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The Sydney Quartet
Heather
When aging escort Heather Todd rescues a stranger riding a wild self-destructive spiral, she discovers she has a chance to avenge the death of her sister, and many others. She taunts and cajoles the reluctant Sam into helping her gather evidence against the notorious Reed brothers.
When Sam agrees to join her, they embark on a daring, high-risk venture that takes them deep into the underworld, and then half-way around the world and almost home again …
When Sam agrees to join her, they embark on a daring, high-risk venture that takes them deep into the underworld, and then half-way around the world and almost home again …
449 pages, ebook
First published August 14, 2014
484 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Sendall
12 books42 followersA.J. Sendall is the author of gritty suspense novels, including The Sydney Quartet.
His latest novel, ‘Waterloo Bridge' was released in November 2022.
The next novel, a psychological suspense thriller set in northeast England, is due for release autumn-2025.
His latest novel, ‘Waterloo Bridge' was released in November 2022.
The next novel, a psychological suspense thriller set in northeast England, is due for release autumn-2025.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 30, 2015
Note: I was provided with a copy of this book from the author for review.
Sendall has developed and executed this story brilliantly, with style and surprise. From the intriguing prologue to the gripping final pages it's a story that's clever, captivating and at times heartbreaking. The narrative is exciting and suspenseful, even when nothing much is happening plot wise, meaning you are never sure what is going to happen, and while you often cannot condone what these characters do, they draw you in and intrigue you all the same.
The characters are certainly interesting, and they're presented in a way that shows just how complex they are which makes them real, meaning even the bad guys got a lot of compassion and sympathy from me as I read. With characters so complicated makes for a great mixture of people working and clashing with one another and adds another level to the story.
The story is told via multiple points of view, from both sides, which provides depth and meaning to the story. With Heather and Sam it allows a chance to sense their apprehension and thoughts about their plans, but with the added points of view of Reed and his men it adds extra intrigue to the story, certainly more insight, and a feeling of completeness to the entire story.
The time frame is realistic, taking place across multiple months, though it doesn't read as slow nor does it drag out and it demonstrates the gradual build up and infiltration Heather and Sam are trying to achieve. While it is possible to see Sam and Heather's plan as unbelievable and unachievable since they are seemingly just regular people, it still works. Heather was already connected to the Reeds in a small but real way and Sam has the skill set to get himself inside convincingly and realistically.
The simmering suspense and anticipation makes it a great read and one where anything is possible. You want Sam and Heather's to achieve their goals but at the same time you are fully aware that anything could go wrong and ruin everything. Even up until the final pages when everything comes to a head Sendall makes sure you have no idea exactly what will happen and brings your anticipation to the max.
This is a five star book not because it is mind blowing amazing and filled with action all the time, but rather because it is clever, and Sendall has built up this story remarkably well and concludes it perfectly in a way that is suitable and agreeable, but also a little bit heartbreaking.
A longer version of this review was posted on my blog https://lostinagoodbk.wordpress.com/2...
Sendall has developed and executed this story brilliantly, with style and surprise. From the intriguing prologue to the gripping final pages it's a story that's clever, captivating and at times heartbreaking. The narrative is exciting and suspenseful, even when nothing much is happening plot wise, meaning you are never sure what is going to happen, and while you often cannot condone what these characters do, they draw you in and intrigue you all the same.
The characters are certainly interesting, and they're presented in a way that shows just how complex they are which makes them real, meaning even the bad guys got a lot of compassion and sympathy from me as I read. With characters so complicated makes for a great mixture of people working and clashing with one another and adds another level to the story.
The story is told via multiple points of view, from both sides, which provides depth and meaning to the story. With Heather and Sam it allows a chance to sense their apprehension and thoughts about their plans, but with the added points of view of Reed and his men it adds extra intrigue to the story, certainly more insight, and a feeling of completeness to the entire story.
The time frame is realistic, taking place across multiple months, though it doesn't read as slow nor does it drag out and it demonstrates the gradual build up and infiltration Heather and Sam are trying to achieve. While it is possible to see Sam and Heather's plan as unbelievable and unachievable since they are seemingly just regular people, it still works. Heather was already connected to the Reeds in a small but real way and Sam has the skill set to get himself inside convincingly and realistically.
The simmering suspense and anticipation makes it a great read and one where anything is possible. You want Sam and Heather's to achieve their goals but at the same time you are fully aware that anything could go wrong and ruin everything. Even up until the final pages when everything comes to a head Sendall makes sure you have no idea exactly what will happen and brings your anticipation to the max.
This is a five star book not because it is mind blowing amazing and filled with action all the time, but rather because it is clever, and Sendall has built up this story remarkably well and concludes it perfectly in a way that is suitable and agreeable, but also a little bit heartbreaking.
A longer version of this review was posted on my blog https://lostinagoodbk.wordpress.com/2...
September 28, 2014
A tale of drugs, sex and sailing - a noir thriller, Oz-style.
Hard-drinking Sam and attractive, cynical escort Heather have both lost people close to them due to the adulterated cocaine flooding the backstreets of Sydney. They join forces in order to shut down the dealing operation of the local kingpin, vicious Loretto Reed and his gang of thugs. In order to do this, Sam has to infiltrate Reed's inner circle and pose as someone Reed cannot do without, whilst Heather returns to her past as a gangster's moll to gain more information. It is a deadly game, and someone is inevitably going to get hurt.
This is a noirish underworld thriller, with savage villains and sultry lap-dancers, double-dealing and gunplay. Despite the title, this is a masculine read with strong sailing overtones, as Sam and Heather are sent on a cross-Pacific cruise with a boat full of cocaine. It's an unusual mix, but it works.
Sendall knows his stuff, and his research has been exemplary. The sailing references are written with accuracy and loving care, yet his depiction and dialogue of the drugs barons are also convincing and laced with black humour. It's also very violent in places but considering the subject matter, it has to be. An unusual book in many ways, and hugely enjoyable.
Hard-drinking Sam and attractive, cynical escort Heather have both lost people close to them due to the adulterated cocaine flooding the backstreets of Sydney. They join forces in order to shut down the dealing operation of the local kingpin, vicious Loretto Reed and his gang of thugs. In order to do this, Sam has to infiltrate Reed's inner circle and pose as someone Reed cannot do without, whilst Heather returns to her past as a gangster's moll to gain more information. It is a deadly game, and someone is inevitably going to get hurt.
This is a noirish underworld thriller, with savage villains and sultry lap-dancers, double-dealing and gunplay. Despite the title, this is a masculine read with strong sailing overtones, as Sam and Heather are sent on a cross-Pacific cruise with a boat full of cocaine. It's an unusual mix, but it works.
Sendall knows his stuff, and his research has been exemplary. The sailing references are written with accuracy and loving care, yet his depiction and dialogue of the drugs barons are also convincing and laced with black humour. It's also very violent in places but considering the subject matter, it has to be. An unusual book in many ways, and hugely enjoyable.
August 20, 2019
ohhhhhhh CREPPY
March 5, 2015
Giveaway & Review on my site. Originally posted on my site, DannieSpeaks: http://danniespeaks.com/2015/03/04/bo...
Heather is one of those reads (at least for me) that gives you just enough suspense to guess what might happen next, but… does it? The novel takes you along on the journey of two strangers, Heather and Sam, and the winding circumstances - love, drugs, money - that bring them together in the Australian underworld.
My likes:
Heather and Sam: You will find yourself rooting for Heather and Sam to ultimately be together when all is said and done. There are some legitimate moments where I really thought, “Hmm… could it go another direction for these two?” This is where some of the suspense comes into play. There are so many other colorful characters that shape and mold the relationship that builds for Heather and Sam, you’re unsure if they remain friends, become lovers, or ultimately sail off into the sunset, together. Heather and Sam are themselves two colorful characters, so from their start in the novel, you're always trying to figure the two of them out.
The whole story: So, yes, it’s crime, drugs, and a bit of suspense mystery… you can’t say you don’t love it! Crime and drama is written everyday, but it’s the mix within Heather that keeps you turning the page - an escort, a man of mystery, dirty drug-lords, Australia, and yachts.
My dislikes:
What just happened: There is one part semi-early in Heather where I read the section and said, “Did I miss something?” So, I re-read and hadn’t missed anything; the answer I was searching for wasn’t there. You will think you know the answer and eventually what you think is the truth, actually is the truth. It’s one of those moments where, if you’re like me, you’re asking questions on why something happened… it takes time for your assumption to be answered.
Some lag in the flow of reading: The structure of Heather is three parts, each part divided into chapters. It is the first chapters of part three where there is some lag - the first chapters read much the same with background and day-to-day life that the flow starts to drag and you might find yourself wanting to skip through a page. The goal of finding out exactly what happens to Heather and Sam has not happened yet, so you break the barrier and read on!
Final thought:
I really liked this book. I in no way found myself challenged with reading it (outside of my few dislikes), or wanting to put the book down to come back to it in a few days. The story held me because like I said, there are so many options of how the story could play out, you have to read to the very end.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Heather is one of those reads (at least for me) that gives you just enough suspense to guess what might happen next, but… does it? The novel takes you along on the journey of two strangers, Heather and Sam, and the winding circumstances - love, drugs, money - that bring them together in the Australian underworld.
My likes:
Heather and Sam: You will find yourself rooting for Heather and Sam to ultimately be together when all is said and done. There are some legitimate moments where I really thought, “Hmm… could it go another direction for these two?” This is where some of the suspense comes into play. There are so many other colorful characters that shape and mold the relationship that builds for Heather and Sam, you’re unsure if they remain friends, become lovers, or ultimately sail off into the sunset, together. Heather and Sam are themselves two colorful characters, so from their start in the novel, you're always trying to figure the two of them out.
The whole story: So, yes, it’s crime, drugs, and a bit of suspense mystery… you can’t say you don’t love it! Crime and drama is written everyday, but it’s the mix within Heather that keeps you turning the page - an escort, a man of mystery, dirty drug-lords, Australia, and yachts.
My dislikes:
What just happened: There is one part semi-early in Heather where I read the section and said, “Did I miss something?” So, I re-read and hadn’t missed anything; the answer I was searching for wasn’t there. You will think you know the answer and eventually what you think is the truth, actually is the truth. It’s one of those moments where, if you’re like me, you’re asking questions on why something happened… it takes time for your assumption to be answered.
Some lag in the flow of reading: The structure of Heather is three parts, each part divided into chapters. It is the first chapters of part three where there is some lag - the first chapters read much the same with background and day-to-day life that the flow starts to drag and you might find yourself wanting to skip through a page. The goal of finding out exactly what happens to Heather and Sam has not happened yet, so you break the barrier and read on!
Final thought:
I really liked this book. I in no way found myself challenged with reading it (outside of my few dislikes), or wanting to put the book down to come back to it in a few days. The story held me because like I said, there are so many options of how the story could play out, you have to read to the very end.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
May 15, 2015
--Reviewed by Danika Jayde from The Reader's Hollow blog:
This was an interesting read for me, though at times I found there was an almost staccato flow that made the reading at times a bit broken. There were paragraph breaks when changing the view to know that it was from a different character viewpoint which was great, but then other times there were breaks simply to show a short space in time had passed. Because of this there were spaces in paragraphs where I personally thought were a break for a change of scene or view, but in actuality only a short space in time. It was because of these multiple reasons behind these breaks that made things to me seem a bit choppy. In my mind the story would have flowed better with a simple sentence to connect the two that were time change and not view change. That being said I did enjoy the idea and story.
I enjoyed the mystery behind the character of Sam in the beginning, and the candidness of Heather, as well I think that the development of the characters in general was well done. The fact that I had a personal dislike for McCutchen early on simply by description I believe was a great job and the back story to Loretto Reed to help build his persona was a marvelous decision. There is but one thing that I wish would have been added, and that is near the ending when Divinski is again playing a part in the story it was so long since I had read his name that I had forgotten he was an associate of Sam’s in the beginning; my thought is that maybe a link to remind readers of that relationship between the pair in some way would have been helpful since there are quite a few different characters.
Now as for story while I did enjoy it I think that it would have gotten a higher rating from me if there had been more parts that were of Sam, or even Heather, doing infiltration or descriptions of actual jobs. What it seemed like to me is that most of the time the story was of just Sam hanging out in strip clubs and sleeping with strippers to get information or to get closer to the goal. It did make sense to get him into the world in the first place and to keep up the façade, but to have more situations like the one with the shootout along with that would have kept my interest more and kept me more invested in the story. It just made the book stay at a moderate level instead of taking me on a ride of climatic outcomes and anticipation. I did however greatly enjoy the ending and how things played out, especially with Mitchell (I’ll keep that limited as to not create a spoiler).
So all in all, I did enjoy the book. In my opinion if you enjoy the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, give this one a try.
This was an interesting read for me, though at times I found there was an almost staccato flow that made the reading at times a bit broken. There were paragraph breaks when changing the view to know that it was from a different character viewpoint which was great, but then other times there were breaks simply to show a short space in time had passed. Because of this there were spaces in paragraphs where I personally thought were a break for a change of scene or view, but in actuality only a short space in time. It was because of these multiple reasons behind these breaks that made things to me seem a bit choppy. In my mind the story would have flowed better with a simple sentence to connect the two that were time change and not view change. That being said I did enjoy the idea and story.
I enjoyed the mystery behind the character of Sam in the beginning, and the candidness of Heather, as well I think that the development of the characters in general was well done. The fact that I had a personal dislike for McCutchen early on simply by description I believe was a great job and the back story to Loretto Reed to help build his persona was a marvelous decision. There is but one thing that I wish would have been added, and that is near the ending when Divinski is again playing a part in the story it was so long since I had read his name that I had forgotten he was an associate of Sam’s in the beginning; my thought is that maybe a link to remind readers of that relationship between the pair in some way would have been helpful since there are quite a few different characters.
Now as for story while I did enjoy it I think that it would have gotten a higher rating from me if there had been more parts that were of Sam, or even Heather, doing infiltration or descriptions of actual jobs. What it seemed like to me is that most of the time the story was of just Sam hanging out in strip clubs and sleeping with strippers to get information or to get closer to the goal. It did make sense to get him into the world in the first place and to keep up the façade, but to have more situations like the one with the shootout along with that would have kept my interest more and kept me more invested in the story. It just made the book stay at a moderate level instead of taking me on a ride of climatic outcomes and anticipation. I did however greatly enjoy the ending and how things played out, especially with Mitchell (I’ll keep that limited as to not create a spoiler).
So all in all, I did enjoy the book. In my opinion if you enjoy the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, give this one a try.
January 25, 2015
Overall, this is a pretty good read!
The main characters - Sam and Heather - are effectively portrayed as people who have been for the most part in control of their lives and then find themselves in unfamiliar territory. That makes them a lot like you and me, every new decade of our lives. They're relate-able to many of us even though their current circumstances (hopefully!) are not.
Also, the story moves along at a good pace, with a near-perfect balance of dialogue and narrative description.
Overall, this is a pretty good read!
The main characters - Sam and Heather - are effectively portrayed as people who have been for the most part in control of their lives and then find themselves in unfamiliar territory. That makes them a lot like you and me, every new decade of our lives. They're relate-able to many of us even though their current circumstances (hopefully!) are not.
Also, the story moves along at a good pace, with a near-perfect balance of dialogue and narrative description.
Overall, this is a pretty good read!
April 28, 2015
This story combines the life of a escort with the dark underworld of Sydney and the secretive Marine manager who has a very inertesing past. It took me a couple of chapters to get into it but then i was hooked. The story flowed well and the characters were all developed with great detail and each stood strong from their corner. The knowledge of Sydney, sailing and the underworld of crime brings this tale of revenge together with people searching for a new life. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes a little excitment and something a bit different..
October 10, 2014
The most colourful characters ever, it has everything, danger, intense suspense, romance, it keeps you turning the pages, and yearning for more, the best of all is the message to humans who want to change their lives around .
I like to see more of these inspiring storys from this very well writen author.
December 9, 2017
Shadow House is a page-turning thrill ride. The characters are fully fleshed and relatable to some extent. (I can't say I've ever been involved with the underworld in Australia, so not fully relatable.) Good action with a nice mix of romance without hardcore sex portrayed. I could have done without the f-word every other sentence, but I suppose that's the nature of the beast. The ending was a little bit of a disappointment as far as the main characters' involvement. It felt slightly anti-climatic, but overall a winner.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews