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Catch Us The Foxes
Some secrets you try to hide. Others you don’t dare let out … Twin Peaks meets The Dry in a deliciously dark and twisted tale that unravels a small town
Ambitious young journalist Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson would do anything to escape the suffocating confines of her small home town. While begrudgingly covering the annual show for the local paper, Lo is horrified to discover the mutilated corpse of Lily Williams, the reigning showgirl and Lo’s best friend. Seven strange symbols have been ruthlessly carved into Lily’s back. But when Lo reports her grisly find to the town’s police chief, he makes her promise not to tell anyone about the symbols. Lo obliges, though it’s not like she has much of a choice – after all, he is also her father.
When Lily’s murder makes headlines around the country and the town is invaded by the media, Lo seizes the opportunity to track down the killer and make a name for herself by breaking the biggest story of her life.
What Lo uncovers is that her sleepy home town has been harbouring a deadly secret, one so shocking that it will captivate the entire nation. Lo’s story will change the course of her life forever, but in a way she could never have dreamed of.
Ambitious young journalist Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson would do anything to escape the suffocating confines of her small home town. While begrudgingly covering the annual show for the local paper, Lo is horrified to discover the mutilated corpse of Lily Williams, the reigning showgirl and Lo’s best friend. Seven strange symbols have been ruthlessly carved into Lily’s back. But when Lo reports her grisly find to the town’s police chief, he makes her promise not to tell anyone about the symbols. Lo obliges, though it’s not like she has much of a choice – after all, he is also her father.
When Lily’s murder makes headlines around the country and the town is invaded by the media, Lo seizes the opportunity to track down the killer and make a name for herself by breaking the biggest story of her life.
What Lo uncovers is that her sleepy home town has been harbouring a deadly secret, one so shocking that it will captivate the entire nation. Lo’s story will change the course of her life forever, but in a way she could never have dreamed of.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 289 reviews
July 7, 2021
A number of reviewers have already commented on this but I want say my bit too. I really believe that if you are going to write a story about a small town gone bad with a corrupt police force and evil happenings going on (and there's nothing wrong with that) then you should make up the name of the town. Ascribing all this to poor Kiama, which is really a very nice place, spoiled the whole book for me. One whole star dropped for that.
The book itself was fine. The mystery was so convoluted it was impossible to know what was really real at any one time. This was aided by having the most unreliable narrator who turned out to be a really unlikeable character too. I spent most of the book second guessing myself as each red herring was revealed, just as one should in a good mystery. There is an unexpected twist at the end.
Overall an okay read but not one I will rush out to recommend to everyone.
My thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
The book itself was fine. The mystery was so convoluted it was impossible to know what was really real at any one time. This was aided by having the most unreliable narrator who turned out to be a really unlikeable character too. I spent most of the book second guessing myself as each red herring was revealed, just as one should in a good mystery. There is an unexpected twist at the end.
Overall an okay read but not one I will rush out to recommend to everyone.
My thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
June 15, 2021
It pains me to say this about an Australian author but there were all sorts of problems with this book.
It’s sort of a book within a book but not as deftly done as other I have read. Basically we are introduced to Marlowe (Lo) Robertson, the chief protagonist at a function seven years after the events described and then we are in the book she wrote about those events until about the epilogue where we jump back into the present. Marlowe was covering the annual Kiama show for the local paper when she happened across the body of her former best friend and current showgirl, Lily Williams. There were some strange markings inscribed on Lily’s back - cult symbols?
When Lo reports this to her father, who is the head police officer in the town (Inspector Robertson) he insists she not mention these in her statement and he pulls Lily’s top down to cover them. Of course, for a young person looking to make their name in journalism, this is like catnip and Lo is determined to work out what happened.
First the good stuff. The story was engagingly written and I kept reading, really keen to find out what the heck was going on. For most of the book it had “cult” written all over it which I personally find quite interesting. And that’s kind of where it ends.
Now the not so good stuff…Kiama is a real town located about 100 km south of Sydney. I agree with others who have pointed out if you are going to paint a small town in a negative light (especially if you are including a virtual lynch mob) it should be a fictional place. Also, Kiama is much smaller than described in the story which makes it even worse to demonise it. Then we have the homophobia, really quite overt, and the way the book dealt with mental illness. Lo herself was a contradiction and, because of that, she never seemed to be fleshed out enough. She laments the loss of her mother and her friend yet thinks she is a psychopath. Yet also, at one point she contemplates suicide - I don’t think that is in the psychopath’s handbook! Then again it is suggested she has PTSD. She is also weirdly asexual, so no, I never quite got a handle on the Marlowe character.
Some of the other characters were more like caricatures - the flamboyant queer, the creepy psychologist, the Stepford mother of the dead girl and the rapacious journalist from one of the bigger papers. I could go on but in the interests of your sanity I won’t except to say that the ending just didn’t work for me. The book vacillated between one theory for the symbols and another and then flipped back and back again. The final wash up made a mockery of the rest of the story and painted Lo as a predatory writer only interested in achieving acclaim. Make of it what you will if you decide to read this but I cannot recommend it. My thanks go to Netgalley for providing a free copy to review. My opinions are my own.
It’s sort of a book within a book but not as deftly done as other I have read. Basically we are introduced to Marlowe (Lo) Robertson, the chief protagonist at a function seven years after the events described and then we are in the book she wrote about those events until about the epilogue where we jump back into the present. Marlowe was covering the annual Kiama show for the local paper when she happened across the body of her former best friend and current showgirl, Lily Williams. There were some strange markings inscribed on Lily’s back - cult symbols?
When Lo reports this to her father, who is the head police officer in the town (Inspector Robertson) he insists she not mention these in her statement and he pulls Lily’s top down to cover them. Of course, for a young person looking to make their name in journalism, this is like catnip and Lo is determined to work out what happened.
First the good stuff. The story was engagingly written and I kept reading, really keen to find out what the heck was going on. For most of the book it had “cult” written all over it which I personally find quite interesting. And that’s kind of where it ends.
Now the not so good stuff…Kiama is a real town located about 100 km south of Sydney. I agree with others who have pointed out if you are going to paint a small town in a negative light (especially if you are including a virtual lynch mob) it should be a fictional place. Also, Kiama is much smaller than described in the story which makes it even worse to demonise it. Then we have the homophobia, really quite overt, and the way the book dealt with mental illness. Lo herself was a contradiction and, because of that, she never seemed to be fleshed out enough. She laments the loss of her mother and her friend yet thinks she is a psychopath. Yet also, at one point she contemplates suicide - I don’t think that is in the psychopath’s handbook! Then again it is suggested she has PTSD. She is also weirdly asexual, so no, I never quite got a handle on the Marlowe character.
Some of the other characters were more like caricatures - the flamboyant queer, the creepy psychologist, the Stepford mother of the dead girl and the rapacious journalist from one of the bigger papers. I could go on but in the interests of your sanity I won’t except to say that the ending just didn’t work for me. The book vacillated between one theory for the symbols and another and then flipped back and back again. The final wash up made a mockery of the rest of the story and painted Lo as a predatory writer only interested in achieving acclaim. Make of it what you will if you decide to read this but I cannot recommend it. My thanks go to Netgalley for providing a free copy to review. My opinions are my own.
April 23, 2021
Catch us the Foxes is the first novel by Aussie author Nicola West is a lively mystery/thriller and is certainly worth a read.
This story centres around the small coastal New South Wales town of Kiama located approximately 90km south of Sydney. The main character here is a young journalist called Marlowe “Lo” Robertson, the daughter of a local police officer. Incidentally, the author is also the daughter of a rural copper. Lo discovers the body of her best friend Lily Williams after a dodgy ride on the ghost train at her town’s annual fairground show. Lily’s body has some ‘cultish’ looking images carved into her back. Lo uses her journalistic skills and natural curiosity to find out who is responsible for this horrible crime, sometimes putting herself in peril. I really liked Lo, and felt like I was with her every step of the way.
The author skillfully introduces the reader to several likely suspects. All are gradually introduced in believable aliquots, particularly as the story moves into its latter stages. Of course, the dodgy markings on Lily’s back introduce the possible concept of a local cult being responsible. There is a real dark, moody atmosphere created here – not unlike the well-known Wicker Man tale. It all sounds a bit horrible.
The pacing of this book is very good, it reads quickly due to the gripping narrative. It’s fair to say there isn’t much in the way of detailed descriptions of this beautiful part of the world, as this story is largely dialogue based. That’s okay – it works. I really like the Australian-ness (is that a word?) of the exchanges between the characters, naturally I found that very familiar. Especially the bits involving the wonderful city of Sydney.
I won’t say if there is a massive shock or surprise when one discovers the final reveal, but I will tell you – there are several credible suspects throughout, it certainly kept this reader totally engaged and guessing. Make sure to read the Epilogue!!
I have one small gripe. Ms West referred to a ‘tap’ as a ‘faucet’ – I’m afraid if the latter was said in this country, most people would be left scratching their heads. This was obviously to indulge our American friends.
A really good read, most enjoyable and highly recommended.
4 Stars
Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a review
This story centres around the small coastal New South Wales town of Kiama located approximately 90km south of Sydney. The main character here is a young journalist called Marlowe “Lo” Robertson, the daughter of a local police officer. Incidentally, the author is also the daughter of a rural copper. Lo discovers the body of her best friend Lily Williams after a dodgy ride on the ghost train at her town’s annual fairground show. Lily’s body has some ‘cultish’ looking images carved into her back. Lo uses her journalistic skills and natural curiosity to find out who is responsible for this horrible crime, sometimes putting herself in peril. I really liked Lo, and felt like I was with her every step of the way.
The author skillfully introduces the reader to several likely suspects. All are gradually introduced in believable aliquots, particularly as the story moves into its latter stages. Of course, the dodgy markings on Lily’s back introduce the possible concept of a local cult being responsible. There is a real dark, moody atmosphere created here – not unlike the well-known Wicker Man tale. It all sounds a bit horrible.
The pacing of this book is very good, it reads quickly due to the gripping narrative. It’s fair to say there isn’t much in the way of detailed descriptions of this beautiful part of the world, as this story is largely dialogue based. That’s okay – it works. I really like the Australian-ness (is that a word?) of the exchanges between the characters, naturally I found that very familiar. Especially the bits involving the wonderful city of Sydney.
I won’t say if there is a massive shock or surprise when one discovers the final reveal, but I will tell you – there are several credible suspects throughout, it certainly kept this reader totally engaged and guessing. Make sure to read the Epilogue!!
I have one small gripe. Ms West referred to a ‘tap’ as a ‘faucet’ – I’m afraid if the latter was said in this country, most people would be left scratching their heads. This was obviously to indulge our American friends.
A really good read, most enjoyable and highly recommended.
4 Stars
Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a review
September 12, 2021
2.5★
“The grass felt damp against my pants, but I didn’t care. I tried to suck that crisp mountain air into my hyperventilating lungs while Michael’s words echoed in my mind: ‘The night terrors are just the start of it. There’s also the lethargy, the anxiety attacks, the paranoia and the fits of aggression.’
Was he right? Was all of this just a symptom of PTSD?”
The narrator is Marlowe Robertson, daughter of the local police officer in Kiama, a small coastal town on the NSW, Australia, South Coast, famous for its tidal blowhole. It makes a good setting for a mystery, located as it is with a backdrop of hills where Marlowe is experiencing the mountain air.
“The fog moved quickly up there on the peak. One second you’d be shrouded; the next it was gone.”
That’s exactly the sort of creepy atmosphere were every snapping twig or rustling leaf is likely to cause a spike of adrenaline (or heart attack!) if you’re on your own. She’s not alone up there, but she and her friend mostly can’t see each other and are trying to be quiet so they aren’t detected, so any sound is scary.
Marlowe found her best friend, Lily Williams, dead in the showground stables at the summer carnival. Before she reported it, she took some photos of the scene because she’s been covering the carnival for a possible news article. Hardhearted? You’d think so. But she’s the daughter of a country copper.
“ I’d seen bodies before, though never in real life. My dad had a nasty habit of leaving open copies of the ‘Police Journal’ lying around the house. On the kitchen counter, the dining room table or next to the toilet. As a child, I was never quite sure when or where I’d inadvertently catch my next glimpse of a corpse. I grew desensitised to the bodies and eventually became fascinated by the articles behind the pictures. It was one of the main reasons I aspired to be a crime reporter. One person’s early childhood trauma is another’s career catalyst.”
The opening quotation is by psychiatrist Michael Williams who happens to be Lily’s father as well as a close friend of Marlowe’s father.
The mystery starts off well and I was enjoying the twists and turns, But somewhere along the line, the twisting turned off course and made some inexcusable (to me) plotting errors that led to a completely implausible (again, to me) Epilogue.
I was looking forward to this. I’d heard the author interviewed, and she said her father is still a Kiama police officer. While this is not autobiographical, her family did receive death threats during the course of his duty in a bigger town, so she knows the dangers to those who investigate crime.
I’m actually not surprised her father gave his stamp of approval to using “his town” as the backdrop for the story, because I don’t think anyone is going to traipse around the hills near Kiama believing they will find evidence of strange doings. (Unless people are dumber than I think, which is possible, I guess. 😊)
West’s writing style is good - the characters, the timelines, the atmosphere - but the situations and circumstances keep changing so much that the whole thing ends up unbelievable and dissatisfying. Some good editor should rein her in a bit so she will write a believable thriller!
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for the review copy from which I’ve quoted.
“The grass felt damp against my pants, but I didn’t care. I tried to suck that crisp mountain air into my hyperventilating lungs while Michael’s words echoed in my mind: ‘The night terrors are just the start of it. There’s also the lethargy, the anxiety attacks, the paranoia and the fits of aggression.’
Was he right? Was all of this just a symptom of PTSD?”
The narrator is Marlowe Robertson, daughter of the local police officer in Kiama, a small coastal town on the NSW, Australia, South Coast, famous for its tidal blowhole. It makes a good setting for a mystery, located as it is with a backdrop of hills where Marlowe is experiencing the mountain air.
“The fog moved quickly up there on the peak. One second you’d be shrouded; the next it was gone.”
That’s exactly the sort of creepy atmosphere were every snapping twig or rustling leaf is likely to cause a spike of adrenaline (or heart attack!) if you’re on your own. She’s not alone up there, but she and her friend mostly can’t see each other and are trying to be quiet so they aren’t detected, so any sound is scary.
Marlowe found her best friend, Lily Williams, dead in the showground stables at the summer carnival. Before she reported it, she took some photos of the scene because she’s been covering the carnival for a possible news article. Hardhearted? You’d think so. But she’s the daughter of a country copper.
“ I’d seen bodies before, though never in real life. My dad had a nasty habit of leaving open copies of the ‘Police Journal’ lying around the house. On the kitchen counter, the dining room table or next to the toilet. As a child, I was never quite sure when or where I’d inadvertently catch my next glimpse of a corpse. I grew desensitised to the bodies and eventually became fascinated by the articles behind the pictures. It was one of the main reasons I aspired to be a crime reporter. One person’s early childhood trauma is another’s career catalyst.”
The opening quotation is by psychiatrist Michael Williams who happens to be Lily’s father as well as a close friend of Marlowe’s father.
The mystery starts off well and I was enjoying the twists and turns, But somewhere along the line, the twisting turned off course and made some inexcusable (to me) plotting errors that led to a completely implausible (again, to me) Epilogue.
I was looking forward to this. I’d heard the author interviewed, and she said her father is still a Kiama police officer. While this is not autobiographical, her family did receive death threats during the course of his duty in a bigger town, so she knows the dangers to those who investigate crime.
I’m actually not surprised her father gave his stamp of approval to using “his town” as the backdrop for the story, because I don’t think anyone is going to traipse around the hills near Kiama believing they will find evidence of strange doings. (Unless people are dumber than I think, which is possible, I guess. 😊)
West’s writing style is good - the characters, the timelines, the atmosphere - but the situations and circumstances keep changing so much that the whole thing ends up unbelievable and dissatisfying. Some good editor should rein her in a bit so she will write a believable thriller!
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for the review copy from which I’ve quoted.
April 29, 2021
An engaging psychological murder mystery/thriller with twists and turns that kept me wondering what was true all the way through. The story is set in Kiama, a coastal town south of Sydney and small town intrigue and issues around growing up in small towns are themes. It begins really well, and I was drawn into the story of Marlowe(Lo) Robertson a young woman working as an intern at the local newspaper. Her friend Lily is the Showgirl at the Kiama show, and Lo finds her body in the stables. Her father is the local policeman and asks her to cover up that there are symbols carved into Lily’s back. What follows is Lo’s search for the answers. There’s Lily’s diaries with mysterious symbols and references to a cult, that dresses in fox hunting outfits and hunts children with fox masks through the rainforest. But is this just her mental illness or delusion speaking? Lo is the narrator and often her doubts and suspicions make the story unsettling, is she suffering PTSD herself?
The setting and ideas are great, there were a lot of creepy moments making this a satisfying read.
The setting and ideas are great, there were a lot of creepy moments making this a satisfying read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2021
Thank you for Simon and Schuster for providing me an advance copy to review!!
*spoilers*
Wow a book that demonises mental illness in 2021 and then tries to have a message about how it's spreading awareness...it's the out-of-touch-ness for me sis
This was fun enough in the beginning - set in Kiama, Catch Us The Foxes explores the possibility of a cult that has ensnared all the powerful people in town. It describes how outsiders are routinely made to feel excluded and unwelcome, both in the form of the coverup of a sexual assault against a gay man, and the accusations directed at the carnival workers when a girl shows up dead at the Show. I am a sucker for a cult vibe, but this was really...not it. Here is a numbered list for ease of access:
1) Miscommunication. This whole plot hinges on everyone in town (including the mc's police father) shadily covering up a murder and expecting the main girl not to investigate? The mc shows visible signs of mental illness, and when she comes across her friend dead, her police chief father begs her to keep the mysterious symbol carved on her friend's back secret and never mentions it again. Of course she's going to look into that?? And then when she believes the stories woven by Lily and Jarrah, she's accused of being stupid by believing them? When there literally was a cover-up happening?
2) Jarrah. Jarrah was sexually assaulted by the mayor's son, and it was covered up by the whole town which eventually pushed him to leave and pursue a successful art career, until he comes back to help expose the truth about Lily's death. Jarrah was a stereotype of a gay man, and not only that, but his name heavily suggests he is of Indigenous background (though I don't believe this is confirmed in this book). And so what do we do with a character like him? We make him the villain (even though he is right) and yell at him for not wanting to go to a funeral full of people who literally want him dead?? Jarrah was done so dirty by this and considering he was one of 2 known gay characters, and the (potentially) the only one that is a minority...this is gross. Also his outfit at one point is described as "Columbine chic"....nope!
3) Men. Literally every straight man in this book is absolute trash. I mean accurate, but so so unnecessary
4) Asexuality. It is heavily hinted at that the mc is asexual, and then on the same page she is talking about how much she wants to consume people and basically become them!! And later she is compared to a psychopath and a leech! And she constantly wishes people dead! I really don't know if this is intentional, but linking your asexual mc to psychopathic tendencies is...not a good look?
5) Lily. Get ready kids there's a big storm coming with this one. Lily is the town beauty queen and she's on the brink of leaving when she mysteriously winds up dead. This is like a fine premise. But then the big reveal is that she was schizophrenic the whole time? And was making everything up? And then, the mc in her inner monologue refers to Lily and her mental illness as a "monster". WOOWOWOWOOWOW I cannot think of a more disgusting use of mental illness as a plot device. Both the mc and Lily (and Jarrah) clearly suffer from mental health issues, and yet this is mobilised to try to add twists to the story and create an unreliable narrator. Absolutely not!! And then at the end, when the book returns to 'real life' we're going to have the mc and the psychiatrist that literally drugged his wife into submission being praised for their work raising awareness of mental illness?? nope nah uh sis this is really not it. Mental illness is a serious issue and shouldn't be mobilised for shock value, and then discussed in the epilogue as if this book is meant to teach us something.
6) Suicide. Along a similar vein, there's a point where for like 2 pages the mc decides she wants to kill herself. And then actually decides she just wants revenge instead. Nope!! I cannot believe this was ever thought to be a good/necessary addition to the story.
7) Lily's mum. Lily's mum spends most of the book in a drugged up stupor until she has brief moments of clarity and then decides to walk into traffic. And then confesses to killing her daughter. And then kills herself for real. This is HORRENDOUS. Again, her mental illness and grief over thinking she killed her daughter (which I don't even think is true) is played for shock value when she finally dies. Also everyone in the town is just okay with Michael constantly drugging his wife?
8) Predictable. As someone who hardly reads thrillers I should not have been able to guess exactly what would happen and the existence of the fake twists was honestly infuriating and again hinged on mental health issues.
There's probably more but honestly!! I'm riled. I don't understand how books that demonise characters with mental illness are still being published, especially when this vilification is also connected with asexuality/homosexuality/ethnic minority. I don't know the author's own history with mental illness, and I don't think that's something they should be forced to disclose when writing a book with such a theme, but I do not see how the way mental illness is represented in this book can be viewed as anything but hurtful and disrespectful. ESPECIALLY when the same book ends with a chapter about how important educating yourself on mental illness is, and getting treatment for it. This book was not raising awareness or educating, it was mobilising mental illness as a plot device to create an unexpected twist. Its mentally ill characters are vilified or discounted because of their illness, and compared to literal monsters. It's lazy and hurtful, and I don't think anyone would miss it if it disappeared from the publishing industry.
CW: suicide, murder, sexual assault, homophobia, gaslighting, horrible mental illness representation
*spoilers*
Wow a book that demonises mental illness in 2021 and then tries to have a message about how it's spreading awareness...it's the out-of-touch-ness for me sis
This was fun enough in the beginning - set in Kiama, Catch Us The Foxes explores the possibility of a cult that has ensnared all the powerful people in town. It describes how outsiders are routinely made to feel excluded and unwelcome, both in the form of the coverup of a sexual assault against a gay man, and the accusations directed at the carnival workers when a girl shows up dead at the Show. I am a sucker for a cult vibe, but this was really...not it. Here is a numbered list for ease of access:
1) Miscommunication. This whole plot hinges on everyone in town (including the mc's police father) shadily covering up a murder and expecting the main girl not to investigate? The mc shows visible signs of mental illness, and when she comes across her friend dead, her police chief father begs her to keep the mysterious symbol carved on her friend's back secret and never mentions it again. Of course she's going to look into that?? And then when she believes the stories woven by Lily and Jarrah, she's accused of being stupid by believing them? When there literally was a cover-up happening?
2) Jarrah. Jarrah was sexually assaulted by the mayor's son, and it was covered up by the whole town which eventually pushed him to leave and pursue a successful art career, until he comes back to help expose the truth about Lily's death. Jarrah was a stereotype of a gay man, and not only that, but his name heavily suggests he is of Indigenous background (though I don't believe this is confirmed in this book). And so what do we do with a character like him? We make him the villain (even though he is right) and yell at him for not wanting to go to a funeral full of people who literally want him dead?? Jarrah was done so dirty by this and considering he was one of 2 known gay characters, and the (potentially) the only one that is a minority...this is gross. Also his outfit at one point is described as "Columbine chic"....nope!
3) Men. Literally every straight man in this book is absolute trash. I mean accurate, but so so unnecessary
4) Asexuality. It is heavily hinted at that the mc is asexual, and then on the same page she is talking about how much she wants to consume people and basically become them!! And later she is compared to a psychopath and a leech! And she constantly wishes people dead! I really don't know if this is intentional, but linking your asexual mc to psychopathic tendencies is...not a good look?
5) Lily. Get ready kids there's a big storm coming with this one. Lily is the town beauty queen and she's on the brink of leaving when she mysteriously winds up dead. This is like a fine premise. But then the big reveal is that she was schizophrenic the whole time? And was making everything up? And then, the mc in her inner monologue refers to Lily and her mental illness as a "monster". WOOWOWOWOOWOW I cannot think of a more disgusting use of mental illness as a plot device. Both the mc and Lily (and Jarrah) clearly suffer from mental health issues, and yet this is mobilised to try to add twists to the story and create an unreliable narrator. Absolutely not!! And then at the end, when the book returns to 'real life' we're going to have the mc and the psychiatrist that literally drugged his wife into submission being praised for their work raising awareness of mental illness?? nope nah uh sis this is really not it. Mental illness is a serious issue and shouldn't be mobilised for shock value, and then discussed in the epilogue as if this book is meant to teach us something.
6) Suicide. Along a similar vein, there's a point where for like 2 pages the mc decides she wants to kill herself. And then actually decides she just wants revenge instead. Nope!! I cannot believe this was ever thought to be a good/necessary addition to the story.
7) Lily's mum. Lily's mum spends most of the book in a drugged up stupor until she has brief moments of clarity and then decides to walk into traffic. And then confesses to killing her daughter. And then kills herself for real. This is HORRENDOUS. Again, her mental illness and grief over thinking she killed her daughter (which I don't even think is true) is played for shock value when she finally dies. Also everyone in the town is just okay with Michael constantly drugging his wife?
8) Predictable. As someone who hardly reads thrillers I should not have been able to guess exactly what would happen and the existence of the fake twists was honestly infuriating and again hinged on mental health issues.
There's probably more but honestly!! I'm riled. I don't understand how books that demonise characters with mental illness are still being published, especially when this vilification is also connected with asexuality/homosexuality/ethnic minority. I don't know the author's own history with mental illness, and I don't think that's something they should be forced to disclose when writing a book with such a theme, but I do not see how the way mental illness is represented in this book can be viewed as anything but hurtful and disrespectful. ESPECIALLY when the same book ends with a chapter about how important educating yourself on mental illness is, and getting treatment for it. This book was not raising awareness or educating, it was mobilising mental illness as a plot device to create an unexpected twist. Its mentally ill characters are vilified or discounted because of their illness, and compared to literal monsters. It's lazy and hurtful, and I don't think anyone would miss it if it disappeared from the publishing industry.
CW: suicide, murder, sexual assault, homophobia, gaslighting, horrible mental illness representation
June 10, 2021
‘The truth is out there … somewhere …’
Kiama, NSW provides the physical setting for this atmospheric and twisted tale full of secrets. For Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson is an ambitious young journalist, keen to escape what she sees as the suffocating confines of Kiama. Reluctantly covering the annual show for the local newspaper, Lo is horrified when she finds the body of her best friend, and the reigning showgirl, Lily Williams. Lily has been murdered, and Los sees seven strange symbols carved onto her back. Why, then, does Lo’s father, the local police chief, tell Lo not to mention those symbols when she is interviewed as part of the murder investigation? Lo wants answers.
Lily’s murder makes national headlines, and the media descend on the town. While upset about the death of her friend, Lo sees an opportunity to make a name for herself for trying to track down the killer.
What follows is a tale full of twists and turns, of possibilities and red herrings. A secret cult is said to be involved. The more Lo investigates the more convoluted the story becomes. Is there a secret cult? Are the symbols a manifestation of mental illness? Just who is involved? Who can be trusted? There are many different questions and more than a few possible answers. Ms West peoples the novel with some interesting characters, many of whom have secrets of their own and this serves to maintain the tension (mostly) from beginning to end.
I was drawn into (and occasionally thrown out of) this novel until near the end. The conclusion may work for others, but it left me cold.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Kiama, NSW provides the physical setting for this atmospheric and twisted tale full of secrets. For Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson is an ambitious young journalist, keen to escape what she sees as the suffocating confines of Kiama. Reluctantly covering the annual show for the local newspaper, Lo is horrified when she finds the body of her best friend, and the reigning showgirl, Lily Williams. Lily has been murdered, and Los sees seven strange symbols carved onto her back. Why, then, does Lo’s father, the local police chief, tell Lo not to mention those symbols when she is interviewed as part of the murder investigation? Lo wants answers.
Lily’s murder makes national headlines, and the media descend on the town. While upset about the death of her friend, Lo sees an opportunity to make a name for herself for trying to track down the killer.
What follows is a tale full of twists and turns, of possibilities and red herrings. A secret cult is said to be involved. The more Lo investigates the more convoluted the story becomes. Is there a secret cult? Are the symbols a manifestation of mental illness? Just who is involved? Who can be trusted? There are many different questions and more than a few possible answers. Ms West peoples the novel with some interesting characters, many of whom have secrets of their own and this serves to maintain the tension (mostly) from beginning to end.
I was drawn into (and occasionally thrown out of) this novel until near the end. The conclusion may work for others, but it left me cold.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
May 3, 2021
If you’re going to write a book that presents a small coastal town as closed minded, prejudiced, murderous and potentially home to a cult, it might be an idea not to set it in an actual location. Catch Us The Foxes is set in the distant, far off and mysterious land of … Kiama. This reader could catch a train closest to his workplace in the CBD of Australia’s largest city and arrive in Kiama within two hours. Maybe there’s crime there, but it’s probably not on this scale. Nicola West makes her debut with … potentially actionable slander?
Marlowe “Lo” Robertson is a young journalist cadet desperate to escape Kiama. When her childhood friend and professional, Lily Williams, is murdered at the Show, Marlowe sees it as a chance to make her name — and a chance to realise that Kiama is much more sinister than she ever suspected.
Again, it is impossible to overstate precisely how real a place Kiama is. There’s a reason that Jane Harper sets her novels in fictional townships and that Chris Hammer went completely off the rails when he introduced Martin Scarsden to the streets of Sydney. Even if the body of Catch Us The Foxes is set in 2008, it’s gutsy to condemn a real place as a “xenophobic” (used in place of “homophobic” every time it’s uttered — perhaps because the term can literally translate to “fear of the other/outsider”, but that’s not the modern usage) hotbed of prejudice and cult activity.
So Catch Us The Foxes never feels like it’s set in a real place, like it might have done if it had been set in a fake one. For one thing, West populates Kiama with 20,000 souls, all of whom seem to know each other; Wikipedia pegs Kiama as having 7,700 residents as of 2016, most of whom are presumably as innocent as each other. This is an ARC, but it was provided remarkably close to press time and it’s doubtful that West wrote Kiama as a placeholder that could be glossed over with a find and replace on the manuscript.
Put aside this major quibble and you’re left to deal with the style of the book itself: there’s a framing device here that means that the body of the text is a true crime book, “The Showgirl’s Secret”, but it’s written like a standard thriller rather than anything approaching objectivity or reportage. Lo is part of the story, but the hooky nature of her telling doesn’t work in something that is supposed to be written by a character who has won a Walkley.
There are other exceedingly strange stylistic choices made: every time someone says something homophobic, the slurs are censored half-heartedly: you get “f*ggot” a couple of times and, one of the most bizarre typographies ever committed to the modern page, “q*eer” — which is only contextually a slur, anyway. The homophobia of the characters is never justified, but West also makes her gay character a horrible goblin who is needlessly antagonistic and “mischievous”. To add further poison to this deadly linguistic cocktail, especially given the mental health awareness elements of the book, there’s this paragraph:
It’s possible that this would not survive any pass with an actual style guide, and it certainly seems irresponsible in the context of the stated purpose of “The Showgirl’s Secret”, which is to honour and demystify a dead girl’s legacy. It definitely means that Catch Us The Foxes has the veneer of social consciousness while often playing to several of society’s worst prejudices without making any effort to dispel them.
These are huge problems, and they cast a pall on what would otherwise serve as a mostly okay example of Australian crime. Lo is an effective outsider, and her hostile town would do the job if it was both smaller and less real. The conspiracy that she uncovers is interesting, if vague, and maybe doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. If her offsider wasn’t written as a gold plated bastard, completely ruining the tension of a walk in the mountains, more sins could be forgiven. Catch Us The Foxes exists in the zone of wanting to know what comes next, and being constantly put off by finding out what actually follows. The final run recontextualises most of what came before, yet it feels almost like an afterthought rather than a proper revelation.
Catch Us The Foxes comes to us from an alternate Australia, one lacking in verisimilitude on both a geographical and textual level. It’s a nestled narrative that doesn’t quite work in the format presented, although many people will be able to get over that: most importantly, though it’s got the narrative propulsion, it’s more of a curio than a book.
An ARC of Catch Us The Foxes was provided by Simon & Schuster Australia in exchange for review.
Marlowe “Lo” Robertson is a young journalist cadet desperate to escape Kiama. When her childhood friend and professional, Lily Williams, is murdered at the Show, Marlowe sees it as a chance to make her name — and a chance to realise that Kiama is much more sinister than she ever suspected.
Again, it is impossible to overstate precisely how real a place Kiama is. There’s a reason that Jane Harper sets her novels in fictional townships and that Chris Hammer went completely off the rails when he introduced Martin Scarsden to the streets of Sydney. Even if the body of Catch Us The Foxes is set in 2008, it’s gutsy to condemn a real place as a “xenophobic” (used in place of “homophobic” every time it’s uttered — perhaps because the term can literally translate to “fear of the other/outsider”, but that’s not the modern usage) hotbed of prejudice and cult activity.
So Catch Us The Foxes never feels like it’s set in a real place, like it might have done if it had been set in a fake one. For one thing, West populates Kiama with 20,000 souls, all of whom seem to know each other; Wikipedia pegs Kiama as having 7,700 residents as of 2016, most of whom are presumably as innocent as each other. This is an ARC, but it was provided remarkably close to press time and it’s doubtful that West wrote Kiama as a placeholder that could be glossed over with a find and replace on the manuscript.
Put aside this major quibble and you’re left to deal with the style of the book itself: there’s a framing device here that means that the body of the text is a true crime book, “The Showgirl’s Secret”, but it’s written like a standard thriller rather than anything approaching objectivity or reportage. Lo is part of the story, but the hooky nature of her telling doesn’t work in something that is supposed to be written by a character who has won a Walkley.
There are other exceedingly strange stylistic choices made: every time someone says something homophobic, the slurs are censored half-heartedly: you get “f*ggot” a couple of times and, one of the most bizarre typographies ever committed to the modern page, “q*eer” — which is only contextually a slur, anyway. The homophobia of the characters is never justified, but West also makes her gay character a horrible goblin who is needlessly antagonistic and “mischievous”. To add further poison to this deadly linguistic cocktail, especially given the mental health awareness elements of the book, there’s this paragraph:
But there was a common denominator — the real monster.
[…]
It was her. All of this was her. Or, at least, her mental illness.
It’s possible that this would not survive any pass with an actual style guide, and it certainly seems irresponsible in the context of the stated purpose of “The Showgirl’s Secret”, which is to honour and demystify a dead girl’s legacy. It definitely means that Catch Us The Foxes has the veneer of social consciousness while often playing to several of society’s worst prejudices without making any effort to dispel them.
These are huge problems, and they cast a pall on what would otherwise serve as a mostly okay example of Australian crime. Lo is an effective outsider, and her hostile town would do the job if it was both smaller and less real. The conspiracy that she uncovers is interesting, if vague, and maybe doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. If her offsider wasn’t written as a gold plated bastard, completely ruining the tension of a walk in the mountains, more sins could be forgiven. Catch Us The Foxes exists in the zone of wanting to know what comes next, and being constantly put off by finding out what actually follows. The final run recontextualises most of what came before, yet it feels almost like an afterthought rather than a proper revelation.
Catch Us The Foxes comes to us from an alternate Australia, one lacking in verisimilitude on both a geographical and textual level. It’s a nestled narrative that doesn’t quite work in the format presented, although many people will be able to get over that: most importantly, though it’s got the narrative propulsion, it’s more of a curio than a book.
An ARC of Catch Us The Foxes was provided by Simon & Schuster Australia in exchange for review.
June 19, 2021
What a fantastic debut novel from Nicola West. Catch the Foxes is a clever and dark thriller that will keep you guessing right until the very last page. I will never look at Kiama the same way again.
Marlowe is a young, local journalist with big ambitions to get out of Kiama. When she discovers her best friends body, murdered, at the town local carnival she wants answers. The police investigation is focusing on the wrong clues in her mind so along with her friends, she starts her own investigation, determined to find the killer. This will take Lo to places that she never knew existed, and bring her face to face with some dangerous people.
Lo is not the most reliable of narrators and is at times extremely frustrating. But she knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get to the truth. Kiama is a small town on the NSW South Coast, home of the Kiama Blowhole, lighthouse and a great ice cream shop! It is a lovely place to visit. We see a different side to to it in this book. Nicola's characters are so well written and I loved the variety of personalities in town.
With plenty of twists and turns, Catch Us The Foxes deserves to be a huge hit. I look forward to seeing what the author has instore for us next.
Thank you to my lovely friend Debbie for lending me her copy of this book to read.
Released in Australia July 7th
Marlowe is a young, local journalist with big ambitions to get out of Kiama. When she discovers her best friends body, murdered, at the town local carnival she wants answers. The police investigation is focusing on the wrong clues in her mind so along with her friends, she starts her own investigation, determined to find the killer. This will take Lo to places that she never knew existed, and bring her face to face with some dangerous people.
Lo is not the most reliable of narrators and is at times extremely frustrating. But she knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get to the truth. Kiama is a small town on the NSW South Coast, home of the Kiama Blowhole, lighthouse and a great ice cream shop! It is a lovely place to visit. We see a different side to to it in this book. Nicola's characters are so well written and I loved the variety of personalities in town.
With plenty of twists and turns, Catch Us The Foxes deserves to be a huge hit. I look forward to seeing what the author has instore for us next.
Thank you to my lovely friend Debbie for lending me her copy of this book to read.
Released in Australia July 7th
May 18, 2021
This is a really hard book to rate and review. There were some aspects of this book that I really liked and there were some that I really did not. At its heart this book is a mystery novel with Lo the main character trying to solve the murder of her best friend Lilly.
West does an amazing job of highlighting what it can be like living in a small Australian town, you get a really feel for how dangerous it can be to be different. I am not sure if I was West if I would ever go back to Kiama.
The story and the mystery within the novel are quite good. I really wanted to know what happened and why it happened. What I did not appreciate was the ending of the novel, it really dulled the rest of the novel for me, I am however sure there are many people out there that will love that ending.
There are some really important issues in this book such as mental health, suicide and homophobia and I didn't always appreciate how they were dealt with. Ultimately this book was not for me. I am keen to see what West does for her next novel.
Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
West does an amazing job of highlighting what it can be like living in a small Australian town, you get a really feel for how dangerous it can be to be different. I am not sure if I was West if I would ever go back to Kiama.
The story and the mystery within the novel are quite good. I really wanted to know what happened and why it happened. What I did not appreciate was the ending of the novel, it really dulled the rest of the novel for me, I am however sure there are many people out there that will love that ending.
There are some really important issues in this book such as mental health, suicide and homophobia and I didn't always appreciate how they were dealt with. Ultimately this book was not for me. I am keen to see what West does for her next novel.
Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
July 28, 2021
There are plenty of unexpected twists and untrustworthy characters in journalist Nicola West's crime-thriller fiction debut, Catch Us The Foxes. It brought to my mind the cult 1990's television series Twin Peaks, which also depicted a shocking crime in a small town setting, and featured a similarly beguiling ending.
The book is presented as meta-fiction, in that the main part of the narrative, bookended by a prologue and epilogue set seven years after the main action, purports to be another book, entitled "The Showgirl's Secret", written by the main protagonist. In that context, journalist-turned-celebrated-true-crime-writer Marlowe "Lo" Robertson relates events that take place over the course of a single week in and around the NSW coastal town of Kiama, located 120km south of Sydney.
Lo, a recent university graduate in journalism, works as an intern for the local paper, and has been sent to take a series of photographs at Kiama's agricultural show, with a view to publishing a photo gallery. This would normally be the job of Lily Williams, Lo's erstwhile best friend and a paid cadet at the paper, but she's otherwise occupied as this year's Kiama Showgirl. [For the benefit of non-Australian readers, we're not talking about "showgirls" of the Las Vegas variety, but a sort of local charity pageant that's associated with rural shows in Australia and New Zealand.]
Lo's become used to existing in Lily's shadow - for years it's been the stunningly beautiful and well-connected Lily who's been the recipient of jobs, scholarships and opportunities ahead of Lo, despite the latter's efforts to succeed.
Things take a sinister turn when Lo takes a shortcut through the showground stables on the way to meet her father, Kiama's senior police officer. She's shocked to discover Lily's lifeless body, bearing a fatal head wound and a series of unusual symbols carved into the flesh on her back. Lo raises the alarm and the criminal investigation begins, but her father makes an odd request - don't mention the skin carvings to anybody.
Despite her shock at Lily's violent death, Lo's journalistic instincts take hold and she begins her own covert investigation into the curious events leading up to Lily's murder. The plot thickens when she's given Lily's private journals by Kiama outcast-turned successful avante garde artist Jarrah. The tale they tell is startling - a strange death cult involving the town's great and good - including Lily's own adoptive parents - and protected by local law enforcement - Lo's father. Lo's reluctant to accept Lily's story of child abuse and murder, but when she senses that a cover-up is being orchestrated to account for Lily's untimely death, she begins to believe that she's found a career-breaking story.
There's plenty of misdirection and red herrings, and a cast of volatile characters surrounding Lo, whose own credibility is also brought into question as she's clearly suffering from shock. Catch Us The Foxes explores a range of themes, including small-town attitudes, the impact of xenophobia, police corruption, journalistic integrity and parent-child relationships. I found it an intriguing read, but was unconvinced by Marlow's portrayal as a qualified journalist in her early 20's - considering that she regards Kiama as a "bucolic little hellhole" (loc. 60) and resents being constantly in Lily's shadow, what on earth is she doing still living there?
While the novel concludes with an undeniably shocking twist, I didn't really find it satisfying in the context of the whole. In fact, I wonder whether the book might have been more successful in the literary sense had both the prologue and epilogue been removed and the central plot tightened up somewhat. That said, I see a lot of promise in Nicola West's writing - her character development and dialogue was excellent, and the small town setting skilfully drawn. I've noted the comments of other reviewers about her use of a real town for the setting of her novel, in which that town's (fictional) occupants are depicted as engaging in various nefarious activities. West in fact grew up in Kiama herself and her online biography states that she once "vowed to be as far removed from both her hometown and her father’s profession (a police officer) as possible". Certainly, there are plenty of titles within the crime-thriller genre that are set in real places, and I assume that West probably considered using an imaginary name for the town in which her book is set, notwithstanding that various landmarks would be identifiable to local readers. It would be interesting to know her rationale for retaining Kiama as the setting, but as I'm not familiar with the town myself, I can't say the issue really impacted upon my experience of reading the novel.
In conclusion, I found Catch Us The Foxes to be an intriguing read that ultimately fell a little short in execution. I'd recommend it to readers who enjoy high-drama in their thrillers, dark and twisty themes and well-described regional Australian settings. I look forward to reading future releases by Nicola West.
My thanks to the author, Nicola West, publisher Simon & Schuster Australia and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
The book is presented as meta-fiction, in that the main part of the narrative, bookended by a prologue and epilogue set seven years after the main action, purports to be another book, entitled "The Showgirl's Secret", written by the main protagonist. In that context, journalist-turned-celebrated-true-crime-writer Marlowe "Lo" Robertson relates events that take place over the course of a single week in and around the NSW coastal town of Kiama, located 120km south of Sydney.
Lo, a recent university graduate in journalism, works as an intern for the local paper, and has been sent to take a series of photographs at Kiama's agricultural show, with a view to publishing a photo gallery. This would normally be the job of Lily Williams, Lo's erstwhile best friend and a paid cadet at the paper, but she's otherwise occupied as this year's Kiama Showgirl. [For the benefit of non-Australian readers, we're not talking about "showgirls" of the Las Vegas variety, but a sort of local charity pageant that's associated with rural shows in Australia and New Zealand.]
Lo's become used to existing in Lily's shadow - for years it's been the stunningly beautiful and well-connected Lily who's been the recipient of jobs, scholarships and opportunities ahead of Lo, despite the latter's efforts to succeed.
Things take a sinister turn when Lo takes a shortcut through the showground stables on the way to meet her father, Kiama's senior police officer. She's shocked to discover Lily's lifeless body, bearing a fatal head wound and a series of unusual symbols carved into the flesh on her back. Lo raises the alarm and the criminal investigation begins, but her father makes an odd request - don't mention the skin carvings to anybody.
Despite her shock at Lily's violent death, Lo's journalistic instincts take hold and she begins her own covert investigation into the curious events leading up to Lily's murder. The plot thickens when she's given Lily's private journals by Kiama outcast-turned successful avante garde artist Jarrah. The tale they tell is startling - a strange death cult involving the town's great and good - including Lily's own adoptive parents - and protected by local law enforcement - Lo's father. Lo's reluctant to accept Lily's story of child abuse and murder, but when she senses that a cover-up is being orchestrated to account for Lily's untimely death, she begins to believe that she's found a career-breaking story.
There's plenty of misdirection and red herrings, and a cast of volatile characters surrounding Lo, whose own credibility is also brought into question as she's clearly suffering from shock. Catch Us The Foxes explores a range of themes, including small-town attitudes, the impact of xenophobia, police corruption, journalistic integrity and parent-child relationships. I found it an intriguing read, but was unconvinced by Marlow's portrayal as a qualified journalist in her early 20's - considering that she regards Kiama as a "bucolic little hellhole" (loc. 60) and resents being constantly in Lily's shadow, what on earth is she doing still living there?
While the novel concludes with an undeniably shocking twist, I didn't really find it satisfying in the context of the whole. In fact, I wonder whether the book might have been more successful in the literary sense had both the prologue and epilogue been removed and the central plot tightened up somewhat. That said, I see a lot of promise in Nicola West's writing - her character development and dialogue was excellent, and the small town setting skilfully drawn. I've noted the comments of other reviewers about her use of a real town for the setting of her novel, in which that town's (fictional) occupants are depicted as engaging in various nefarious activities. West in fact grew up in Kiama herself and her online biography states that she once "vowed to be as far removed from both her hometown and her father’s profession (a police officer) as possible". Certainly, there are plenty of titles within the crime-thriller genre that are set in real places, and I assume that West probably considered using an imaginary name for the town in which her book is set, notwithstanding that various landmarks would be identifiable to local readers. It would be interesting to know her rationale for retaining Kiama as the setting, but as I'm not familiar with the town myself, I can't say the issue really impacted upon my experience of reading the novel.
In conclusion, I found Catch Us The Foxes to be an intriguing read that ultimately fell a little short in execution. I'd recommend it to readers who enjoy high-drama in their thrillers, dark and twisty themes and well-described regional Australian settings. I look forward to reading future releases by Nicola West.
My thanks to the author, Nicola West, publisher Simon & Schuster Australia and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
August 2, 2021
1/10 stars
My full review can be found on my blog.
Firstly, an announcement. Catch Us The Foxes is officially the worst book I’ve read this year – I know, I know, the year hasn’t ended yet, but I sincerely hope I won’t read anything worse than this – and it really had some solid contenders for this dubious award. But none of the other horrible books of 2021 seems written specifically with money in mind and nothing else. Well, there’s always a first. Now that the weight is off my chest and I can breathe freely, I can muster my writing skill to explain why I think that you should avoid this book like a plague.
And to think that it all started so innocuously. I was asked to review a thriller written by an Australian writer about “a small Aussie town and its secrets – and I thought, “what can go wrong?” What indeed. The list of what didn’t would be much, much shorter, but as I really need to share my misery with you, you’ll be treated to at least some of the cardinal sins of Catch Us The Foxes. Spoilers ahead!
Sin no. 1. Total lack of research. The plot of Catch Us The Foxes is built around a villainous quasi-religious cult
I seriously don’t know where to start with indicating what is wrong with this idea. Every single part of it showcases a total lack of thought and research on the author’s part. I read this, my eyes bleeding, and imagined the author coming up with this unholy mixture while sitting with a bottle of wine or something stronger, and then another, and another, because one bottle would clearly not be enough to come up with such idiotic concepts. Beltane, fox hunting, child abuse, psychiatrical ring of kidnappers, and Song of Solomon. Yeah, that’s a sure recipe for success!
Sin no. 2. Poor writing. The novel is written very badly, there’s no way around it. The dialogues seem forced and artificial, and the constant intrusion of slang words doesn’t make it come across as more authentic – just more juvenile. The author seemed unable to decide whether she wanted to write a slick thriller or a girly memoir, so she combined both styles and delivered a lifeless monstrosity. Like the bower bird mentioned in the novel, West just gathered all the shiny, colorful bits she could think of – but unlike the bird, she was unable to construct a cohesive or even remotely aesthetic structure from them.
(A side note: The main character seems to constantly suffer from an undiagnosed digestive disease: there’s always either something lodged in her throat or in the pit of her stomach. She should really see someone.)
Sin no. 3. Flat, lifeless characters that quickly turn into stereotypes (often offensive and always painful to read). The protagonist is a very very special snowflake: a wondrously beautiful woman ogled by every male in town, even gay. She doesn’t realize her own beauty, because she is asexual and the only thing less appealing to her than men are women (it’s a loose quote, I really can’t be forced to page through this drivel again). She’s obviously very tenacious and smart, with a chip on her shoulder the size of the Empire State Building, and an inferiority complex toward her best female friend (who ends up dead at the very beginning, but that’s beside the point, as we’re treated to symptoms of that inferiority complex to the very, very end of the book). She’s also a psychopath, “genetically,” but as the author couldn’t really decide which would be better, and apparently couldn’t have been bothered to check the differences, she actually comes off more as a sociopath.
[...]
Sin no. 4. Shock value above all. The author clearly tried her best at coming up with the most convoluted scenario. She actually succeeded, but at the price of destroying all of the internal logic (however tenuous it was from the start), readers’ investment, and credibility. The final scenario is simply unbelievable enough to jarr even the most dedicated readers out of the reading experience. It’s not anchored in the earlier events, and it has no foundations whatsoever, be they psychological or circumstantial. I guess it goes without saying that there’s no character development here, consistency, or even a pinch of probability.
Sin no. 5. Demonizing otherness and subscribing to the conspiracy theory mentality. I mean, wow. If I were a Kiama inhabitant, I’d be considering a libel suit. Kiama is the root of all evil here; xenophobic and homophobic (it seems that the author doesn’t know the difference between the two), going as far in their hatred as to organize an impromptu lynch on a murder suspect. The resident gay had to escape to Sydney, and the second one adamantly refuses to be recognized as gay. All men are swine, and women are entirely without agency – with the exception of our special snowflake, of course. The town’s police are criminally inept. Also, let’s not forget Kiama is the nest of the nefarious cult. Clearly, there’s not one sane person in Kiama (well, maybe one, but he’s a crypto gay [which is clearly a minus in the author’s book, as she spends lots of time on this tidbit] and gullible to the point of idiocy, so he doesn’t count)!
[...]
I have received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.
My full review can be found on my blog.
Firstly, an announcement. Catch Us The Foxes is officially the worst book I’ve read this year – I know, I know, the year hasn’t ended yet, but I sincerely hope I won’t read anything worse than this – and it really had some solid contenders for this dubious award. But none of the other horrible books of 2021 seems written specifically with money in mind and nothing else. Well, there’s always a first. Now that the weight is off my chest and I can breathe freely, I can muster my writing skill to explain why I think that you should avoid this book like a plague.
And to think that it all started so innocuously. I was asked to review a thriller written by an Australian writer about “a small Aussie town and its secrets – and I thought, “what can go wrong?” What indeed. The list of what didn’t would be much, much shorter, but as I really need to share my misery with you, you’ll be treated to at least some of the cardinal sins of Catch Us The Foxes. Spoilers ahead!
Sin no. 1. Total lack of research. The plot of Catch Us The Foxes is built around a villainous quasi-religious cult
I seriously don’t know where to start with indicating what is wrong with this idea. Every single part of it showcases a total lack of thought and research on the author’s part. I read this, my eyes bleeding, and imagined the author coming up with this unholy mixture while sitting with a bottle of wine or something stronger, and then another, and another, because one bottle would clearly not be enough to come up with such idiotic concepts. Beltane, fox hunting, child abuse, psychiatrical ring of kidnappers, and Song of Solomon. Yeah, that’s a sure recipe for success!
Sin no. 2. Poor writing. The novel is written very badly, there’s no way around it. The dialogues seem forced and artificial, and the constant intrusion of slang words doesn’t make it come across as more authentic – just more juvenile. The author seemed unable to decide whether she wanted to write a slick thriller or a girly memoir, so she combined both styles and delivered a lifeless monstrosity. Like the bower bird mentioned in the novel, West just gathered all the shiny, colorful bits she could think of – but unlike the bird, she was unable to construct a cohesive or even remotely aesthetic structure from them.
(A side note: The main character seems to constantly suffer from an undiagnosed digestive disease: there’s always either something lodged in her throat or in the pit of her stomach. She should really see someone.)
Sin no. 3. Flat, lifeless characters that quickly turn into stereotypes (often offensive and always painful to read). The protagonist is a very very special snowflake: a wondrously beautiful woman ogled by every male in town, even gay. She doesn’t realize her own beauty, because she is asexual and the only thing less appealing to her than men are women (it’s a loose quote, I really can’t be forced to page through this drivel again). She’s obviously very tenacious and smart, with a chip on her shoulder the size of the Empire State Building, and an inferiority complex toward her best female friend (who ends up dead at the very beginning, but that’s beside the point, as we’re treated to symptoms of that inferiority complex to the very, very end of the book). She’s also a psychopath, “genetically,” but as the author couldn’t really decide which would be better, and apparently couldn’t have been bothered to check the differences, she actually comes off more as a sociopath.
[...]
Sin no. 4. Shock value above all. The author clearly tried her best at coming up with the most convoluted scenario. She actually succeeded, but at the price of destroying all of the internal logic (however tenuous it was from the start), readers’ investment, and credibility. The final scenario is simply unbelievable enough to jarr even the most dedicated readers out of the reading experience. It’s not anchored in the earlier events, and it has no foundations whatsoever, be they psychological or circumstantial. I guess it goes without saying that there’s no character development here, consistency, or even a pinch of probability.
Sin no. 5. Demonizing otherness and subscribing to the conspiracy theory mentality. I mean, wow. If I were a Kiama inhabitant, I’d be considering a libel suit. Kiama is the root of all evil here; xenophobic and homophobic (it seems that the author doesn’t know the difference between the two), going as far in their hatred as to organize an impromptu lynch on a murder suspect. The resident gay had to escape to Sydney, and the second one adamantly refuses to be recognized as gay. All men are swine, and women are entirely without agency – with the exception of our special snowflake, of course. The town’s police are criminally inept. Also, let’s not forget Kiama is the nest of the nefarious cult. Clearly, there’s not one sane person in Kiama (well, maybe one, but he’s a crypto gay [which is clearly a minus in the author’s book, as she spends lots of time on this tidbit] and gullible to the point of idiocy, so he doesn’t count)!
[...]
I have received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.
July 4, 2021
3.5★s
Catch Us The Foxes is the first novel by Australian author, Nicola West. When intern journalist Marlowe Robertson stumbles on the body of the 2008 Kiama Showgirl, she’s understandably shocked. But it’s the mutilations on Lo’s best friend’s back that truly shake her up. There are strange symbols cut into Lily Williams’s back. Even stranger, when she alerts her father, Kiama’s Police Chief, he makes her promise not to reveal this detail.
Lo begins to wonder if the murder is related to the incident in the ghost train ride from which Lily fled in terror shortly before her death. Lily’s favourite crystal seller indicates she had fears for her own safety and that there would be a truth for Lo to uncover.
Lily’s secret diaries, when Lo gains access to them, are disturbing, revealing the existence of a local cult involving the town’s movers and shakers, something awful that Lo is reluctant to believe. They also reinforce a recent warning that no-one in Kiama can be trusted.
The police immediately target a carny from the Show, an outsider, as the murder suspect, but Lo learns that they have withheld certain evidence apart from the mutilations, and isn’t convinced by their case. Does her investigation make her a target for a murderer?
In the days following the murder, Lo is told she is suffering from PTSD, and certainly her paranoia will lead the reader to question her reliability as a narrator. Apart from the prologue and epilogue, set seven years later, the story plays out over just the five days following the murder, but manages to include a lynch mob, a fire, a mountain hike, a funeral and a suicide.
West’s portrayal of Kiama as a town plagued by small-minded provincial xenophobes/homophobes might not meet the approval of current locals, but she does capture the setting fairly well. The plot is imaginative, with several twists and red herrings to keep the reader interested, but West’s page-turner gimmick of cliff-hanger chapter last lines does become a tiny bit irritating. Despite some plot holes and a not-quite-convincing ending, this is an impressive debut novel.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia.
Catch Us The Foxes is the first novel by Australian author, Nicola West. When intern journalist Marlowe Robertson stumbles on the body of the 2008 Kiama Showgirl, she’s understandably shocked. But it’s the mutilations on Lo’s best friend’s back that truly shake her up. There are strange symbols cut into Lily Williams’s back. Even stranger, when she alerts her father, Kiama’s Police Chief, he makes her promise not to reveal this detail.
Lo begins to wonder if the murder is related to the incident in the ghost train ride from which Lily fled in terror shortly before her death. Lily’s favourite crystal seller indicates she had fears for her own safety and that there would be a truth for Lo to uncover.
Lily’s secret diaries, when Lo gains access to them, are disturbing, revealing the existence of a local cult involving the town’s movers and shakers, something awful that Lo is reluctant to believe. They also reinforce a recent warning that no-one in Kiama can be trusted.
The police immediately target a carny from the Show, an outsider, as the murder suspect, but Lo learns that they have withheld certain evidence apart from the mutilations, and isn’t convinced by their case. Does her investigation make her a target for a murderer?
In the days following the murder, Lo is told she is suffering from PTSD, and certainly her paranoia will lead the reader to question her reliability as a narrator. Apart from the prologue and epilogue, set seven years later, the story plays out over just the five days following the murder, but manages to include a lynch mob, a fire, a mountain hike, a funeral and a suicide.
West’s portrayal of Kiama as a town plagued by small-minded provincial xenophobes/homophobes might not meet the approval of current locals, but she does capture the setting fairly well. The plot is imaginative, with several twists and red herrings to keep the reader interested, but West’s page-turner gimmick of cliff-hanger chapter last lines does become a tiny bit irritating. Despite some plot holes and a not-quite-convincing ending, this is an impressive debut novel.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia.
December 16, 2021
I really liked this book . The cover is absolutely amazing. This book is set in the south coast where I live and grew up holidaying. My hometown where I live now even got a mention. So the scenery was fantastic. I come from a family of carnival workers so the reference to them was what sold the book to me. The story kept me engaged to the point I couldnt wait to have time to read it. Lots of characters involved to really keep you on your toes. I am not a fan of cults but this book is sort of based on it, but in saying that it didn't take over the whole book it was more who could have done this? So many suspects. ! The ending for me was "what the heck" just happened. This is a book dealing with so many issues, homophobia, mental illness, suicide, relationships, families, cults and abuse. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend.
July 16, 2021
https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
What a debut! Catch Us the Foxes is the clever, intricate, surprising and revealing first novel from Nicola West. A story inspired by her country hometown and her father’s profession as a police officer, Catch Us the Foxes is a startling tale that sees this first-time author tread new ground in Australian fiction.
Set in a small Australian country town, Catch Us the Foxes is the story of a young and passionate journalist named Marlowe (Lo) Robertson, who has a dream to move away from her dreary home town to a more exciting life elsewhere. Lo is charged with the job of reporting a local show for the town’s newspaper. However, a shocking discovery is made at the show, the dead body of Lo’s close friend Lily Williams. Lily was also the town’s showgirl. This awful discovery deeply affects this tight knit community. What makes this case even more tragic and complex are the marks that are found on Lily’s body. These odd knife carvings bear strange symbols, that Lo believes must hold a clue as to what happened to Lily. However, when Lo consults the town’s police chief over these weird marks, he asks her to keep quiet. This makes Lo uneasy, especially as the police chief is also her father. Lily’s death causes shockwaves that gains the attention of the media at the national level. Lo sees this as an opportunity to made the headlines with her name splashed all over it as an investigative reporter. However, in pursuit of a lucrative headline piece, Lo’s investigations unearth a cesspool of lies, deceit, shocking truths and dark secrets. Lo will never be the same after her direct involvement in this life altering investigation.
Catch Us the Foxes is a debut title from Sydney based author Nicola West. Already dividing readers and gaining plenty of attention across the publishing world, I have to say that I have embraced rather than resisted this new title. While others have expressed their disappointment in the ending, as well as the complex nature of this puzzling narrative, Catch Us the Foxes was a refreshing read for me. Although I did have to call on a friend to help reassure my response and explain the ending/plot twist, I was pleased with the way this one turned out.
It has become quite common of late for new crime and thriller reads set in country Australia to be compared to Jane Harper’s The Dry. Catch Us the Foxes is a debut piece that has been likened to Jane Harper’s novel. This comparison is warranted due to the stifling small town Australian backdrop that underscores this novel. However, the other linkage Catch Us the Foxes has is to the television masterpiece Twin Peaks. I agree with this comparison, but I also saw two other television dramas as influences in this book – The Killing and Top of the Lake. However, book and screen comparisons aside, Catch Us the Foxes was an atmospheric and murky read, with so many grey areas. Beyond the strategic twists and turns, we are presented with a narrative that explores a number of uneasy themes. These topics include mental health, reporting, family, trust, friendships, relationships, family ties, crime, violence, abuse and cults. Trust is an overarching theme that run right through the core of this novel, splintering it in different directions. It is important to approach Catch Us the Foxes with an open mind and a clear head. I’m treading very carefully with this review as it is quite hard to expand upon without spoiling the plot for potential readers – it is that kind of novel!
West nails both the small-town setting in Catch Us the Foxes and the embedded narrative (a book within a book) format. West also presents her readers with an eclectic cast. From lead character Lo, through to family, friends, foes and the general townsfolk of the area depicted in the novel, Catch Us the Foxes keeps the reader on their toes. I was suspicious of everyone and everything in this novel. Nothing made sense, or added up, no matter how hard I tried to reach a resolution before the flooring end. Be prepared for a big close to Catch Us the Foxes. I know I’ve been mulling over this one sometime after my official reading experience with Nicola West’s book reached an end. I think my hair is still standing on end!
Catch Us the Foxes is a discordant tale, that will incite plenty of interest, discussion and debate around this canny narrative.
*I wish to thank Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Catch Us the Foxes is book #64 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
What a debut! Catch Us the Foxes is the clever, intricate, surprising and revealing first novel from Nicola West. A story inspired by her country hometown and her father’s profession as a police officer, Catch Us the Foxes is a startling tale that sees this first-time author tread new ground in Australian fiction.
Set in a small Australian country town, Catch Us the Foxes is the story of a young and passionate journalist named Marlowe (Lo) Robertson, who has a dream to move away from her dreary home town to a more exciting life elsewhere. Lo is charged with the job of reporting a local show for the town’s newspaper. However, a shocking discovery is made at the show, the dead body of Lo’s close friend Lily Williams. Lily was also the town’s showgirl. This awful discovery deeply affects this tight knit community. What makes this case even more tragic and complex are the marks that are found on Lily’s body. These odd knife carvings bear strange symbols, that Lo believes must hold a clue as to what happened to Lily. However, when Lo consults the town’s police chief over these weird marks, he asks her to keep quiet. This makes Lo uneasy, especially as the police chief is also her father. Lily’s death causes shockwaves that gains the attention of the media at the national level. Lo sees this as an opportunity to made the headlines with her name splashed all over it as an investigative reporter. However, in pursuit of a lucrative headline piece, Lo’s investigations unearth a cesspool of lies, deceit, shocking truths and dark secrets. Lo will never be the same after her direct involvement in this life altering investigation.
Catch Us the Foxes is a debut title from Sydney based author Nicola West. Already dividing readers and gaining plenty of attention across the publishing world, I have to say that I have embraced rather than resisted this new title. While others have expressed their disappointment in the ending, as well as the complex nature of this puzzling narrative, Catch Us the Foxes was a refreshing read for me. Although I did have to call on a friend to help reassure my response and explain the ending/plot twist, I was pleased with the way this one turned out.
It has become quite common of late for new crime and thriller reads set in country Australia to be compared to Jane Harper’s The Dry. Catch Us the Foxes is a debut piece that has been likened to Jane Harper’s novel. This comparison is warranted due to the stifling small town Australian backdrop that underscores this novel. However, the other linkage Catch Us the Foxes has is to the television masterpiece Twin Peaks. I agree with this comparison, but I also saw two other television dramas as influences in this book – The Killing and Top of the Lake. However, book and screen comparisons aside, Catch Us the Foxes was an atmospheric and murky read, with so many grey areas. Beyond the strategic twists and turns, we are presented with a narrative that explores a number of uneasy themes. These topics include mental health, reporting, family, trust, friendships, relationships, family ties, crime, violence, abuse and cults. Trust is an overarching theme that run right through the core of this novel, splintering it in different directions. It is important to approach Catch Us the Foxes with an open mind and a clear head. I’m treading very carefully with this review as it is quite hard to expand upon without spoiling the plot for potential readers – it is that kind of novel!
West nails both the small-town setting in Catch Us the Foxes and the embedded narrative (a book within a book) format. West also presents her readers with an eclectic cast. From lead character Lo, through to family, friends, foes and the general townsfolk of the area depicted in the novel, Catch Us the Foxes keeps the reader on their toes. I was suspicious of everyone and everything in this novel. Nothing made sense, or added up, no matter how hard I tried to reach a resolution before the flooring end. Be prepared for a big close to Catch Us the Foxes. I know I’ve been mulling over this one sometime after my official reading experience with Nicola West’s book reached an end. I think my hair is still standing on end!
Catch Us the Foxes is a discordant tale, that will incite plenty of interest, discussion and debate around this canny narrative.
*I wish to thank Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Catch Us the Foxes is book #64 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
October 24, 2021
↠ 7.43 cawpile | 4.25 stars
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Marlowe (mc) coded asexual; Jarrah & Dan (sc) gay.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Marlowe (mc) coded asexual; Jarrah & Dan (sc) gay.
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram
August 10, 2021
It's very hard to say anything about the plot of Catch Us the Foxes without giving spoilers. There are twists, upon twists, upon twists.
The book starts with Marlowe attending an on stage interview at The Sydney Opera House. She is famous for solving the murder of her best friend, and Kiama showgirl, Lily seven years ago.
The story then moves to Marlowe's book that she has written about the case. A book within a book!
There is plenty of action in this story that mentions cults, mental illness and small town secrets. The moments of suspense had me holding my breath as they ramped up during Marlowe's investigation. Even though the twists when they were revealed didn't give me that 'oh my gosh' moment, I was totally immersed in Marlowe's story and read the book in two days. West's short sharp chapters make it easy to say 'just on more chapter' over and over.
Catch Us the Foxes is a cleverly plotted murder mystery and fantastic debut from up and coming crime novelist Nicola West. I am genuinely looking forward to her next offering.
*I received my copy from the publisher
The book starts with Marlowe attending an on stage interview at The Sydney Opera House. She is famous for solving the murder of her best friend, and Kiama showgirl, Lily seven years ago.
The story then moves to Marlowe's book that she has written about the case. A book within a book!
There is plenty of action in this story that mentions cults, mental illness and small town secrets. The moments of suspense had me holding my breath as they ramped up during Marlowe's investigation. Even though the twists when they were revealed didn't give me that 'oh my gosh' moment, I was totally immersed in Marlowe's story and read the book in two days. West's short sharp chapters make it easy to say 'just on more chapter' over and over.
Catch Us the Foxes is a cleverly plotted murder mystery and fantastic debut from up and coming crime novelist Nicola West. I am genuinely looking forward to her next offering.
*I received my copy from the publisher
August 24, 2021
This is a perfect example of what happens when a new book is released with an awesome cover, a super cool title, has a moderately intriguing blurb/hook, and the publisher creates buzz. I'm about to get ripped off. I'm about to lose my trust in a publisher. I'm about to lose trust in anything this author may publish in the future. I should have seen it coming a mile away.
This book was not good. It was not written well, it was immature, it was full of plot holes and flawed devices. It had a decent plot twist, but I didn't care enough about the story to give a hoot about the ending.
The characters were hard to relate to, hard to like, annoying, dumb, the main character was an arsehole. It was set in a real town. It makes no sense to do that. It would have given the story better intrigue to make the town fictional. The author trashes the town. It's riddled with cult members killing kids and is an enclave full of misogyny and homophobia. Every town has misogyny, homophobia, prejudice, and bigotry. Shame to make an example of this one.
I spend my hard-earned money on Australian authors because I want to support them. The whole way through it, I was thinking how much it hurts to get ripped off by an Australian publisher. I was also thinking this should have been a Young Adult book. The writing was too young, simplistic, and inexperienced. It felt written by a teenager for late-age teenagers. West is no Candice Fox or Michael Robotham, and that's okay, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that with any future West novels, I'll understand now to stay in my lane. Even when the covers are good and there's hype, I'll remember Catch Us The Foxes, and I'll know I'm not the target reader for this author.
This book was not good. It was not written well, it was immature, it was full of plot holes and flawed devices. It had a decent plot twist, but I didn't care enough about the story to give a hoot about the ending.
The characters were hard to relate to, hard to like, annoying, dumb, the main character was an arsehole. It was set in a real town. It makes no sense to do that. It would have given the story better intrigue to make the town fictional. The author trashes the town. It's riddled with cult members killing kids and is an enclave full of misogyny and homophobia. Every town has misogyny, homophobia, prejudice, and bigotry. Shame to make an example of this one.
I spend my hard-earned money on Australian authors because I want to support them. The whole way through it, I was thinking how much it hurts to get ripped off by an Australian publisher. I was also thinking this should have been a Young Adult book. The writing was too young, simplistic, and inexperienced. It felt written by a teenager for late-age teenagers. West is no Candice Fox or Michael Robotham, and that's okay, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that with any future West novels, I'll understand now to stay in my lane. Even when the covers are good and there's hype, I'll remember Catch Us The Foxes, and I'll know I'm not the target reader for this author.
September 30, 2021
Not the dark, gritty, twisted, horror filled thriller I thought it would be, it was more a rant about conspiracy theorists and how much the author resented the seaside town she grew up in. Kiama is an area I know well, it’s quite beautiful and a wonderful place to visit. If you’re going to verbally attack a real life town then at least make it a fictional one.
Then there is the issue I have regarding the mental illness angle, what place did it have in a novel such as this one, it ruined what could have been a fantastic dark and wicked thriller. In my opinion it would have been a better tale had it been exclusively about the carvings, the secret cult and the child hunting games but sadly the mental illness theme took over.
After reading the authors bio and discovering that she is a journalist, all makes sense and explains her slamming conspiracy theorists. Not cool, I see them more as researchers.
Then there is the issue I have regarding the mental illness angle, what place did it have in a novel such as this one, it ruined what could have been a fantastic dark and wicked thriller. In my opinion it would have been a better tale had it been exclusively about the carvings, the secret cult and the child hunting games but sadly the mental illness theme took over.
After reading the authors bio and discovering that she is a journalist, all makes sense and explains her slamming conspiracy theorists. Not cool, I see them more as researchers.
July 4, 2021
Well. Now this was different. I’ve always been partial to a bit of different from my books, movies and TV series. I really resist formulaic writing, which is why I suspect I don’t get along with certain genres. The author and I have an admiration for Twin Peaks in common; as soon as I read that, I honestly opened my mind up to all possibilities, and it just got better from there.
‘The past few days had taught me what it was like to not be able to trust anyone, but the thought of not being able to trust my own mind was an entirely new concept.’
This story is so twisted that the twists are even twisted. It’s one of those novels where the sands are shifting constantly, you have no idea what’s going on and everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, becomes plausible. There are, in amongst the twists and turns, some pretty heavy themes to unpack and there is a distinct small town oppressive atmosphere permeating the narrative. I really didn’t like the way in which the older men in this town spoke to the young women. There was a patronising gas lighting quality to it that was all too authentic – and I say this as person who grew up in small towns, as well as residing in one for nearly a decade as an adult. They are not all cute cafes and scenic tourist spots – at least, not for the people who live there.
Not much can be elaborated on in terms of the plot because to do so would completely spoil it and therefore make it pointless for you to read it. And read it you should. Because this novel is clever and also the debut of an up-and-coming young Australian woman who I think is in for a big literary future. We need more books like this, ones that break conventional formulas and offer something unique. The way this all pans out might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ll happily drink the whole pot.
Parts of this novel were really scary. No exaggeration. I messaged a friend when I first started reading and told her it was the scariest book I’d read since Silence of the Lambs, and I read that in the 1990s. And yet, I kept on reading – late into the night!
One thing I will leave you with, and you can consider it a key of sorts. After the prologue, there is a title page: The Showgirl’s Secret by Marlowe Robertson. When you get to the end, remember that title page. I did, and I finished with a smile on my face and a feeling that I’d just read the work of someone very talented indeed.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy and the invitation to participate in the blog tour.
‘The past few days had taught me what it was like to not be able to trust anyone, but the thought of not being able to trust my own mind was an entirely new concept.’
This story is so twisted that the twists are even twisted. It’s one of those novels where the sands are shifting constantly, you have no idea what’s going on and everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, becomes plausible. There are, in amongst the twists and turns, some pretty heavy themes to unpack and there is a distinct small town oppressive atmosphere permeating the narrative. I really didn’t like the way in which the older men in this town spoke to the young women. There was a patronising gas lighting quality to it that was all too authentic – and I say this as person who grew up in small towns, as well as residing in one for nearly a decade as an adult. They are not all cute cafes and scenic tourist spots – at least, not for the people who live there.
Not much can be elaborated on in terms of the plot because to do so would completely spoil it and therefore make it pointless for you to read it. And read it you should. Because this novel is clever and also the debut of an up-and-coming young Australian woman who I think is in for a big literary future. We need more books like this, ones that break conventional formulas and offer something unique. The way this all pans out might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ll happily drink the whole pot.
Parts of this novel were really scary. No exaggeration. I messaged a friend when I first started reading and told her it was the scariest book I’d read since Silence of the Lambs, and I read that in the 1990s. And yet, I kept on reading – late into the night!
One thing I will leave you with, and you can consider it a key of sorts. After the prologue, there is a title page: The Showgirl’s Secret by Marlowe Robertson. When you get to the end, remember that title page. I did, and I finished with a smile on my face and a feeling that I’d just read the work of someone very talented indeed.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy and the invitation to participate in the blog tour.
August 20, 2021
dnf at 42%
Now I do not like to DNF - I hate giving up and usually would rather slog through to the end of a book I'm not loving just so I don't feel like the book has defeated me but y'all... I could not go any further with this book. Peeking behind the spoiler tags on a few other reviews I made the right call because I don't need to be angry as well.
This book is being marketed as The Dry meets Twin Peaks - which made me instantly excited, seemed like a match made in heaven. Both texts feature small communities with interesting, complex and richly-drawn characters... something they definitely do not share with Catch Us the Foxes. Most of the characters we meet in Kiama (a real town that probably doesn't deserve to get dragged by this novel) are nothing more than flat caricatures at best and tired offensive stereotypes the rest of the time. They reflect a very shallow, angsty tween's understanding of the world and other people - which brings me to the protagonist. Lo is awful and for a good chunk of what I read I couldn't keep what age she was meant to be (22) straight in my mind. She read to me like a very convincing 15 year old but then other lines would reference high school being years and years ago but then she also kind of seemed like she was doing work experience at the local paper? It was honestly bizarre but also miserable because I felt like I'd unearthed some of my terrible angsty teen writing and the cringe was bone deep.
Lo's POV was also weirdly misogynistic, an unexpected amount girl hate and uses of "bimbo" for a novel coming out in TYOOL 2021. Also "shrill" in a situation where it seemed perfectly reasonable that the woman Lo encountered was upset?
If I was going to recommend this novel to anyone I'd probably say my 15 year old self, I think she'd really enjoy it but she was also really unpleasant to be around.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia and Netgalley for providing me with access to an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Now I do not like to DNF - I hate giving up and usually would rather slog through to the end of a book I'm not loving just so I don't feel like the book has defeated me but y'all... I could not go any further with this book. Peeking behind the spoiler tags on a few other reviews I made the right call because I don't need to be angry as well.
This book is being marketed as The Dry meets Twin Peaks - which made me instantly excited, seemed like a match made in heaven. Both texts feature small communities with interesting, complex and richly-drawn characters... something they definitely do not share with Catch Us the Foxes. Most of the characters we meet in Kiama (a real town that probably doesn't deserve to get dragged by this novel) are nothing more than flat caricatures at best and tired offensive stereotypes the rest of the time. They reflect a very shallow, angsty tween's understanding of the world and other people - which brings me to the protagonist. Lo is awful and for a good chunk of what I read I couldn't keep what age she was meant to be (22) straight in my mind. She read to me like a very convincing 15 year old but then other lines would reference high school being years and years ago but then she also kind of seemed like she was doing work experience at the local paper? It was honestly bizarre but also miserable because I felt like I'd unearthed some of my terrible angsty teen writing and the cringe was bone deep.
Lo's POV was also weirdly misogynistic, an unexpected amount girl hate and uses of "bimbo" for a novel coming out in TYOOL 2021. Also "shrill" in a situation where it seemed perfectly reasonable that the woman Lo encountered was upset?
If I was going to recommend this novel to anyone I'd probably say my 15 year old self, I think she'd really enjoy it but she was also really unpleasant to be around.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia and Netgalley for providing me with access to an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 4, 2021
3.5 Stars!
My review is published in the Oct edition of goodREADING! :-)
My review is published in the Oct edition of goodREADING! :-)
May 14, 2021
thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review
When Marlowe finds the body of her friend, Lily, at the show grounds, she’s determined to find out who murdered her, especially when her father, the chief of police, orders her not to reveal something important about the body. After an old acquaintance hands her Lily’s diaries, she starts to unravel a mystery that goes deeper than she first realised.
The storyline to this book was...ok. I do enjoy books with lots of twists, but twists that move back and forwards between ‘yes, that’s what happened! Ha, no it didn’t!’ and back again get a little tiring for me. The mystery was interesting and I quite liked Marlowe as a character. I was definitely intrigued by how the story would play out and it was never clear who was trustworthy, which always keeps me hooked, but there were many parts of this book that just weren’t for me.
The way sensitive topics were dealt with here felt like it belonged back in the 90’s. There were some pretty crappy comments about suicide, self harm, a lot of awful slurs towards two gay characters, from other characters and the description of a particular pagan religious holiday as being used for evil child sacrifice rituals (a myth that really doesn’t need further perpetuating). Although there was a spiel about societies perception of, and the difficulties faced, with mental illness toward the end of the book, it felt a little like lip service, after calling people with a mental illness ‘nutjob’s’ a few chapters before. I think this could have done with a bit more of a sensitivity edit.
When Marlowe finds the body of her friend, Lily, at the show grounds, she’s determined to find out who murdered her, especially when her father, the chief of police, orders her not to reveal something important about the body. After an old acquaintance hands her Lily’s diaries, she starts to unravel a mystery that goes deeper than she first realised.
The storyline to this book was...ok. I do enjoy books with lots of twists, but twists that move back and forwards between ‘yes, that’s what happened! Ha, no it didn’t!’ and back again get a little tiring for me. The mystery was interesting and I quite liked Marlowe as a character. I was definitely intrigued by how the story would play out and it was never clear who was trustworthy, which always keeps me hooked, but there were many parts of this book that just weren’t for me.
The way sensitive topics were dealt with here felt like it belonged back in the 90’s. There were some pretty crappy comments about suicide, self harm, a lot of awful slurs towards two gay characters, from other characters and the description of a particular pagan religious holiday as being used for evil child sacrifice rituals (a myth that really doesn’t need further perpetuating). Although there was a spiel about societies perception of, and the difficulties faced, with mental illness toward the end of the book, it felt a little like lip service, after calling people with a mental illness ‘nutjob’s’ a few chapters before. I think this could have done with a bit more of a sensitivity edit.
April 20, 2021
Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for the Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve really been struggling with thrillers this year and unfortunately that continues with this book.
I picked it up due to the comparison to Twin Peaks and whilst Kiama is a small town woven with secrets and the description and imagery of claustrophobia, that’s where I felt the Twin Peaks comparisons ended.
I wish I loved this, small town, solving a crime that happened years ago, friendship steeped in jealousy. All things I love. But this novel just fell flat, I felt like it was trying too hard with so many red herrings.
In saying all that, I’ll continue to check out Nicola West’s work
I’ve really been struggling with thrillers this year and unfortunately that continues with this book.
I picked it up due to the comparison to Twin Peaks and whilst Kiama is a small town woven with secrets and the description and imagery of claustrophobia, that’s where I felt the Twin Peaks comparisons ended.
I wish I loved this, small town, solving a crime that happened years ago, friendship steeped in jealousy. All things I love. But this novel just fell flat, I felt like it was trying too hard with so many red herrings.
In saying all that, I’ll continue to check out Nicola West’s work
April 15, 2021
Thank you to everyone for an arc of this novel. But I thought it was awful. Dialogue trite. Inaccurate 2008 police procedures. Distracting Kiama location. Stinky red herrings, more than one, strewn along the trail to an unsatisfying and unlikely ending. Not a redeemable character in sight. Totally unbelievable.
July 15, 2021
Catch Us the Foxes is a dark, enthralling thriller from debut Australian novelist, Nicola West.
The novel opens with a prologue where Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson, is being introduced to an audience at the Sydney Opera House. She is to speak about her best selling true crime book, ‘The Showgirl’s Secret’, an account of the tragic death of a young woman, Lily Williams, seven years previously.
Marlowe was a 22 year old intern at the local paper when she found Lily’s body in the stables of the town showground. When her father, the town police chief, asked Lo to lie about some of the details of the crime, including the symbols carved into the young woman’s flesh, she reluctantly agreed, but then she is given Lily’s journals which suggest Lo’s father, and other prominent citizens, may have a reason to have wanted Lily dead.
West presents a compelling, intricate mystery where the truth is shockingly elusive to the very last page. Lily’s diaries suggest a frightening cult is operating in their small coastal town, and while the allegations seem absurd, Lo is prompted to dig further when a carnival worker is arrested for Lily’s murder on threadbare evidence. If what Lily has written is true, there are plenty of possible suspects among the townsfolk, and West cleverly portrays them with an interesting ambiguity. Suspense builds as trust is eroded, and Lo attempts to ascertain the truth.
Lo presents as smart, resourceful and ambitious but there is an edge to her character that is disquieting. Doubt is thrown on the validity of her investigation when other characters suggest Lo is suffering from PTSD, and the possibility is a nag as she continues to piece information together, so that her reliability as a narrator is in question. It’s a clever conceit that West manages well.
The plot makes good use of the setting, small towns seem capable of hiding secrets behind their bucolic facades. I’ve been to Kiama (on NSW’s south coast) where Catch Us the Foxes takes place, and it’s a pretty coastal town, not so different from the one I live in now, but West successfully paints it as a claustrophobic, corrupt community.
With its clever structure and twisting, gripping plot, Catch Us the Foxes is an impressive read. The stunning final reveal seems to divide readers, but I thought it was terrific.
The novel opens with a prologue where Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson, is being introduced to an audience at the Sydney Opera House. She is to speak about her best selling true crime book, ‘The Showgirl’s Secret’, an account of the tragic death of a young woman, Lily Williams, seven years previously.
Marlowe was a 22 year old intern at the local paper when she found Lily’s body in the stables of the town showground. When her father, the town police chief, asked Lo to lie about some of the details of the crime, including the symbols carved into the young woman’s flesh, she reluctantly agreed, but then she is given Lily’s journals which suggest Lo’s father, and other prominent citizens, may have a reason to have wanted Lily dead.
West presents a compelling, intricate mystery where the truth is shockingly elusive to the very last page. Lily’s diaries suggest a frightening cult is operating in their small coastal town, and while the allegations seem absurd, Lo is prompted to dig further when a carnival worker is arrested for Lily’s murder on threadbare evidence. If what Lily has written is true, there are plenty of possible suspects among the townsfolk, and West cleverly portrays them with an interesting ambiguity. Suspense builds as trust is eroded, and Lo attempts to ascertain the truth.
Lo presents as smart, resourceful and ambitious but there is an edge to her character that is disquieting. Doubt is thrown on the validity of her investigation when other characters suggest Lo is suffering from PTSD, and the possibility is a nag as she continues to piece information together, so that her reliability as a narrator is in question. It’s a clever conceit that West manages well.
The plot makes good use of the setting, small towns seem capable of hiding secrets behind their bucolic facades. I’ve been to Kiama (on NSW’s south coast) where Catch Us the Foxes takes place, and it’s a pretty coastal town, not so different from the one I live in now, but West successfully paints it as a claustrophobic, corrupt community.
With its clever structure and twisting, gripping plot, Catch Us the Foxes is an impressive read. The stunning final reveal seems to divide readers, but I thought it was terrific.
June 28, 2022
I find it really disappointing when I spend time reading a book that doesn’t deliver.
July 13, 2021
I’m really and truly thrown by the authorial decision here to set a gothic thriller featuring a child-hunting group of cultists in a real-life small town. It’s one thing to base a fictional town on a real one, or to set a story in a major city, but to basically demonise the entire town of Kiama as full of homophobes and cultists is, well. It’s not a decision I’d have made.
And to make the main character asexual and also imply that this means they lack empathy is just another incomprehensible decision.
There is actually a really remarkable message here about the stigmatization of mental illness, and the fact that people would rather believe in outlandish conspiracy theories rather than tragic truths about human frailties, and it’s completely ruined by the ‘twist’ in the last couple of pages. A twist that, in my opinion, actually totally messed up the book and destroyed a lot of the excellent work that had been done up to that point. Without that entirely unnecessary twist, I would probably have given this book four stars - it was always losing one because of the bizarre decision to use a real small town as the location - but with it? Two stars, for equating asexuality and sociopathy and validating the outlandish conspiracy theories. The only reason it’s not getting one star is that the writing is genuinely excellent and I was truly engaged in the story right up until that last page.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
And to make the main character asexual and also imply that this means they lack empathy is just another incomprehensible decision.
There is actually a really remarkable message here about the stigmatization of mental illness, and the fact that people would rather believe in outlandish conspiracy theories rather than tragic truths about human frailties, and it’s completely ruined by the ‘twist’ in the last couple of pages. A twist that, in my opinion, actually totally messed up the book and destroyed a lot of the excellent work that had been done up to that point. Without that entirely unnecessary twist, I would probably have given this book four stars - it was always losing one because of the bizarre decision to use a real small town as the location - but with it? Two stars, for equating asexuality and sociopathy and validating the outlandish conspiracy theories. The only reason it’s not getting one star is that the writing is genuinely excellent and I was truly engaged in the story right up until that last page.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
April 16, 2021
Nicola West, Catch Us The Foxes, Simon & Schuster 2021.
Thank you, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this copy for review.
The prologue introduces Marlowe Robertson, ‘author, journalist and Co-creator of The Lily Foundation’. She is interviewed on the seventh anniversary of Lily’s death, as the person who exposed her killer. Marlowe, colloquially known as Lo, dressed in clothing reminiscent of her past friendship with Lily, is asked to return to the moment she found Lily’s body. She finds it easy to talk about Lily, her death, the causes, and events because ‘she had been reliving them through her bestselling novel The Showgirl’s Secret.’ The remainder of the story is provided mostly through Marlowe’s novel, with the Epilogue describing the completion of the interview, a demonstration thwarted, and Marlowe Robertson and her companion’s reflection on their experiences.
Perhaps the novelisation of events can be used as a reason for what I see as dishonesty with the reader. Many of the characters lie, some within the legitimate auspices of the novel within the novel. However, one pivotal lie needed to be dealt with far more cleverly to maintain its legitimacy.
I had already been disappointed by the inconsistencies in the work – Marlowe claims that she would like to leave Kiama, has friends who have done so, but remains living with her father, for no apparent reason. She is a person with whom the writer appears to want the reader to identify but she is without human warmth. This is most clearly expressed though her resistance to any romantic overtures, but her coldness seeps through her other relationships, including that with her father. She is resentful of Lily’s success, and rather than spend time mourning her death sees it as an opportunity. Perhaps her desire to find Lily’s murder is based on a genuine concern to revenge her friend, but it is so tied up with her propensity to use the story and posturing about her feelings it is hard to warm to Marlowe even in this pursuit.
Without giving away the hidden theme of the story, I found it unpleasant, and again, the heartlessness of some of the characters is a dominant feature of the novel.
There are some clever devices. The settings combine the claustrophobia of a small Australian town together with images of the ocean, bush tracks, a forest, and even the tossing and turning of the Hurricane ride far above the showgrounds. They all suggest the possibility of openness, but claustrophobia triumphs. This imagery is in keeping with the way in which the characters develop – there is little possibility that they will evade the impact of the events that have led to Lily’s death. There is a range of characters, from the police and other professionals, the show community, school friends, all of whom interact tellingly (if the reader can unravel the cleverly intertwined relationships) with Marlow.
Do the positive features outweigh the ones I found negative? Unfortunately, for me, I did not find the novel satisfying throughout, and was particularly dissatisfied with the ending. However, I do feel it is certainly worthy of the three stars I have given it, and I would also try Nicola West’s next novel.
Thank you, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this copy for review.
The prologue introduces Marlowe Robertson, ‘author, journalist and Co-creator of The Lily Foundation’. She is interviewed on the seventh anniversary of Lily’s death, as the person who exposed her killer. Marlowe, colloquially known as Lo, dressed in clothing reminiscent of her past friendship with Lily, is asked to return to the moment she found Lily’s body. She finds it easy to talk about Lily, her death, the causes, and events because ‘she had been reliving them through her bestselling novel The Showgirl’s Secret.’ The remainder of the story is provided mostly through Marlowe’s novel, with the Epilogue describing the completion of the interview, a demonstration thwarted, and Marlowe Robertson and her companion’s reflection on their experiences.
Perhaps the novelisation of events can be used as a reason for what I see as dishonesty with the reader. Many of the characters lie, some within the legitimate auspices of the novel within the novel. However, one pivotal lie needed to be dealt with far more cleverly to maintain its legitimacy.
I had already been disappointed by the inconsistencies in the work – Marlowe claims that she would like to leave Kiama, has friends who have done so, but remains living with her father, for no apparent reason. She is a person with whom the writer appears to want the reader to identify but she is without human warmth. This is most clearly expressed though her resistance to any romantic overtures, but her coldness seeps through her other relationships, including that with her father. She is resentful of Lily’s success, and rather than spend time mourning her death sees it as an opportunity. Perhaps her desire to find Lily’s murder is based on a genuine concern to revenge her friend, but it is so tied up with her propensity to use the story and posturing about her feelings it is hard to warm to Marlowe even in this pursuit.
Without giving away the hidden theme of the story, I found it unpleasant, and again, the heartlessness of some of the characters is a dominant feature of the novel.
There are some clever devices. The settings combine the claustrophobia of a small Australian town together with images of the ocean, bush tracks, a forest, and even the tossing and turning of the Hurricane ride far above the showgrounds. They all suggest the possibility of openness, but claustrophobia triumphs. This imagery is in keeping with the way in which the characters develop – there is little possibility that they will evade the impact of the events that have led to Lily’s death. There is a range of characters, from the police and other professionals, the show community, school friends, all of whom interact tellingly (if the reader can unravel the cleverly intertwined relationships) with Marlow.
Do the positive features outweigh the ones I found negative? Unfortunately, for me, I did not find the novel satisfying throughout, and was particularly dissatisfied with the ending. However, I do feel it is certainly worthy of the three stars I have given it, and I would also try Nicola West’s next novel.
June 27, 2021
If you are looking for an Australian thriller that will keep you hooked page after page, you must pick up Catch us the Foxes, a debut novel by Nicola West! Nicola knows how to entice you in with her atmospheric writing and will keep you wanting more!
This one got me at Twin Peaks meets The Dry, precisely the perfect description. I loved the writing style and the way the author opens the story with the main protagonist interviewing about her recent book which then becomes the story. The ending closes with the ending of the interview and I really liked the way that was done.
When Marlowe “Lo” stumbles across her friend Lily’s dead body at the local town show, she is horrified to find strange cult looking symbols etched into her back. She mentions the symbols to her dad, the local police chief when she calls him to the scene and he advises Lo to not mention a word about it to anyone else! But why? Why would the town police chief want to keep something like that from everyone? What is he hiding?
Suspicion of Lily’s death falls onto one of the travelling carnies but Lo is sure it wasn’t him because she was with him right before she found Lily! Lo is suspicious of the locals in the small town of Kiama where she lives and seeks to find out the truth. Who murdered Lily Williams?
Full of twists and turns, this was a book I could not put down! I was completely engrossed in the whole cult vibe and dark, moody atmosphere! Oh and that ending! 🤯 I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author!
Thank you Simon & Schuster Australia for my advanced review copy and Netgalley for the eARC.
Released in Australia on 7th July 2021
This one got me at Twin Peaks meets The Dry, precisely the perfect description. I loved the writing style and the way the author opens the story with the main protagonist interviewing about her recent book which then becomes the story. The ending closes with the ending of the interview and I really liked the way that was done.
When Marlowe “Lo” stumbles across her friend Lily’s dead body at the local town show, she is horrified to find strange cult looking symbols etched into her back. She mentions the symbols to her dad, the local police chief when she calls him to the scene and he advises Lo to not mention a word about it to anyone else! But why? Why would the town police chief want to keep something like that from everyone? What is he hiding?
Suspicion of Lily’s death falls onto one of the travelling carnies but Lo is sure it wasn’t him because she was with him right before she found Lily! Lo is suspicious of the locals in the small town of Kiama where she lives and seeks to find out the truth. Who murdered Lily Williams?
Full of twists and turns, this was a book I could not put down! I was completely engrossed in the whole cult vibe and dark, moody atmosphere! Oh and that ending! 🤯 I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author!
Thank you Simon & Schuster Australia for my advanced review copy and Netgalley for the eARC.
Released in Australia on 7th July 2021
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