Crimson Lake

January 1, 2018
Sydney homicide detective Ted Conkaffey, the pariah narrator of this engrossing suspense novel from Ned Kelly Award–winner Fox (Hades), is halfway through his trial for the rape and attempted murder of a 13-year-old girl when the NSW director of public prosecutions withdraws the charges, since the evidence isn’t strong enough to satisfy a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. Per Australian law, Ted could be prosecuted later if more evidence emerges. After his wife asks him for a divorce, Ted moves north to Crimson Lake, Queensland, where he hopes to remain incognito. Ted’s lawyer puts him in touch with Amanda Pharrell, a convicted killer who has become a PI after serving eight years in prison. Ted and Amanda decide to partner on an investigation to find a missing bestselling author. Meanwhile, Ted wrestles with harassment from local cops, a reporter on his tail, and vigilante attacks against him. The surprising conclusion will leave the reader looking forward to Ted and Amanda’s further adventures. Agent: Gaby Naher, Naher Agency (Australia).

Starred review from January 1, 2018
How does a man rebuild his life after the media describes him as the pedophile who kidnapped, raped, and strangled a 13-year-old girl and left her for dead? Ted Conkaffey, a Sydney cop with a wife and baby daughter, was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was unjustly accused and imprisoned for eight months until charges were set aside, leaving him in the purgatory of knowing he could be rearrested at any time. He flees to Cairns in the far north of Australia and tries to go by the name of Collins, but even there, he is recognized by two sadistic local cops, vigilantes, a sympathetic pathologist, and, eventually, the press. His supportive lawyer steers him to eccentric Amanda Pharrell, a convicted murderer, who has established herself as an investigator after getting out of prison, and the two of them start digging into the disappearance of a local celebrity author, while Conkaffey also probes his partner's past on the sly. This compelling first solo by one of James Patterson's many coauthors boasts full-bodied characters, suspense with a quirky edge, and a strong sense of place.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

October 15, 2017

Former Sydney detective Ted Conkaffey helps private investigator/convicted murderer Amanda Pharrell find a missing author. Ned Kelly Award winner Fox cowrote James Patterson's No. 1 New York Times best seller Never Never.

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