REVIEW OF MURDER TOWN BY SHELLEY BURR

I want to welcome Shelley Burr to Books R Us. Shelly is the author of an international best seller Wake and she has returned with her novel Murder Town. To be published 11/5/24 by William Morrow. This is a thriller set in the Australian Outback that was originally published in Australia as Ripper.

 About the Book:

 Gemma Guillory has lived in the Australian Outback enclave of Rainier her entire life. She knows the tiny, red-dust town’s ins and

outs by heart, knows the people like they are her family, their quirks as if they were her own.

She also knows her once charming town is now remembered for one reason and one reason only: three innocent people died there at the hands of a serial killer. The last stop on the Rainier Ripper’s trail of deaths fifteen years ago was her picturesque little tea shop. She knows that the consequences of catching the Ripper still haunt her policeman husband and their marriage to this day, and some of her neighbors are desperate enough to welcome a dark tourism company keen to cash in on Rainier’s notoriety as the “Murder Town.”

When the tour guide is killed by a Ripper copycat on Gemma’s doorstep, the unease that has lurked quietly in the original killer’s wake explodes into the light, and Gemma is drawn into the investigation. Unbeknownst to her, so is a prisoner named Lane Holland, a former private investigator who earned a living cracking cold cases before he ran afoul of the law.

Gemma knows her town. She knows her people. Doesn't she?

 

About the Author:

Shelley Burris the author of the international bestseller, WAKE. She
works at the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment in Canberra, Australia. She grew up splitting her time between Newcastle and Glenrowan.

 

 

 

 

Connect with the Author: 

 https://www.shelleyburr.com.au/

https://x.com/ByssheShelley

 

My Thoughts:

I have always been a fan of thrillers, but I found this novel to be a bit confusing. Many characters were involved in the story line, and I had trouble keeping up with them. I had to reread some chapters to figure out what was happening in the story. I found the beginning of the book a bit slow but it picked up near the end. There were times that I wanted to stop reading but I pushed myself to finish the book. The ending was not impressive and disappointing. I hope the author's next novel will be more engaging and interesting.

 

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of the book for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review