Archie studied Richard Harper's photograph. He certainly looked like a player: revoltingly handsome, enhanced white teeth, a tan that was probably fake, an aristocratic nose and a smile that blazed with smug self-satisfaction.
"Looks can be deceiving," he muttered, partly in reply and partly to remind himself of the old maxim. Already he could feel an instinctive dislike for Harper welling up inside him.
DSS John (Archie) Baldrick is the main protagonist of Christina O'Reilly's debut crime novel Into the Void.
The plot revolves around the disappearance of the banker Richard Harper. His wife Helena reports him missing. He was meant to leave on a business trip to Auckland, but he doesn't come back home. Helena is seriously ill, undergoing a chemo, and insists that he wouldn't leave her deliberately. Archie and his side-kick Detective Constable Ben Travers are not so sure.
Another woman, Lisa Carpenter, has come forward claiming that she and Richard are in a relationship. Moreover, she is expecting their child, and believes her lover would never abandon her in this situation. Two women, both claiming that he would not do a disappearing act on them.
Digging into Harper's business affairs, the investigation team discovers that he has been receiving abusive emails from his desperate clients in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis, "You do that and I'll kill you... Remember, I know where you live".
And then Lisa is savagely attacked in the evening. She has been in hiding from her abusive ex for two years. Did he finally manage to catch up with her?
Archie's home life is also fraught with tension. His wife prefers to spend her time, doing yoga and coming up with annoying positive-vibe slogans, like "You've got to stop being so negative and start believing that everything is going to be OK... Leave it to the universe". Well, you know the type. His teen daughters are asserting their independence by being difficult and getting in all kinds of trouble.
And while Helena Harper looks frail and vulnerable, she appears kind and wise, and ready to listen sympathetically to Archie's problems. As a former nurse, she dispenses useful advice on the eating disorders in teens. Archie is a relatable character, he is very patient with his womenfolk, who are basically a pain in the neck. The wife cannot seem to see any issues with her daughters, happy in her little hippie world. The daughters, like typical teens, are testing the boundaries.
I also liked the character of Travers, who is the epitome of the human hoover and is constantly hungry.
Archie is struggling, trying to find out who is responsible for Richard's disappearance and attack on Lisa. The list of suspects and possible leads is growing. It is a race against time for the investigation team to find what's happened to Richard Harper before it's too late.
I have probably read way too many mysteries and crime novels, as I sussed out the main culprit early in the story.
This tense mystery is tightly written, with deft characterisation, and keeps you turning the pages. It's a look inside of what's really going on behind the closed doors.
I hope this is the first book in the series, and we'll see more of Archie and Travers.
Longlisted for the 2019 Michael Gifkins Memorial Prize for an Unpublished Novel.
Finalist in the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Awards for Best First Novel.
Purchase Links
US - https://www.amazon.com/Into-Void-Christina-OReilly-ebook/dp/B08529J3DY
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Into-Void-Christina-OReilly-ebook/dp/B08529J3DY
Or readers can email Christina via her website www.christinaoreilly.com or her Facebook page Christina O’Reilly – Author for a paperback copy.
Author Bio –
Christina is an author and proofreader living in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Several of her short stories have been published in anthologies, most recently in Fresh Ink: A Collection of Voices from Aotearoa New Zealand 2019. Into the Void is her first crime novel and was longlisted for the Michael Gifkins Memorial Prize in 2019. It is also a finalist in the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Awards for Best First Novel.
Social Media Links –
https://www.facebook.com/Christina-OReilly-Author-102419694721372/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Many thanks to Christina O'Reilly and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book.
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