even so, it’s a solid Australian crime thriller that nails the cognitive dissonance of sovereign citizen nutjobs.
My full review of Panic is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
My full review of Panic is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
December 25, 2025
A tense and atmospheric Australian crime fiction story, with plenty of psychological suspense.
Following a drunken rant that goes viral for all the wrong reasons, Bronte finds herself jobless, friendless and broke. She wants to escape the harassment, by finding a place to lie low. She finds an unpaid, volunteer position as a carer for Nell, an elderly woman with dementia. This role requires Bronte to relocate to Gwendolynne, an isolated property near Katoomba in New South Wales.
Bronte soon realises there is more to Nell and her daughter Veda, who demonstrates a lot of outrage about government overreach and associates with a group of potentially dangerous and paranoid domestic terrorists. Bronte, becomes increasingly uncomfortable about the happenings at Gwendolynne and wants to get far away from the place, if only she had somewhere to go…
This was an addictive page-turner, with a well-written plot that left my heart racing in many instances. I enjoyed the exploration of conspiracy theories, the sovereign citizen movement, social media use, social isolation, addictive behavior, as well as the sprinkling of fear and unease throughout the novel.
I am very excited to read more from Australian author Catherine Jinks!
Following a drunken rant that goes viral for all the wrong reasons, Bronte finds herself jobless, friendless and broke. She wants to escape the harassment, by finding a place to lie low. She finds an unpaid, volunteer position as a carer for Nell, an elderly woman with dementia. This role requires Bronte to relocate to Gwendolynne, an isolated property near Katoomba in New South Wales.
Bronte soon realises there is more to Nell and her daughter Veda, who demonstrates a lot of outrage about government overreach and associates with a group of potentially dangerous and paranoid domestic terrorists. Bronte, becomes increasingly uncomfortable about the happenings at Gwendolynne and wants to get far away from the place, if only she had somewhere to go…
This was an addictive page-turner, with a well-written plot that left my heart racing in many instances. I enjoyed the exploration of conspiracy theories, the sovereign citizen movement, social media use, social isolation, addictive behavior, as well as the sprinkling of fear and unease throughout the novel.
I am very excited to read more from Australian author Catherine Jinks!
January 7, 2025
Panic by Catherine Jinks is an Australian psychological thriller featuring a character by the name of Bronte who is escaping a serious case of cyber bullying after a drunken post went viral. Desperate for a job, Bronte accepts a live-in position offering room and board to look after dementia sufferer Nell in a large rural property near Bathurst in NSW. An exclusive spiritual retreat business is being run at the property by Nell's daughter Veda and several employees who - unbeknownst to Bronte when she applied for the position - also happen to be sovereign citizens.
Sovereign citizens take issue with authority and don't accept the rule of law or respect the government. When Bronte suspects her boss Veda is a sovereign citizen who refuses to pay tax or register her car, she dismisses her beliefs as harmless conspiracy theories. Living in a caravan removed from the house, Bronte begins caring for Nell but it isn't long before things start to go wrong.
I've never read a book set in the world of sovereign citizens or with a sovereign citizen (SovCit) as a character so this was an absolute first for me. I readily admit I have little interest in - or tolerance for - the movement, however this certainly didn't impact my engagement with Bronte's experience and the tension that quickly began to mount.
There's also a mystery in Panic to be unravelled and some tense situations to navigate which made for an action packed and exciting read. I also enjoyed the creative decision the author made to take the story beyond its natural conclusion to give us a look at what happened after the climax of the main events. And boy what a climax!
I enjoyed The Attack by Catherine Jinks back in 2022, but Panic had way more action and suspense and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Panic by Catherine Jinks is published today and I can highly recommend it!
* Copy courtesy of Text Publishing *
Sovereign citizens take issue with authority and don't accept the rule of law or respect the government. When Bronte suspects her boss Veda is a sovereign citizen who refuses to pay tax or register her car, she dismisses her beliefs as harmless conspiracy theories. Living in a caravan removed from the house, Bronte begins caring for Nell but it isn't long before things start to go wrong.
I've never read a book set in the world of sovereign citizens or with a sovereign citizen (SovCit) as a character so this was an absolute first for me. I readily admit I have little interest in - or tolerance for - the movement, however this certainly didn't impact my engagement with Bronte's experience and the tension that quickly began to mount.
There's also a mystery in Panic to be unravelled and some tense situations to navigate which made for an action packed and exciting read. I also enjoyed the creative decision the author made to take the story beyond its natural conclusion to give us a look at what happened after the climax of the main events. And boy what a climax!
I enjoyed The Attack by Catherine Jinks back in 2022, but Panic had way more action and suspense and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Panic by Catherine Jinks is published today and I can highly recommend it!
* Copy courtesy of Text Publishing *
February 3, 2025
Brontë is running - from a poorly judged internet rant and the repercussions, she is expecting to find peace at a volunteer job looking after an elderly woman with dementia. However an incident on the trip there is an insight into the people she’s staying with, and from then on, it’s evident she’s in with a bunch of nutters aka sov cits aka sovereign citizens - you know the ones, quite prevalent during the Covid years, spouting Magna Carta and Freeman Of The Land nonsense. In planning her escape, events escalate, and soon she’s running for her life.
This book neatly marries the really bad side of the internet, and how things never disappear, with the associated anti-you groundswell that may eventuate, and the madness of the independent beings, who believe that the laws of the land don’t apply to them, given that they’re initiated and enforced by a cabal of illegal paedophiles or some such rubbish. With a nod to recent events in Australia (where the sov cits set an ambush and killed police officers, their neighbour, and thankfully themselves), this is an insight into how something seemingly so ideal could go so, so wrong.
This book neatly marries the really bad side of the internet, and how things never disappear, with the associated anti-you groundswell that may eventuate, and the madness of the independent beings, who believe that the laws of the land don’t apply to them, given that they’re initiated and enforced by a cabal of illegal paedophiles or some such rubbish. With a nod to recent events in Australia (where the sov cits set an ambush and killed police officers, their neighbour, and thankfully themselves), this is an insight into how something seemingly so ideal could go so, so wrong.
December 31, 2024
2.5 stars
This is a thriller about sovereign citizens and social media celebrities. It's also about the dangers of social media. But it could have been so much more suspenseful if the sections that were meant to be tense were actually tense. I also think basing this in Australia was an odd choice. The sovereign citizen movement has reared its ugly head in Australia, but not to any great degree. And there were phrases that didn't resonate as Australian, such as "college bros".
Protagonist Bronte needs a break and accepts a non-paid carers role. There's immediate red flags she ignores - and I'm not a big fan of the ignoring such obvious red flags in a plot. It removes any realism because, desperate or not, I don't think anybody would stay after the first red flags. Despite this, Bronte is a good protagonist for the book, but I think the story lets the character down. A tenser plot would have really showcased her toughness and courage - which is evident.
What eventuates in this book is what you would expect once you read the first few scenes. Basically lunacy and more lunacy. It's not chilling, it's almost comical. And the villains seem a ragtag bunch, with little organisation. I can't say I felt suspense and I know there are moments when the reader is expected to. I just couldn't when the scenes felt more comical than threatening.
Structurally, the book is fine, and I liked how the story played out. I applaud the risk taken with this book. It must be difficult to portray sovereign citizens in a light that isn't ridiculous, but this just needed something more threatening to really make it work.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a thriller about sovereign citizens and social media celebrities. It's also about the dangers of social media. But it could have been so much more suspenseful if the sections that were meant to be tense were actually tense. I also think basing this in Australia was an odd choice. The sovereign citizen movement has reared its ugly head in Australia, but not to any great degree. And there were phrases that didn't resonate as Australian, such as "college bros".
Protagonist Bronte needs a break and accepts a non-paid carers role. There's immediate red flags she ignores - and I'm not a big fan of the ignoring such obvious red flags in a plot. It removes any realism because, desperate or not, I don't think anybody would stay after the first red flags. Despite this, Bronte is a good protagonist for the book, but I think the story lets the character down. A tenser plot would have really showcased her toughness and courage - which is evident.
What eventuates in this book is what you would expect once you read the first few scenes. Basically lunacy and more lunacy. It's not chilling, it's almost comical. And the villains seem a ragtag bunch, with little organisation. I can't say I felt suspense and I know there are moments when the reader is expected to. I just couldn't when the scenes felt more comical than threatening.
Structurally, the book is fine, and I liked how the story played out. I applaud the risk taken with this book. It must be difficult to portray sovereign citizens in a light that isn't ridiculous, but this just needed something more threatening to really make it work.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 10, 2025
I liked Jinks’ last offering - all the mum rage and set on the pandemic.
This one started differently looking at a young woman Bronte who has been impacted by social media infamy and wants to escape to a retreat in regional Australia. There she meets a cast of weird and (not so) wonderful sovereign citizens and finds herself with more than she bargained for.
The premises and ideas with Panic seem to be sound and definitely interested me, and I like Jinks’ writing. It was that the situations yielded responses from Bronte that were just not what you would think, even for aj unreliable character like Bronte. Because of her reactions I really found I couldn’t appreciate Bronte or become truly invested
I’m what was happening with her. I ended up putting this down 40 pages from the end as I just couldn’t finish it.
This one started differently looking at a young woman Bronte who has been impacted by social media infamy and wants to escape to a retreat in regional Australia. There she meets a cast of weird and (not so) wonderful sovereign citizens and finds herself with more than she bargained for.
The premises and ideas with Panic seem to be sound and definitely interested me, and I like Jinks’ writing. It was that the situations yielded responses from Bronte that were just not what you would think, even for aj unreliable character like Bronte. Because of her reactions I really found I couldn’t appreciate Bronte or become truly invested
I’m what was happening with her. I ended up putting this down 40 pages from the end as I just couldn’t finish it.
May 11, 2025
In summary, there’s a lot of crazy people out there and social media can be a toxic place.
Felt like the storey was missing some depth but was an easy read.
Felt like the storey was missing some depth but was an easy read.
January 19, 2025
Big thanks to Text Publishing for sending us a copy to read and review.
Modern age viral social media videos meet creepy farmhouse with cult vibes in an action packed and nail biting suspense.
An escape from the hyper pressure of a social media fall out results in a crazy trap of madness.
Brontë has to keep a low profile and attempt an incognito lifestyle til the pressure of her rant went viral.
A country retreat purporting tranquility and restoration might just provide the haven.
Meeting Veda and witnessing an altercation with the police raises the alarm bells but it’s just the start of a rollercoaster of fear and anxiety.
Panic rooms, a dementia suffering mother, an abundance of weapons and some ideologies that would give you nightmares are all at play create the tension.
What a journey the reader is taken on.
An extreme conspiracy theory illustrates how the world now questions elements of the law and policy.
It also highlights how infamy can surface in the virtual world and the influence it can have.
Modern age viral social media videos meet creepy farmhouse with cult vibes in an action packed and nail biting suspense.
An escape from the hyper pressure of a social media fall out results in a crazy trap of madness.
Brontë has to keep a low profile and attempt an incognito lifestyle til the pressure of her rant went viral.
A country retreat purporting tranquility and restoration might just provide the haven.
Meeting Veda and witnessing an altercation with the police raises the alarm bells but it’s just the start of a rollercoaster of fear and anxiety.
Panic rooms, a dementia suffering mother, an abundance of weapons and some ideologies that would give you nightmares are all at play create the tension.
What a journey the reader is taken on.
An extreme conspiracy theory illustrates how the world now questions elements of the law and policy.
It also highlights how infamy can surface in the virtual world and the influence it can have.
December 24, 2024
The cover shows the rather desolate looking, isolated farm that is called Gwendolynn, it is in Australia and is the central setting in the book.
Bronte finds out that her boyfriend Callum has been cheating on her with her best friend and housemate Harper. Not only has she lost her boyfriend but her home too as Harper wants her out! Bronte is naturally upset so she gets drunk and goes on social media making a drunken Tik Tok rant about her ex-boyfriend Callum! Bronte can’t prove which one of her friends leaked the video she made but it had to be someone that she knew that had access to her accounts. Due to the content of this video, she earns herself the name and hashtag “pussybugs.” Later Bronte has her hot drink drugged and is filmed totally “out of it” on a train, further fuelling the context that is a some “drunken idiot who sleeps around.” Despite reporting the incident of her drink being drugged the Police don’t take her seriously because of her reputation of being “pussybugs.” Bronte is convinced that Callum, his cousin Jesse and their Tik Tok followers are hounding her so, decides she needs to “disappear” for a while. Bronte answers an advert on HelpX a site that matches volunteers with jobs. Bronte ends up answering an advert from a woman called Veda who needs someone to be a companion to her mother Nell who has dementia. The job sounds too good to be true, Nell can wash, and dress herself she just needs a companion and someone to keep an eye on her so she doesn’t wander off. In exchange for being this “companion” Bronte is told she will get free bed and board, though there are no wages.
Bronte soon begins to regret her decision to take the volunteer job when on the way from the train station, the Police attempt to get her new employer Veda to pull over and she refuses!! It literally takes another Police vehicle coming in the other direction to force Veda to stop. The Police want to talk to Veda about her lack of registration plates. It turns out Veda does not believe in our government, police and laws and will only recognise the common assembly that she is part of with some other like-minded members. Theres complete chaos with both Veda’s husband Troy and other farm tenant/Veda follower, Prish blaming Bronte for the current situation of Veda being held at the Police Station.
Once Veda is finally back at the old farmhouse, Bronte learns a little more about Gwendolynn, though it is a farm there is no livestock, but Veda's husband, Troy has beehives and sells honey. Veda explains they are vegetarian and that there will be lots of fresh organic produce & home baked bread. Bronte will not be staying in the main house she will have her own vintage caravan with kitchenette & composting toilet. She will be able to use one of the bathrooms in the main house to shower etc. The main house is used for Veda’s business which is a wellness retreat. The retreat is called YouBorn. Later when Bronte explores the house alone, she discovers there were 3 'womb rooms' all freshly decorated all in pink, called Rose, Aster & Olive. These bedrooms only have a kingsized be with pink plush headboard.
A 4th bedroom is called Daisy and was Prish's room, it is all white & Victoriana in style. When Bronte asks Prish is she can use the upstairs bathroom she is abruptly told, no she should use the downstairs one. Bronte puts her washbasin in the downstairs bathroom where she will shower etc.
We discover that reason Bronte has been employed later in the book. Nell tends to wander if she can get out alone. Her last adventure took her to the neighbouring property which used to belong to the farm but was sold off to a nurse called Iris. The Munro don’t like Iris, as they see her as always complaining and blame her for bringing Nell to the attention of social services. As when Iris found Nell on her property, she called the Police who in turn called the paramedics to check over the confused Nell.
Nell occupies the entire top floor of the rear wing of Gwendolynne and it’s whilst exploring that area that Bronte discovers a panic room containing a single bed, toilet & lots of food supplies behind a piece of the wall in Nells bathroom upstairs, when she talks to Nell about it Nell reveals there's one underneath it too downstairs, she explains that they were for herself and Joanne/Veda to hide in away from Ezra. The rules of “the house” that apply to Bronte even though she isn’t staying in the house are that all phones & devices are locked away, except for a short period after dinner and for work use, which she is happy to go along with due to her recent social media notoriety.
Bronte finds the job easy enough with Nell already having her own routine, the only issues she seems to have become somewhat obsessed on checking on the dam that is on the property and the fact she is terribly afraid of the Police. Veda/Joanne explain the fear of the Police as being a result of Nells latest encounter with them when she wandered onto Iris’s property.
Bronte goes along with a lot of things that should have given her “off vibes” because she feels has nowhere else to go. She comes to the conclusion that she is staying with a bunch of nutty, paranoid, new age anarchists! Sadly, she is soon labelled paranoid by Prish and Veda when she complains about someone hanging around her caravan at night. It’s a long, quite treacherous underfoot walk from the house so Bronte worries if anyone would hear her if she needed help.
There is quite a bit going on in the book, though it is all linked to Nell and her obsession with the dam and the obsession of Joanne/Veda and Troy etc being part of a common assembly that is against all “normal authority.” There’s a siege where Bronte and a Police officer end up locked in one of the panic rooms only to be rescued by the confused Nell.
Just when you think everything is over and all questions are answered something else pops up! This story really shows just how 'strange' people can be and how far people are prepared to go when they think they are being pushed into a corner. I enjoyed reading the book and it certainly kept me reading, I wanted to know who was hanging around after dark outside of Bronte’s caravan. I also wanted to learn more about Ezra and his altercations in the past with Joanne/Veda and Nell. There were so many spokes to this plot, though most seemed to lead back to Joanne/Veda and her mother Nell and a history of violence at Gwendolynn.
The book also reveals how social media is a double-edged sword, that once something is posted it is out there forever. That you can have a supportive, positive reaction on social media but that there is a darker, negative side where you can be trolled continually.
My immediate thoughts were Wow! What an ending! Just when I thought it was over something else happened…twice!
Summing up, despite having dementia there was a memory that Nell was fixated on to do with the dam that ends up explaining the reality behind her fear of the police. It does make you wonder if her daughter Joanne/Veda really cared about her mother or if she tolerated her just to keep a hold of the property Nell owned and keep their dark history with Ezra a secret. The loose ends were all tied up at the end of the book but the relationship that was created between Bronte and Reece could hint at a possibility of more books where the duo solve cyber bullying cases. There is also the potential for more exploration of the friendship with Iris and the possible romance between Bronte and Reece.
Bronte finds out that her boyfriend Callum has been cheating on her with her best friend and housemate Harper. Not only has she lost her boyfriend but her home too as Harper wants her out! Bronte is naturally upset so she gets drunk and goes on social media making a drunken Tik Tok rant about her ex-boyfriend Callum! Bronte can’t prove which one of her friends leaked the video she made but it had to be someone that she knew that had access to her accounts. Due to the content of this video, she earns herself the name and hashtag “pussybugs.” Later Bronte has her hot drink drugged and is filmed totally “out of it” on a train, further fuelling the context that is a some “drunken idiot who sleeps around.” Despite reporting the incident of her drink being drugged the Police don’t take her seriously because of her reputation of being “pussybugs.” Bronte is convinced that Callum, his cousin Jesse and their Tik Tok followers are hounding her so, decides she needs to “disappear” for a while. Bronte answers an advert on HelpX a site that matches volunteers with jobs. Bronte ends up answering an advert from a woman called Veda who needs someone to be a companion to her mother Nell who has dementia. The job sounds too good to be true, Nell can wash, and dress herself she just needs a companion and someone to keep an eye on her so she doesn’t wander off. In exchange for being this “companion” Bronte is told she will get free bed and board, though there are no wages.
Bronte soon begins to regret her decision to take the volunteer job when on the way from the train station, the Police attempt to get her new employer Veda to pull over and she refuses!! It literally takes another Police vehicle coming in the other direction to force Veda to stop. The Police want to talk to Veda about her lack of registration plates. It turns out Veda does not believe in our government, police and laws and will only recognise the common assembly that she is part of with some other like-minded members. Theres complete chaos with both Veda’s husband Troy and other farm tenant/Veda follower, Prish blaming Bronte for the current situation of Veda being held at the Police Station.
Once Veda is finally back at the old farmhouse, Bronte learns a little more about Gwendolynn, though it is a farm there is no livestock, but Veda's husband, Troy has beehives and sells honey. Veda explains they are vegetarian and that there will be lots of fresh organic produce & home baked bread. Bronte will not be staying in the main house she will have her own vintage caravan with kitchenette & composting toilet. She will be able to use one of the bathrooms in the main house to shower etc. The main house is used for Veda’s business which is a wellness retreat. The retreat is called YouBorn. Later when Bronte explores the house alone, she discovers there were 3 'womb rooms' all freshly decorated all in pink, called Rose, Aster & Olive. These bedrooms only have a kingsized be with pink plush headboard.
A 4th bedroom is called Daisy and was Prish's room, it is all white & Victoriana in style. When Bronte asks Prish is she can use the upstairs bathroom she is abruptly told, no she should use the downstairs one. Bronte puts her washbasin in the downstairs bathroom where she will shower etc.
We discover that reason Bronte has been employed later in the book. Nell tends to wander if she can get out alone. Her last adventure took her to the neighbouring property which used to belong to the farm but was sold off to a nurse called Iris. The Munro don’t like Iris, as they see her as always complaining and blame her for bringing Nell to the attention of social services. As when Iris found Nell on her property, she called the Police who in turn called the paramedics to check over the confused Nell.
Nell occupies the entire top floor of the rear wing of Gwendolynne and it’s whilst exploring that area that Bronte discovers a panic room containing a single bed, toilet & lots of food supplies behind a piece of the wall in Nells bathroom upstairs, when she talks to Nell about it Nell reveals there's one underneath it too downstairs, she explains that they were for herself and Joanne/Veda to hide in away from Ezra. The rules of “the house” that apply to Bronte even though she isn’t staying in the house are that all phones & devices are locked away, except for a short period after dinner and for work use, which she is happy to go along with due to her recent social media notoriety.
Bronte finds the job easy enough with Nell already having her own routine, the only issues she seems to have become somewhat obsessed on checking on the dam that is on the property and the fact she is terribly afraid of the Police. Veda/Joanne explain the fear of the Police as being a result of Nells latest encounter with them when she wandered onto Iris’s property.
Bronte goes along with a lot of things that should have given her “off vibes” because she feels has nowhere else to go. She comes to the conclusion that she is staying with a bunch of nutty, paranoid, new age anarchists! Sadly, she is soon labelled paranoid by Prish and Veda when she complains about someone hanging around her caravan at night. It’s a long, quite treacherous underfoot walk from the house so Bronte worries if anyone would hear her if she needed help.
There is quite a bit going on in the book, though it is all linked to Nell and her obsession with the dam and the obsession of Joanne/Veda and Troy etc being part of a common assembly that is against all “normal authority.” There’s a siege where Bronte and a Police officer end up locked in one of the panic rooms only to be rescued by the confused Nell.
Just when you think everything is over and all questions are answered something else pops up! This story really shows just how 'strange' people can be and how far people are prepared to go when they think they are being pushed into a corner. I enjoyed reading the book and it certainly kept me reading, I wanted to know who was hanging around after dark outside of Bronte’s caravan. I also wanted to learn more about Ezra and his altercations in the past with Joanne/Veda and Nell. There were so many spokes to this plot, though most seemed to lead back to Joanne/Veda and her mother Nell and a history of violence at Gwendolynn.
The book also reveals how social media is a double-edged sword, that once something is posted it is out there forever. That you can have a supportive, positive reaction on social media but that there is a darker, negative side where you can be trolled continually.
My immediate thoughts were Wow! What an ending! Just when I thought it was over something else happened…twice!
Summing up, despite having dementia there was a memory that Nell was fixated on to do with the dam that ends up explaining the reality behind her fear of the police. It does make you wonder if her daughter Joanne/Veda really cared about her mother or if she tolerated her just to keep a hold of the property Nell owned and keep their dark history with Ezra a secret. The loose ends were all tied up at the end of the book but the relationship that was created between Bronte and Reece could hint at a possibility of more books where the duo solve cyber bullying cases. There is also the potential for more exploration of the friendship with Iris and the possible romance between Bronte and Reece.
May 4, 2025
(2.5 stars)
Heading on a road trip through Bathurst, I thought this would be a good read, as it is set just outside the town. Unfortunately I hated its shrill voice and lead protagonist Bronte: "He was puffy and bald, and his expression was shuttered. I sensed he was having a bad day; bitterness rolled off him like the smell of bad cologne, making me edgy."
Bronte is probably not written for a Gen X-er like me, as she's upset over a drunken rant on TikTok going viral: "Yes, I monetised my videos using the YouTube Partner Program, which calculated payments based on views and subscribers." Bronte is laying low while some real world consequences of the rant play out in her home town of Katoomba. Lacking finances when her workplace becomes unsafe, Bronte decides to work for free in a cult full of wacky sovereign citizens: "I’m sure they’ll be pleased to learn that spiking my coffee freaked me out so much I ended up here, with a bunch of lunatics. This is what happens when social media is weaponised. Real people get hurt."
Leaving aside the labour violations of working for free, this just seems like a stupid choice, so it's hard to have much sympathy for Bronte: "It made me wonder: should I even stay in this madhouse? But home wasn’t much of an improvement." I think the tone of the book makes it all seem like a joke, rather than brooding and ominous: "Not only was I staying with a bunch of nutty new-age anarchists; I was staying with a bunch of paranoid nutty new-age anarchists." Not sure of the benefit of having the cop crack onto Bronte either. I have an urgent need for completeness so I finished it, but I did see if I could get an Amazon refund for a mistaken purchase on the first night.
Heading on a road trip through Bathurst, I thought this would be a good read, as it is set just outside the town. Unfortunately I hated its shrill voice and lead protagonist Bronte: "He was puffy and bald, and his expression was shuttered. I sensed he was having a bad day; bitterness rolled off him like the smell of bad cologne, making me edgy."
Bronte is probably not written for a Gen X-er like me, as she's upset over a drunken rant on TikTok going viral: "Yes, I monetised my videos using the YouTube Partner Program, which calculated payments based on views and subscribers." Bronte is laying low while some real world consequences of the rant play out in her home town of Katoomba. Lacking finances when her workplace becomes unsafe, Bronte decides to work for free in a cult full of wacky sovereign citizens: "I’m sure they’ll be pleased to learn that spiking my coffee freaked me out so much I ended up here, with a bunch of lunatics. This is what happens when social media is weaponised. Real people get hurt."
Leaving aside the labour violations of working for free, this just seems like a stupid choice, so it's hard to have much sympathy for Bronte: "It made me wonder: should I even stay in this madhouse? But home wasn’t much of an improvement." I think the tone of the book makes it all seem like a joke, rather than brooding and ominous: "Not only was I staying with a bunch of nutty new-age anarchists; I was staying with a bunch of paranoid nutty new-age anarchists." Not sure of the benefit of having the cop crack onto Bronte either. I have an urgent need for completeness so I finished it, but I did see if I could get an Amazon refund for a mistaken purchase on the first night.
February 17, 2025
I enjoyed this. Although it could have ended before Part 2 started and another storyline. It made the novel go on, rather than wrapping it up in a neat bow, it created other questions and left the reader confused.
February 19, 2025
A solid but not amazing suspense/thriller. Fun read the main character kept annoying me what made her go viral infamous really wasn't that bad. I thought everybody was exaggerating.
January 1, 2025
4.5 stars.
Panic by Catherine Jinks is a suspense-laden mystery.
Bronte is a sympathetic character whose life has turned upside down after a drunken video goes viral. She is desperate to escape the real-life and internet trolls that have plagued her in the aftermath. Unsure who to trust trust, Bronte makes a fateful decision to take a job caring for an elderly woman in rural Australia.
Bronte soon discovers her hosts are embroiled in the sovereign citizen movement. Their distrust of all officials results in increasingly antagonistic interactions. Bronte is already uneasy with her accommodations when an already fraught situation turns into a dangerous situation that leaves her fearing for her life.
Panic is a riveting mystery that is fast-paced. Bronte is a complex character with relatable strengths and weaknesses. The storyline is timely and will resonate with social media users. The sovereign citizen element of the plot is well-developed and adds another layer of tension. With an unexpected plot twist, Catherine Jinks brings this tense thriller to an action-packed conclusion.
Panic by Catherine Jinks is a suspense-laden mystery.
Bronte is a sympathetic character whose life has turned upside down after a drunken video goes viral. She is desperate to escape the real-life and internet trolls that have plagued her in the aftermath. Unsure who to trust trust, Bronte makes a fateful decision to take a job caring for an elderly woman in rural Australia.
Bronte soon discovers her hosts are embroiled in the sovereign citizen movement. Their distrust of all officials results in increasingly antagonistic interactions. Bronte is already uneasy with her accommodations when an already fraught situation turns into a dangerous situation that leaves her fearing for her life.
Panic is a riveting mystery that is fast-paced. Bronte is a complex character with relatable strengths and weaknesses. The storyline is timely and will resonate with social media users. The sovereign citizen element of the plot is well-developed and adds another layer of tension. With an unexpected plot twist, Catherine Jinks brings this tense thriller to an action-packed conclusion.
March 11, 2025
I try to dip into Australian crime genre as often as I can. It is becoming a seriously popular genre and some of the authors have achieved significant success here and overseas. Several films have been made of these books. The Dry, Force of Nature and Scrublands come to mind.
Many of the authors are women and they bring a different perspective in plot and characters. I had read a review of Panic by a fellow Goodreads member and when an audio version became available, I decided to give it a listen.
The story is set west of the Blue Mountains near the town of Bathurst. The audio book is narrated by Sophie Loughran and she captures the voice of the protagonist, Bronte Fleming. Surprisingly she mispronounces the name of the town ‘Katoomba’ on several occasions in the book.
An aspect of the novel that interested me were the themes of social media, the wellness industry and sovereign citizens, all stamping grounds for the intellectually challenged, exponents of world conspiracy and downright failures who have never achieved much in life other than graduating from kindergarten, after two attempts!
I use social media sparingly. With Facebook being the only site that I use, other than Goodreads! Initially, I thought Facebook was great to catch up with relatives and friends who you would otherwise never hear from and disappear from your life. It has now become a sewer that flows through your life with celebrity garbage, irrelevant news, irrelevant advertisements, wasteful information and comments by those who know so little. Tik Tok, Snap Chat, Twitter, sorry X, Instagram, Reddit and WeChat are all alien to me. Yet for Bronte they were at the core of her life.
A video she posted, which didn’t show her at her Sunday School best, as they say, “went viral” which in antiquity was a term only found in the nomenclature of epidemiologists. So now most of her friends and half of Australia had seen the video and saw her as a woman of low moral standing. To escape all the online and real persecution she decides to take on the role of a volunteer carer of a lady with dementia.
She travels out to a wellness centre which offers some kind of rebirthing process. Things start to come unstuck for Bronte when the owner, Veda is driving her from the railway station to ’Gwendolynne’ the homestead, as seen in the terrific photograph on the book’s cover and the police pull Veda over. Being an upright sovereign citizen she doesn’t recognize the legal authority of the police. Her obstinacy gets her arrested.
Still Bronte continues onto Gwendolynne where she cares for dementia suffering Nell, probably the sanest one in the whole place. Things become heated when permanently angry & outraged Troy, Veda’s partner, brings out his guns and a police siege ensues.
Sadly, it reminded me of the Wieambilla shootings where three rightwing, religious, conspiracy nut cases killed constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and civilian Alan Dare. Fortunately this siege ended more peacefully.
There is a postscript after the siege court case and it appears that the ribbon is about to be tied on the Panic package when suddenly a new crisis arrived and the reader is in for a second climax.
I thought Panic was a reasonable read, Bronte was a believable character but her relationship with social media was outside my worldly experience, although as a high school teacher I have witness some appalling behaviour on social media by students. Jinks captured the behaviour and language of the wellness gurus, come conspiracy riddled sovereign citizens very well. I have doubts as to why the story was extended to a second climax.
Many of the authors are women and they bring a different perspective in plot and characters. I had read a review of Panic by a fellow Goodreads member and when an audio version became available, I decided to give it a listen.
The story is set west of the Blue Mountains near the town of Bathurst. The audio book is narrated by Sophie Loughran and she captures the voice of the protagonist, Bronte Fleming. Surprisingly she mispronounces the name of the town ‘Katoomba’ on several occasions in the book.
An aspect of the novel that interested me were the themes of social media, the wellness industry and sovereign citizens, all stamping grounds for the intellectually challenged, exponents of world conspiracy and downright failures who have never achieved much in life other than graduating from kindergarten, after two attempts!
I use social media sparingly. With Facebook being the only site that I use, other than Goodreads! Initially, I thought Facebook was great to catch up with relatives and friends who you would otherwise never hear from and disappear from your life. It has now become a sewer that flows through your life with celebrity garbage, irrelevant news, irrelevant advertisements, wasteful information and comments by those who know so little. Tik Tok, Snap Chat, Twitter, sorry X, Instagram, Reddit and WeChat are all alien to me. Yet for Bronte they were at the core of her life.
A video she posted, which didn’t show her at her Sunday School best, as they say, “went viral” which in antiquity was a term only found in the nomenclature of epidemiologists. So now most of her friends and half of Australia had seen the video and saw her as a woman of low moral standing. To escape all the online and real persecution she decides to take on the role of a volunteer carer of a lady with dementia.
She travels out to a wellness centre which offers some kind of rebirthing process. Things start to come unstuck for Bronte when the owner, Veda is driving her from the railway station to ’Gwendolynne’ the homestead, as seen in the terrific photograph on the book’s cover and the police pull Veda over. Being an upright sovereign citizen she doesn’t recognize the legal authority of the police. Her obstinacy gets her arrested.
Still Bronte continues onto Gwendolynne where she cares for dementia suffering Nell, probably the sanest one in the whole place. Things become heated when permanently angry & outraged Troy, Veda’s partner, brings out his guns and a police siege ensues.
Sadly, it reminded me of the Wieambilla shootings where three rightwing, religious, conspiracy nut cases killed constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and civilian Alan Dare. Fortunately this siege ended more peacefully.
There is a postscript after the siege court case and it appears that the ribbon is about to be tied on the Panic package when suddenly a new crisis arrived and the reader is in for a second climax.
I thought Panic was a reasonable read, Bronte was a believable character but her relationship with social media was outside my worldly experience, although as a high school teacher I have witness some appalling behaviour on social media by students. Jinks captured the behaviour and language of the wellness gurus, come conspiracy riddled sovereign citizens very well. I have doubts as to why the story was extended to a second climax.
February 9, 2025
Given the current state of the world, a story about sovereign citizens, alternate truths and conspiracy theories is very topical. Unfortunately, I didn’t find a lot to connect to in this thriller about a young woman who becomes involved with this kind of group who turn nasty.
Bronte, the main character, is a somewhat naïve young woman who needs to leave town after a drunken post turns viral. She’s broke and decides to take on a volunteer role looking after an elderly woman on an isolated property in rural New South Wales. Once she gets there, she realises something isn’t right. Her employer, Veda, doesn’t have licence plates on her car and gets into a heated discussion with the police. Still, Bronte ignores these and continues on to the house and meets slavishly devoted employee Prish and Veda’s husband Troy, who is always ready to kick off. The house is used for Veda’s rebirthing business as clients re-emerge from the womb in a pink onesie without trauma (which is near impossible to do in this house). Bronte’s uneasiness only grows as she’s forced to give up her phone during the day and stay in a dilapidated caravan far from the house. The woman she looks after, Nell, is pleasant but vague, with repeated concerns about ensuring nobody goes to the dam. What went on there? When Nell becomes unwell, interactions with the police increase, resulting in a standoff that will have the surrounding towns talking for a long time.
The characters had the potential to be fascinating, particularly to find out what is going on in Veda, Troy and Prish’s heads and why they’ve decided to reject convention and actively fight against it. Due to the first person point of view from Bronte, the reader doesn’t get to see that so they remain objects of pity who we can only guess at their motives and reasons for their paranoia. I really wanted to know why Prish was so enthralled by Veda. Bronte ignores a lot of red flags from the very outset which made it difficult for me to sympathise with her plight. Given her education and past, it seemed odd that she wasn’t great at picking up on danger even when she knew it was staring her down. It seemed she would rather analyse the situation in her head that put what she’s learned into action. I think this caused the tension to be downplayed and the psychological terror never really hit any great heights for me.
The siege was particularly drawn out and didn’t seem to be overly tense (perhaps due to the proximity to a phone and policeman). That isn’t the end of the drama with a slightly wiser Bronte under attack again which is a nice twist. The writing is good, which is why I stuck with this book but I found Bronte hard to relate to and the tension drawn out.
Thank you to Text Publishing for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Bronte, the main character, is a somewhat naïve young woman who needs to leave town after a drunken post turns viral. She’s broke and decides to take on a volunteer role looking after an elderly woman on an isolated property in rural New South Wales. Once she gets there, she realises something isn’t right. Her employer, Veda, doesn’t have licence plates on her car and gets into a heated discussion with the police. Still, Bronte ignores these and continues on to the house and meets slavishly devoted employee Prish and Veda’s husband Troy, who is always ready to kick off. The house is used for Veda’s rebirthing business as clients re-emerge from the womb in a pink onesie without trauma (which is near impossible to do in this house). Bronte’s uneasiness only grows as she’s forced to give up her phone during the day and stay in a dilapidated caravan far from the house. The woman she looks after, Nell, is pleasant but vague, with repeated concerns about ensuring nobody goes to the dam. What went on there? When Nell becomes unwell, interactions with the police increase, resulting in a standoff that will have the surrounding towns talking for a long time.
The characters had the potential to be fascinating, particularly to find out what is going on in Veda, Troy and Prish’s heads and why they’ve decided to reject convention and actively fight against it. Due to the first person point of view from Bronte, the reader doesn’t get to see that so they remain objects of pity who we can only guess at their motives and reasons for their paranoia. I really wanted to know why Prish was so enthralled by Veda. Bronte ignores a lot of red flags from the very outset which made it difficult for me to sympathise with her plight. Given her education and past, it seemed odd that she wasn’t great at picking up on danger even when she knew it was staring her down. It seemed she would rather analyse the situation in her head that put what she’s learned into action. I think this caused the tension to be downplayed and the psychological terror never really hit any great heights for me.
The siege was particularly drawn out and didn’t seem to be overly tense (perhaps due to the proximity to a phone and policeman). That isn’t the end of the drama with a slightly wiser Bronte under attack again which is a nice twist. The writing is good, which is why I stuck with this book but I found Bronte hard to relate to and the tension drawn out.
Thank you to Text Publishing for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
February 4, 2025
Australian author Catherine Jinks has pivoted recently to a series of clever, page-turning domestic thrillers that draw heavily from current issues. Shelter centred around a woman who helped other women escape abusive relationships, The Attack focussed on a teacher who had to deal with a difficult child and his even more difficult family and Traced took its cues from the Covid pandemic. So it comes as no surprise that Bronte, the protagonist of Jinks’ latest thriller Panic, has been the subject of internet abuse and doxing due to an ill-considered Tik Tok video made while drunk. But there is much more to Panic than this as Jinks also takes on the Wellness industry and the Sovereign Citizens movement.
Panic is an apt name for a novel which opens with Bronte, on the run from her life due to the abuse she is receiving from internet followers of her ex-boyfriend. Even on her train trip from Katoomba to escape to Bathurst (almost certainly not far enough), she is recognised by another passenger. Bronte has hoped to hide out by working as a carer for Nell, the ageing mother of Veda. Veda runs a new-age ‘rebirthing’ business on the family property outside of Bathurst. But even before she gets to the property Bronte knows there is something wrong. Veda is pulled over by the police for having fake license plates and it turns out that she does not believe in the authority of the State.
Once Bronte arrives at her destination, Jinks slowly turns up the pressure. From the filthy caravan that Bronte is forced to live in, to Veda’s creepy assistant, to strange noises in the night, to Nell’s obsession with the dam. That is before Bronte discovers the panic room in Nell’s room and meets some of Veda’s fellow Sovereign Citizens. Despite all of the red flags, Bronte feels the need to continue to hide out with Veda, and by the time things are completely out of control it is too late.
Jinks once again builds a page-turning thriller out of many of the elements that will be familiar to many readers - the toxicity of the internet, the willingness of people to buy into any hokum that is labelled as wellbeing. But in this case she introduces an element that might be less known to many - a movement of people in Australia who do not believe in the authority of the government (while benefiting from many of the benefits of living in a liberal democracy). It is the clash of this ideology with the workings of formal systems that bring this story to a head.
Panic is another great rural thriller from Jinks. Centred around a likeably flawed main character and driven by some unfortunately real real-world issues.
Panic is an apt name for a novel which opens with Bronte, on the run from her life due to the abuse she is receiving from internet followers of her ex-boyfriend. Even on her train trip from Katoomba to escape to Bathurst (almost certainly not far enough), she is recognised by another passenger. Bronte has hoped to hide out by working as a carer for Nell, the ageing mother of Veda. Veda runs a new-age ‘rebirthing’ business on the family property outside of Bathurst. But even before she gets to the property Bronte knows there is something wrong. Veda is pulled over by the police for having fake license plates and it turns out that she does not believe in the authority of the State.
Once Bronte arrives at her destination, Jinks slowly turns up the pressure. From the filthy caravan that Bronte is forced to live in, to Veda’s creepy assistant, to strange noises in the night, to Nell’s obsession with the dam. That is before Bronte discovers the panic room in Nell’s room and meets some of Veda’s fellow Sovereign Citizens. Despite all of the red flags, Bronte feels the need to continue to hide out with Veda, and by the time things are completely out of control it is too late.
Jinks once again builds a page-turning thriller out of many of the elements that will be familiar to many readers - the toxicity of the internet, the willingness of people to buy into any hokum that is labelled as wellbeing. But in this case she introduces an element that might be less known to many - a movement of people in Australia who do not believe in the authority of the government (while benefiting from many of the benefits of living in a liberal democracy). It is the clash of this ideology with the workings of formal systems that bring this story to a head.
Panic is another great rural thriller from Jinks. Centred around a likeably flawed main character and driven by some unfortunately real real-world issues.
January 3, 2025
Logic is a funny thing. If you read any discourse for well-established IPs, you'll find people arguing about characters acting illogically or making decisions that don't make sense. These criticisms are usually countered with the argument that people often make illogical decisions due to their backgrounds or circumstances, and to a certain extent this rings true. Humans are emotional and fickle creatures and more often than not our decisions are rooted in complex emotions over hard, cold logic, but there are limits.
Panic by Catherine Jinks is a thriller set in Bathurst Australia. It follows Bronte, a woman with an embarrassing past that takes a job caring for an elderly woman with dementia in exchange for room and board. Almost instantly, Bronte is confronted with the fact that her new hosts are a group of sovereign citizens with a dubious grasp of the law.
The writing is decent and Jinks has clearly done her research. While at first glance it may seem like the characters that Bronte encounters are unrealistic caricatures, a quick look at any sov cit video compilation on YouTube will show just how left of field many of these people are. Despite the accurate portrayal of sov cits, the novel falls down in most other areas.
Most pressing is the decision making that gets Bronte into her situation in the first place. Even before she meets her host Veda, red flags are flying about the place that she is about to call home, and then when Bronte finally meets her, she's given no time to settle before the sovereign citizen type behaviour rears its ugly head. Despite this, Bronte decides to continue onto the property anyway. The novel does go a long way to explain that she is running away from prolonged harassment and feels like she can't go back home, but ultimately I don't think that's enough of an explanation.
Veda and everyone with her goes from crazy decision to crazy decision without letting up and Bronte simply has no actual reason to stick around. Logically, it makes no sense and at the early points in the novel, she has no emotional reason to stay either.
Even so, I was willing to let that slide as the novel went on. I found the novel’s central mystery to be intriguing and I was starting to find myself compelled, only to be frustrated as the novel started to ramp up. Bronte's internal dialogue is filled with references to her formal training and she seemed overly concerned with protecting her reputation, even in situations where her life’s in danger.
I received an advanced reader copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Panic by Catherine Jinks is a thriller set in Bathurst Australia. It follows Bronte, a woman with an embarrassing past that takes a job caring for an elderly woman with dementia in exchange for room and board. Almost instantly, Bronte is confronted with the fact that her new hosts are a group of sovereign citizens with a dubious grasp of the law.
The writing is decent and Jinks has clearly done her research. While at first glance it may seem like the characters that Bronte encounters are unrealistic caricatures, a quick look at any sov cit video compilation on YouTube will show just how left of field many of these people are. Despite the accurate portrayal of sov cits, the novel falls down in most other areas.
Most pressing is the decision making that gets Bronte into her situation in the first place. Even before she meets her host Veda, red flags are flying about the place that she is about to call home, and then when Bronte finally meets her, she's given no time to settle before the sovereign citizen type behaviour rears its ugly head. Despite this, Bronte decides to continue onto the property anyway. The novel does go a long way to explain that she is running away from prolonged harassment and feels like she can't go back home, but ultimately I don't think that's enough of an explanation.
Veda and everyone with her goes from crazy decision to crazy decision without letting up and Bronte simply has no actual reason to stick around. Logically, it makes no sense and at the early points in the novel, she has no emotional reason to stay either.
Even so, I was willing to let that slide as the novel went on. I found the novel’s central mystery to be intriguing and I was starting to find myself compelled, only to be frustrated as the novel started to ramp up. Bronte's internal dialogue is filled with references to her formal training and she seemed overly concerned with protecting her reputation, even in situations where her life’s in danger.
I received an advanced reader copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 7, 2025
Bronte is escaping a tumultuous recent online past that has left her very recognisable across social media, harassed, and a target that had her hiding out on a daily basis. Bronte wanted to escape, and through HelpX found a quaint un-paid caring for Nell who is in the throws of dementia at a sprawling property outside of Bathurst called Gwendolynne – something sounding akin to the property in Gone with the Wind. . Nell's daughter Veda, husband Troy (and his beehives), and associate Prish are running a rebirthing trauma clinic and are sovereign citizens, not answerable to any law – they all occupy Gwendolynne, whole Bronte is left in a questionable caravan, minutes walk away from the house.
From the early pages, the chaos ensues. Bronte’s history comes back through the pages in small snippets, including people who recognise her from her past. Veda is also known as Joanne, and demands to be called Doula. And Prish was once Astrid. The sovereign citizen movement was alive and well with Veda, Troy and Prish which I found both startlingly scary and a little humourous at times. And every time a scene ends where you take a breath, another event occurs, like the police hostage siege where Nell helps to save Bronte and the police officers, in return for footage of the dam from Bronte’s phone – she had to see the dam.
Bronte seemed very broken by the whole experience on social media, yet in all the climactic scenes was able to show a lot of resilience. She was able to dig down deep and use a lot of the courage that was stifled in order to work through many of the situations she found herself in. There was still element of self confidence in their from what had been stripped from her through all the trolling online. Even Vader on the other characters what over the top with no credibility, it was very easy to feel the plausibility of Bronte’s actions, especially with the contrasts of characters like Iris and Reece, the police officer, who also came out in defence of her. The property, Gwendolynne, was a character in itself: its setting away from town, it’s history and secrets (including in its very walls!) was developed so well that it contributed to the emotions if its residents, and left a lasting impression on them, including Bronte.
Another fabulous thriller to start the year with from #textpublishing.
From the early pages, the chaos ensues. Bronte’s history comes back through the pages in small snippets, including people who recognise her from her past. Veda is also known as Joanne, and demands to be called Doula. And Prish was once Astrid. The sovereign citizen movement was alive and well with Veda, Troy and Prish which I found both startlingly scary and a little humourous at times. And every time a scene ends where you take a breath, another event occurs, like the police hostage siege where Nell helps to save Bronte and the police officers, in return for footage of the dam from Bronte’s phone – she had to see the dam.
Bronte seemed very broken by the whole experience on social media, yet in all the climactic scenes was able to show a lot of resilience. She was able to dig down deep and use a lot of the courage that was stifled in order to work through many of the situations she found herself in. There was still element of self confidence in their from what had been stripped from her through all the trolling online. Even Vader on the other characters what over the top with no credibility, it was very easy to feel the plausibility of Bronte’s actions, especially with the contrasts of characters like Iris and Reece, the police officer, who also came out in defence of her. The property, Gwendolynne, was a character in itself: its setting away from town, it’s history and secrets (including in its very walls!) was developed so well that it contributed to the emotions if its residents, and left a lasting impression on them, including Bronte.
Another fabulous thriller to start the year with from #textpublishing.
December 15, 2024
Panic by Catherine Jinks is a very highly recommended psychological thriller set in Australia.
Bronte posted a rant on social media that went viral for all the wrong reasons. Now she's a social pariah whom strangers recognize and taunt. To escape the attention and lie low for awhile she volunteers as a carer on an isolated rural property near Bathurst. For room and board Bronte will be watching Nell, a dementia sufferer, at Gwendelynne, the families isolated homestead where her Nell's daughter, Veda, runs spiritual rebirthing retreats.
Unknown until she already arrived, Veda is also involved with the sovereign citizen movement and rejects the authority of the state. This makes Bronte's arrival a rocky introduction and events go downhill from here as Bronte begins to question her safety and the sanity of Veda and the others at Gwendelynne.
The writing is very good and credibly captures the unwanted notoriety Bronte receives over the bad choice of posting her regrettably scandalous video. Even though readers may shake their heads at her poor choices, especially in the beginning of the narrative, these details help depict her as a complex, fully realized, and sympathetic character. Since Bronte is also the narrator, this helps hold your attention as the plot unfolds. Other characters in the novel are also all portrayed as unique individuals
The start of the narrative is a little slow, but will hold your attention as you learn why Bronte wants to escape to an isolated area and are introduced to the cast of characters. Quickly you will realize that these people are odd and the tension begins to rise. Bronte's situation is tenuous and it becomes clear that she is in a problematic position. Once the action takes off it is a riveting, tension-filled, action-packed, twisty thriller.
Panic starts out as an okay novel but becomes notably better, faster, and more compelling with every page. 4.5 rounded up. Thanks to Text Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/1...
Bronte posted a rant on social media that went viral for all the wrong reasons. Now she's a social pariah whom strangers recognize and taunt. To escape the attention and lie low for awhile she volunteers as a carer on an isolated rural property near Bathurst. For room and board Bronte will be watching Nell, a dementia sufferer, at Gwendelynne, the families isolated homestead where her Nell's daughter, Veda, runs spiritual rebirthing retreats.
Unknown until she already arrived, Veda is also involved with the sovereign citizen movement and rejects the authority of the state. This makes Bronte's arrival a rocky introduction and events go downhill from here as Bronte begins to question her safety and the sanity of Veda and the others at Gwendelynne.
The writing is very good and credibly captures the unwanted notoriety Bronte receives over the bad choice of posting her regrettably scandalous video. Even though readers may shake their heads at her poor choices, especially in the beginning of the narrative, these details help depict her as a complex, fully realized, and sympathetic character. Since Bronte is also the narrator, this helps hold your attention as the plot unfolds. Other characters in the novel are also all portrayed as unique individuals
The start of the narrative is a little slow, but will hold your attention as you learn why Bronte wants to escape to an isolated area and are introduced to the cast of characters. Quickly you will realize that these people are odd and the tension begins to rise. Bronte's situation is tenuous and it becomes clear that she is in a problematic position. Once the action takes off it is a riveting, tension-filled, action-packed, twisty thriller.
Panic starts out as an okay novel but becomes notably better, faster, and more compelling with every page. 4.5 rounded up. Thanks to Text Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/1...
February 27, 2025
Catherine Jinks is an Australian writer who’s worked in almost every genre, and I love her work in every one of them. “Panic” is a domestic thriller that is very very hard to stop reading once you’ve started. Jinks grabs your attention and doesn’t let go.
This tense thriller takes a little while to build, and then maintains the tension for a remarkably long time. I know the area where this is set and Jinks evokes a strong and accurate sense of place.
She also evokes a sense that this is well within the realms of possibility. We’ve all seen the kind of harassment Bronte is suffering happen to others, and Jinks extends this credibility to what’s happening on the property. While it’s not “ripped from the headlines” stuff, it’s certainly believable in light of things that have happened in recent years. This is a very contemporary novel.
The characterisation is an absolutely critical part of making this novel work. Bronte is a strong and believable character. It doesn’t take much to believe in what’s happened to her, and Jinks quickly builds empathy and a sense of connection with her. Bronte’s reactions and decisions are believable and serve to draw the reader in emotionally. We’d likely do the same thing in her place.
Other characters, while less empathetic (deliberately) are also vivid and believable. I could picture each vividly, and Bronte’s reactions to them were credible.
I loved this novel. It has so much to appreciate. I enjoyed how very contemporary it is, evoking the way the world currently works and the way people respond. The strong characters still live with me, and the plot is strong. The writing style enhanced everything. This was not just a great reading experience, but a novel that stands up to later analysis. It’s great. Read it.
If you enjoyed this review, please visit www.otherdreamsotherlives.home.blog to read more.
This tense thriller takes a little while to build, and then maintains the tension for a remarkably long time. I know the area where this is set and Jinks evokes a strong and accurate sense of place.
She also evokes a sense that this is well within the realms of possibility. We’ve all seen the kind of harassment Bronte is suffering happen to others, and Jinks extends this credibility to what’s happening on the property. While it’s not “ripped from the headlines” stuff, it’s certainly believable in light of things that have happened in recent years. This is a very contemporary novel.
The characterisation is an absolutely critical part of making this novel work. Bronte is a strong and believable character. It doesn’t take much to believe in what’s happened to her, and Jinks quickly builds empathy and a sense of connection with her. Bronte’s reactions and decisions are believable and serve to draw the reader in emotionally. We’d likely do the same thing in her place.
Other characters, while less empathetic (deliberately) are also vivid and believable. I could picture each vividly, and Bronte’s reactions to them were credible.
I loved this novel. It has so much to appreciate. I enjoyed how very contemporary it is, evoking the way the world currently works and the way people respond. The strong characters still live with me, and the plot is strong. The writing style enhanced everything. This was not just a great reading experience, but a novel that stands up to later analysis. It’s great. Read it.
If you enjoyed this review, please visit www.otherdreamsotherlives.home.blog to read more.
April 12, 2025
‘I was coming back from the buffet car when someone recognised me.’
Bronte learns the hard way about the consequences of posting a drunken rant on TikTok. The immediate impact leaves her without a job, without any money and (probably) without friends.
Hoping for a degree of anonymity, Bronte volunteers to be a carer on an isolated property (about 50 kilometres from Bathurst in New South Wales). She will be looking after Veda’s mum, Nell, who lives with dementia. The job is unpaid but will provide Bronte with food and a roof over her head. What could possibly go wrong?
Bronte knows that Veda runs a spiritual rebirthing retreat. But she quickly discovers, after Veda picks her up from the train station, that Veda also claims to be a ‘sovereign citizen’, rejecting the authority of the state. And so, Bronte finds herself in the midst of a clutch of conspiracy theorists.
Yes, a wiser person might have left at that stage, but Bronte ignoring several red flags, becomes protective of Nell. The tension increases as the conspiracy theorists make various plans:
‘It was like watching the CWA plan a military coup.’
These people may be misguided, but are they harmless? Hmm. There seems to be a mystery as well: Nell may be confused at times, but there is a secret she keeps referring to.
I’ve read a few novels recently in which ‘sovereign citizens’ play a part. Deluded, misguided and sometimes dangerous, tension is added by their unpredictability. The tension in this story continues to increase as the story builds to the tense finale.
Did I enjoy the story? Not really. I have little patience for ‘sovereign citizens’, their ignorance of the law and their conspiracy theories. But knowing that such people exist (I’ve met some) adds to the tension in this story.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Bronte learns the hard way about the consequences of posting a drunken rant on TikTok. The immediate impact leaves her without a job, without any money and (probably) without friends.
Hoping for a degree of anonymity, Bronte volunteers to be a carer on an isolated property (about 50 kilometres from Bathurst in New South Wales). She will be looking after Veda’s mum, Nell, who lives with dementia. The job is unpaid but will provide Bronte with food and a roof over her head. What could possibly go wrong?
Bronte knows that Veda runs a spiritual rebirthing retreat. But she quickly discovers, after Veda picks her up from the train station, that Veda also claims to be a ‘sovereign citizen’, rejecting the authority of the state. And so, Bronte finds herself in the midst of a clutch of conspiracy theorists.
Yes, a wiser person might have left at that stage, but Bronte ignoring several red flags, becomes protective of Nell. The tension increases as the conspiracy theorists make various plans:
‘It was like watching the CWA plan a military coup.’
These people may be misguided, but are they harmless? Hmm. There seems to be a mystery as well: Nell may be confused at times, but there is a secret she keeps referring to.
I’ve read a few novels recently in which ‘sovereign citizens’ play a part. Deluded, misguided and sometimes dangerous, tension is added by their unpredictability. The tension in this story continues to increase as the story builds to the tense finale.
Did I enjoy the story? Not really. I have little patience for ‘sovereign citizens’, their ignorance of the law and their conspiracy theories. But knowing that such people exist (I’ve met some) adds to the tension in this story.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
January 5, 2025
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.
"Panic" by Catherine Jinks is a gripping psychological thriller that masterfully delves into the depths of fear and survival. The story centers around four teenagers who find themselves entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse, orchestrated by a mysterious abductor.
Jinks does an excellent job of developing her characters, each with distinct personalities and backstories that add depth to the narrative. Their interactions and evolving relationships are authentic and engaging, drawing readers into their harrowing experience. The author skillfully captures the raw emotions of panic and desperation, making the characters' plight feel all too real.
The plot is intricately woven, with twists and turns that keep readers guessing. Jinks' writing is taut and evocative, creating a palpable sense of tension and dread. The themes of trust, betrayal, and resilience are explored thoughtfully, adding layers of complexity to the story.
"Panic" is a compelling and intense read that will leave readers breathless. Catherine Jinks has crafted a memorable and thrilling tale that is sure to resonate with fans of suspense and psychological drama. If you're looking for a book that will keep you hooked until the final page, "Panic' is an excellent choice.
"Panic" by Catherine Jinks is a gripping psychological thriller that masterfully delves into the depths of fear and survival. The story centers around four teenagers who find themselves entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse, orchestrated by a mysterious abductor.
Jinks does an excellent job of developing her characters, each with distinct personalities and backstories that add depth to the narrative. Their interactions and evolving relationships are authentic and engaging, drawing readers into their harrowing experience. The author skillfully captures the raw emotions of panic and desperation, making the characters' plight feel all too real.
The plot is intricately woven, with twists and turns that keep readers guessing. Jinks' writing is taut and evocative, creating a palpable sense of tension and dread. The themes of trust, betrayal, and resilience are explored thoughtfully, adding layers of complexity to the story.
"Panic" is a compelling and intense read that will leave readers breathless. Catherine Jinks has crafted a memorable and thrilling tale that is sure to resonate with fans of suspense and psychological drama. If you're looking for a book that will keep you hooked until the final page, "Panic' is an excellent choice.
December 11, 2024
Bronte has run away from her home in Katoomba after she posted an ill-considered drunken rant about her boyfriend on social media which went viral. Now everyone recognises her as ‘that girl’ and are out to jeer and ridicule her. After losing her job, she found a live-in position near Bathurst looking after Nell, an elderly woman with dementia. No salary but board and food provided and peace and quite far from everyone who might know who she is.
Nell’s daughter Veda runs a spiritual rebirthing retreat which does sound peaceful. However, what Bronte doesn’t know is that Veda and her boyfriend and staff believe they are sovereign citizens, not answerable to the government or the laws of the land and see conspiracies around every corner. Bronte tries to ignore their beliefs and do her job looking after Nell but when a situation escalates dangerously Nell finds herself fearing for her life.
The tension ramps up gradually in this novel as Bronte finds Veda and her followers becoming increasingly uneasy and strange. The atmosphere is claustrophobic and creepy with strange goings on at night and the almost cultish beliefs that make Veda and her friedns paranoid about those in authority. 3.5★
With thanks to Text Publishing via Netgalley for a copy to read
Nell’s daughter Veda runs a spiritual rebirthing retreat which does sound peaceful. However, what Bronte doesn’t know is that Veda and her boyfriend and staff believe they are sovereign citizens, not answerable to the government or the laws of the land and see conspiracies around every corner. Bronte tries to ignore their beliefs and do her job looking after Nell but when a situation escalates dangerously Nell finds herself fearing for her life.
The tension ramps up gradually in this novel as Bronte finds Veda and her followers becoming increasingly uneasy and strange. The atmosphere is claustrophobic and creepy with strange goings on at night and the almost cultish beliefs that make Veda and her friedns paranoid about those in authority. 3.5★
With thanks to Text Publishing via Netgalley for a copy to read
April 7, 2025
A standalone psychological thriller, Panic (2025) by Catherine Jinks is a captivatingly tension-filled tale. Fleeing her social media infamy, Bronte takes a job caring for Nell, an elderly woman with dementia, on a rural property near Bathurst. Veda, Nell’s daughter runs a spiritual birthing retreat. When Bronte is picked up from the train, a police traffic stop reveals Veda’s sovereign citizen’s beliefs. Bronte has strict rules to follow, including no mobile phones, sleeping in a caravan away from the homestead and the daily care of Nell. Bronte becomes increasingly concerned and worried for her own safety, and Nell’s admission to hospital escalates into a siege situation (Trigger warning for Australian readers given similar event). An intense thriller, with ever frightening tension and a sinister undertone, makes for a riveting four and a half star suspenseful read rating. Oddly, there are two climatic finales which seem somewhat discordant. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.
May 5, 2025
What a miserable characterisation of the 21st century young woman.
At the back end of the novel, Jinks actually writes the sentences, "I'd even apologised to Callum. Publicly. On my YouTube channel. It was the kind of thing an adult would do." What a load of ignorant boomer nonsense. Anyone who has any ounce of social adroitness knows that a YouTube apology reeks of self pity, self righteousness and insincerity. No one respects a YouTube apology.
There is no intrigue, no thrill. The characters are shallow. The landscape poorly described. The narrative is fallible. I am not sure Catherine Jinks understands that young people do not get their phone out to livestream every misfortune they experience. The initial video posted by Bronte and the subsequent social shunning is entirely unbelievable.
I have not read any other work by the author. I probably won't but also acknowledge that her accolades surely cannot lie. Therefore, I am willing to accept this is not fair representation of her craft.
At the back end of the novel, Jinks actually writes the sentences, "I'd even apologised to Callum. Publicly. On my YouTube channel. It was the kind of thing an adult would do." What a load of ignorant boomer nonsense. Anyone who has any ounce of social adroitness knows that a YouTube apology reeks of self pity, self righteousness and insincerity. No one respects a YouTube apology.
There is no intrigue, no thrill. The characters are shallow. The landscape poorly described. The narrative is fallible. I am not sure Catherine Jinks understands that young people do not get their phone out to livestream every misfortune they experience. The initial video posted by Bronte and the subsequent social shunning is entirely unbelievable.
I have not read any other work by the author. I probably won't but also acknowledge that her accolades surely cannot lie. Therefore, I am willing to accept this is not fair representation of her craft.
January 4, 2025
Panic by Catherine Jinks is a suspenseful thriller that didn’t quite make it for me. While there times when the main character, Brooke, was going through some very highly dramatic moments, there were times when it dragged and become bogged down in some of the issues such as sovereign citizens who reject the existing authorities and the use and abuse of social media. While both of these issues are interesting, I found them too dominating.
While I believe this novel will appeal to a lot of people as it does raise quite a few I interesting issues, it lacked consistency for me.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from Text Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#Panic #NetGalley
While I believe this novel will appeal to a lot of people as it does raise quite a few I interesting issues, it lacked consistency for me.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from Text Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#Panic #NetGalley
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