Is 20,000 words too short for a book? 20,000 words might be considered short for a full-length book, but it could still be suitable for novellas, short stories, or certain non-fiction works. As the number of days since the couple's disappearance climbs, DS Walker is joined by Rita's older sister. A detective herself with Berlin CID, she has flown to Australia - desperate to find her sister before it's too late. Unbeknownst to Walker, when a dangerously violent man introduced in the previous novel learns of his Gold Coast presence, plans are made for revenge against Walker. Overall, I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the landscape. There’s some extra information about the numbers of people who vanish as well as indigenous history, courtesy of DS Walker, who is an intelligent, thoughtful man. Should be a good series. I'm glad the author has turned her hand to Aussie fiction. Grogan's heartburn has been killing him. The whole last week he’s been chewing pink Pepto-Bismol squares like an addict but his chest is still burning.”

Several characters who appeared in the first book appear in the second, including members of the motorcycle gang that was producing drugs, but that story still remains unfinished. Most of the villains from the first instalment played minor roles in this book, and we received no further insight into the leak at the top—the person who is manipulating both the police and the drug dealers. This deeply atmospheric thriller is the gripping opening of a new crime series for fans of The Dry by Jane Harper, Cara Hunter and Chris Whitaker. Amid the worst drought to ravage Australia in a century, it hasn’t rained in small country town Kiewarra for two years. Tensions in the community become unbearable when three members of the Hadler family are brutally murdered. Everyone thinks Luke Hadler, who committed suicide after slaughtering his wife and six-year-old son, is guilty. The missing Rita has a sister who is a detective in Germany. She comes to Australia determined to find out what happened to Rita and eventually works with Walker. The majority of the community knows nothing or are not forthcoming. Possible witnesses are often interviewed while drinking in the local tavern. The searing heat, the vast distances, and the unhelpful district policeman hinder their investigations, and leads are scarce. Paradise is recommended to those that enjoy police procedurals with humanly developed characters and the novels of writers like Garry Disher. Paradise was provided by Embala Books through Netgalley upon the promise of a fair review and is set to be published on May 17, 2023.It takes a brain to say what to do, the sand to go ahead and do it, and the heart to hurt over it when it's done." Some might consider Wolf’s use of the unwelcoming local copper with a chip on his shoulder something of a cliché, since it seems it has become an overused staple of the genre. Yet I don’t take issue with it. Local coppers who are uncooperative with outside investigators from the big city, even bent ones, I think are a trope for Australian noir, something fans of the genre expect. And in this case, the questionable character of Chief Constable Grogan is an integral part of the plot. Can Kree and Ewan leave their pasts behind for long enough to find a future together? Flight to Coorah Creek by Janet Gover

Walker remains convinced there is more at play. Working in the organised crime unit has opened his eyes to the growing drug trade in Australia's remote interior. Could this be connected? As Walker and Guerra uncover more information, darker details are revealed along with an environment where a number of people seem to know more than they care to reveal, including Walker’s own supervisor. The author uses the intertwining of several different stories, from a young English boy with a convict mother, to an Aboriginal girl who becomes his wife, through their daughter and a woman who becomes her sister-in-law but is really perhaps a bit more. It chronicles their adventures, and the decisions they have to make to survive, and to some extent, how they impact people around them. Despite the absence of Barbara Guerrera in a physical presence, the hope for a reunion with Walker adds an emotional layer to the narrative, leaving readers eager for the next instalment. "Paradise" is a masterfully crafted continuation of DS Walker's adventures, maintaining the series' momentum and leaving fans eagerly anticipating the next chapter in Walker's journey. As with many seemingly straightforward missing persons cases, there’s a subversive subplot that makes itself known as Lucas begins digging deeper with his investigation. Drugs are involved (of course) as well as higher powers in the police force (inevitably) and the combination serves to create obstacles and greater danger to our protagonists.The book opens with a couple of German tourists, Berndt and Rita, in a small rented car, headed for the property where they’re expected to work a while to keep their visas active. Air con isn’t working. It’s hard to imagine conditions like this if you’ve never experienced the kind of heat that makes you desperately thirsty.

I enjoyed both Lucas Walker's and Barbara's characters. They complemented one another. Walker is on compassionate leave as his grandmother is dying. I loved the close relationship he has with her. And I enjoyed the way the Walker family embraced and supported Barbara.I have met many Americans who hold an almost nostalgic view of Australia, even those who have never been here; they see it as a more innocent version of the US, like America used to be. They often warn me: “Don’t do this or that, or you will end up like us.” Patricia Wolf does a good job here of building tension & the chapters written form the villains perspective are particularly strong & have a rather punchy tone to them. Let down only by perhaps some poorly written parts, where the prose & language becomes a little too rushed and familiar, losing the tonality set by the rest of the novel. It’s 12:30 and the car’s dashboard says the outside temperature is 41C. The road stretches in a straight line for miles, shimmering like oily water in the heat. On either side are flat plains of pale grass, leached by the sun of any hint of green, endless and empty.” Because most resources are applied to the high-profile home invasion investigation, Walker ends up as the main investigator rather than a mere advisor and is careful to hide this from his own boss. Angus takes a dainty sip then turns slightly to face him. The man has the charisma of a lizard, thinks Grogan. Those still, unblinking eyes, the leathered skin, cold gaze.”