Before it Breaks

Dan Clement #2

by Dave Warner

Detective Inspector Daniel Clement is back in Broome, the tropical town where he grew up, licking his wounds from a busted marriage and struggling to be impressed by his new team of small-town, inexperienced cops. But stagnation and lethargy soon give way to a case with urgent purpose. On the edge of the desert, a man is found dead in a crocodile-infested watering hole. And he is only the first. The connection between the victims is elusive, but Clement must pursue it as a decades-old mystery begins to unravel and a monster cyclone brews on the horizon.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Australia, Fiction, Thriller, Procedural, Murder Mystery

344 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2015

About the author

Dave Warner is the author of fourteen crime novels, including the winner of the 1996 WA Premier’s Award for Fiction (City of Light) and the 2016 Ned Kelly winner of Best Australian Crime Fiction (Before it Breaks). He has also written a children's book series and seven non-fiction titles, and screenwritten for film and TV.

Dave Warner originally gained national recognition as a musician-songwriter in the late 1970s with Bob Dylan referring to Dave and Richard Clapton as his “favourite Australian artists”.
As early as 1973 Dave had formed Australia’s first punk band, Pus, playing early versions of tracks such as Suburban Boy and Hot Crotch which he was later to record with Dave Warner’s from the Suburbs. In 1975, Dave went to London and wrote many new songs which expressed a clearly-defined vision of Australia, including tracks such as Convict Streak and Oklahoma. Suburban Boy became the cornerstone of this new style of music, which Dave labelled suburban rock. Warner’s music is probably best described as Lou Reed meets Tomas Pynchon.

Dave's feature films include the cult-horror CUT (starring Kylie Minogue and Molly Ringwald) and GARAGE DAYS (co-written with director Alex Proyas). His many TV credits include scripts for MCLEOD’S DAUGHTERS and PACKED TO THE RAFTERS.

Dave was educated at Aquinas College and the University of Western Australia, graduating with a B.A. (Hons.), majoring in Psychology. Growing up an ardent supporter of the East Fremantle Football Club, his passion of Australian football remains.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Western Australia was a huge state, the logistics immense.”

This book was a happy surprise for me. Discovering that the author was a famous punk rocker back in the day made me suspicious of its quality and roughness. No need to worry. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an intelligent, well written crime story in a fascinating location.

The detective is a middle aged man who has been knocked around by life a bit and returns to his home town of Broome, North Western Australia in order to be near his child. He’s not thrilled to leave his successful work in Perth and not terribly impressed with those working for him.

A shocking crime occurs and Clement shows his forensic and administrative skills. He comes to appreciate his team. The book is very good at showing how each part of a police team works and meshes.

Before It Breaks was a little slow in get started and dips too heavily into the stereotype of the misery of a police career that has cost him a marriage. I got to the point that whenever the whine started I’d skip 4 or 5 pages. That worked well for me.

I’ll be looking for more by this author.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes the world is very kind to a dedicated fan of Australian Crime fiction, particularly when two new books from authors that we've not heard from for a very long time arrive. Peter Doyle and Dave Warner each played their part, many years ago, in engaging an interest in our own stories and voices.

The release of BEFORE IT BREAKS caused excitement and slight trepidation. Slight trepidation because Warner's earlier Andrew "Lizard" Zirk series (Murder in the Groove, Murder in the Frame and Murder Off-Season) has always been a nostalgic favourite, as are Exxxpresso and City of Light. Now having read it, this new book, the first since the early 2000's, has to be the start of a new series, featuring Detective Daniel Clement, set in Broome, because it's ... well bloody near pitch perfect.

The increasing use of remote settings for crime fiction coming out of Western Australia is proving to be a field well worth mining (pun intended). The starkness of the landscape, and the way that the heat and massive climate variations affect daily life provide a real tension that's not so apparent where the worst that's going to happen elsewhere is it's cold in winter and hot in summer. The title also has a nice multi-meaning going on - it can refer to the breaking of a case, marriages and relationships splintering and lives going pear-shaped, just as much as it does refer to the impending cyclone, at the same time as a killer breaks cover.

There is much that's standard fare in BEFORE IT BREAKS. A cop dealing with the fallout from a broken marriage, feeling out of sorts and lost after returning to the town of his childhood, to stay close to his young daughter. Reconnecting with old friends and places it's obvious that Clement feels his return is acknowledging some failure on his part. Finding that his childhood friends that stayed might not be high-flyers but seem content is disconcerting, making Clement feel more and more like a fish out of water, not sure what it is that he wants out of life any more.

Going from shop lifting, fielding drunks and the odd brawl to a major murder investigation creates more tension, as things quickly escalate. Starting out with the murder of a local, low-level drug dealer - a retired German cop - in really weird circumstances, then the death of a bikie figure, through to a disappearance right on the verge of the cyclone hitting town, really puts the local powers that be on edge. Which means that they've got in the ear of the higher-ups and Perth starts huffing and puffing about extra resources, and taking over the cases. Unsurprisingly there's quite a bit of sensitivity about a serial killer and a cyclone in a tourist town like Broome. But the biggest problem in solving this case is motive - who on earth would want to kill a seemingly harmless old German man whose biggest sin appears to be a bit of low-level, cost-effective dope dealing about town.

How BEFORE IT BREAKS deals with the standard elements, intermixed with a seriously bizarre series of deaths is what makes this story work. The interweaving of the standard bits of life - good and bad - makes everything absolutely believable. Whilst there are all these mad, weird things going on in what's basically a small town, life around it goes on. Parents age, relationships with ex-wives can be part longing / part loathing, and mothers-in-laws are often a mind field. The contrast between the day to day bit of being human, and the seriously screwed up things those self-same humans can do to each other, shows life can be a tricky undertaking.

That's not to say that character utterly dominates in BEFORE IT BREAKS. There's action aplenty, and the scenes, in the teeth of a cyclone, chasing a killer down flooded roads and through wet bush are part of a climax that will keep you on the edge of your seat. There's plenty of moments where you wonder who is going to survive, and there's lots of reminders that no matter how far away it might seem, the past can come back to bite lots of people in the most unexpected ways.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...

[Cynnamon · Rating 3 out of 5]

For English version please scroll down

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Solider, aber vorhersehbarer Ermittlerkrimi

Der Polizist Dan Clement lässt sich aus der Großstadt Perth in seinen ländlichen, abgelegenen Heimatort Broome versetzen, um in der Nähe seiner kleinen Tochter sein zu können, die mit ihrer Mutter ebenfalls nach Broome gezogen ist. Unmittelbar nach seinem Dienstantritt wir ein älterer Ausländer brutal erschlagen aufgefunden.

Für mich als Deutsche war interessant, dass der Tote Deutscher war und die Hintergründe der Geschichte weit in die Vergangenheit nach Deutschland zurückreichen.

Der Autor beschreibt akribisch die Ermittlerarbeit, von der Beweissicherung über die Befragung möglicher Zeugen bis hin zu den Gedankengängen und Schlussfolgerungen der Ermittler. Das war alles logisch konsistent und hat mir gefallen, auch wenn es nicht sonderlich aufregend war,

Außerdem erfahren wir eine Menge über Clements private Situation, sogar mehr als ich jemals wissen wollte. Dan Clement ist kein besonders interessanter Charakter. Sein Hauptmerkmal ist, dass er seiner verflossenen Frau nachtrauert. Und mich haben die Details seiner vergangenen Ehe wirklich nicht besonders interessiert.

Für erfahrene Krimileser war aber spätestens ab der Mitte des Buches klar wohin die Reise geht in dieser Geschichte. Ich konnte selten so präzise so lange vorher schon sagen, wie das Buch ausgehen würde. Das macht den Krimi nicht notwendigerweise schlecht, aber es nimmt einfach jede Spannung.

Insgesamt ein ganz passabler Krimi, der aber jede Überraschung vermissen lässt. Mir hat sich nicht erschlossen wieso dieses Buch 2016 den australischen Krimipreis gewinnen konnte.

Aus meiner Sicht 3 Sterne.

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Solid but predictable police procedural

Police investigator Dan Clement has himself transferred from Perth to his rural, remote hometown of Broome so that he can be close to his young daughter, who has also moved to Broome with her mother. Immediately after starting his new job, an elderly foreigner was found brutally beaten to death.

For me as a German it was interesting that the dead man was German and that the background of the story goes way back to Germany in the past.

The author meticulously describes the investigative work, from the preservation of evidence to the questioning of possible witnesses to the thoughts and conclusions of the investigators. That was all logically consistent and I liked it, even if it wasn't particularly exciting,

We also learn a lot about Clement's personal situation, even more than I ever wanted to know. Dan Clement is not a particularly interesting character. His main characteristic is that he mourns his ex-wife. And I really didn't care much about the details of his past marriage.

For experienced mystery readers, however, it was clear from the middle of the book at the latest where the journey in this story was going. I have rarely been able to predict so precisely how the book would turn out so long in advance. That doesn't necessarily make the book bad, but it just takes away any suspense.

All in all, a very passable crime mystery, but one that lacks any surprise. I did not understand how this book could win the Ned Kelly Award in 2016.

From my point of view 3 stars.

[T.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clement is a beat down West Australian cop who has ended up in Broome, wifeless, childless and with a sick Mum. Things go downhill for him from there...

A serial killer has arrived in Broome and he starts with a small time local weed dealer, takes out a hard core bikie and then kidnaps a local resident with a 'colourful past'. Clement spends most of the novel clueless though Warner nicely helps us as the reader put the pieces together long before Clement does.

There is another character in the book and it is one I wish Warner had made more out of. As the investigation progresses a cyclone is approaching the Broome coast. It doesn't make its presence felt until the last third of the book and it would have been welcome earlier, as it adds a brooding, threatening ominousness (is that a word?) to the tone and tempo of the book.

The final chapters in which the murderer and Clement battle it out in the midst of the raging cyclone are fantastic.

This is also a book where you find yourself highlighting great Warnerian passages... At least I did! Here are a couple:

-This was the way up here, night falling more like a guillotine than a handkerchief.
- All life after forty was regret.
- there was something about weight, the arithmetic of subtraction, the use of absence to deduce past reality, omission as a dynamic principle.

Great Australian crime writing and a welcome return from Dave Warner!

[Ann Tonks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ummed and aahed about what rating to give this. On the one hand, it's got all the standard elements of a police procedural that I'm beginning to get bored of - the good cop who isn't entirely at home in the force, whose marriage is on the rocks, how loves his kid etc etc. But on the other hand, the landscape and weather of north west Australia are their own characters and add to the richness of the story telling as do the scenes set in Germany. So in the end, I decided that I did enjoy reading enought for 4 stars.

[Pam Tickner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the setting of WA outback - you could feel the heat and flies! Similar feel as The Dry, small country town (Broome) where everyone knows each other and the protagonist returns home after training as a policeman in the city and has to find his way again. Interesting story line but not the page turner that keeps you reading into the night.

[Archer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im westaustralischen Outback wird die Leiche eines Mannes gefunden. Sein Name: Dieter Schäfer. Nationalität: deutsch. Wer könnte ein Interesse daran haben, einen in Australien lebenden Deutschen zu töten? Und warum hat sich der Mörder die Mühe gemacht, dem Toten das blutige T-Shirt auszuziehen und durch eines mit der Meistermannschaft des HSV 1979 zu ersetzen? Daniel Clement ist frisch nach Broome zurückgekehrt und muss mit einer noch nicht zusammengewachsenen Polizeitruppe dieses Verbrechen klären. Hinderlich dabei ist nicht nur sein desolates Privatleben, sondern auch ein aufziehender Zyklon und die Tatsache, dass sich das Motiv des Verbrechens irgendwo in der Vergangenheit – und auf der anderen Seite des Erdballs versteckt.

Die Stärke des Buches besteht in der bildlichen Darstellung des für uns doch ziemlich exotischen australischen Westens, in dem es furchtbar heiß ist und die Entfernungen jeder Beschreibung spotten. Um eine Leiche obduzieren zu lassen, werden per Flugzeug Strecken zurückgelegt, die der von London nach Moskau entsprechen, die Einheimischen finden Krokodile im nächsten Tümpel zwar gefährlich, aber nicht ungewöhnlich und ein Wirbelsturm der Stufe 2 ist Anlass zur Besorgnis, jedoch kein Grund, in Angstschweiß auszubrechen. Dass gleichzeitig eine Brücke zu dem uns Bekannten wie Hamburg oder der HSV geschlagen wird, verbindet Vertrautes mit Fremden. So hätte aus dem Krimi Außergewöhnliches entstehen können, und viele werden es so sehen; mir jedoch gab es zu viel des typischen Bullendramas. Einsamer Wolf, der seiner Ex hinterherweint und keine Zeit für seine kleine Tochter hat sowie auch zu viel privater Kram mit seiner Familie. Das machte einen Teil des Buches recht zäh, obwohl es zwischendurch durchaus spannende Momente beinhaltete. Was mich jedoch wirklich störte, ist die Tatsache, dass das, was sich schließlich als Lösung präsentierte, weniger ermittelt als vielmehr in Rückblenden erzählt wurde, wobei der dabei mitdenkende Leser durch fehlende Zeitangaben bewusst getäuscht wird. Ein Kunstkniff, mag sein. Aber einer, der bei mir verpufft, weil ich das Motiv nicht wirklich überzeugend finde. Trotzdem nicht uninteressant geschrieben und mich würden auch weitere Fälle von Clement und dessen Team reizen. 3,5/5 Punkten.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gun detective Dan Clement leaves his career in Perth behind and moves to the remote coastal town of Broome to be near his daughter and his estranged wife, with whom he hopes to reconcile one day. Being used to the facilities and high-level personnel of the city, Dan tends to think of his colleagues as hicks and the local police department as pretty sub-standard.

When a local German immigrant is found murdered in a nearby waterhole, Dan is forced to manage a homicide investigation using the meagre resources available to him. The plot thickens quickly, with apparent involvement of local bikies and some drug-running. Dan is also trying to chase down the victim's German connections, after he is revealed to be a former policeman. As the situation becomes more entangled and progress more difficult, Dan gets to feel the pressure of having his former city mates take away his investigation.

While all this is going on Dan is making feeble attempts to patch things up with his ex-wife and preserve his father-daughter relationship.

This book is a middling crime drama that lacks a real punch in the ending and is a bit too predictable in its denouement. Dan's personal conflicts, a necessary of any modern fictional detective character in my opinion, are pretty mundane and seem more bolted onto the plot, rather than a driver of it. I prefer my fictional detectives to be more damaged and angsty than this.

[Dylan Goddard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, an enjoyable read. Some good characterisation, red herrings and plot twists, and just enough clues sprinkled throughout.

My only real grievance is minor but being a Broome resident was one of the reasons I bought this book and I found it to be annoying that it was set here. Little things like needing to go to Derby for the Hospital despite having a bigger hospital in Broome, them looking out for a ‘white SUV’ despite the fact that 90% of the cars in Broome are white four wheel drives, and the fact that the chase ends up several kms out of town on the Peninsular Road which is unsealed, during torrential rain which would make it all impassable. To non Kimberley residents these issues are non existent.

Also, the whole Biker murder and witness story didn’t add up, it was never fully explained as to why he was killed and the young boy spotting the vehicle slowly driving past the hideout is a little implausible.

However, I will read more of his stuff and Clement is a thoroughly likeable detective.

[Calzean · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a procedural police story - lot's of procedures in the beginning as the police try to find a motive/suspect/lead. There is a blindingly obvious clue at the murder scene which they ignore.
There is a lot about Detective Dan, a brilliant homicide cop, who returns to Broome to follow his divorced wife so he can be close to his daughter. The police are all nice characters.
The murders are brutal, the depiction of Broome as an idyllic location is shattered, there is plenty of heat, flies, remoteness and a collection of people who live in Broome to make money or to live without the shackles of big city life.
There is also a cyclone which kind of breaks into the story. The cyclone is like the story, it kind of made an impression but it could have been a bigger one.

[Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot, parched and gritty. Broome, Australia. Good but troubled detective. Large cast of characters but not overwhelming. Shifting times and perspectives. Multi-layered plot strands well woven. Will read more from this author.

[Samantha Gunning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book via Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. I received a paperback copy.

[Kris McCracken · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here we go again. A body in the bush, a brooding detective with emotional baggage, and an investigation that moves with all the urgency of a pub lunch on a public holiday. This time the detective’s name is Dan Clement, and the book – while perfectly legible and structurally sound – is the literary equivalent of a beige police procedural filmed under fluorescent lighting.

Let’s be fair. The mechanics are all here. The author clearly knows their way around a crime scene: evidence bags are handled properly, interviews proceed in legally sound fashion, and we are treated to the full interior monologue of an investigator weighing up conflicting statements and obscure forensic detail. If you’ve ever wanted to know exactly how a mid-level detective might draft a witness summary, congratulations – your moment has arrived.

The problem is that none of it is particularly thrilling. Suspense is promised but never delivered. The pacing is flat, the tension never builds, and the mystery itself is about as mysterious as an episode of Midsomer Murders watched for the fifth time while folding laundry. I had the resolution pegged by about the halfway mark, and not because I’m especially clever – it was just that obvious. If this were a magic trick, the rabbit would already be sitting on the table with a name tag saying “Plot Twist”.

Dan Clement, our leading man, is grieving a failed marriage and feeling sorry for himself in a way that’s meant to signal depth but mostly reads like ambient static. His personal struggles, such as they are, feel like they’ve been stapled onto the manuscript in a last-minute attempt to humanise him. There’s no real integration between his inner mess and the case he’s solving. It’s just a parallel mope running alongside the investigation. I didn’t care about his ex-wife, and the novel didn’t give me any reason to start.

The outback setting had potential, but it’s underused. There's no menace, no heat, no grit. It could’ve been anywhere with long roads and bad coffee. The landscape should loom. Instead, it just sits there, politely observing.

All up, it’s a passable crime novel that doesn’t make much of a case for itself. The conclusion lands with a soft thud, the character work is uninspired, and the so-called mystery unfolds like an overexplained dinner party anecdote. Two stars. No more, no less. It won’t offend you, but it won’t linger either.

⭐ ⭐

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Australian crime novel, set around Broome in the north-west of Western Australia. The environment enhances the terrific level of tension that the author builds into a story that follows the investigation into a murder at a remote campsite. The investigation uncovers international connections and some surprises with the locals. It carries a good number of twists and red herrings to make the story engaging and sophisticated. I enjoyed the way in which the author interwove the character of the region with the characters of the story. I'm hoping the author plans to create a series from here. Highly recommended.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always enjoy reading crime stories set in Australia, this one in outback Broome. For the location, I was expecting a much stronger Aboriginal presence in the story, but refreshing to see other stories and angles.

For once, the blurb on the back doesn't give away too much of the plot, so the resolution of the crime was satisfying. Plenty of scope for a series featuring Detective Dan.

The first few pages had a lot of very long paragraphs, which were quite hard to read for some reason - maybe the combination of the font and line spacing, or just too much description. But worth pressing on.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Australian murder/mystery is set in Broome, with a cyclone looming along the coast. There's an interesting character, a detective who followed his estranged wife and child North; this is all part of the fabric of him fitting in with his colleagues, and of being accepted again by the townspeople. It is the backdrop against which he must solve a murder and in order to solve the murder he must first solve the victim's past. A well thought out plot with a character i'd like to see more of.

[Jeff Patchett · Rating 5 out of 5]

How good it is to read stories set in Australia. A well thought out and executed story. The author offers some excellent incites into aging and relationships.
An enjoyable way to spend a few hours reading. the ending was a little predictable and locating the final body a little unbelievable in the country surrounding Broome.

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but jeez, life in smalltown Australia seems so bleak. Thought some of the northern European detective books were all about sad lives, but they've got nothing on this or the Hal Challis series. Not sure if this will be a series; if so, will read the other books.

[Robyn Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detective comes back to Broome, his home town to be near his daughter. He thinks he's downgraded his job going to such an outback town. A man has been found murdered in a waterhole. They search for crocodiles but found none, so it must be a murder. A really good story set in Australia.

[Therbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warner Ripx Out A Good'un.

Well constructed murder mystery with good backgrounding and. characterisations. He writes well.
Dave Warner has the happy knack of writing good, popular fiction.

[Beatté · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent detective/crime fiction set in Broome Western Australia. Started last night and cannot put this book down.

[Billie Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good police procedural.. I got a little lost at the end but will read more of Warner

[Sharron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great sense of place - Broome in Western Australia - enhanced by a fast paced plot that included abduction, murder and an impending cyclone.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

After returning from a holiday in Broome, I wanted to read a novel set in the Kimberley. This crime novel did not disappoint. I loved it.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant !

[Claudia Stückner · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Der pfeffrige Geruch von Eukalyptus umgab ihn, als er in eine Sphäre driftete, die nicht weit vom Schlaf entfernt war. Aber er schlief nicht, denn er spürte den heißen Boden am Rücken und erahnte den blauen Himmel durch die wispernden Blätter des Eukalyptusbaums." (Auszug aus dem Buch)
Dank seiner Exfrau ist Detective Daniel Clement wieder in Broome der verlassenen Gegend Australiens gelandet. Eigentlich wollte er an diesen einsamen Ort nie wieder zurückkehren, doch die Scheidung seiner Frau hat ihn zurückgebracht. Schnell muss Clement sich eingewöhnen, den in einem nahegelegenen Wasserloch findet man die Leiche eines Deutschen. Fassungslos mustert Clement den brutal zugerichteten Leichnam, den bisher kam es in Broome selten zu solchen Verbrechen. Erste Recherchen ergeben, dass der Tote der ehemalige Kriminalbeamte Dieter Schäfer war, der hier in Australien seinen Lebensabend verbringen wollte. Als jedoch kurz danach ein zweiter Mord geschieht, weiß Clement das dies nichts mit einem Zufall zu tun hat. Für Clement werden es die schwierigsten Ermittlungen seiner Laufbahn werden.

Meine Meinung:
Das Cover mit dem einsamen Sandweg passt sehr gut zu der Einöde, die hier im Buch beschrieben wird. Die Leseprobe hatte mich auf dieses Buch aufmerksam gemacht, doch leider konnte dieser Krimi meine Erwartungen nicht erfüllen. Auch wenn das ganze mit einem brutalen Mord beginnt, empfand ich dieses Buch als sehr langatmig. Die vielen Details zu Clements Privatleben war mir definitiv zu viel. Natürlich verstehe ich das der Autor dem Leser seinen neuen Ermittler vorstellen möchte, aber muss man dies so detailliert tun? Interessant war hingegen Australien als Lokalkolorit und die Beschreibungen, dies hat mich ein wenig entschädigt. Trotzdem habe ich mitunter einige Seiten überflogen, da sie mir zu sehr die Spannung nahmen. Ich konnte an diesem Krimi leider viel zu wenig Spannungsmomente entdecken und hätte mir da durchaus mehr gewünscht. Der Plot mit dem ehemaligen deutschen Kriminalbeamten, der Bezug zu seiner Vergangenheit, zu Hamburg und dem Drogenmilieu fand ich wiederum sehr gelungen, allerdings zog sich das ganze ebenfalls viel zu sehr in die Länge und wurde von vielen Kleinigkeiten Clement unterbrochen. Die Charaktere fand ich, wenn man von den vielen Details absieht, eigentlich gelungen. Ich hoffe ja das der Autor im nächsten Fall, das Privatleben Clements etwas abflacht und nicht so ausschweifend berichtet. Den selten habe ich so viele kleine Details von einem Ermittler erfahren wie hier, ob das die Probleme mit Exfrau und Tochter, seine Zahnschmerzen die ihn ständig plagen und so weiter. Trotzdem es dann gegen Ende noch etwas an Spannung aufkam, hätten dem Buch ein paar Seiten weniger gutgetan. Wer also Durchhaltevermögen hat, mehr von Australien wissen möchte, für den ist dieser Krimi das richtige. Von mir gibt es leider nur 3 von 5 Sterne, werde aber einem weiteren Teil gerne noch eine Chance geben.

[Lee at ReadWriteWish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads calls this the second in the Dan Clement series, but it’s actually the introduction of the Clement character. Yes, kind of confusing; Snowy Lane is the lead character in the first book, City of Light, but he doesn’t feature in this one at all. Then, Clement and Lane team up in the third. Maybe a different series name was called for!

Anyway, my point is you can easily read this one as a standalone and, if you want to skip City of Light, Warner’s writing is more mature and polished for this book. (His simile use was toned down to a much more acceptable level, that’s for sure!)

I still think Warner’s later books have worked better for me though. The mystery plot this time was a little too convoluted and needlessly violent. The idea of an Aussie detective just picking up the phone to chat to Germans involved with a drug lord in the 70s also seemed a little far-fetched.

For me, Clement was easier to like than Snowy Lane but maybe Warner could have limited his personal issues. That is, I thought his marital woes would have sufficed. We didn’t really need his parents’ health issues added in. It all became unnecessary and had no bearing on the overall story really.

The time setting has returned to the present (City of Light is set in the 70s and 80s) and that's a bit of a shame, I liked that extra element the historical setting added. Instead, Warner used the remoteness of the location to add a few stumbling blocks for the characters.

Every Warner book I’ve read has earned big points from me for the Western Australian settings, and this one is no exception with Broome and its unique Aussie aspects (crocs and cyclones!) taking centre stage.

I think Warner is a great addition to Aussie Outback Noir but these last couple I’ve read have *just* missed the mark. I know one day I’m going to pick up something from him which absolutely hits it out of the park.

3 ½ out of 5

[Elke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nachdem ich gerade erst einen anderen hervorragenden Thriller gelesen hatte, der in Australien spielt, hat mich dieses Buch sofort angesprochen, das unglaublich schöne Cover hat sein übriges getan.

Leider konnte mich dieser Thriller aber nicht in gleichem Maße begeistern. Der Krimiteil kam irgendwie nicht in die Gänge, es wurden viele Einzelheiten der Polizeiarbeit beschrieben, aber Spannung wollte einfach nicht aufkommen. Noch dazu wurden für die Auflösung des Falles wichtige Details ausser Acht gelassen.

Der leitende Ermittler, Dan Clement, sollte mit seiner gescheiterten Ehe, seinem Bemühen, seiner Tochter weiterhin ein guter Vater zu sein und seinen immer noch starken Gefühlen für seine Exfrau sympathisch wirken, schaffte es aber nicht, Mitgefühl bei mir zu wecken. Überhaupt waren mir die Charaktere weitestgehend egal - sowohl in positiver als auch negativer Hinsicht. Dementsprechend konnte ich bei der Handlung wenig mitfiebern und las zwischendurch aus reiner Neugier auf die Auflösung des Falles, ansonsten aber eher lustlos, weiter. So war mir das Ende schliesslich auch gar nicht mehr so wichtig. Einzig die Beschreibung des Landes und zu guter Letzt der Zyklon, der am Ende darüber hinwegfegt, haben noch ein wenig Eindruck bei mir hinterlassen.

Aber das soll nicht bedeuten, dass es sich hier um einen schlechten Thriller handelt, durchaus nicht. Die Handlung ist ja durchaus komplex und (meistens) durchdacht - es muss einfach jeder für sich selbst herausfinden, ob ihm diese Art von Thriller liegt. Mich persönlich haben die Geschichte und auch der Schreibstil einfach nicht angesprochen.

[Michele (michelethebookdragon) · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Another great book by Dave Warner. I'm enjoying getting to know Dan Clement and the vagaries of policing in one of the most inhospitable environments on earth.

Before it Breaks puts on the ground policing and following up all and every lead, sighting and possibility at the forefront. This is what I like about police procedurals - seeing how that nitty gritty police work leads to results.

The story was a bit slow in the middle, but it was still interesting. The investigation had slowed so the pace of the story had as well.

With a storyline that ostensibly starts in Germany in the late seventies, the perpetrator of two murders and an abduction in the tourist town of Broome, was always going to be difficult to solve.

Trying to find a link between a retired German policeman, a bikie from out of town and an affluent German IT entrepreneur keeps the Broome police, led by Detective Dan Clement on their toes. All while a category four cyclone is hearing down on the region.

This is my second Book by this author and I'm liking what I read.

[yesterday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kleine Längen und Schwächen in der Geschichte kompensiert Dave Warner in diesem Krimi mit dem toll aufgearbeiteten Setting in Australien. Umgebungsbeschreibungen, Wettereinflüsse und die Charakterisierung der Protagonisten wie auch der weniger prominenten Personen bereiten dem Leser hier besonderes Vergnügen. Damit steht das Buch auch im - nicht nur temperaturmäßigen - Kontrast zu den sehr beliebten Krimis und Thrillern aus Skandinavien oder Island.

Dan Clement, Ermittler, der freiwillig aus einer größeren Stadt in die Provinz wechselt, seine Heimatstadt, ist als Person nicht komplett frei von oft genutzten Beschreibungen, aber in Summe dennoch glaubwürdig und ein interessanter Charakter.

Er hat mit seinem kleinen Team an einem eigenartigen Fall zu knabbern: In einem Creek wird eine Leiche gefunden. Bei genaueren Untersuchungen kommen einige Ungereimtheiten ans Licht, die sowohl das deutsche Opfer als auch den Ablauf der Tat betreffen. Auch wenn der Leser teilweise etwas mehr weiß als Clement, bleiben hier viele Dinge im Verborgenen und Miträtseln ist durchwegs möglich.

Wie alles zusammenhängt wird am Ende auf jeden Fall aufgeklärt, es bleiben nicht allzu viele Fragen offen. Auch wenn nicht alles zu 100 Prozent schlüssig ist, kann man sich in Summe dennoch damit anfreunden und sich von “Die Schlingen der Schuld” gut unterhalten lassen.