Throughout the world, millions upon millions of folk in most countries, and from all walks of life and socio-economic backgrounds, feverishly devour crime novels/psychological thrillers at a phenomenal rate. Surgeons and barristers in Australia and the United Kingdom enjoy the ‘buzz’ one gets from reading this genre, as do factory workers, bus drivers and waitresses in the United States, Sweden, France and Germany. One in eight novels sold globally are crime novels, and at my local library (in Australia) hundreds of library members will reserve a copy of the latest crime thriller. In Australia and indeed around the world, from sun-dazzled beaches to sparkling public and private pools, doctors’ waiting rooms, mums waiting in their cars to collect children from school and people sitting alone at cafes, we are getting our ‘hit’ of crime novels, greedily gobbling up the contents.

And who could blame us? Who doesn’t like to see the goodies relentlessly battling against the baddies and hoping beyond hope that the goodies will win? Who doesn’t enjoy being mentally drawn into a menacing and crime-filled world that we will (hopefully) never be a part of but where justice always prevails (or does it?).

Who doesn’t feel fascinated reading in such novels about psychopaths, sociopaths and other clever (but awful at the same time) members of society (and behind bars) who live in a forever dark, dank and murky inner world – morally, mentally and emotionally.

Being a great fan of crime fiction and psychological thrillers, I was delighted when I read that stellar Irish author (she now resides in Australia) had a new spine-tingling (it is that good) crime novel/psychological thriller, Three Reasons for Revenge, being released.

This one is set in the electric (in terms of busyness, happenings and culture) metropolis of Melbourne, Australia (Dervla’s other crime novels have been set in Ireland and America).

Forty year old Detective Sergeant Judith Lee, from Melbourne West Police Station, is somewhat jaded (despite her relatively young age) and super serious about life. She carries many unwanted burdens (which are eventually revealed) and is by no means perfect. In fact, she is most definitely a flawed protagonist, albeit one we come to have sympathy and a certain amount of understanding towards. Sometimes she has felt and still feels that she is justified in cutting corners in her job and not doing things strictly by the book. In her mind, if she gets the desired outcome, why shouldn’t she?

One routine day at the station, a young fragile woman by the name of Alexis Turner turns up, and Judith is tasked with interviewing her. Alexis has a complaint to make. Quite a major complaint. A complaint that haunts Judith, because it relates in part to a complaint made to her at the station some ten years earlier. At that time, Judith brushed off the other young woman making the complaint, and didn’t investigate the matter.

Alexis tells Judith that she is a student at the local university and that she went to see a nearby clinical psychologist, Robert Walker. Alexis informs Judith that Robert Walker sexually assaulted her. Alexis laments to Judith, “it will be my word against his, right? And I’m the screwed-up girl with the panic attacks. So it’s going to be pretty easy for him to paint me as a fantasist, or an attention seeker”. 

Detective Senior Sergeant Rocky Jansen, “a thirty-five year veteran of Victoria Police,,,,(had) been Judith’s direct boss for five years, but had known her since she was fifteen. Other than Katy, who was Judith’s closest friend, he was probably the person who knew her best in the world. He also had the kind of connections that meant he heard rumours almost before they started”. He chastises Judith after she comes out of the interview room about her dealing with a wayward cop, Luke Fraser. Luke’s dad is the formidable and not to be trifled with Assistant Commissioner of Victoria Police, Eddie Fraser. Is Judith in trouble regarding her job and standing in the police force? And if so, how deep is the trouble she is in?

Has she stepped out of line? A line that she wishes she hadn’t crossed?

The real meat in this novel, however, pertains to Alexis and her disappearance after her complaint to Judith and the delivery of mysterious boxes and notes – which may be related or not.

Judith is unable to locate Alexis by phone (it is disconnected) or by the university student accommodation address that Alexis gave (she never lived there and was never enrolled at the university), and there are subsequent deliveries of boxes like shoe-boxes “wrapped in embossed black paper with a crimson velvet ribbon”.

Each box is delivered to it’s target with a cryptic note and incriminatory recordings and videos. The box and note recipients are from diverse and seemingly unrelated backgrounds. There is Robert Walker’s wife, Vanessa (a television presenter on ‘Let’s Talk Australia’) whose note to her reads “I tried to get help, but that was a huge mistake”. The Walkers live in an ostentatious home in the high-class suburb of Hawthorn, “a suburb of tree-lined streets and period properties”.

Then there is financially struggling single dad, Jack Miller, (his young son Cameron is at primary school). Jack and Cameron live in a dowdy granny-flat out the back of a house. Jack can only afford it because he has an agreement with the house owner to look after their cats when she is away, thus giving Jack reduced rent. Jack’s note reads “He’s still here, sometimes, but he doesn’t want to be”. Alarmingly, in Jack’s box, is a gun that someone has delivered to him. When the police knock on Jack’s door soon afterwards, because somebody has tipped them off, Jack’s future is not looking great.

The third recipient of a note and shoebox and recordings is Elsa Anderson, a friend of Jack’s. Elsa is a terribly successful businesswoman and “socialite”. Married to Nathan, a surgeon, with two small daughters, Doris and Lola, Elsa has a life to be envied (or does she?). The Anderson’s French nanny, Celine, is a great help to Elsa. “It was so hard to get good childcare. Elsa had a lot of trouble holding on to nannies, which was something she really couldn’t understand because she paid a good rate, Doris and Lola were far from monsters, and Elsa tried so hard to be considerate. Okay, sometimes she asked for a little extra help, a few hours strictly speaking that weren’t in the contract. But she always tried to make up for it!”.

“Elsa’s house was a four-bed, five-bath contemporary masterpiece, the kind of house that made the front cover of Architectural Digest”.

Elsa’s note reads “I’m boring and drab and can’t seem to hold a conversation. I don’t blame her for dumping me”.

What is on the recordings Vanessa and Elsa get that could destroy lives and livelihoods?

Is Jack a cold-blooded monster or has he been cunningly set up by someone? (You will have to read the book to find out the detail).

Who ends up dead and why? Are Judith and her police colleagues being played by someone?

Who are Renee and Margaux? Who are Miriam and Ruth Hall? Who are Steve and Alison Gifford?

What happened when Judith was fifteen, and why can’t she move past it?

How are the three notes and shoebox parcels recipients connected? Where has Alexis Turner gone? Was that her real name or an alias?

Dervla has written another spectacularly good crime novel/psychological thriller that hums with tension and overflows with intelligence, insight and wisdom. Additionally, there are superb depictions of the human psyche and condition.

This book will have you turning the pages faster and faster as you delve further in to it. And also staying up late at night to read more of this intricately plotted and superbly character driven novel.

Bravo Dervla! I loved this book every bit as much as your previous ones. Being a proud Australian, I did enjoy reading a novel set in Australia. It is hard to believe that not so long ago, authors were told by publishers that novels set in Australia wouldn’t sell. My goodness, has that changed! The world can’t get enough of Australian-set crime novels by Australian authors. Think Jane Harper, Sally Hepworth and Michael Robotham to name a few.

This book will have a wide readership worldwide (as all Dervla’s books do). I loved this book. I will be giving it to my sister tomorrow to read my copy.

I can’t wait to read whatever Dervla writes next!