thebooktrail88's review against another edition
3.0
I am on the fence with this book. On one side, it's good at setting, atmosphere, criminal secrets and god awful crimes but on the other side, the policeman at the centre of the case seemed a bit 'unsuitable for the job' to put it nicely.
It's a grim case and one I didn't fully realise going into the novel, so that's my fault, but the grim factor never lets up and it got me a bit down.The setting on a wider scale however was brilliant - foggy, remote, claustrophobic and down right chilling.
Dunton is fictional thank goodness as I would never want to go there for real, but I will return to this author book two. There's something there that I would like to read more of.
It's a grim case and one I didn't fully realise going into the novel, so that's my fault, but the grim factor never lets up and it got me a bit down.The setting on a wider scale however was brilliant - foggy, remote, claustrophobic and down right chilling.
Dunton is fictional thank goodness as I would never want to go there for real, but I will return to this author book two. There's something there that I would like to read more of.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘The boy plunged deeper between the rows of vines.’
In the small rural town of Dunton, in southern Tasmania, a woman’s body is found. She’s quickly identified as the former headmistress of a children’s home, which was located nearby. Who killed her, and why? Her body quickly reveals some secrets of its own.
Newly arrived detective Jake Hunter is in charge of the investigation, but there is nothing straightforward in this case. While he is able to interview two local women who were once residents of the children’s home, he is left with more questions than answers. And some of the assistance he is getting locally is, well, surprising. Dunton keeps its secrets well. But Jake Hunter is persistent. He needs to be: his search for the truth will lead to more bodies, more secrets and some horrific facts. He’s also an outsider, a ‘mainlander’, and has some issues of his own to deal with.
This Australian crime novel is quite a departure from L.J.M. Owen’s ‘Dr Pimms, Intermillenial Sleuth Series’. The three novels so far published in that series are at the cozy end of the crime spectrum, whereas this novel definitely is not. Gritty, grim and disturbing. Unputdownable.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
In the small rural town of Dunton, in southern Tasmania, a woman’s body is found. She’s quickly identified as the former headmistress of a children’s home, which was located nearby. Who killed her, and why? Her body quickly reveals some secrets of its own.
Newly arrived detective Jake Hunter is in charge of the investigation, but there is nothing straightforward in this case. While he is able to interview two local women who were once residents of the children’s home, he is left with more questions than answers. And some of the assistance he is getting locally is, well, surprising. Dunton keeps its secrets well. But Jake Hunter is persistent. He needs to be: his search for the truth will lead to more bodies, more secrets and some horrific facts. He’s also an outsider, a ‘mainlander’, and has some issues of his own to deal with.
This Australian crime novel is quite a departure from L.J.M. Owen’s ‘Dr Pimms, Intermillenial Sleuth Series’. The three novels so far published in that series are at the cozy end of the crime spectrum, whereas this novel definitely is not. Gritty, grim and disturbing. Unputdownable.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
shelleyrae's review against another edition
4.0
The Great Divide is a gritty Australian crime novel from L.J.M. Owen introducing Detective Jake Hunter.
Set in Tasmania, this is an atmospheric story portraying a small insular community, blanketed in the fog of winter, and shrouded in lies. It begins when the body of an old woman is found dumped in the overgrown grounds of a vineyard. While investigating her murder, Jake, a recent transfer to Dunton, learns some odd facts, and as the case progresses he begins to uncover links between both the current and historical crimes. While I did find it fairly easy to determine who was culpable early on, I thought the case was complex and interesting, though the details are quite grim and disturbing,
Finding The Great Divide well paced and compelling, I read it in a single sitting. I look forward to a sequel, and in the meantime plan to look up her previous works
Set in Tasmania, this is an atmospheric story portraying a small insular community, blanketed in the fog of winter, and shrouded in lies. It begins when the body of an old woman is found dumped in the overgrown grounds of a vineyard. While investigating her murder, Jake, a recent transfer to Dunton, learns some odd facts, and as the case progresses he begins to uncover links between both the current and historical crimes. While I did find it fairly easy to determine who was culpable early on, I thought the case was complex and interesting, though the details are quite grim and disturbing,
Finding The Great Divide well paced and compelling, I read it in a single sitting. I look forward to a sequel, and in the meantime plan to look up her previous works
tien's review
5.0
I thought this book would be right in the middle of my comfort zone and it was. The mystery was intriguing and drew me throughout the story. It's not a big book, falling short of 300 pages but it really did have me enthralled for a number of hours, at the least.
I'm always happy to find a detective who isn't totally broken (I think that's quite rare these days) because that means I'm not bogged down in their personal history though that doesn't mean he's boring. Detective Jake Hunter was definitely in hiding. His expectations of a remote posting, however, did no include a complex inter-connected multiple murders that reached back into the past nor a community with its own hidden secrets / conspiracies. Plus all that fog... makes driving a hazard!
Set in a remote town of Tasmania, featuring a big-city detective on a run from something, and a semblance of gothic atmosphere, The Great Divide is a mystery novel to tickle your little grey cells.
I'm always happy to find a detective who isn't totally broken (I think that's quite rare these days) because that means I'm not bogged down in their personal history though that doesn't mean he's boring. Detective Jake Hunter was definitely in hiding. His expectations of a remote posting, however, did no include a complex inter-connected multiple murders that reached back into the past nor a community with its own hidden secrets / conspiracies. Plus all that fog... makes driving a hazard!
Set in a remote town of Tasmania, featuring a big-city detective on a run from something, and a semblance of gothic atmosphere, The Great Divide is a mystery novel to tickle your little grey cells.
pandemoniumpizza's review
4.0
I'm quite fond of Australian crime fiction and I was intrigued by this one because it was set in a small town in Tasmania which is not somewhere I had read before. The mystery in this one was so good and it had all these little turns that had me hooked and I just had to know what was happening. I also really enjoyed the reveal, that was really good. I hope this author brings out more books because this one was so good.
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