What do you think?
Rate this book
The Beach House Series
Third Offence
To Jack Nolan, young Danny is like a son. Despite Danny’s rough start in life, Jack saw potential in the boy that few others did and encouraged Danny to pursue dreams he never imagined he could achieve.
But an anonymous letter about his long absent father makes Danny question everything. Can he really rise about his background or is his future set in stone?
Jack is a lawyer at the top of his game and there is nothing he wouldn’t do for Danny, who helped him many years ago, as a mere child. But the more Jack uncovers, the more he sees his chances of winning his first criminal case slipping through his fingers.
With time and mounting evidence stacked against them, Jack and Danny negotiate a web of lies and deception, Danny’s dread that history will repeat itself and Jack’s fear that he is in way over his head. Can they actually uncover the truth and, more importantly, will their friendship survive the ordeal?
But an anonymous letter about his long absent father makes Danny question everything. Can he really rise about his background or is his future set in stone?
Jack is a lawyer at the top of his game and there is nothing he wouldn’t do for Danny, who helped him many years ago, as a mere child. But the more Jack uncovers, the more he sees his chances of winning his first criminal case slipping through his fingers.
With time and mounting evidence stacked against them, Jack and Danny negotiate a web of lies and deception, Danny’s dread that history will repeat itself and Jack’s fear that he is in way over his head. Can they actually uncover the truth and, more importantly, will their friendship survive the ordeal?
366 pages, Paperback
Published September 18, 2017
19 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Helen McKenna
9 books35 followersHelen McKenna grew up in Queensland, Australia. An avid reader from childhood, she always dreamed of writing her own book one day.
Helen completed a B.A. degree at the University of Queensland and has worked in many fields – banking, local government, in learning support, as a swimming instructor and as a biographer. Her love of the beach and Queenslander houses inspired her to write The Beach House, her first novel.
Helen lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Helen completed a B.A. degree at the University of Queensland and has worked in many fields – banking, local government, in learning support, as a swimming instructor and as a biographer. Her love of the beach and Queenslander houses inspired her to write The Beach House, her first novel.
Helen lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 5, 2018
I was so excited to see this sequel to The Beach House, which I loved! Although it has been a few years it did not take me long to remember the character of Jack and I was very easily drawn into his continuing story. The characters remain true to The Beach House and were developed further.
The story itself is cleverly done. Although it is mainly about Danny's father's legal problem, it is about a lot of other things. Social media for one and how it can be both a useful tool but also get people into trouble. Not judging a book by it's cover is another. On the surface Danny's father Rusty is a bit of a loser, but as the story develops you get to know him and understand how he came to be the person he is. I really liked him by the end!
If you loved the Beach House like I did, you will really enjoy this sequel. If you haven't read it, you will still enjoy Third Offence as it can be read as a stand alone. Reading The Beach House first would be helpful though. I can't wait for the author's next book!
The story itself is cleverly done. Although it is mainly about Danny's father's legal problem, it is about a lot of other things. Social media for one and how it can be both a useful tool but also get people into trouble. Not judging a book by it's cover is another. On the surface Danny's father Rusty is a bit of a loser, but as the story develops you get to know him and understand how he came to be the person he is. I really liked him by the end!
If you loved the Beach House like I did, you will really enjoy this sequel. If you haven't read it, you will still enjoy Third Offence as it can be read as a stand alone. Reading The Beach House first would be helpful though. I can't wait for the author's next book!
July 30, 2018
Great beach read
This is my third book by this author and I have enjoyed each of them. The characters and plot lines are believable in all them. Love the scenic descriptions of the locations. Third Offence oozes love and family and I love that. Great writing. Look forward to more soon.
This is my third book by this author and I have enjoyed each of them. The characters and plot lines are believable in all them. Love the scenic descriptions of the locations. Third Offence oozes love and family and I love that. Great writing. Look forward to more soon.
January 2, 2018
Fans of The Beach House will love this sequel - an uplifting story of Jack, a lawyer, compelled to help his friend Danny's father, who finds himself in a rather sticky legal situation. I enjoyed the twisty story line and social media aspects.
November 8, 2017
Really enjoyed this sequel story to The Beach House. Loved the further development of the main characters and thought the mystery element to the story was well done. Some good food for thought regarding family and the important people in your life.
January 23, 2019
Having read Ms McKenna’s previous novels, I knew her as an author who constructs effective plots which examine human emotions and what people do when faced with unusual situations. They were enjoyable and thought-provoking.
In this latest novel we are re-introduced to Jack, a character familiar to those who have read “The Beach House”. Through an interesting series of circumstances, this lawyer finds he must take on the seemingly hopeless case of a petty criminal charged with theft. The reader witnesses the ups and downs of this case while also becoming involved in Jack’s very real family life. He is definitely one of the good guys.
A pleasurable and absorbing read.
In this latest novel we are re-introduced to Jack, a character familiar to those who have read “The Beach House”. Through an interesting series of circumstances, this lawyer finds he must take on the seemingly hopeless case of a petty criminal charged with theft. The reader witnesses the ups and downs of this case while also becoming involved in Jack’s very real family life. He is definitely one of the good guys.
A pleasurable and absorbing read.
October 18, 2017
Having read The Beach House, I was excited to hear that Third Offence was a sequel story for one of the characters, Jack. I was very interested to see what direction the author would take the character in several years on and also in a different setting. Sequels can be a double edged sword, but I was very happy to see that I enjoyed Jack's character just as much in Third Offence as I did in The Beach House, in fact I think I got to like him more as his story continued.
Since their meeting several years before, Jack has never hesitated to help his young friend, Danny, whether it be financial or practical support. But he'd never envisaged helping Danny's father, Russell, a man he holds little respect for, due to his lack of involvement in his son's life. Jack is a lawyer and he is Russell's last hope in escaping jail time for a crime he has apparently been framed for. Despite his reluctance in defending Russell, Jack throws himself into the task. To his surprise, the case is not as cut and dried as he thinks and the further he goes, the more complicated things become.
Although Third Offence is a legal drama with many different threads and a mystery that kept me guessing, it is much more than that. It is largely a story about family and relationships - father/son, friendships that are like family and the blood bonds that exist even when there is distance between family members. It explores the theme of not judging a book by its cover and the way that old grudges can influences people's lives long after the event in question has passed. I thought the social media angle of the story was cleverly done and especially relevant in these times.
Part legal dram and part coming of age, Third Offence is a story about family in all it's forms. The characters remain as well drawn as in The Beach House and I enjoyed very much the further development of Jack and Danny. I suspect there may be further sequels to come and I look forward to reading them.
Since their meeting several years before, Jack has never hesitated to help his young friend, Danny, whether it be financial or practical support. But he'd never envisaged helping Danny's father, Russell, a man he holds little respect for, due to his lack of involvement in his son's life. Jack is a lawyer and he is Russell's last hope in escaping jail time for a crime he has apparently been framed for. Despite his reluctance in defending Russell, Jack throws himself into the task. To his surprise, the case is not as cut and dried as he thinks and the further he goes, the more complicated things become.
Although Third Offence is a legal drama with many different threads and a mystery that kept me guessing, it is much more than that. It is largely a story about family and relationships - father/son, friendships that are like family and the blood bonds that exist even when there is distance between family members. It explores the theme of not judging a book by its cover and the way that old grudges can influences people's lives long after the event in question has passed. I thought the social media angle of the story was cleverly done and especially relevant in these times.
Part legal dram and part coming of age, Third Offence is a story about family in all it's forms. The characters remain as well drawn as in The Beach House and I enjoyed very much the further development of Jack and Danny. I suspect there may be further sequels to come and I look forward to reading them.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews