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Caleb Zelic #4
Those Who Perish
The thrilling finale of the groundbreaking Caleb Zelic series, from the award-winning author of Resurrection Bay
Caleb Zelic can't hear you. But he can see everything.
Caleb's addict brother, Anton, has been missing for months, still angry about Caleb's part in his downfall.
After almost giving up hope of finding him, Caleb receives an anonymous message alerting him to Ant's whereabouts and warning him that Ant is in danger. A man has been shot and Ant might be next.
Caleb reluctantly leaves his pregnant wife's side and tracks his brother to an isolated island where Ant has been seeking treatment. There, he finds a secretive community under threat from a sniper, and a cult-like doctor with a troubling background.
Caleb must hunt for the sniper to save Ant, but any misstep may ruin their faltering reconciliation, and end in death. When body parts begin to wash up on shore, it looks like the sniper is growing more desperate...
Caleb Zelic can't hear you. But he can see everything.
Caleb's addict brother, Anton, has been missing for months, still angry about Caleb's part in his downfall.
After almost giving up hope of finding him, Caleb receives an anonymous message alerting him to Ant's whereabouts and warning him that Ant is in danger. A man has been shot and Ant might be next.
Caleb reluctantly leaves his pregnant wife's side and tracks his brother to an isolated island where Ant has been seeking treatment. There, he finds a secretive community under threat from a sniper, and a cult-like doctor with a troubling background.
Caleb must hunt for the sniper to save Ant, but any misstep may ruin their faltering reconciliation, and end in death. When body parts begin to wash up on shore, it looks like the sniper is growing more desperate...
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 28, 2022
About the author
Emma Viskic
10 books282 followersEmma Viskic is author of the internationally acclaimed Caleb Zelic series. Her novels have won numerous prizes, including a Ned Kelly Award and an unprecedented five Davitt Awards. Her debut novel, Resurrection Bay, was shortlisted for the UK’s prestigious Gold Dagger and New Blood Dagger Awards. It was recently voted one of the decade’s best crime novels by Crime Time UK.
Emma consulted extensively with people in the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing communities in order to create the character of Caleb, who is profoundly deaf. Her attempts to learn lipreading were a dismal failure, however she continues to enjoy learning Auslan (Australian sign language)
She lives in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia
Emma consulted extensively with people in the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing communities in order to create the character of Caleb, who is profoundly deaf. Her attempts to learn lipreading were a dismal failure, however she continues to enjoy learning Auslan (Australian sign language)
She lives in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
June 10, 2022
This is the fourth and last book in Emma Viskic's gritty Aussie crime series set in Victoria featuring the deaf PI Caleb Zelic. Caleb's estranged drug addict brother, Anton, has been missing for some time, still upset about Caleb's part in his downfall. After almost giving up hope of finding him, Caleb receives an anonymous text message alerting him to Ant's whereabouts and warning him that Ant is in danger. This has Caleb hotfooting it to Resurrection Bay, only to find himself and Anton underfire from a sniper. The body of a man who has has been shot is discovered, the murder victim turns out to be Peter Taylor, a twitcher who had checked himself into the addiction clinic run by Dr Ian Locke on Muttonbird Island with its isolated small community suspicious of outsiders.
Worried about Anton's safety, Caleb takes the ferry to the island where Ant is in rehab, he is in good spirits, determined to kick his addiction, spurred on by getting together once again with his girlfriend, Etty. It soon becomes clear that the sniper is on the island, with the clinic receiving threats in the form of dead foxes and notes. There is nothing Caleb will not do to protect Anton as he seeks redemption from a past from his judgementalism and where he had not been there for him. Their relationship is an uneasy and prickly affair at times as the two try to locate an ever desperate sniper, with a local community reluctant to help amidst a background of a rising body count. In addition, Caleb has been hired by Mick over the stolen local footy mascot, Norman Numbat, used to troll with photoshopped compromising photos on social media, threatening the existence of the much loved club.
Emotionally Caleb is all over the place, as well as trying to rebuild a relationship with Anton, he is feeling insecure when it comes to his aboriginal artist wife, the heavily pregnant Kat. With so much to lose, he is doing his best to ensure that she is not once again endangered by his work, but some of his actions do not help his cause. Furthermore, he is apprehensive about becoming a father and his ability to fulfil the role, given his past. This was a dark and thrilling crime read, with a offbeat and flawed deaf PI, and the unique problems and issues that arise from this. This series will appeal to those readers who love their Aussie crime, and perhaps those intrigued to see how a deaf PI might operate. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
Worried about Anton's safety, Caleb takes the ferry to the island where Ant is in rehab, he is in good spirits, determined to kick his addiction, spurred on by getting together once again with his girlfriend, Etty. It soon becomes clear that the sniper is on the island, with the clinic receiving threats in the form of dead foxes and notes. There is nothing Caleb will not do to protect Anton as he seeks redemption from a past from his judgementalism and where he had not been there for him. Their relationship is an uneasy and prickly affair at times as the two try to locate an ever desperate sniper, with a local community reluctant to help amidst a background of a rising body count. In addition, Caleb has been hired by Mick over the stolen local footy mascot, Norman Numbat, used to troll with photoshopped compromising photos on social media, threatening the existence of the much loved club.
Emotionally Caleb is all over the place, as well as trying to rebuild a relationship with Anton, he is feeling insecure when it comes to his aboriginal artist wife, the heavily pregnant Kat. With so much to lose, he is doing his best to ensure that she is not once again endangered by his work, but some of his actions do not help his cause. Furthermore, he is apprehensive about becoming a father and his ability to fulfil the role, given his past. This was a dark and thrilling crime read, with a offbeat and flawed deaf PI, and the unique problems and issues that arise from this. This series will appeal to those readers who love their Aussie crime, and perhaps those intrigued to see how a deaf PI might operate. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
June 16, 2022
In this fourth, and probably last, outing for Emma Viskic’s deaf investigator Caleb Zelic has rushed from Melbourne to his home town of Resurrection Bay after receiving a message from an unknown source that his brother Ant is in danger. When he finds Ant, he is hiding in the shrubbery on the foreshore trying to avoid being killed by a sniper. Caleb manages to distract the sniper long enough for Ant to escape, but when a body turns up in the bay, Caleb knows he’ll have to go out to the island where Ant is living to find out what sort of trouble he’s in this time.
Caleb is relieved to find Ant in a rehab facility on the island determined to finally kick his drug addiction and get back with his girlfriend. However, it’s soon apparent there is something wrong on the island; something that’s making people feel afraid to talk. Warning notes and dead foxes left for people, bullet holes made in letterboxes and another body all help to ramp up the fear and make the locals close ramps.
The plot turns out to be complex and somewhat obscure and it takes Caleb (and the reader!) quite a few wrong turns before he is able to get a handle on what has been going on and why Ant might be in danger. Caleb’s wife Kat is now within weeks of having their baby and, although she has moved back home to Resurrection Bay to be with her extended family and highly competent doctor mother, Caleb is concerned about spending so much time on the island. Especially since there is almost no mobile phone reception and the ferry service to the island is limited.
Viskic’s unique characters are what make this series so enjoyable. Caleb is a unique and interesting protagonist who has allowed readers some insight into the deaf world. Although he copes well with his acquired deafness through lip reading and signing, he is still flawed and vulnerable in other ways that affect his relationships. Artist Kate, an indigenous woman is also a terrific character, especially with her large family of siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews and her mother who knows exactly how to keep Caleb in his place. A secondary plot involving the theft of the suit of the footy club’s mascot, Norman the Numbat didn’t quite get off the ground for me but provided some moments of light relief from the more deadly main plot. Let’s hope Caleb goes on to lead a quieter life from now on, especially now he is a father.
with thanks to Pushkin Press via Netgalley for a copy to read
Caleb is relieved to find Ant in a rehab facility on the island determined to finally kick his drug addiction and get back with his girlfriend. However, it’s soon apparent there is something wrong on the island; something that’s making people feel afraid to talk. Warning notes and dead foxes left for people, bullet holes made in letterboxes and another body all help to ramp up the fear and make the locals close ramps.
The plot turns out to be complex and somewhat obscure and it takes Caleb (and the reader!) quite a few wrong turns before he is able to get a handle on what has been going on and why Ant might be in danger. Caleb’s wife Kat is now within weeks of having their baby and, although she has moved back home to Resurrection Bay to be with her extended family and highly competent doctor mother, Caleb is concerned about spending so much time on the island. Especially since there is almost no mobile phone reception and the ferry service to the island is limited.
Viskic’s unique characters are what make this series so enjoyable. Caleb is a unique and interesting protagonist who has allowed readers some insight into the deaf world. Although he copes well with his acquired deafness through lip reading and signing, he is still flawed and vulnerable in other ways that affect his relationships. Artist Kate, an indigenous woman is also a terrific character, especially with her large family of siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews and her mother who knows exactly how to keep Caleb in his place. A secondary plot involving the theft of the suit of the footy club’s mascot, Norman the Numbat didn’t quite get off the ground for me but provided some moments of light relief from the more deadly main plot. Let’s hope Caleb goes on to lead a quieter life from now on, especially now he is a father.
with thanks to Pushkin Press via Netgalley for a copy to read
June 27, 2022
This the last book in the Caleb Zelic series and it finishes in a good place with all the ends tied up neatly.
This final story is a gripping one with Caleb and his brother Anton in a very dangerous situation with a sniper, no less, coming after them. Viskic writes in short disjointed sentences which certainly made me feel tense but not always in a good way. Sometimes I just felt irritated and wished she could have used the technique a little more sparingly.
I have always felt from the beginning that being a P.I. may not be the best job for someone as deaf as Caleb is, especially since he cannot hear the bad guy coming. The author makes a very thorough job of describing how someone with deafness feels about it and how they cope in everyday life.
Those Who Perish is an effective conclusion to Caleb's story and I am glad I read it.
This final story is a gripping one with Caleb and his brother Anton in a very dangerous situation with a sniper, no less, coming after them. Viskic writes in short disjointed sentences which certainly made me feel tense but not always in a good way. Sometimes I just felt irritated and wished she could have used the technique a little more sparingly.
I have always felt from the beginning that being a P.I. may not be the best job for someone as deaf as Caleb is, especially since he cannot hear the bad guy coming. The author makes a very thorough job of describing how someone with deafness feels about it and how they cope in everyday life.
Those Who Perish is an effective conclusion to Caleb's story and I am glad I read it.
July 18, 2022
4.5~5★
“[She] might not be top of his suspect list but she was on it, and it was much easier to observe someone when they didn’t know he could lip-read. Easier too, not to have to deal with all the You Poor Thinging.”
Caleb Zelic can speak well, but he’s deaf and prefers not to advertise it. Partly pride (hides his hearing aids under his hair – if he bothers to wear them), and partly for reasons to do with his investigations. People don’t realise he can eavesdrop across a room, and it helps if potential enemies don’t know he won’t hear them sneaking up from behind.
He responds to an anonymous text message: “—Anton in danger. Res bay foreshore 6 am
Anton is his often-estranged brother, a drug addict who reforms from time to time and then relapses. They share a low opinion of their late father and have a close connection, but it has been strained past breaking point more than once when Caleb has given up on him.
Caleb hasn’t known where Ant is and has no idea what the message means, but he races to the Resurrection Bay Foreshore to find out what’s there. A body, a sniper, Ant on the run.
How will he explain to his heavily pregnant wife, Kat, that he needs to put himself in danger – again? She has enormous support from her mother, Maria, the Bay’s first Aboriginal doctor and the owner of the local clinic. Plus, there are sisters, aunties, and her whole mob, all waiting for this baby.
He’s anxious about the next ultrasound, since they’ve lost previous pregnancies, and he wants Kat to stay calm and safe and not worry. He’s always fearful he’ll lose her to an old boyfriend, Jarrah, who is still in the picture and captain of the local footy team whose finances Caleb has been investigating.
“Good-looking, talented, pillar of the Koori community – and definitely still yearning for Kat. Bastard didn’t even have the decency to be unlikeable.”
When Kat does enlist Jarrah’s help with something, Caleb is horrified.
“She touched his arm. ‘Don’t worry, he’s safe. He’s mob.’ A lot of history in that short phrase: more than eighty thousand years of culture, two and a half centuries of fighting dispossession. But she was wrong about her actions being safe.”
Nobody is safe in this story. Caleb ends up on a sparsely populated island to investigate the private rehab clinic under the pretext of visiting Ant, who is being treated there.
The behaviour and suspiciousness of the locals is typical of people in a small community or country town. On the one hand, they may grudgingly acknowledge your existence.
“[He] hoisted the box easily, gave Caleb the country handshake: slight lift of the chin. Very slight. Caleb replied in kind.”
On the other, they may pretend you aren’t there.
“He turned for his car, leapt back as a white sedan zipped past, . . . A faint note joined the tinnitus: car horn blaring. Coughing, heart and dust in his mouth. People were staring at him from the shop and jetty. A curtain twitched in a house opposite. Like he was five again, learning the dangers of silent traffic. So much for being discreet.”
The storytelling style varies from smooth prose to short, punchy phrases, which is how I see Caleb’s mind working. He often hears conversations that way – just a few words here and there that he has to piece together, hoping to make sense of them. You can almost feel the fear yourself.
“Go now. Sniper might come back. Turning. One step then the other, down the driveway, into the car. Few tries to get the keys in, engine started. Slow reverse, driving away. The shakes hit him a few kays down the road. Clammy-skinned nausea.”
I do not like reading that this is the last of the Caleb Zelic series, but I will admit that Viskic has finished it off well, although not how most readers would have expected. I’m telling myself that she’s left it open-ended enough that maybe . . .
Incidentally, this would work fine as a stand-alone book. You don’t need to remember or know anything from the previous books – but read them, they’re good!
Thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the copy for review from which I’ve quoted.
The first three in the series are:
Resurrection Bay
My review
And Fire Came Down
My review
Darkness for Light
My review
“[She] might not be top of his suspect list but she was on it, and it was much easier to observe someone when they didn’t know he could lip-read. Easier too, not to have to deal with all the You Poor Thinging.”
Caleb Zelic can speak well, but he’s deaf and prefers not to advertise it. Partly pride (hides his hearing aids under his hair – if he bothers to wear them), and partly for reasons to do with his investigations. People don’t realise he can eavesdrop across a room, and it helps if potential enemies don’t know he won’t hear them sneaking up from behind.
He responds to an anonymous text message: “—Anton in danger. Res bay foreshore 6 am
Anton is his often-estranged brother, a drug addict who reforms from time to time and then relapses. They share a low opinion of their late father and have a close connection, but it has been strained past breaking point more than once when Caleb has given up on him.
Caleb hasn’t known where Ant is and has no idea what the message means, but he races to the Resurrection Bay Foreshore to find out what’s there. A body, a sniper, Ant on the run.
How will he explain to his heavily pregnant wife, Kat, that he needs to put himself in danger – again? She has enormous support from her mother, Maria, the Bay’s first Aboriginal doctor and the owner of the local clinic. Plus, there are sisters, aunties, and her whole mob, all waiting for this baby.
He’s anxious about the next ultrasound, since they’ve lost previous pregnancies, and he wants Kat to stay calm and safe and not worry. He’s always fearful he’ll lose her to an old boyfriend, Jarrah, who is still in the picture and captain of the local footy team whose finances Caleb has been investigating.
“Good-looking, talented, pillar of the Koori community – and definitely still yearning for Kat. Bastard didn’t even have the decency to be unlikeable.”
When Kat does enlist Jarrah’s help with something, Caleb is horrified.
“She touched his arm. ‘Don’t worry, he’s safe. He’s mob.’ A lot of history in that short phrase: more than eighty thousand years of culture, two and a half centuries of fighting dispossession. But she was wrong about her actions being safe.”
Nobody is safe in this story. Caleb ends up on a sparsely populated island to investigate the private rehab clinic under the pretext of visiting Ant, who is being treated there.
The behaviour and suspiciousness of the locals is typical of people in a small community or country town. On the one hand, they may grudgingly acknowledge your existence.
“[He] hoisted the box easily, gave Caleb the country handshake: slight lift of the chin. Very slight. Caleb replied in kind.”
On the other, they may pretend you aren’t there.
“He turned for his car, leapt back as a white sedan zipped past, . . . A faint note joined the tinnitus: car horn blaring. Coughing, heart and dust in his mouth. People were staring at him from the shop and jetty. A curtain twitched in a house opposite. Like he was five again, learning the dangers of silent traffic. So much for being discreet.”
The storytelling style varies from smooth prose to short, punchy phrases, which is how I see Caleb’s mind working. He often hears conversations that way – just a few words here and there that he has to piece together, hoping to make sense of them. You can almost feel the fear yourself.
“Go now. Sniper might come back. Turning. One step then the other, down the driveway, into the car. Few tries to get the keys in, engine started. Slow reverse, driving away. The shakes hit him a few kays down the road. Clammy-skinned nausea.”
I do not like reading that this is the last of the Caleb Zelic series, but I will admit that Viskic has finished it off well, although not how most readers would have expected. I’m telling myself that she’s left it open-ended enough that maybe . . .
Incidentally, this would work fine as a stand-alone book. You don’t need to remember or know anything from the previous books – but read them, they’re good!
Thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the copy for review from which I’ve quoted.
The first three in the series are:
Resurrection Bay
My review
And Fire Came Down
My review
Darkness for Light
My review
June 11, 2022
4 +
Australian authors are very good at quirky characters and even quirkier plots. This is the fourth and final book in Emma Viskic’s amazing Caleb Zelic series. Caleb is a deaf PI who reads lips very well although there are occasional, and often amusing, mistakes made.
Caleb is summoned back to his hometown of Resurrection Bay by a cryptic message about his brother, Ant (Anton). They have a rocky relationship and Ant is an on again off again drug addict. When Caleb arrrives at the rendezvous point there is no sign of Ant but another man is shot dead. Caleb tracks his brother down at a rehabilitation clinic on a nearby island. He seems to be doing well but the clinic, in fact everyone on the island is very guarded. Is there something fishy going on here? The doctor in charge seems to have a secret past.
Someone is sending warnings in the form of dead foxes, cryptic warning notes and bullet holes in letterboxes. A body part is found on a beach Caleb is shot at. He and Ant join forces to work out what is going on before more people are killed - unsuccessfully I might add as more people are killed. Caleb has some theories but one by one they crash and burn! He is also tasked by the local football club to track down the stolen mascot Norman Numbat who has been photographed with various peoples heads photoshopped on and in various crude poses.
As usual, Caleb has the wrong end of the stick in this investigation and he must move his pregnant Koori (Indigenous) wife, Kat, to a safer location as he doesn’t want to bring trouble to her door again.
The characters are very quirky and absolutely charming. Kat’s mother, a doctor, is hilariously deadpan and Caleb and Ant come across as loveable rogues. The plot of this one is quite complex and you do not see the resolution until the very end. Now if Caleb can just stay alive long enough he may solve this one yet! I thoroughly enjoyed this tense thriller with much humour laced throughout and I cannot wait to see what the author comes up with next, although it will be a shame to say goodbye to Caleb. Many thanks to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
Australian authors are very good at quirky characters and even quirkier plots. This is the fourth and final book in Emma Viskic’s amazing Caleb Zelic series. Caleb is a deaf PI who reads lips very well although there are occasional, and often amusing, mistakes made.
Caleb is summoned back to his hometown of Resurrection Bay by a cryptic message about his brother, Ant (Anton). They have a rocky relationship and Ant is an on again off again drug addict. When Caleb arrrives at the rendezvous point there is no sign of Ant but another man is shot dead. Caleb tracks his brother down at a rehabilitation clinic on a nearby island. He seems to be doing well but the clinic, in fact everyone on the island is very guarded. Is there something fishy going on here? The doctor in charge seems to have a secret past.
Someone is sending warnings in the form of dead foxes, cryptic warning notes and bullet holes in letterboxes. A body part is found on a beach Caleb is shot at. He and Ant join forces to work out what is going on before more people are killed - unsuccessfully I might add as more people are killed. Caleb has some theories but one by one they crash and burn! He is also tasked by the local football club to track down the stolen mascot Norman Numbat who has been photographed with various peoples heads photoshopped on and in various crude poses.
As usual, Caleb has the wrong end of the stick in this investigation and he must move his pregnant Koori (Indigenous) wife, Kat, to a safer location as he doesn’t want to bring trouble to her door again.
The characters are very quirky and absolutely charming. Kat’s mother, a doctor, is hilariously deadpan and Caleb and Ant come across as loveable rogues. The plot of this one is quite complex and you do not see the resolution until the very end. Now if Caleb can just stay alive long enough he may solve this one yet! I thoroughly enjoyed this tense thriller with much humour laced throughout and I cannot wait to see what the author comes up with next, although it will be a shame to say goodbye to Caleb. Many thanks to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
March 4, 2022
⭐️4 Stars⭐️
Those Who Perish is a gutsy crime thriller by Australian Author Emma Viskic and it’s the fourth and finale in the series (my first!).
It’s a really innovative and unique read, the protagonist Caleb Zelic (whose character I loved!) is a deaf Private Investigator. The authors extensive research into the deaf community is evident in the book. Caleb is a very likeable and memorable character, he’s smart but doesn’t alway manage to get his theories correct as sometimes misread lips and lack of sounds can create confusion. Caleb has strength in other areas and he doesn’t regard his deafness as a disability.
The plot is intriguing involving a remote island community off the coast of Caleb’s home town of Resurrection Bay and a mysterious call for help concerning his brother Ant who has a drug addiction. Ant and Caleb have a rocky relationship as does Caleb and his pregnant wife.
The deadly mystery on the island will have you guessing until the end! The characters are entertaining and I enjoyed the banter. The story flowed at a great pace and I think I’m going to have to read more of the series now!
Publication date 01 March 22
Publisher Echo Publishing
Thank you so much to the wonderful team at Echo Publishing for the advance reading copy.
Those Who Perish is a gutsy crime thriller by Australian Author Emma Viskic and it’s the fourth and finale in the series (my first!).
It’s a really innovative and unique read, the protagonist Caleb Zelic (whose character I loved!) is a deaf Private Investigator. The authors extensive research into the deaf community is evident in the book. Caleb is a very likeable and memorable character, he’s smart but doesn’t alway manage to get his theories correct as sometimes misread lips and lack of sounds can create confusion. Caleb has strength in other areas and he doesn’t regard his deafness as a disability.
The plot is intriguing involving a remote island community off the coast of Caleb’s home town of Resurrection Bay and a mysterious call for help concerning his brother Ant who has a drug addiction. Ant and Caleb have a rocky relationship as does Caleb and his pregnant wife.
The deadly mystery on the island will have you guessing until the end! The characters are entertaining and I enjoyed the banter. The story flowed at a great pace and I think I’m going to have to read more of the series now!
Publication date 01 March 22
Publisher Echo Publishing
Thank you so much to the wonderful team at Echo Publishing for the advance reading copy.
August 4, 2022
3.5*
Those Who Perish is the fourth and (according to the blurb) final instalment in Emma Viskic's series featuring deaf private investigator Caleb Zelic. Having just finished reading, I'm finding it difficult to process how I really feel about it.
Melbourne-based private investigator Caleb Zelic receives an anonymous text in the early hours, summoning him to a mysterious meeting on the Resurrection Bay foreshore, advising him that his brother Anton (generally known as Ant) is in danger. Following the action in the previous book, Ant has returned to his heroin habit and Caleb hasn't seen his brother in months. Understandably worried for Ant's health and safety, he races down the highway to make the rendezvous. When he arrives, he stumbles into a dramatic standoff: a sniper is positioned in a public toilet block and Ant is cowering in a garden bed, the security of which is rapidly lessening as the sun begins to rise.
After a body is found nearby, the apparent victim of the sniper, Caleb begins investigating on nearby Muttonbird Island, where Ant is currently an inpatient at a rehab clinic. The islanders are predictably unwilling to confide information to an outsider, but it's clear that something nefarious is going on. The stakes are further raised when Caleb and Ant discover a human body part on a secluded beach, again coming under fire from an unseen gunman. Meanwhile, Caleb has been retained by his old friend Mick to investigate a bizarre form of poison pen active amongst the Resurrection Bay footy club community. Will the Numbats overcome the scandal to survive for another season?
Returning to Resurrection Bay also enables Caleb to spend much-needed time with his wife Kat, who's now in the last stages of a much-awaited pregnancy. Caleb and Kat's relationship has always been tumultuous, faced as they are with a range of external pressures, including their different cultural backgrounds (Kat's extended family are members of the local indigenous population), the dangers to which Caleb's job has exposed them both over the years, and a history of lost pregnancies. Emotions are understandably running high, and Caleb is feeling the pressure to move their family base back to their home town of Resurrection Bay, away from most of his professional opportunities and the support of Melbourne's deaf community.
While I don't expect bunnies and rainbows in my crime-thriller reads, I felt that the self-destructive-verging-on-masochistic actions of the main character nearing the end of the book weren't really consistent with the character's behaviour and values as developed over the course of the series. He isn't an adolescent and he doesn't seem to be a man who revels in making his life as difficult as possible, but that's where he seems to be going in his personal life as the narrative draws to a close. I can see an argument for how a "happy ending" might not have served the purposes of maintaining dramatic tension in future instalments, but this ending left me feeling wrung-out. And not in a good way, but in a will-I-bother-returning-to-read-any-more-of-this-series way... if Those Who Perish actually is the series finale, as indicated in the blurb, I find the ending even more bamboozling.
Author Emma Viskic's prose style is well-fitted to the genre and subject matter, comprising as it does a stream of consciousness with an impressionistic vibe, frequently utilising sentence fragments, rather than traditional "longhand" narrative prose. This gives the reader an experience of punchy immediacy. Viskic also uses the device of a non-hearing protagonist to full effect, as Caleb struggles to rely on a combination of hearing aids and lip-reading when communicating with many other characters (with his nearest and dearest, he uses Auslan sign language). While there are many situations in which he struggles, he does put his lip-reading skills and the acuity of his other senses to good use in the course of his work as an investigator.
Those Who Perish is a solid instalment in what has been an intriguing Australian crime-thriller series. Despite my personal reservations about some features of the plot, I'd recommend it as an interesting read to those who are looking for something a little different in what's become a very competitive genre.
My thanks to the author, Emma Viskic, publisher Pushkin Press (Pushkin Vertigo), and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
Those Who Perish is the fourth and (according to the blurb) final instalment in Emma Viskic's series featuring deaf private investigator Caleb Zelic. Having just finished reading, I'm finding it difficult to process how I really feel about it.
Melbourne-based private investigator Caleb Zelic receives an anonymous text in the early hours, summoning him to a mysterious meeting on the Resurrection Bay foreshore, advising him that his brother Anton (generally known as Ant) is in danger. Following the action in the previous book, Ant has returned to his heroin habit and Caleb hasn't seen his brother in months. Understandably worried for Ant's health and safety, he races down the highway to make the rendezvous. When he arrives, he stumbles into a dramatic standoff: a sniper is positioned in a public toilet block and Ant is cowering in a garden bed, the security of which is rapidly lessening as the sun begins to rise.
After a body is found nearby, the apparent victim of the sniper, Caleb begins investigating on nearby Muttonbird Island, where Ant is currently an inpatient at a rehab clinic. The islanders are predictably unwilling to confide information to an outsider, but it's clear that something nefarious is going on. The stakes are further raised when Caleb and Ant discover a human body part on a secluded beach, again coming under fire from an unseen gunman. Meanwhile, Caleb has been retained by his old friend Mick to investigate a bizarre form of poison pen active amongst the Resurrection Bay footy club community. Will the Numbats overcome the scandal to survive for another season?
Returning to Resurrection Bay also enables Caleb to spend much-needed time with his wife Kat, who's now in the last stages of a much-awaited pregnancy. Caleb and Kat's relationship has always been tumultuous, faced as they are with a range of external pressures, including their different cultural backgrounds (Kat's extended family are members of the local indigenous population), the dangers to which Caleb's job has exposed them both over the years, and a history of lost pregnancies. Emotions are understandably running high, and Caleb is feeling the pressure to move their family base back to their home town of Resurrection Bay, away from most of his professional opportunities and the support of Melbourne's deaf community.
While I don't expect bunnies and rainbows in my crime-thriller reads, I felt that the self-destructive-verging-on-masochistic actions of the main character nearing the end of the book weren't really consistent with the character's behaviour and values as developed over the course of the series. He isn't an adolescent and he doesn't seem to be a man who revels in making his life as difficult as possible, but that's where he seems to be going in his personal life as the narrative draws to a close. I can see an argument for how a "happy ending" might not have served the purposes of maintaining dramatic tension in future instalments, but this ending left me feeling wrung-out. And not in a good way, but in a will-I-bother-returning-to-read-any-more-of-this-series way... if Those Who Perish actually is the series finale, as indicated in the blurb, I find the ending even more bamboozling.
Author Emma Viskic's prose style is well-fitted to the genre and subject matter, comprising as it does a stream of consciousness with an impressionistic vibe, frequently utilising sentence fragments, rather than traditional "longhand" narrative prose. This gives the reader an experience of punchy immediacy. Viskic also uses the device of a non-hearing protagonist to full effect, as Caleb struggles to rely on a combination of hearing aids and lip-reading when communicating with many other characters (with his nearest and dearest, he uses Auslan sign language). While there are many situations in which he struggles, he does put his lip-reading skills and the acuity of his other senses to good use in the course of his work as an investigator.
Those Who Perish is a solid instalment in what has been an intriguing Australian crime-thriller series. Despite my personal reservations about some features of the plot, I'd recommend it as an interesting read to those who are looking for something a little different in what's become a very competitive genre.
My thanks to the author, Emma Viskic, publisher Pushkin Press (Pushkin Vertigo), and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
April 24, 2022
The fourth of the Caleb Zelic series, Those Who Perish by Emma Viskic is a truly enjoyable read with wonderful characters. Receiving an urgent text that his brother is in danger, Caleb rushes to Resurrection Bay only to encounter a sniper. Ant then disappears and Caleb searches for him, while also seeing his pregnant partner who is due to give birth at any moment. Typically, Caleb’s investigation leads to trouble and places those he loves at most risk, but he can’t seem to help himself. He is then asked to investigate the stolen local footy mascot being used to post compromising photos of drug taking and lewd acts. A charming tale of crime, family and life in a small town with its humorous moments. So, a high class Aussie noir crime novel with a must read five-star rating.
January 31, 2022
Those Who Perish is the fourth Caleb Zelic thriller by award-winning Australian author, Emma Viskic. A mysterious text about his brother Anton sees deaf PI Caleb Zelic rushing to Resurrection Bay, and into the range of a sniper. Ant flees unharmed, but another man dies.
Before he has a chance to track his brother down, one of his wife, Kat’s mob ropes him in to investigate the theft of the local football team’s mascot. Larger-than-life Norman Numbat has subsequently been used on social media to troll the members of the Mighty Fighting Numbats football club: suggestive photos with scandalous implications are affecting the Club’s fundraising.
When he does track Ant down, it’s on Muttonbird Island, a small community that has an entrenched distrust of incomers. Slaughtered animals and threatening notes have been left on doorsteps, and Ant’s association with the shooting victim makes him a potential target. If Caleb is to keep Ant safe, he feels he needs to find the shooter.
One big advantage to being in the Bay is being close to Kat, now only weeks from her due date, although that does also mean running the gauntlet of his sisters-in-law and verbal encounters with Kat’s mother which don’t do a lot for his self-esteem: “You’re always welcome, Caleb. Particularly when you don’t track mud and blood through the house.” Investigation is all very well, but keeping danger away from Kat is a priority…
Caleb does seem to have a bit of a scattergun approach to obtaining information, and tends to jump to conclusions, managing to get the wrong ends of several sticks, and deducing conspiracy theories that feature blackmailers, the police and white supremacist groups.
While his emotional intelligence seems to be improving, he is still frequently clueless with relationships, poorly judging just whom he should trust, and managing to queer his pitch with both Ant and Kat (again!). By the final dramatic climax, Caleb has been framed for possession of a firearm, beaten, stabbed, shot at, has almost drowned and barely survived two explosions.
As always, the dialogue between the main protagonists is often clever and funny, the banter between the brothers being especially entertaining, and a particular exchange with his mother-in-law, utterly hilarious. Viskic easily conveys the feel of the coastal Victorian town and an island populated by quirky characters, some reclusive, possibly using false names, possibly a war criminal in hiding: a place where many know what dark deeds are being done but are afraid to tell.
Viskic’s extensive research into the deaf community is apparent on every page, and Caleb’s challenges lip-reading those with poor enunciation, while often amusing, might cause the reader to consider just how easily they themselves might be (mis)understood by the hearing-impaired.
Caleb Zelic’s fourth outing features a fast-paced plot with twists and turns that will keep even the most astute the reader guessing until the final pages. More of this unusual protagonist is most definitely welcome!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Echo Publishing
Before he has a chance to track his brother down, one of his wife, Kat’s mob ropes him in to investigate the theft of the local football team’s mascot. Larger-than-life Norman Numbat has subsequently been used on social media to troll the members of the Mighty Fighting Numbats football club: suggestive photos with scandalous implications are affecting the Club’s fundraising.
When he does track Ant down, it’s on Muttonbird Island, a small community that has an entrenched distrust of incomers. Slaughtered animals and threatening notes have been left on doorsteps, and Ant’s association with the shooting victim makes him a potential target. If Caleb is to keep Ant safe, he feels he needs to find the shooter.
One big advantage to being in the Bay is being close to Kat, now only weeks from her due date, although that does also mean running the gauntlet of his sisters-in-law and verbal encounters with Kat’s mother which don’t do a lot for his self-esteem: “You’re always welcome, Caleb. Particularly when you don’t track mud and blood through the house.” Investigation is all very well, but keeping danger away from Kat is a priority…
Caleb does seem to have a bit of a scattergun approach to obtaining information, and tends to jump to conclusions, managing to get the wrong ends of several sticks, and deducing conspiracy theories that feature blackmailers, the police and white supremacist groups.
While his emotional intelligence seems to be improving, he is still frequently clueless with relationships, poorly judging just whom he should trust, and managing to queer his pitch with both Ant and Kat (again!). By the final dramatic climax, Caleb has been framed for possession of a firearm, beaten, stabbed, shot at, has almost drowned and barely survived two explosions.
As always, the dialogue between the main protagonists is often clever and funny, the banter between the brothers being especially entertaining, and a particular exchange with his mother-in-law, utterly hilarious. Viskic easily conveys the feel of the coastal Victorian town and an island populated by quirky characters, some reclusive, possibly using false names, possibly a war criminal in hiding: a place where many know what dark deeds are being done but are afraid to tell.
Viskic’s extensive research into the deaf community is apparent on every page, and Caleb’s challenges lip-reading those with poor enunciation, while often amusing, might cause the reader to consider just how easily they themselves might be (mis)understood by the hearing-impaired.
Caleb Zelic’s fourth outing features a fast-paced plot with twists and turns that will keep even the most astute the reader guessing until the final pages. More of this unusual protagonist is most definitely welcome!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Echo Publishing
June 12, 2022
When Caleb Zelic received an anonymous message saying his brother Anton was in danger, Caleb dropped everything and headed from Melbourne to Resurrection Bay. When he found Ant, hiding from a sniper, he was thankfully safe, but angry and aggressive. When he headed back to the rehabilitation clinic on Muttonbird Island, Caleb let him go and headed to see his pregnant wife, Kat. But he had to leave her again and head to the island. He had to see Ant and work out their relationship as he hadn’t seen or been able to find Ant in months. The fragile link between the two brothers needed to be mended.
But Caleb’s suspicions escalated on the island – there was a small community of folk who were close mouthed and wouldn’t speak to him, including the shop owner and many others. The doctor running the clinic, who Ant thought a lot of, rose the hackles on Caleb’s neck and the locals who wouldn’t look him in the eye – what was happening? What was he up against? It was hard enough with his being deaf, but with all that was going on, he knew the danger was high…
Those Who Perish is the 4th and final episode in the Caleb Zelic series by Aussie author Emma Viskic and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Caleb had a rough trot this episode, making mistakes, finding danger every way he turned. But it was good to see him and Ant trying to reconcile. I’m looking forward to seeing what Ms Viskic has up her sleeve for us next. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Echo Publishing and Pushkin Press for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
But Caleb’s suspicions escalated on the island – there was a small community of folk who were close mouthed and wouldn’t speak to him, including the shop owner and many others. The doctor running the clinic, who Ant thought a lot of, rose the hackles on Caleb’s neck and the locals who wouldn’t look him in the eye – what was happening? What was he up against? It was hard enough with his being deaf, but with all that was going on, he knew the danger was high…
Those Who Perish is the 4th and final episode in the Caleb Zelic series by Aussie author Emma Viskic and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Caleb had a rough trot this episode, making mistakes, finding danger every way he turned. But it was good to see him and Ant trying to reconcile. I’m looking forward to seeing what Ms Viskic has up her sleeve for us next. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Echo Publishing and Pushkin Press for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
July 3, 2022
Another nail-biting read in what has been a reliably good Aussie crime series. I sincerely hope this is not really the end, although if it is, I have to hand it to Emma Viskic for finding a good place to leave the story.
Just a few months after the events of Darkness for Light, Caleb Zelic, deaf PI, has been summoned back to Resurrection Bay in the middle of the night by an anonymous text message. Apparently his brother Ant has resurfaced, and may be in trouble. Arriving in the coastal town as dawn is about to break, Caleb does indeed find Ant in more than a spot of bother - under sniper fire. So begins Caleb's latest heart-pounding investigation, where protecting his loved ones is just a difficult as uncovering the truth. As we've come to expect, Caleb's stubbornness and fire is balanced by Kat's calm, but this time the stakes are higher than ever for this couple, with the birth of their baby imminent.
Although I've enjoyed all books in this series, this one may be my favourite yet. It incorporates all the things we've come to love about Caleb's universe; a tight plot, relentless pace, character growth, irreverence and what seems to be a realistic insight to deafness. Above all, the thing I enjoyed the most this time was having Ant feature prominently in the story. The relationship between the brothers is completely relatable.
With thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for a copy to read and review.
Just a few months after the events of Darkness for Light, Caleb Zelic, deaf PI, has been summoned back to Resurrection Bay in the middle of the night by an anonymous text message. Apparently his brother Ant has resurfaced, and may be in trouble. Arriving in the coastal town as dawn is about to break, Caleb does indeed find Ant in more than a spot of bother - under sniper fire. So begins Caleb's latest heart-pounding investigation, where protecting his loved ones is just a difficult as uncovering the truth. As we've come to expect, Caleb's stubbornness and fire is balanced by Kat's calm, but this time the stakes are higher than ever for this couple, with the birth of their baby imminent.
Although I've enjoyed all books in this series, this one may be my favourite yet. It incorporates all the things we've come to love about Caleb's universe; a tight plot, relentless pace, character growth, irreverence and what seems to be a realistic insight to deafness. Above all, the thing I enjoyed the most this time was having Ant feature prominently in the story. The relationship between the brothers is completely relatable.
With thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for a copy to read and review.
May 16, 2022
I enjoyed the previous three books in the Caleb Zelic series, so despite being tired of the genre, I gave in to the temptation and started listening to the audiobook of the latest instalment.
Caleb Zelic is an endearing, unique character, who's got extra challenges due to being deaf.
He finds himself in all sorts of interesting situations.
As far as I'm concerned, there was too much going on, including a sniper, which I felt was nonchalantly dismissed or not dealt with in a realistic way.
Of course, I do understand that all these red herrings are necessary for this type of novel.
It's just that I get annoyed when people who are seemingly competent and intelligent do stupid things.
I suspect this novel goes into the it's not you, it's me category.
Caleb Zelic is an endearing, unique character, who's got extra challenges due to being deaf.
He finds himself in all sorts of interesting situations.
As far as I'm concerned, there was too much going on, including a sniper, which I felt was nonchalantly dismissed or not dealt with in a realistic way.
Of course, I do understand that all these red herrings are necessary for this type of novel.
It's just that I get annoyed when people who are seemingly competent and intelligent do stupid things.
I suspect this novel goes into the it's not you, it's me category.
March 6, 2022
Those Who Perish is the fourth Caleb Zelic thriller by award-winning Australian author, Emma Viskic. The audio version is narrated by Lewis Fitz-Gerald. A mysterious text about his brother Anton sees deaf PI Caleb Zelic rushing to Resurrection Bay, and into the range of a sniper. Ant flees unharmed, but another man dies.
Before he has a chance to track his brother down, one of his wife, Kat’s mob ropes him in to investigate the theft of the local football team’s mascot. Larger-than-life Norman Numbat has subsequently been used on social media to troll the members of the Mighty Fighting Numbats football club: suggestive photos with scandalous implications are affecting the Club’s fundraising.
When he does track Ant down, it’s on Muttonbird Island, a small community that has an entrenched distrust of incomers. Slaughtered animals and threatening notes have been left on doorsteps, and Ant’s association with the shooting victim makes him a potential target. If Caleb is to keep Ant safe, he feels he needs to find the shooter.
One big advantage to being in the Bay is being close to Kat, now only weeks from her due date, although that does also mean running the gauntlet of his sisters-in-law and verbal encounters with Kat’s mother which don’t do a lot for his self-esteem: “You’re always welcome, Caleb. Particularly when you don’t track mud and blood through the house.” Investigation is all very well, but keeping danger away from Kat is a priority…
Caleb does seem to have a bit of a scattergun approach to obtaining information, and tends to jump to conclusions, managing to get the wrong ends of several sticks, and deducing conspiracy theories that feature blackmailers, the police and white supremacist groups.
While his emotional intelligence seems to be improving, he is still frequently clueless with relationships, poorly judging just whom he should trust, and managing to queer his pitch with both Ant and Kat (again!). By the final dramatic climax, Caleb has been framed for possession of a firearm, beaten, stabbed, shot at, has almost drowned and barely survived two explosions.
As always, the dialogue between the main protagonists is often clever and funny, the banter between the brothers being especially entertaining, and a particular exchange with his mother-in-law, utterly hilarious. Viskic easily conveys the feel of the coastal Victorian town and an island populated by quirky characters, some reclusive, possibly using false names, possibly a war criminal in hiding: a place where many know what dark deeds are being done but are afraid to tell.
Viskic’s extensive research into the deaf community is apparent on every page, and Caleb’s challenges lip-reading those with poor enunciation, while often amusing, might cause the reader to consider just how easily they themselves might be (mis)understood by the hearing-impaired.
Caleb Zelic’s fourth outing features a fast-paced plot with twists and turns that will keep even the most astute the reader guessing until the final pages. More of this unusual protagonist is most definitely welcome!
Before he has a chance to track his brother down, one of his wife, Kat’s mob ropes him in to investigate the theft of the local football team’s mascot. Larger-than-life Norman Numbat has subsequently been used on social media to troll the members of the Mighty Fighting Numbats football club: suggestive photos with scandalous implications are affecting the Club’s fundraising.
When he does track Ant down, it’s on Muttonbird Island, a small community that has an entrenched distrust of incomers. Slaughtered animals and threatening notes have been left on doorsteps, and Ant’s association with the shooting victim makes him a potential target. If Caleb is to keep Ant safe, he feels he needs to find the shooter.
One big advantage to being in the Bay is being close to Kat, now only weeks from her due date, although that does also mean running the gauntlet of his sisters-in-law and verbal encounters with Kat’s mother which don’t do a lot for his self-esteem: “You’re always welcome, Caleb. Particularly when you don’t track mud and blood through the house.” Investigation is all very well, but keeping danger away from Kat is a priority…
Caleb does seem to have a bit of a scattergun approach to obtaining information, and tends to jump to conclusions, managing to get the wrong ends of several sticks, and deducing conspiracy theories that feature blackmailers, the police and white supremacist groups.
While his emotional intelligence seems to be improving, he is still frequently clueless with relationships, poorly judging just whom he should trust, and managing to queer his pitch with both Ant and Kat (again!). By the final dramatic climax, Caleb has been framed for possession of a firearm, beaten, stabbed, shot at, has almost drowned and barely survived two explosions.
As always, the dialogue between the main protagonists is often clever and funny, the banter between the brothers being especially entertaining, and a particular exchange with his mother-in-law, utterly hilarious. Viskic easily conveys the feel of the coastal Victorian town and an island populated by quirky characters, some reclusive, possibly using false names, possibly a war criminal in hiding: a place where many know what dark deeds are being done but are afraid to tell.
Viskic’s extensive research into the deaf community is apparent on every page, and Caleb’s challenges lip-reading those with poor enunciation, while often amusing, might cause the reader to consider just how easily they themselves might be (mis)understood by the hearing-impaired.
Caleb Zelic’s fourth outing features a fast-paced plot with twists and turns that will keep even the most astute the reader guessing until the final pages. More of this unusual protagonist is most definitely welcome!
May 10, 2022
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Those Who Perish is the last issue in the Caleb Zelic thriller series. Emma Viskic’s latest represents an exhilarating, taut and electrifying close to this engaging Australian based crime fiction set.
The final chapter in Emma Viskic’s crime fiction series sees PI Caleb Zelic solving a mystery on a distant island off the coast of Resurrection Bay. Caleb’s investigative skills are put to the ultimate test when a complex mystery case falls into his hands. But Caleb has troubles on the personal front to deal with alongside this trying investigation. When Caleb learns that his brother Anton is in danger, he sees this as an opportunity to redeem himself. When Caleb finally reaches Anton, he finds him at a remote island. It is here that Caleb unearths a cache full of untold truths and entrenched bad feelings. To make matters worse, a killer is on the loose and this closed off community is placed in immediate danger. It forces these two estranged brothers to connect like never before as they fight to save a community at the mercy of a sniper.
Emma Viskic is a hardworking Australian crime author who has contributed a healthy supply of mystery thriller novels to the Aussie crime fiction genre. I have enjoyed following the Caleb Zelic series. I think Those Who Perish could be read independently of the previous books in the series, but to experience all this series has to offer it is best to read the whole set in a row. Those Who Perish is a great final instalment of Emma Viskic’s well crafted series.
I loved the setting featured in Those Who Perish. Isolated Australian communities are fantastic stage bases for mystery novels to play out. Emma Viskic’s novel is well suited to the remote community landscape depicted in this novel. I inhaled the descriptions of this coastal backdrop, Emma Viskic did a fantastic job of illuminating this area. I felt like a bystander watching on as a killer struck this island community. The central mystery was smart and perplexing. I found it hard to unlock the secrets of this one! The narrative is clear and concise, thanks to Viskic’s sparse prose. I really appreciated the whip-smart tone of this novel.
I have followed lead character Caleb Zelic since the first book in this series. It has been a pleasure to oversee the growth and various changes take place in this man’s often challenging life. In this concluding novel of the series, I found I liked the relationship aspect of the story. With plenty of human relationships to examine, personal conflicts to attend to and interactions to consider, Those Who Perish is more than just a standard crime mystery novel. The stress and strain the immediate cast go through in this story plays out well, making Emma Viskic’s latest a compelling thriller. It was a challenging end for me as I reached the conclusion of Those Who Perish, as it seems a shame to say goodbye to this top crime fiction series. I look forward to reading Emma Viskic’s new stand-alone novel, which she is currently working on. Good news!
Those Who Perish is the last issue in the Caleb Zelic thriller series. Emma Viskic’s latest represents an exhilarating, taut and electrifying close to this engaging Australian based crime fiction set.
The final chapter in Emma Viskic’s crime fiction series sees PI Caleb Zelic solving a mystery on a distant island off the coast of Resurrection Bay. Caleb’s investigative skills are put to the ultimate test when a complex mystery case falls into his hands. But Caleb has troubles on the personal front to deal with alongside this trying investigation. When Caleb learns that his brother Anton is in danger, he sees this as an opportunity to redeem himself. When Caleb finally reaches Anton, he finds him at a remote island. It is here that Caleb unearths a cache full of untold truths and entrenched bad feelings. To make matters worse, a killer is on the loose and this closed off community is placed in immediate danger. It forces these two estranged brothers to connect like never before as they fight to save a community at the mercy of a sniper.
Emma Viskic is a hardworking Australian crime author who has contributed a healthy supply of mystery thriller novels to the Aussie crime fiction genre. I have enjoyed following the Caleb Zelic series. I think Those Who Perish could be read independently of the previous books in the series, but to experience all this series has to offer it is best to read the whole set in a row. Those Who Perish is a great final instalment of Emma Viskic’s well crafted series.
I loved the setting featured in Those Who Perish. Isolated Australian communities are fantastic stage bases for mystery novels to play out. Emma Viskic’s novel is well suited to the remote community landscape depicted in this novel. I inhaled the descriptions of this coastal backdrop, Emma Viskic did a fantastic job of illuminating this area. I felt like a bystander watching on as a killer struck this island community. The central mystery was smart and perplexing. I found it hard to unlock the secrets of this one! The narrative is clear and concise, thanks to Viskic’s sparse prose. I really appreciated the whip-smart tone of this novel.
I have followed lead character Caleb Zelic since the first book in this series. It has been a pleasure to oversee the growth and various changes take place in this man’s often challenging life. In this concluding novel of the series, I found I liked the relationship aspect of the story. With plenty of human relationships to examine, personal conflicts to attend to and interactions to consider, Those Who Perish is more than just a standard crime mystery novel. The stress and strain the immediate cast go through in this story plays out well, making Emma Viskic’s latest a compelling thriller. It was a challenging end for me as I reached the conclusion of Those Who Perish, as it seems a shame to say goodbye to this top crime fiction series. I look forward to reading Emma Viskic’s new stand-alone novel, which she is currently working on. Good news!
March 31, 2022
“He’d done the worst he could, the best he could, just had to find a way of living with it.”
Those Who Perish is the final Instalment in the outstanding crime series by Emma Viskic featuring deaf security consultant Caleb Zelic.
Following the tumultuous events of Resurrection Bay, And Fire Came Down, and Darkness for Light, Caleb seems to be in a better place. Business is steady, he’s reconciled with his wife, Kat, and with the birth of their first child imminent he is making plans for the future, but it all begins to come undone when Caleb receives a text warning him that his estranged brother, Anton, is in trouble. After rescuing an ungrateful Anton from the attentions of a sniper, Caleb vows to untangle his brother from whatever he’s gotten himself into, and is drawn into the strange goings on in the insular community of Muttonbird Island, a short ferry ride across Resurrection Bay.
Viskic develops a complex plot that has Caleb struggling to make sense of the links between a new rehabilitation facility on the island, a sniper with a growing body count, shipping invoices, blackmail, Neo-Nazi’s, and a cheese maker. Even with Anton’s grudging cooperation, Caleb doesn’t feel as if he is making much progress, but he must be stepping on someone’s toes because his family’s house is blown up, and very nearly Caleb too, more than once. There are plenty of red herrings, and personally I was as stumped as Caleb, not sure what was really going on or who was involved, until almost the same moment it all came together for him.
While there has been plenty of action over the course of the series, Viskic has never neglected Caleb’s character development, and I was cheered by his emotional growth in Darkness for Light, so it’s almost painful to witness Caleb backsliding in Those Who Perish. His concerns about impending fatherhood, Anton’s presence, and being back in Resurrection Bay reopens old wounds and insecurities, and overwhelmed, Caleb shuts down. By the time he is able to acknowledge that mistake his relationship with his brother, and Kat, may be past saving.
I’ve always appreciated the sharpness of Viskic’s succinct prose, reflecting in part, I think, Caleb’s own experience of understanding speech, and suited to the fast pace of the plot. Though descriptions are brief, they are enough to conjure images of the characters and landscape. Those Who Perish could be read as a stand alone but I recommend investing in the prior books for an enhanced experience.
I’m grateful for the epilogue that provides a semblance of closure, yet that still leaves the possibility of revival open. Those Who Perish is an exciting, tense and compelling finale to a stellar series.
Those Who Perish is the final Instalment in the outstanding crime series by Emma Viskic featuring deaf security consultant Caleb Zelic.
Following the tumultuous events of Resurrection Bay, And Fire Came Down, and Darkness for Light, Caleb seems to be in a better place. Business is steady, he’s reconciled with his wife, Kat, and with the birth of their first child imminent he is making plans for the future, but it all begins to come undone when Caleb receives a text warning him that his estranged brother, Anton, is in trouble. After rescuing an ungrateful Anton from the attentions of a sniper, Caleb vows to untangle his brother from whatever he’s gotten himself into, and is drawn into the strange goings on in the insular community of Muttonbird Island, a short ferry ride across Resurrection Bay.
Viskic develops a complex plot that has Caleb struggling to make sense of the links between a new rehabilitation facility on the island, a sniper with a growing body count, shipping invoices, blackmail, Neo-Nazi’s, and a cheese maker. Even with Anton’s grudging cooperation, Caleb doesn’t feel as if he is making much progress, but he must be stepping on someone’s toes because his family’s house is blown up, and very nearly Caleb too, more than once. There are plenty of red herrings, and personally I was as stumped as Caleb, not sure what was really going on or who was involved, until almost the same moment it all came together for him.
While there has been plenty of action over the course of the series, Viskic has never neglected Caleb’s character development, and I was cheered by his emotional growth in Darkness for Light, so it’s almost painful to witness Caleb backsliding in Those Who Perish. His concerns about impending fatherhood, Anton’s presence, and being back in Resurrection Bay reopens old wounds and insecurities, and overwhelmed, Caleb shuts down. By the time he is able to acknowledge that mistake his relationship with his brother, and Kat, may be past saving.
I’ve always appreciated the sharpness of Viskic’s succinct prose, reflecting in part, I think, Caleb’s own experience of understanding speech, and suited to the fast pace of the plot. Though descriptions are brief, they are enough to conjure images of the characters and landscape. Those Who Perish could be read as a stand alone but I recommend investing in the prior books for an enhanced experience.
I’m grateful for the epilogue that provides a semblance of closure, yet that still leaves the possibility of revival open. Those Who Perish is an exciting, tense and compelling finale to a stellar series.
June 16, 2022
Caleb Zelic, first met in Resurrection Bay, the first of this Australia set mystery/crime series, is a complicated man who tries to do right by everyone but often seems to short change himself. He is a deaf P.I. with only slight residual hearing when he uses the best of hearing aides. Otherwise he relies on careful lip reading and experience. And being careful.
In Those Who Perish, the fourth and last book of the series, Caleb and Kat are together, married and expecting a child very soon after suffering miscarriages. They are planning the future and Caleb is working on the adjustments of mindset and lifestyle he needs to make as a soon-to-be new father. Then he receives an anonymous text advising where “Ant”, his younger brother Anton, is. Caleb hasn’t known Ant’s whereabouts since the end of the last case and fears for his health. So he acts.
By acting, Caleb places himself in the middle of another dangerous situation which impacts everyone he knows and loves.
Another well written, constructed crime novel from Emma Viskic. I recommend this book along with the rest of the series. I believe that you could read and enjoy this as a stand alone, but you would miss the background of the characters developing relationships.
A copy of this book was provided by Pushkin Vertigo through NetGalley.
In Those Who Perish, the fourth and last book of the series, Caleb and Kat are together, married and expecting a child very soon after suffering miscarriages. They are planning the future and Caleb is working on the adjustments of mindset and lifestyle he needs to make as a soon-to-be new father. Then he receives an anonymous text advising where “Ant”, his younger brother Anton, is. Caleb hasn’t known Ant’s whereabouts since the end of the last case and fears for his health. So he acts.
By acting, Caleb places himself in the middle of another dangerous situation which impacts everyone he knows and loves.
Another well written, constructed crime novel from Emma Viskic. I recommend this book along with the rest of the series. I believe that you could read and enjoy this as a stand alone, but you would miss the background of the characters developing relationships.
A copy of this book was provided by Pushkin Vertigo through NetGalley.
May 4, 2022
A fitting finale (for now?) to a superb series that’s plunged readers into a diverse array of Australian communities. Caleb has grown as a man since we first met him in the award-hoarding Resurrection Bay, though the stubborn and snarky investigator is still a work-in-progress, like us all.
He’s now back with his wife Kat, an Aboriginal artist, and is a Dad-to-be. But when an anonymous text alerts Caleb to the whereabouts of his missing drug addict brother Ant, shots are fired, and a body found, Caleb is once again putting himself in danger. And risking his most precious relationships.
A sniper, a rehab community on an isolated island, and plenty of warnings. Viskic delivers a taut tale that doesn’t scrimp on character and place. Twisty storytelling pulsing with humanity; a novel carried on prose that sings.
This is an excerpt from a review first published in the New Zealand Listener in April 2022
He’s now back with his wife Kat, an Aboriginal artist, and is a Dad-to-be. But when an anonymous text alerts Caleb to the whereabouts of his missing drug addict brother Ant, shots are fired, and a body found, Caleb is once again putting himself in danger. And risking his most precious relationships.
A sniper, a rehab community on an isolated island, and plenty of warnings. Viskic delivers a taut tale that doesn’t scrimp on character and place. Twisty storytelling pulsing with humanity; a novel carried on prose that sings.
This is an excerpt from a review first published in the New Zealand Listener in April 2022
July 6, 2022
“Those Who Perish” is the fourth book in Viskic’s Caleb Zelic Australian Crime Fiction series. Caleb is nominally a private eye without the fedora and the slinky Secretary. He calls himself a consultant, but rarely seems to have paying clients and most of the time he’s pursuing something that no one hired him to pursue. This adventure is no exception as he is hired to find out who is abusing the local football team’s mascot, but that is almost banished to the background as he focuses like a laser beam on who used his brother Ant for target practice. By the way, Caleb gets by usually by lip reading at least if it’s not too dark or the speaker isn’t wearing a thick beard. Sometimes his hearing aids capture a bit of background but no detail. So quite unique for a private eye story, Caleb is more Clark Kent than Superman.
This story takes off where the third volume left off, not so much plot wise as much as relationship wise. Caleb’s on again off again love affair with Kat is blossoming again and he needs to act more levels me a family man especially with a little one on the way, but Caleb can’t stay out of trouble. His old partner Frankie is long gone, but the demons are circling Anton who is an On again off again drug addict who has had a lifelong difficult relationship with Caleb and certainly doesn’t want Caleb coming in like a knight in a white horse to save him.
Probably of the four books in the series this one is the most evenly paced, that is, it is pretty much filled with action – usually Caleb being shot at or misunderstanding what someone says. The novel has a gritty feel to it and, set as it is in Australia, has a different flavoring than many other mysteries.
This story takes off where the third volume left off, not so much plot wise as much as relationship wise. Caleb’s on again off again love affair with Kat is blossoming again and he needs to act more levels me a family man especially with a little one on the way, but Caleb can’t stay out of trouble. His old partner Frankie is long gone, but the demons are circling Anton who is an On again off again drug addict who has had a lifelong difficult relationship with Caleb and certainly doesn’t want Caleb coming in like a knight in a white horse to save him.
Probably of the four books in the series this one is the most evenly paced, that is, it is pretty much filled with action – usually Caleb being shot at or misunderstanding what someone says. The novel has a gritty feel to it and, set as it is in Australia, has a different flavoring than many other mysteries.
May 2, 2022
Pacey and very readable, but lacking the magic of the earlier Caleb Zelic thrillers. The fourth and final novel in the series and Caleb’s unresolved issues with his family and partner are starting to get old. The thriller plot was a lot of build up without much pay off, and I’m still a little unclear about whether the perpetrators actions were proportionate. Still enjoyable, would recommend to fans of the first three novels.
March 9, 2022
Bit disappointed an issue from an earlier book ending wasn’t resolved - but good series overall.
December 2, 2022
I'm not good with the end of things that I've really loved but when it came to the Caleb Zelic series by Emma Viskic, it turns out there was only so long I could hold out.
The earlier books in the series, RESURRECTION BAY, AND FIRE CAME DOWN, and DARKNESS FOR LIGHT, introduced readers to the messy world that Caleb Zelic inhabits, although there are glimpses in THOSE WHO PERISH of a man determined, and very nearly managing, to get his act together.
For readers new to this series, (where have you been!) Zelic has a complicated backstory, growing up in a small seaside town, with a tricky father, and a brother who's done (in Paul Kelly's words), "all the dumb things". By way of background, Caleb's deaf, Ant is a drug addict and Caleb's wife Kat is pregnant. Ant's been missing for months, when he suddenly reappears on an isolated island in a rehab centre. Kat is living back in the same small town as well, with her mother, wanting to be on country for the birth of their child. Caleb's sort of house-hunting in Melbourne, but he's called back to the town in a hurry, when cryptic messages warn him Ant's in trouble.
Discovering Ant hunkered down dodging sniper bullets, leads to Caleb finding out where he's been, and some weird connections between the rehab centre, the island it's located on, a man's body pulled out of the bay, the sniper and a growing body count, a tattooed arm, a white van, Neo-Nazi's and a cheesemaker with a dodgy taste in cardigans.
Frenetic needless to say, leading to a complicated plot that has Ant reluctantly helping out, Caleb reluctantly investigating everything on all fronts, Kat reluctantly putting up with all of this and her family reluctantly accepting Caleb is back and causing chaos again. There's a lot going on here and readers might find themselves utterly bamboozled at points - certainly there were times I thought I'm not sure Caleb's got the slightest idea and I'm right there with him. It's also particularly poignant to realise that the more things get out of control, the more Caleb turns inwards. He's always struggled with insecurities, raised as the boys were by a bit of a taskmaster of a father, somebody who refused point blank to acknowledge Caleb's deafness, fighting against any show of vulnerability on behalf of either son - part of what has made Ant's life disappear off the rails as well.
Viskic has a powerful form of delivery in this series - succinct, pared down and rapid paced, there's still plenty of character definition and development. Everyone in Caleb's life is understandable, sympathetic and realistic. There's something more though in the portrayal of Caleb - the rhythm of the novels seems to match the rhythm of his life - the sparse, rapid-fire descriptions of place and interactions with location and people reflect somebody whose view of the world is limited by what they can see - rather than hear. His observations of people and their interactions with him are particularly telling - his ability to lip read a major communication tool, the hearing aids that complicate things, and the way that he and Ant automatically slip into rapid sign language to communicate around people that they don't want in on the conversation is seamlessly built into the narrative. It's very realistic - and enlightening into the bargain.
As with any series like this, starting from the beginning is going to give readers a much better feel for Caleb, the people around him, and that sense he has of life in ricochet. You could pick this novel up as a standalone though, there's enough here to give you a feel for the backstory without bogging you down in screeds of past reflections. Having said that, there is a bit of necessary current reflection. About Ant and Caleb's father, their family home, the town in which they grew up, the people that are still there. Caleb's marriage, Kat and her family, the footy club, the island community and the nature of small towns and family tensions are part of that, as is the sneaking suspicion that even when Caleb's trying to get his act together, he's going to stuff it up. There's a couple of twists in the tail there, with enough possibilities for readers to make up their own minds how Caleb's life is going to pan out.
It's sad to see the ending of what's been a great, and multi-award winning series. Here's hoping Viskic goes onto other things - she's too good a writer for Australian Crime Fiction to let go.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
The earlier books in the series, RESURRECTION BAY, AND FIRE CAME DOWN, and DARKNESS FOR LIGHT, introduced readers to the messy world that Caleb Zelic inhabits, although there are glimpses in THOSE WHO PERISH of a man determined, and very nearly managing, to get his act together.
For readers new to this series, (where have you been!) Zelic has a complicated backstory, growing up in a small seaside town, with a tricky father, and a brother who's done (in Paul Kelly's words), "all the dumb things". By way of background, Caleb's deaf, Ant is a drug addict and Caleb's wife Kat is pregnant. Ant's been missing for months, when he suddenly reappears on an isolated island in a rehab centre. Kat is living back in the same small town as well, with her mother, wanting to be on country for the birth of their child. Caleb's sort of house-hunting in Melbourne, but he's called back to the town in a hurry, when cryptic messages warn him Ant's in trouble.
Discovering Ant hunkered down dodging sniper bullets, leads to Caleb finding out where he's been, and some weird connections between the rehab centre, the island it's located on, a man's body pulled out of the bay, the sniper and a growing body count, a tattooed arm, a white van, Neo-Nazi's and a cheesemaker with a dodgy taste in cardigans.
Frenetic needless to say, leading to a complicated plot that has Ant reluctantly helping out, Caleb reluctantly investigating everything on all fronts, Kat reluctantly putting up with all of this and her family reluctantly accepting Caleb is back and causing chaos again. There's a lot going on here and readers might find themselves utterly bamboozled at points - certainly there were times I thought I'm not sure Caleb's got the slightest idea and I'm right there with him. It's also particularly poignant to realise that the more things get out of control, the more Caleb turns inwards. He's always struggled with insecurities, raised as the boys were by a bit of a taskmaster of a father, somebody who refused point blank to acknowledge Caleb's deafness, fighting against any show of vulnerability on behalf of either son - part of what has made Ant's life disappear off the rails as well.
Viskic has a powerful form of delivery in this series - succinct, pared down and rapid paced, there's still plenty of character definition and development. Everyone in Caleb's life is understandable, sympathetic and realistic. There's something more though in the portrayal of Caleb - the rhythm of the novels seems to match the rhythm of his life - the sparse, rapid-fire descriptions of place and interactions with location and people reflect somebody whose view of the world is limited by what they can see - rather than hear. His observations of people and their interactions with him are particularly telling - his ability to lip read a major communication tool, the hearing aids that complicate things, and the way that he and Ant automatically slip into rapid sign language to communicate around people that they don't want in on the conversation is seamlessly built into the narrative. It's very realistic - and enlightening into the bargain.
As with any series like this, starting from the beginning is going to give readers a much better feel for Caleb, the people around him, and that sense he has of life in ricochet. You could pick this novel up as a standalone though, there's enough here to give you a feel for the backstory without bogging you down in screeds of past reflections. Having said that, there is a bit of necessary current reflection. About Ant and Caleb's father, their family home, the town in which they grew up, the people that are still there. Caleb's marriage, Kat and her family, the footy club, the island community and the nature of small towns and family tensions are part of that, as is the sneaking suspicion that even when Caleb's trying to get his act together, he's going to stuff it up. There's a couple of twists in the tail there, with enough possibilities for readers to make up their own minds how Caleb's life is going to pan out.
It's sad to see the ending of what's been a great, and multi-award winning series. Here's hoping Viskic goes onto other things - she's too good a writer for Australian Crime Fiction to let go.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
March 8, 2022
Turning the Australian crime genre on its head: Review of Those Who Perish by Emma Viskic
Those Who Perish, the fourth instalment in Viskic’s award-winning series, holds its own as a standalone. However, it’s worth starting with Resurrection Bay to appreciate Viskic’s brilliantly crafted origin story. Brokenness and resilience bind a cast of imperfect people trying to survive an imperfect world, each striving to make it better, whether through art, healing, sport or fighting evil.
For those new to her novels, PI Caleb Zelic is no ordinary crime fighter. For a start, he is profoundly deaf. Viskic, who learned Auslan to create Caleb, forces us to experience action through his POV. While deafness heightens his other senses, this does not stop him from blindly rushing in to protecting those he loves and attracting some dangerous enemies. He surfaces the extent, to which people will go when threatened with exposure and highlights how seemingly ‘good’ people do truly evils things.
The novel operates on meta-levels. On the surface, is a ferociously paced crime thriller. More deeply, it explores relationships, culture, morality, and sense of place and community. Caleb must choose between the lesser of evils and weigh up loyalties, however misplaced.
Those Who Perish, the fourth instalment in Viskic’s award-winning series, holds its own as a standalone. However, it’s worth starting with Resurrection Bay to appreciate Viskic’s brilliantly crafted origin story. Brokenness and resilience bind a cast of imperfect people trying to survive an imperfect world, each striving to make it better, whether through art, healing, sport or fighting evil.
For those new to her novels, PI Caleb Zelic is no ordinary crime fighter. For a start, he is profoundly deaf. Viskic, who learned Auslan to create Caleb, forces us to experience action through his POV. While deafness heightens his other senses, this does not stop him from blindly rushing in to protecting those he loves and attracting some dangerous enemies. He surfaces the extent, to which people will go when threatened with exposure and highlights how seemingly ‘good’ people do truly evils things.
The novel operates on meta-levels. On the surface, is a ferociously paced crime thriller. More deeply, it explores relationships, culture, morality, and sense of place and community. Caleb must choose between the lesser of evils and weigh up loyalties, however misplaced.
January 11, 2022
Mit „No Mercy“ geht es in den vierten Band um den gehörlosen Ermittler Caleb. Diesmal kommt es zu einem sehr persönlichen Fall. Calebs Bruder namens Anton bittet nach einem langen Kontaktstillstand Caleb um Hilfe, da er sich um das eigene Leben fürchtet. Zusammen fahren die Brüder auf die Insel, wo Anton zurzeit hinsichtlich seiner Drogenabhängigkeit therapiert wird. Doch der Arzt vor Ort hat einen enormen Einfluss auf Anton, sodass Anton kaum wiederzuerkennen ist. Nach und nach spüren die beiden Brüder gefährliche Geheimnisse auf. Die einzige Möglichkeit rauszukommen, ist die, dass die Brüder sich aufeinander verlassen müssen. Ist dies möglich?
Der vierte Band um Caleb gefiel mir im Hinblick auf die Spannungsgestaltung sowie die Charakterentwicklung am meisten. Da es für Caleb in diesem Buch sehr persönlich wird, lernen wir den gehörlosen Protagonisten noch tiefgründiger kennen. Folglich habe ich nach vier Bändern ein sehr umfangreiches Bild über Caleb, sodass man teilweise auch eine interessante Entwicklung vom ersten Band zu jetzt wahrnehmen kann. Ich fand besonders die Szenen mit seinem Bruder sehr interessant, da man somit das Beziehungsgeflecht noch näher kennenlernen durfte.
Wie erwähnt, gefiel mir die Spannungsgestaltung hier sehr. Das Maß an Actionszenen sowie Wendungen ist im Vergleich zu den anderen Bändern gestiegen, sodass mich das Buch gut unterhalten hat. Über mehrere Kapitel entstand an manchen Stellen eine Sogwirkung. Toll! So kann ich zum Schluss behaupten, dass dieser Band neben dem zweiten Fall der stärkste Band ist.
Fazit: Mit „No Mercy“ geht es in die vierte Runde um Caleb und Co. Diesmal wird es persönlich, spannend sowie emotional. Das Buch konnte mich gut unterhalten, sodass ich mir irgendwie erhoffe, dass irgendwann noch ein fünfter Band erscheinen wird. Ich bewerte das Buch mit 4,5 Sternen, abgerundet auf vier Sterne.
Der vierte Band um Caleb gefiel mir im Hinblick auf die Spannungsgestaltung sowie die Charakterentwicklung am meisten. Da es für Caleb in diesem Buch sehr persönlich wird, lernen wir den gehörlosen Protagonisten noch tiefgründiger kennen. Folglich habe ich nach vier Bändern ein sehr umfangreiches Bild über Caleb, sodass man teilweise auch eine interessante Entwicklung vom ersten Band zu jetzt wahrnehmen kann. Ich fand besonders die Szenen mit seinem Bruder sehr interessant, da man somit das Beziehungsgeflecht noch näher kennenlernen durfte.
Wie erwähnt, gefiel mir die Spannungsgestaltung hier sehr. Das Maß an Actionszenen sowie Wendungen ist im Vergleich zu den anderen Bändern gestiegen, sodass mich das Buch gut unterhalten hat. Über mehrere Kapitel entstand an manchen Stellen eine Sogwirkung. Toll! So kann ich zum Schluss behaupten, dass dieser Band neben dem zweiten Fall der stärkste Band ist.
Fazit: Mit „No Mercy“ geht es in die vierte Runde um Caleb und Co. Diesmal wird es persönlich, spannend sowie emotional. Das Buch konnte mich gut unterhalten, sodass ich mir irgendwie erhoffe, dass irgendwann noch ein fünfter Band erscheinen wird. Ich bewerte das Buch mit 4,5 Sternen, abgerundet auf vier Sterne.
February 28, 2023
Finally got around to reading the finale of the Caleb Zelic series by award winning author, Emma Viskic. It's been a couple of years in between books, but Emma's familiar writing brought me up to speed quite easily.
Here's what you need to know if you're a rookie, or like me, have forgotten quite a lot about this Deaf P.I. Caleb is married to Kat, who's expecting their first child after years of heartache. Kat is a proud First Nations woman, who's overly protective of her family and the land she walks on. Their marriage seems to be always on the rocks, given Caleb's knack for attracting trouble, but they are trying to work out the kinks before the baby arrives.
There's also Anton, Caleb's younger brother. Ant is one of those characters that is immediately lovable, despite his struggles with drug addiction. After overdosing previously, he went into hiding for many months, freaking out his brother and sister in law by the way. When he ultimately reconnects with Caleb, Ant has been giving rehab a solid go. And here enters the plot for our last outing.
An isolated island located just off shore from Resurrection Bay is the main setting of a dangerous mission. As Caleb's instincts kick in regarding an armed sniper that has Ant in his sights, it's soon apparent that nearly everyone is a prime suspect. As mentioned, Caleb's interrogation skills often leads to misunderstanding, which doesn't earn him too many friends! With no-one to trust, Ant's troubles quickly become Caleb's as well...
I found everything leading to this point was wrapped up well, with a possible happily ever after for Caleb and Kat. I also enjoyed the banter between Caleb and Ant, with them both butting heads constantly.
A fitting conclusion to a series I've loved from the beginning.
🌟🌟🌟🌟💫/5
Here's what you need to know if you're a rookie, or like me, have forgotten quite a lot about this Deaf P.I. Caleb is married to Kat, who's expecting their first child after years of heartache. Kat is a proud First Nations woman, who's overly protective of her family and the land she walks on. Their marriage seems to be always on the rocks, given Caleb's knack for attracting trouble, but they are trying to work out the kinks before the baby arrives.
There's also Anton, Caleb's younger brother. Ant is one of those characters that is immediately lovable, despite his struggles with drug addiction. After overdosing previously, he went into hiding for many months, freaking out his brother and sister in law by the way. When he ultimately reconnects with Caleb, Ant has been giving rehab a solid go. And here enters the plot for our last outing.
An isolated island located just off shore from Resurrection Bay is the main setting of a dangerous mission. As Caleb's instincts kick in regarding an armed sniper that has Ant in his sights, it's soon apparent that nearly everyone is a prime suspect. As mentioned, Caleb's interrogation skills often leads to misunderstanding, which doesn't earn him too many friends! With no-one to trust, Ant's troubles quickly become Caleb's as well...
I found everything leading to this point was wrapped up well, with a possible happily ever after for Caleb and Kat. I also enjoyed the banter between Caleb and Ant, with them both butting heads constantly.
A fitting conclusion to a series I've loved from the beginning.
🌟🌟🌟🌟💫/5
March 11, 2022
Those Who Perish by Emma Viskic is the fourth book in the popular series featuring private detective Caleb Zelic. I'd missed the first, Resurrection Bay, so it took me a couple of books to warm to Caleb but I've certainly done so.
Viskic's writing is again the stand-out for me. I mean, I really like Caleb but it's her taut prose that I find riveting.
I hadn't realised this was the final in the series until writing this but (before knowing that) had thought it seemed like it might be. There's a sense of closure, and though everything isn't tied in a bow for Caleb he's a different person to the character he started out as.
I'd love to read something else by Viskic. I commented in my review of And Fire Came Down that her writing is stunning. I mentioned there that she appears to leave out pronouns, objectives, subjects and so not only are her prose stylish but they're succinct and swift... offering momentum and it certainly kept me turning page after page until I was done.
3.5 stars
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
Viskic's writing is again the stand-out for me. I mean, I really like Caleb but it's her taut prose that I find riveting.
I hadn't realised this was the final in the series until writing this but (before knowing that) had thought it seemed like it might be. There's a sense of closure, and though everything isn't tied in a bow for Caleb he's a different person to the character he started out as.
I'd love to read something else by Viskic. I commented in my review of And Fire Came Down that her writing is stunning. I mentioned there that she appears to leave out pronouns, objectives, subjects and so not only are her prose stylish but they're succinct and swift... offering momentum and it certainly kept me turning page after page until I was done.
3.5 stars
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
April 18, 2022
The fourth in her series around Caleb Zelic, the deaf detective in an on-again, off-again relationship with a now pregnant Kat, a Koori woman artist with a sophisticated doctor mother, living in Resurrection Bay, a rural Australian setting. The book is readable and quite enjoyable, but has the problem common to many series detective novels – a big repetitiveness of structure in the main story in each book and an unnecessarily frequent repetition of character themes. In this case the constant repetition involves Caleb’s scratchy relationship with his brother Ant; the perspective on deafness and how he handles it in every interaction; Caleb’s ability to self-sabotage his relationships with Kat. The book’s ending leaves it set up for more of the same.
April 10, 2022
4.25 Stars. I have loved everything about this gutsy crime series… It’s achingly fallible (aka human) leading man Caleb, his strong leading lady, and its raw and strikingly authentic representation of society’s diversity (the good, bad and the ugly). But having now finished reading Those Who Perish #4, which is apparently this series’ final chapter, what stands above all the story elements is Emma Viskic’s writing style.
On her previous novel, I wrote:
“I read Book 3 in a single day. I did not think it possible, but the narrative in Darkness for Light is even more taut and compelling than the novels that precede it.“
Well, I’m here to say Viskic has somehow refined ‘taut and compelling’ even further. Out of context, her gritty and at times brutally short, clipped sentences would seem highly peculiar, but the way she packages them all together to convey her lead’s viewpoint… it’s evocative, it’s compelling, it’s tension-filled. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/...
On her previous novel, I wrote:
“I read Book 3 in a single day. I did not think it possible, but the narrative in Darkness for Light is even more taut and compelling than the novels that precede it.“
Well, I’m here to say Viskic has somehow refined ‘taut and compelling’ even further. Out of context, her gritty and at times brutally short, clipped sentences would seem highly peculiar, but the way she packages them all together to convey her lead’s viewpoint… it’s evocative, it’s compelling, it’s tension-filled. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/...
March 2, 2022
Those Who Perish is the finale book in the Caleb Zelic series by Emma Viskic.
At the time of requesting the book I didn't realise it was a series so I borrowed books 1-3 from my library just so I could read book 4 but my gosh the gear up for this book was well worth it.
Those Who Perish was a book I wanted to dive straight into but also a book I didn't want to read because I knew that the series was coming to an end. I honestly didn't want to say goodbye to the characters just yet.
In this book Caleb fights tooth and nail for his family, he is pushed further than before. A sniper is on the loose and people are dying directly in front of him or not long after talking to him.
Viskic, magically immerses you into the life of Caleb, from the suspense of criminal's, learning signal language and the difficulties of lip reading. I love that Viskic somehow lightens the challenges Caleb or other characters have by adding humour into it. Although, in this book I felt Caleb became slightly better at lip reading so it was great to see he was improving.
I love and somewhat hate the relationship he has with his brother Anton and his wife Kat. I found at times they push Caleb away or Caleb pushes them away because sometimes he feels inadequate or unsafe for them. It infuriates me because Caleb tries with all his might, as he is the type of character who doesn't stop at nothing to protect the ones he loves.
I would highly recommend reading the whole series in order, as you would get some background information on the characters mentioned in the book.
I can't wait to see what Emma Viskic has next in store. However I would love to maybe have another book added to Caleb Zelic just because of that ending. Hint hint.
Thank you so much to Echo Publishing and Sisters in Crime for giving me an ARC of Those Who Perish for an exchange of an honest review.
At the time of requesting the book I didn't realise it was a series so I borrowed books 1-3 from my library just so I could read book 4 but my gosh the gear up for this book was well worth it.
Those Who Perish was a book I wanted to dive straight into but also a book I didn't want to read because I knew that the series was coming to an end. I honestly didn't want to say goodbye to the characters just yet.
In this book Caleb fights tooth and nail for his family, he is pushed further than before. A sniper is on the loose and people are dying directly in front of him or not long after talking to him.
Viskic, magically immerses you into the life of Caleb, from the suspense of criminal's, learning signal language and the difficulties of lip reading. I love that Viskic somehow lightens the challenges Caleb or other characters have by adding humour into it. Although, in this book I felt Caleb became slightly better at lip reading so it was great to see he was improving.
I love and somewhat hate the relationship he has with his brother Anton and his wife Kat. I found at times they push Caleb away or Caleb pushes them away because sometimes he feels inadequate or unsafe for them. It infuriates me because Caleb tries with all his might, as he is the type of character who doesn't stop at nothing to protect the ones he loves.
I would highly recommend reading the whole series in order, as you would get some background information on the characters mentioned in the book.
I can't wait to see what Emma Viskic has next in store. However I would love to maybe have another book added to Caleb Zelic just because of that ending. Hint hint.
Thank you so much to Echo Publishing and Sisters in Crime for giving me an ARC of Those Who Perish for an exchange of an honest review.
January 23, 2023
I've read all 4 books in this series with Caleb Zelic and this was my favourite one, they were all good and got better as they went too. This one I listened to this as an audio book and I think it was just read so well by Lewis Fitz-Gerald that I just really enjoyed it more, his different character voices were really great, and I had much more of a sense of Caleb through this. I'm giving it 4 stars for the whole series. I have loved the relationship between Caleb and his brother Ant and also with Tedesco the cop. It's a very interesting concept for the series, a deaf private investigator and how he navigates his job around the issues that arise. Also had that country crime feel and I loved that we had the Indigenous community as not just part of the story but talking about their community's point of views and struggles. Very refreshing perspective and a satisfying ending.
August 12, 2022
Good but frustrating fourth (and final?) entry in the Caleb Zelig series which finds our here getting back together with his pregnant wife and trying to mend fences with his brother while investigating a murder that may have ties to the rehab clinic his brother is attending. The mystery plays out slowly as Caleb goes from one dead end to another and winds up with a few interesting surprises but nothing shocking. The strength of the series has always been the characters, and no different here, but Caleb may very well be the dumbest I've seen in a while. Goes out of his way to try and screw up everything good in his life for no sensible reason. Don't get it. Actually ends up dragging the story down. Ends on a somewhat positive note so maybe not all is lost. If this is the last, I'm sorry to see it go. A solid series I would recommend.
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