Rachel Krall makes her living by producing true crime podcasts of current court cases, allowing her audience to imagine they are part of the jury. The small coastal time of Neopolis is the setting for Season 3 of the podcast, where the local golden boy is accused of raping the granddaughter of the police chief. And if that's not drama enough, someone desperately wants Rachel to investigate what happened to a young woman twenty-five years earlier ... especially when connections between the two cases come to light.
Intriguing and thought-provoking, this mystery and courtroom thriller sensitively handles rape culture and the internecine conflicts of small-town USA.
Comments from BDS Reviewers
"Engaging. It captivates the reader drawing you in."
"I loved this book and found it hard to put it down – it was intriguing and thought-provoking and a powerful read."
"The book serves as a strong message for how society treats rape victims."
"The author handles the harsh topic of rape with sensitivity and honesty."
"This book is different – a legal thriller plus a mystery. I loved the courtroom drama and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next."
"This book is not for the faint of heart. Rape and murder are just hard subject matters to read."
"It keeps the reader's interest to the very end."
"I loved the book and found it intriguing and informative."
Pages
341
Year
2020
Reviews
NGON 002
22-05-2023
Light read. Most enjoyed it. Plenty of discussion about court cases.
CHCH 171
17-05-2023
Story interesting and an important topic, but the writing style was labored and too descriptive. Lots of discussion with questions however.
NAP 032
11-05-2023
The best book our group has read in some time. We found it a harrowing, heart breaking read which made us both sad and angry. In the end we felt there were no winners. The two stories running together were well liked, the podcast sections well done, and there was a very thorough discussion which made for a robust and fun evening.
BRIGHT 003
11-05-2023
Some group members enjoyed this book but most did not. Starts slowly, but story is good.
TAUR 004
11-05-2023
A lot of discussion re past experiences of sexual harassment, how things have or haven't changed for women, the court process for rape victims. Glad that the story had an unexpected twist to the ending.
NGON 002
04-05-2023
Important issues raised that generated good discussion.
AUCK 210
02-03-2023
Quick read, engaging and challenging plot. True to small towns. Believable characters. Enjoyed the Court and police procedural and objective narrative of the podcast format. Good discussion on how the judicial treatment treats women.
TEPUK 006
17-11-2022
Page turner, "who-dunnit". Good discussion re male privilege and toxic masculinity. Not for the first time this year! No-one foresaw the twist at the end. Led to discussion of influencers, mis-information and dis-information.
