Whisky Valley: Southern Highlands Mystery

by Joan Sauers, Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood (Narrator)

From the intriguing Echo Lake, Rose McHugh, curious historian-turned-detective, returns to solve her next compelling mystery in the moody Southern Highlands.

After nearly being murdered last year, Rose battles anxiety as she uses her investigative skills to find her son's best friend, a famous violinist who is missing along with his priceless violin.

As floodwaters rise, Rose uncovers secrets and lies among the missing man's fellow musicians, as well as their patron and her enigmatic psychologist husband.

But when a body is found, can Rose shield her son from suspicion?

Audible Audio

Published June 3, 2025

About the author

Born in New York and working in film and television in NY, London and Los Angeles, Sauers has lived in Australia for the last twenty-five years. She is the author of twelve books including Mothers & Daughters, Ageing Disgracefully, and Sex Lives of Australian Women. She is a consultant and lecturer in screenwriting in Australia, Europe and Morocco, and lives in Sydney with her talented cat, Blossom.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing crime fiction tale, Joan Sauers’s Whisky Valley (2025) is a character driven murder mystery. This time the crime is close to home for historian and detective, Rose McHugh. As heavy rains bring flooding to the Southern Highlands, Rose’s son Sam is implicated in the disappearance of his childhood friend who is performing at the local spring music festival. As Rose struggles with her anxiety and recovery from her near-death experience, unexpected changes in her various relationship get complicated by Sam’s murder charge. Can Rose find the missing priceless violin and uncover the secrets and tensions between the musicians, in order to prove Sam’s innocence? A fine standalone Aussie noir, albeit part of a series, makes for a four star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement.

[Kerri Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Whiskey Valley follows on from Echo Lake, I was delighted to revisit both the characters and the setting that I had grown to love. While I personally enjoyed Echo Lake a little more due to its supernatural elements, Whiskey Valley offers a fresh and engaging story with a stronger focus on music. The novel maintains the same moderately paced, cosy murder mystery atmosphere that made the first book so enjoyable. Once again, I found myself wishing I could step through the pages and join in the excitement alongside the characters.

[Ed Napiorkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting follow-up to the first in the series. once again, some nice descriptions of the areas where the story is based, the core set of original characters from the first book, and some interesting additions.

it not an intense thriller. it's not fast passed or action packed. it just a steady as she goes story and as long as you don't try to dig too deep in the details it works out OK.

I rated the book as 3 stars.