Deep Down

by Colin King

Archaeologist, young Aboriginal Tahlia Lock, accompanies Detective Sergeant Rory James to investigate bones uncovered in a gemstone fossicking site near the Grampians mountains in Victoria. Tahlia hopes to persuade Rory to revisit the cold case of her missing brother, Ricky.
The remains found are confirmed as the wife of a Sydney mining-exploration geologist, Travis Vella. He had been working in the area at the time she disappeared, and although a suspect, there is more to Travis' story, including another possible suspect in blueblood grazier, Elliot Claymore, who made no secret of disliking Travis.
When Tahlia and Rory attend a meeting at Brambuk Aboriginal Centre, they learn of an historical, and unrecorded, local Aboriginal massacre. Tahlia's brother, Ricky, had been investigating the massacre when he had disappeared, one that took place on the Claymore's land. Suddenly, both cases are at Claymore's doorstep.
Tahlia and Rory hunt for a truth buried far beneath the civilised world and shadowed by the range of mountains that whisper secrets; secrets deep down in the crevices of evil. When the truth is dug up, it will undo lives ... but above all, it will create answers that are sought by everyone involved.
"In the tradition of Peter Temple and Jane Harper, Colin King incorporates the landscape of regional Australia into the DNA of his plot. Attuned to the elements of the murder mystery, King has written a suspenseful novel which is both surprising and satisfying." Dianne Dempsey, reviewer for The Age

316 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2025

About the author

Colin King is an artist and illustrator working in the UK, and often associated with Usborne.
He graduated with a Master of Art degree at the Royal College of Art, London, and has taught at the Cambridge School of Art and Wimbledon School of Art.
He began drawing children's picture books in 1976.
There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Victorian Grampians mountain range looms over many a dark moment in this local crime thriller. Colin King has created a relatable cast of characters that are 'mostly' likeable and with underlying themes of unspoken historical Aboriginal massacres, navigating the modern cultural landscape, and PTSD it sounds grimmer than it is. Overall you can tell that Colin has some not-so-small obsessions with local, and surprisingly interesting, historical details, and that his love of lobbing grenades at the political Right is an itch he can't stop scratching (which I well laughed at!) Fair warning to any potential international readers that you may need an Aussie guide to navigate some of our local -isms, but the wonder of Grampians escarpments will have you reaching for Google Images and booking a trip to western Victoria to walk amongst it yourselves. I know I am.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story let down by clunky writing

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad.

[Aj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the returned focus on Victorian history in this book as well as the writing style. My issues were the 2-dimensional-ness of some of the female characters and the handling of the Indigenous aspects.