Vanishing Falls

May 1, 2020
Fans of Jane Harper's thrillers and their atmospheric Australian settings will be riveted by this gripping novel set in a small town deep in the Tasmanian rain forest. When Celia Lily goes missing, the evidence points to her husband, Jack, who is suspected of murdering her, although there is also the possibility that she has become another victim of the dangerous Vanishing Falls. Joelle Smithton knows that her neighbors view her as simpleminded, but she is clever in her own way. However, as she listens carefully and sorts out the details, she unwittingly places herself in danger. Joelle was implicated in a tragic crime as a young teen and has guarded that secret even from her husband, who has a past of altercations with the Lily family. Jack has plenty to hide, too, as does the down-on-their-luck couple he and Celia befriended. Many secrets, many motives. The reader will be hard put to figure this one out and will be amazed by the unique and amazingly resilient protagonist, who is revealed in clear and steadily paced prose.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

June 22, 2020
Australian author Gee follows 2013’s Bay of Fires with an intriguing if at times slow mystery set on the island of Tasmania. As art collector Jack Lily races through his mansion outside the remote village of Vanishing Falls, looking for his missing wife, Celia, he’s certain of one thing: if Celia is a victim of foul play, he’s the prime suspect. Mousy Joelle Smithton, whose intelligence many of the locals underestimate, knows Jack is hiding secrets, but so are others. Could poultry farmer Cliff Gatenby and his wife, Kim, who are struggling with addiction and financial problems, be envious enough of the Lilys’ easy lifestyle to kill? As Inspector Kanton gets nowhere searching for Celia’s body, Joelle shows her prowess as a sleuth. One important clue may lie in a rare find now in Jack’s possession—a long-lost oil painting of Vanishing Falls by English artist John Glover. Gee’s fully developed female characters stand in contrast to her somewhat sketchy male characters. Agatha Christie fans will welcome the inhabitants of Vanishing Falls as kin to the residents of Miss Marple’s St. Mary’s Mead. Agent: Julia Kenny, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary.