Paradise by Patricia WolfSynopsis: “As DS Lucas Walker recovers from his injuries, he heads from Caloodie, Queensland, to the Gold Coast. Surfer’s Paradise: a seaside city where gleaming high rises fringe sparkling surf beaches, sunny days lead to wild nights, and criminals and bikie gangs mingle with tourists and dignitaries at five star hotels, clubs and casinos. Before long, Walker is part of a team trying to solve a horrific home invasion and murder that has claimed the life of a young mother and left her nine-year-old daughter fighting to survive. Can he help them find the perpetrators, and keep the young girl safe? Meanwhile, Vandals head honcho Stefan Markovich is in town – and Walker once again finds himself on a dangerous collision course with the drug gang. Weak from his injuries, and grieving, can Walker solve a case that is more shocking than anyone expected, and survive the dark underbelly of Australia’s Surfer’s Paradise?“

My Review

Having loved Outback, book one in this new-to-me Australian crime series, I had to keep listening and went straight into book 2.

This book is set on the Gold Coast in Australian, specifically Surfers Paradise where Lucas is on desk duties, recovering from injuries he sustained in book one. The story centres around a home invasion, where a mother has been murdered, and her daughter has been hospitalised with head injuries. Her husband is found traumatised and covered in his wife’s blood when the police and paramedics arrive.

DS Walker is helping with the investigation, as well as doing shifts at the hospital keeping guard over the young girl. He’s also agreed to keep a brotherly eye on his younger sister’s friend, who’s over from Hawaii on holiday. Oh yes and he’s kept in contact with Barbara, the German detective from book one.

This wasn’t as slow as book one as there was plenty going on and the tension was just as ramped up especially towards the end! Some very nasty characters from the previous book turned up, so you really do need to read these books in order to understand what’s happening. I guessed some of the reveals but I wasn’t disappointed as I was on the same track as Lucas.

Adam Fitzgerald’s narration was superb again, bringing all the different characters to life!

Highly recommended on audio especially if you enjoy crime novels set in Australia. I  enjoyed it so much I’ve already started listening to book three!