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The Permit
He's dead. The police say suicide. She knows better.
Twenty years ago, Audrey Lord left Bennington behind — its beaches, its secrets, and Jack Masters, the boy she once loved.
Now Jack is dead. Officially? Suicide. But nothing about it makes sense.
Back on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, juggling two kids and a job at the local paper, Audrey never planned to dig into the past. But Jack's father is convinced it was murder and Audrey owes Jack more than silence. She starts pulling at threads that lead to council corruption, shady land deals, and powerful people with everything to lose.
As Audrey and Leonard investigate, the pressure mounts. Her job is on the line. Her relationships are fracturing. And someone is watching her every move.
In a town where everyone has something to hide, the truth could get her killed.
Twenty years ago, Audrey Lord left Bennington behind — its beaches, its secrets, and Jack Masters, the boy she once loved.
Now Jack is dead. Officially? Suicide. But nothing about it makes sense.
Back on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, juggling two kids and a job at the local paper, Audrey never planned to dig into the past. But Jack's father is convinced it was murder and Audrey owes Jack more than silence. She starts pulling at threads that lead to council corruption, shady land deals, and powerful people with everything to lose.
As Audrey and Leonard investigate, the pressure mounts. Her job is on the line. Her relationships are fracturing. And someone is watching her every move.
In a town where everyone has something to hide, the truth could get her killed.
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2021
About the author
G.C. Chase
5 books4 followersI'm the author of the Audrey Lord Crime Mystery Series, set on Australia's stunning Mornington Peninsula. The peninsula with its dramatic coastline, wine country, and secrets lurking in close-knit communities is the perfect backdrop for mysteries.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 14, 2021
Audrey embarks on a journey to find out why a young man - a father, son, and someone she knew and dated years ago - would kill himself. During her journey of discovery, she decides that the young man she knew had no reason to kill himself. But, that's what the police reports says it was. Audrey is a relatable character in that she is a mom who works outside the home. She cooks. She cleans. She does all the things the characters in the story think a mom should do. (I know - times have changed!) However, Aubrey becomes a dog with a bone in trying to figure out what happened to her friend as she cannot accept that he committed suicide - she just can't let it go. The Jack she knew would not have done it, so she decides to dig deeper, not knowing the dangers of doing so. While I can't say this was heart-pounding suspense, it was a good read with a slow start but a great ending. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 4, 2021
The story starts slowly, in the beginning the reader hears about a suicide but not of the details. The police are reportedly satisfied, and the man’s family and friends do not seem to question their conclusions. The initial question is not if he did it but why he did it.
The main character Audrey Lord is a journalist working at a local newspaper who has a history with the dead man. She is haunted by the mystery of what happened to the man she knew and loved that would cause him to take his own life.
The writing is well done, and the characters develop through narrative telling scenes of daily life, personal and work relationships, and the culture of the small Australian town south of Melbourne toward the Mornington Peninsula.
For the first half of the book, the pace is slow, and the stakes are relatively low. There is not a feeling of danger and there was minimal foreshadowing of trouble ahead for the main characters even though it is slowly revealed that Jack Master’s suicide was more than what it seemed. There was a distinct lack of white space in the beginning chapters due to blocks of narrative descriptions about the characters’ daily habits and preferences.
The mystery of what happened to Jack begins to grow and mature near the end. The pace picks up and the stakes rise for our main character. The clues are clear, there are a few surprises, but in general the conclusion is somewhat predictable. At the end, the protagonist makes a move that I did not understand and was not well developed. I kept thinking “What the heck?” and “Why did this happen?”. I also wondered about Audrey’s follow up reaction to this particular action scene in the wrap-up chapters. This seemed to be a serious loose end that needed clarification.
For the reader who enjoys a character-based mystery that focuses on the main character and her life, trials, and tribulations, this story works. As a mystery story it would have benefited from more tension and an increased sense of imminent danger for the main character. I would rate this story a 3 out of 5 stars.
I would like to thank Reedsy for my ARC copy of The Permit by GC Chase for an unbiased review.
The main character Audrey Lord is a journalist working at a local newspaper who has a history with the dead man. She is haunted by the mystery of what happened to the man she knew and loved that would cause him to take his own life.
The writing is well done, and the characters develop through narrative telling scenes of daily life, personal and work relationships, and the culture of the small Australian town south of Melbourne toward the Mornington Peninsula.
For the first half of the book, the pace is slow, and the stakes are relatively low. There is not a feeling of danger and there was minimal foreshadowing of trouble ahead for the main characters even though it is slowly revealed that Jack Master’s suicide was more than what it seemed. There was a distinct lack of white space in the beginning chapters due to blocks of narrative descriptions about the characters’ daily habits and preferences.
The mystery of what happened to Jack begins to grow and mature near the end. The pace picks up and the stakes rise for our main character. The clues are clear, there are a few surprises, but in general the conclusion is somewhat predictable. At the end, the protagonist makes a move that I did not understand and was not well developed. I kept thinking “What the heck?” and “Why did this happen?”. I also wondered about Audrey’s follow up reaction to this particular action scene in the wrap-up chapters. This seemed to be a serious loose end that needed clarification.
For the reader who enjoys a character-based mystery that focuses on the main character and her life, trials, and tribulations, this story works. As a mystery story it would have benefited from more tension and an increased sense of imminent danger for the main character. I would rate this story a 3 out of 5 stars.
I would like to thank Reedsy for my ARC copy of The Permit by GC Chase for an unbiased review.
September 28, 2021
This story is about Audrey, a mother of 2, who is a journalist who has returned to her home town with her family. She hears about the suicide of an old boyfriend and decides to investigate as the story doesn't ring true for her. To Audrey, it seems to be connected to possible council corruption linked to recent planning decisions.
The story is a bit slow in it's build-up, but I found the main characters well done and true to life. Despite my enjoyment of the story, it felt more like a cozy tale and I would have enjoyed it more if it had more tension throughout. That being said, I do want to read the next in the series to see how things develop.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The story is a bit slow in it's build-up, but I found the main characters well done and true to life. Despite my enjoyment of the story, it felt more like a cozy tale and I would have enjoyed it more if it had more tension throughout. That being said, I do want to read the next in the series to see how things develop.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 12, 2023
very good.
I enjoyed your novel of The Permit. I was never bored or felt the need to skip pages. There was no ‘fluff’ to pass up. I’ll be reading The Stain next.
Thank you. I really admire writers the way you can grab a person’s interest and we don’t want to stop & go to the bathroom or even to dinner.
Good luck with your other projects.
I enjoyed your novel of The Permit. I was never bored or felt the need to skip pages. There was no ‘fluff’ to pass up. I’ll be reading The Stain next.
Thank you. I really admire writers the way you can grab a person’s interest and we don’t want to stop & go to the bathroom or even to dinner.
Good luck with your other projects.
March 22, 2022
Good story
The story was told in a believable way and the characters were well drawn. The mystery appears to be happening onn 2 separate plannn÷s but then his family fo
The story was told in a believable way and the characters were well drawn. The mystery appears to be happening onn 2 separate plannn÷s but then his family fo
Did Not Finish
June 5, 2021I made it 6% in before ditching it due to poor editing.
March 23, 2022
Not my Type
Very slow moving story with no action. Small time reporter trying to find out why her old boyfriend would kill himself. Finally solves the mystery and everyone lives happily ever after. The end.
Very slow moving story with no action. Small time reporter trying to find out why her old boyfriend would kill himself. Finally solves the mystery and everyone lives happily ever after. The end.
April 29, 2021
I totally enjoyed The Permit: An Audrey Lord Mystery by G C Chase. Audery’s dream to be a lead reporter and her disappointment to have not obtained her desire has her questioning her family’s move to Bennington to support her career. Being appointed a temporary lead reporter position, she attends the Bennington council meeting that propels her onto an intriguing investigative path. Juggling family life, self doubt and a news story, Audrey seeks the truth about her friends death, her own life and possible council corruption.
It was an emotional roller coaster watching Audrey reach the truths she needed. I was relieved when she faced her personal fears and reached out to her husband for assistance. It was exciting to watch Audrey’s investigative skills develop. And important to see her stand up and face her past fears.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
It was an emotional roller coaster watching Audrey reach the truths she needed. I was relieved when she faced her personal fears and reached out to her husband for assistance. It was exciting to watch Audrey’s investigative skills develop. And important to see her stand up and face her past fears.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 26, 2021
I would have given this book 5 stars had it not been for a number of typos and small errors, which I know can be a deal breaker for some readers. Not for me fortunately. I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. Drafted in to report on a routine council meeting, Audrey quickly realises that all is not as it should be on Bennington Council. This causes her to start querying whether her friend’s death really was suicide, as first suggested, or connected to his work at the council. As more threatening and sleazy characters crawl out of the woodwork, the tension builds and the mystery deepens until the dramatic and deadly climax. This is the first book in a series about Audrey Lord and I am very much looking forward to following Audrey both in her rather strained private life and her adventures as a journalist.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews