Australian noir! And not bad. But, unfortunately, the mystery is not what is the best abou this novel - in my opinion, the best ale the human circumstances of main character Caleb, namely him trying to live fully when/even if he is deaf, his relationship with his estranged wife, brother, his job partner Frankie, the community including the native one.These life relationship are very colourful and makes you relate to Caleb - but the intrigue of a mystery is not so catchy.
Maybe the next novel in the series will offer more meat?

An unusual protagonist and a great Resurrection Bay setting combine in this well written novel. Caleb didn't expect to get wrapped into the problems of the town- he only wanted his wife back- but that's how it is. A good read.

Emma Viskic’s previous book, Resurrection Bay featuring private investigator Caleb Zelic was, without question, one of my top books last year, and have been (im)patiently waiting the next in the series. So, yes the time has come to review And Fire Came Down, and it’s a scorcher, no pun intended.

Once again, the real lynchpin of the book is the character of Caleb himself, reeling from the events of the previous book, and the emotional and professional loss it has wreaked on his life. Opening with a brief encounter with an unknown woman which results in her death, Caleb realises that this encounter has been engineered to ensnare him in an investigation which proves challenging, dangerous, and perhaps more importantly draws him right back into the community of Resurrection Bay from his city life. Caleb’s character works well on several levels, due to the authenticity that Viskic brings to him and his voice. In my previous review, I dwelt on the nature of his deafness, and how Viskic paints such a true picture of the everyday difficulties and stress that his condition brings to his life. I’ve since read two books that have hearing impaired characters at the forefront, and still believe that Viskic has provided the truest representation of this particular character trait.

Another thing I love about his character is his sensitivity and innate morality, and the way that he switches between his emotional states. Here is a man that recognises his own weaknesses, and by extension the weaknesses of others, and carries with him a real sense of emotional intelligence, despite the constraints that his aural impairment places on him on reading others through words and gestures. He is also extremely self-deprecating, and has a sharp wit too. Although he is a perfectly competent and determined investigator, clear in his motivations to ferret out the truth, I like the way that Viskic adds this level of personal emotional weakness and confusion when it comes to dealing with those closest to him, most notably his estranged wife Kat, his fearsome mother-in-law, Maria, and his disgraced former partner, Frankie. Viskic’s portrayal of these three extremely strong women is also a significant point of interest in the book, not only for Caleb’s interactions with them, but also the characterisation of their contrasting natures and personal demons.

The premise of the investigation of the young woman’s death from the outset, leads Caleb into a whole heap of trouble, fuelled by the extreme racial tension in his hometown of Resurrection Bay. The varying reactions and attitude to the Koori people, an indigenous community in the town, is simmering to boiling point, and Caleb’s case leads him straight into the eye of the storm. Racial division is an all too widespread and vile aspect of life, I found this depiction particularly emotive, and was very affected by the sheer ignorance and hatred that certain individuals exhibit in the course of the story, and the violence that this gives rise too on the weaker members of the community. As emotive as this issue is, however, Viskic keeps her own authorial intervention firmly in check, achieving a balanced and objective view of the community tensions throughout, leading to an utterly compelling and thought provoking read. Once again, after my praise for Resurrection Bay, can highly recommend And Fire Came Down, and would urge you to discover this series for yourselves. Roll on book three Darkness For Light

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Deaf since early childhood, Caleb Zelic used to meet life head-on. Now he’s struggling just to get through the day. His best mate is dead, his ex-wife, Kat, is avoiding him, and nightmares haunt his waking hours.
But when a young woman is killed after pleading for his help in sign language, Caleb is determined to find out who she was. And the trail leads straight to his hometown, Resurrection Bay. The town is on bushfire alert and simmering with racial tensions. As he delves deeper, Caleb uncovers secrets that could threaten his life and any chance of reuniting with Kat. Driven by his demons, he pushes on. But who is he willing to sacrifice along the way?

This was the second book featuring Caleb Zelic. I was unaware of that fact when I started reading. I do strongly suggest reading the first book, Resurrection Bay, before getting into this one. From the reviews I have seen, there is a bit left unexplained if you haven't read the first in the series. For the purpose of this review, I am just taking this book as an individual novel.

If I have a weakness for a certain style of writing, it has to be plot-driven thrillers. Adding the fact that it is Australian certainly helped win me over. But it wasn't always going to be the case...

From the opening pages, the story just cracked along at a brilliant pace, not really slowing down for anything. However, without reading the first book, there were connections I could quite make from the start. As the book wore on, and the (brilliant) characters truly came to life, then the backstory seemed to fall into place in my mind.

The mystery aspect of this novel was clever - I appreciated the way that the main plot was tied together at the end. However, I thought that maybe there was just a bit too much going on at times and I don't think everything reached a satisfying conclusion. Maybe there is a basis for a third book - who knows?

Overall, easy to enjoy. Easy to recommend!


Paul
ARH

This is the sequel to Resurrection Bay which really needs to be read first in order to get a full understanding of events in And Fire Came Down.

Caleb now lives in Melbourne but returns to Resurrection Bay to try and discover the murderer of a woman he meets in the city. In the course of the book he unknowingly upsets a number of people and blunders into many dangerous situations. Luckily for him he has family and friends who look out for him and save him from himself.

I enjoyed the Australian setting with the threat of bushfire hanging over the town. I read it on a hot windy day when all the news was full of a major fire threatening south Sydney. It felt very appropriate.

I was a little disappointed in Caleb in this book, both with his continued refusal to tell anyone he is deaf which just seemed plain silly on occasion, and the way he repeatedly set himself up to get into trouble. I think I missed his partner Frankie who in the first book stopped him from some of his excesses.

Still a very good book with lots of intrigue and excitement and a total surprise of an ending!

A thoroughly tense and engaging Australian thriller, with a unique lead character plus an equally intriguing cast of supporting characters. Beautifully written - edging into literary without losing its thriller feel.

In the last days of December, I reread Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic and then moved on to And Fire Came Down, the sequel to Viskic's award-winning Australian debut.



I had hoped that Caleb would be in a better place by the time of the second novel, but the traumatic events of the first novel continue to taint Caleb's life in the sequel.



A case of meningitis when Caleb was five left him with profound hearing loss. In many ways, Caleb has overcome the disability--he wears hearing aids that help him identify some sounds but must depend on lip reading to interpret spoken language. Impressive, but not always enough even when someone is facing him directly for him to catch everything. If they mutter or turn away, important elements of conversation can be lost. This would be frustrating and confusing in normal circumstances, but as Caleb is a PI with a tendency to get involved in dangerous cases, the problem can be treacherous.



Previously, he has depended on his partner to fill in conversational blanks, but in And Fire Came Down, Caleb doesn't have that advantage. His emotional stability depended on his wife Kat, but they have been separated for nearly two years, and although he thought they were rebuilding their connections, Kat has been gone for four months at the beginning of this installment. Caleb's pride has often kept him from admitting his deafness, making many situations worse than necessary. He makes occasional concessions in admitting his lack of hearing--a little progress--but still struggles to keep from acknowledging his disability.



In Melbourne, a depressed Caleb is approached by a young woman who begs for his help; accosted by a man who terrifies her, the young woman attempts to flee and runs in front of a car. Unable to understand her last words, Caleb determines to find out more.



Who sent her to Caleb? A note on a receipt leads Caleb back to Resurrection Bay and into another case that will put his own life in danger and the lives of those he cares about.



What makes these books stand out is not simply that the protagonist is deaf, but the way characters deal with all of the complications of life. Personal hubris, marriage, family, community, racial prejudice and violence, social problems from vandalism to drugs--the issues that are pertinent today in any setting or culture become personal in the microcosm of Resurrection Bay.



Read in Dec.; blog review scheduled for Jan. 14



NetGalley/Bonnier Publishing Australia/Pushkin Press US, UK



Crime/PI. 2017. Print length: 336 pages.

4★
“Caleb followed him, then stopped. It was a place of deep shadows and hidden corners – he wouldn’t be able to understand a word Sniffy said; wouldn’t know if someone was creeping up behind him, ready to slip a knife between his ribs.”

Second in the Caleb Zelic series and Caleb is still no better at telling people he’s deaf. He’s also still chasing bad guys back home in Resurrection Bay, although that’s not home to him anymore. His younger brother, Anton, had gone badly off the rails some years ago, and law-abiding Cal had pretty much disowned him

“He’d thought his brother had needed to learn a lesson, and he’d left him to learn it. And Ant had. He’d learned the best places to score and the easiest places to rob. The lowest forms of humanity to befriend.”

That didn’t go so well, did it, Cal? But now Ant’s been clean for a couple of years and is living in the family home in Resurrection Bay. It’s still equipped with flashing lights for the front door bell, just as it was when Cal was a boy.

The brothers are a bit touchy with each other, understandable, given Ant’s criminal past and Cal now working with the police trying to track down a killer.

“Their adult relationship was exactly seven months old: a rickety construction built on a few honest moments and a memory of childhood closeness. Hard to know what its load-bearing capacity was.”

The killer Cal’s after has some connection to Resurrection Bay, but he doesn’t know what. He lives in Melbourne these days, and the story opens with him out running (without his hearing aids), trying to clear his mind of the demons that haunt his nightmares, when a street guy catches him and hands him a lipstick-scrawled note with Cal’s name and address.

The guy mumbles something about a girl with black hair who gave it to him and needs help. Cal is terrified that the girl is Kat, his estranged wife, whom he adores, but when they get to the alley, there is a terrified young woman in a red dress trying desperately to make herself understood, but it’s so dark that he picks up only a few words.

Meanwhile, a blond guy attacks Cal from behind while Red Dress escapes, only to be run over by a van. She dies in his arms, and the sight of her life fading from her eyes haunts him for the rest of the book.

So Cal’s back in Resurrection Bay, needing advice from his brother and wondering how much to trust him. Ant is also a competent Auslan signer, but Cal doesn’t like him to sign in public because it makes people aware of his limitations.

Their relationship is complicated but even more complicated is his relationship with Kat, his estranged wife whom he clearly adores. She’s an active member of the Koori (Aboriginal) community as is her mother, a local doctor. He’s part of the family, or at least he always was. Now he’s not so sure.

Interesting is the fact that unless they are face-to-face, their connection is through texting, since he can’t use the phone. He’s thirty-one, and it’s hard feeling like a kid again.

“It was nearly twenty-four hours since he’d spoken to Kat. Was that a long time in the scheme of things? God, a teenager again, not knowing if the lack of contact meant ‘piss off’ or, ‘I’m presently busy, but please do continue to pine for me.’”

Cal is a mess. He also laments the loss of his partner, Frankie, a wild, energetic 57-year old woman on whose wit and interpretation skills he’d come to depend but who had unforgivably betrayed him. Ant's obviously not going to fill the bill there, and with Kat keeping her distance, the Koori community is a bit leery of him, too.

Cal’s a good guy, flawed and stubborn, but he’s someone you worry about, and we don't know who's trustworthy either. He gets in some life-threatening situations, and the plot isn’t something you’re likely to figure out. We just hope he makes it to another book!

Another welcome addition to the series. Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Publishing/Echo for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted.

A really enjoyable crime novel, I wish I'd read the first book beforehand, but I still managed to catch up with previous events. Set in a Australian rural community where racial tensions are high, drugs are out of control and the criminals reign free, this had me guessing throughout. Having a deaf person as the main character made for an interesting twist too, and made me realise how much we take our being able to hear for granted. I look forward to the next book.

Thanks to Bonnier Publishing and Netgalley for a copy to read in return for a voluntary and honest review

I enjoyed the first book in this series, Resurrection Bay, and this next installment was just as enjoyable! I really love the way you are drawn into the storyline, so gripping! If you haven't already checked out this series, definitely do!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book pre-publication in exchange for a fair review.

The second Caleb Zelic novel picks up the story of the deaf detective from Viskic's debut Resurrection Bay. I strongly recommend reading these books in order, as the second book starts where the first left off.

The author wrote well-developed characters and I really felt myself feeling for Caleb.

Thank you Netgalley.

I have Resurrection Bay on pre-order with Amazon based on GR friends' reviews. Like other reviewers have mentioned, maybe it should be read first but I didn't want to wait for seven and a half months.

I enjoyed this very much....so much that I finished it before moving onto the "The Girl who Takes an Eye for an Eye" (another much anticipated pre-order). Patience is something only hungry doctors need right?

Wonderful writing, complex and interesting characters and a nice twisty plot line(s). I will very likely re-read following receipt of Resurrection Bay for a more in-depth understanding of characters and story lines.

Caleb Zelic is a man between worlds. Caleb’s wife has left him, his small business is struggling with only Caleb to run it and frequent nightmares are leaving the investigator exhausted and traumatized. Caleb’s former business partner is on the run after her many betrayals and the death of Caleb’s friend Gary is a horror re-lived every time he takes pause. There is much on this man’s plate.

When a desperate young woman interrupts his nightly silent run through the mean streets of Melbourne one night, Caleb is a horrified witness to her death. Caleb is certain she was sent by someone he knows; she had managed to communicate a few worlds to Caleb in sign language before she passes away from her injuries. Caleb’s inquiries direct him back to where it all began; his home town of Resurrection Bay.
Resurrection Bay is a town on the edge with its alliances confirmed by the intricate ties between the indigenous communities of the area. When Caleb’s estranged wife circles back into his life, it’s a done deal that Caleb is going to hang around and try to make amends for the harm his actions have caused. Once again, the residents of the town are in conflict and even those who appear to be far removed from the increasing acts of violence, are really not so far from its cause.
Australian author Emma Viskic depicts a community well used to living with constant tension, disappointment and outright hostility. It’s a unforgiving world for sure, and we are reading of people who are not living their best lives by a long shot. The summer heat and the threat of bushfire are tangible creatures in AND FIRE CAME DOWN, adding another possibility of potential hurt for the residents who are already tense with the anticipation of more destruction and violence to come.

Lead character Caleb is adrift and somewhat frustrating; you want to take him out of harm’s way and set him on his feet back in Melbourne where is he is well clear of all that is going on in Resurrection Bay. There is no thin veneer of civility here; it’s all out there for all to see and the residents of the town need to negotiate their way around old hurts and hostilities, the alarmingly high crime rate and the worrying activities of the local drug trade that seem to be on the rise.

Reading this novel cold (as not having read the first book in the series), there was a bit of work involved in putting together the pieces that have led to such a shattered lead character; one who often leaves good sense behind and enters into more chaos perhaps in order to quash bad memories. It was easy to visualize and appreciate the dry bush setting, which was economically and precisely sketched, as were the residents of Resurrection Bay. What it difficult to find was someone to root for in this novel. These people simply aren’t that likable and the town itself is only making the most desultory of attempts to cope with what it is experiencing. We have a bit of snappy dialogue which is most welcome in this bleak novel; maybe a tad overdone on the Ocker overtones but who is to say what could be considered too much for a fictional Australian bush town.

Wondering what will happen to Caleb’s brother Ant (who provides the comic relief in this dark, bleak novel) is perhaps one of the most intriguing of the unresolved plot threads to anticipate and could be a good incentive for readers to pick up the next release in the series. The stage is well set and there is much more to discover about Caleb’s motivations and whether he can successfully pick himself up (again) and escape the demons from his past.

AND FIRE CAME DOWN is the sequel to the 2015 series starter, RESURRECTION BAY, which was awarded the 2016 Ned Kelly award for Best Debut Novel.

The second Caleb Zelic novel picks up the story of the deaf detective from Viskic's debut Resurrection Bay. I strongly recommend reading these books in order, as the second book totally assumes that you've read the first.

In this outing, Caleb is accosted in the street by a frightened woman who is seeking his help. Pursued by a mysterious stranger, she steps into the traffic and is killed. Caleb has no idea who she is, or why she sought him out. Haunted by her desperation, he is driven to investigate, which eventually leads him back to Resurrection Bay.

The Bay is in the grip of a heat wave and seething with seemingly race-motivated attacks. In true style, Caleb stomps around this minefield and brings down a world of trouble, both for him and for others.

Caleb is one of those crime novel heroes that I warm to; comprehensively messed up and struggling to deal with life as well as crime-solving. I probably did not enjoy this one quite as much as Resurrection Bay, mainly because Viskic had Caleb doing a few extraordinarily stupid things, which didn't ring true. That said, it had a very pacy plot with an ending that surprised me. I'll certainly be sticking with this series.

And Fire Came Down finds Caleb Zelic recovering from his previous (mis)adventures, still suffering nightmares and not really looking after himself. He's in a lot of pain, most of it emotional. Being a man, he doesn't do anything about it, unless you count avoidance and dismissing emotions and thoughts as doing something.

The love of his life, Kat, is in and out of contact. Their relationship is complicated. At least his relationship with his former drug addict brother, Anton, is going well.

This time, Caleb finds himself embroiled in another complicated mystery when a young woman is seeking his help but gets killed in front of him running away from a man who wanted to apprehend her. The leads point back to his home town, Ressurection Bay. So he goes back. Things become complicated. Bikies, drugs, violence and property destruction, racial turmoil and the summer fires made this follow-up novel more complex or convoluted. His former partner, Frankie, who's on the run, makes an appearance a couple of times.

I must say, at times, I found Caleb infuriating.

This second novel had more threads, some of them felt unfinished and unresolved and I didn't think they were all necessary. I'm guessing Viskic is planting the seeds for a third novel in the series.

And for goodness sake (that's not what I say inside my head :-) ), Caleb, put your damn hearing aids in!!!

A really good book I cannot recommend highly enough

This is the second book in Caleb Zelic's chaotic life. A private investigator, he is drawn into investigating a girl's death, one that involved him as his name had been given to her and all leads come back to his home town of Resurrection Bay. It doesn't help that he is profoundly deaf and plagued by nightmares from a recent case (the 1st book in the series).

There are lots of twists and unanswered questions as Caleb draws his brother Ant (a recovered drug addict) into his investigations. With the local Koori community and town businesses being threatened with violence, Caleb believes that it's drugs at it's core problems. What a dark and hard hitting story this is, Caleb has many demons but I really felt for him as he tries to do the right thing. I really enjoyed his interactions with his brother Ant, I could really image them sitting on the couch and Ant stirring his brother up. His ex wife Kat also returns to the community after being away for a number of months, trying to come to terms from her injuries she suffered from Caleb's previous investigation. I loved the push and pull of their relationship and the hope for the future.

Overall I read this book with a feeling of darkness and palatable tension as Caleb and others are unwitting put in danger as he tries to find the answers. I really believe it is best to read these books in order to get a sense of the history between the characters. And I really look forward to the next instalment.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy to read and review.

Caleb Zelic is back in Melbourne trying to put his life back on track. His best friend Gary is dead, his ex-wife has vanished after a brief reconciliation and his business partner Frankie has fled leaving him to run his investigation service on his own. When he is summoned into an alley where a distraught young woman is waiting for him, but before he can find out what the problem is, a big blond thug chases after her, forcing her into the traffic where she is fatally hit by a car. She tries to tell him something as she is dying but because Caleb is deaf and relies on lip reading he's not sure how much he got. However, Caleb is determined to help her even though she is now dead and returns to Resurrection Bay, the town where he grew up, to find out who sent her to him and why she needed his help.

Emma Viskic paints a very vivid and real picture of small town rural Australia. It's high summer and the threat of bushfires hangs over the town. Racial tensions are high as gangs of white youths damage and burn down properties. Caleb thinks a bikie gang may be trying to take over the local drug supply but where does the dead girl fit into all this?

Caleb has moved in with his brother Ant, still living in their old family home. He was a drug user but has been clean for 2 years and has a girlfriend and a job. It's clear they really care about each other and start to mend their relationship once Caleb sees that Ant has become more responsible. Caleb's wife Kat also arrives back in town and they clearly still love each other but Kat finds his inability to share his thought and feelings with her difficult to live with. Everyone seems to have secrets and it takes Caleb some time to work out what is going on. He doesn't always make the best decisions and puts himself in danger but ultimately his actions pay off as all the pieces start to fall into place.

This is a well written thriller, with a lovely sense of place in the descriptions of the Australian bush and the lives of the small town inhabitants. I will be looking out for Caleb Zelic #3!

Thank you Netgalley and Echo Publishing for the eARC.
This is the 2nd in the series featuring Caleb Zelic, the deaf protagonist of Resurrection Bay (which won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Book).
Caleb is still reeling months after the previous year's horrifying events, when he stumbles on a terrified young woman asking for his help. As she's being chased by a man who is obviously intent on either harming or killing her, she runs into the street, where Caleb watches her dying. Determined to find out the why's and wherefores of the girl's death, haunted by the light dying in her eyes, he begins obsessively hunting for clues. This proves a difficult and dangerous quest, not only because he's deaf, but he has poked a hornet's nest, endangering the lives of his brother, his soon to be ex-wife, and himself. Not to mention stirring up racist tensions, a biker gang, and a drug lord. He causes his wife and brother untold troubles, to the point where they wash their hands off him.
This is an extremely well written story that I had a difficulty putting down, even though there were times I wanted to wring Caleb's neck! Highly recommended.

This review will appear on the link below approx 25th July

Caleb Zelic’s life changed the instant the young woman begged desperately for his help – but his inability to save her buried itself deep into his brain, especially as it wasn’t that long since the horrors that had killed his best mate and took his beloved wife from him. Caleb left Melbourne and drove to his hometown of Resurrection Bay in the hope of finding answers. But worse was to come – much worse…

Ant, Caleb’s brother, had been clean for two years and had a lovely young woman in his life. Caleb was quietly optimistic that Ant’s change was there to stay. But he tried not to involve him in the investigations he was making, especially as it became obvious that Caleb was stirring up trouble. The local Koori families were being harassed and though Caleb tried to help, he wasn’t welcome.

Caleb kept getting knocked down – his deafness impacted but his stubbornness had him getting up again and again. He knew he should leave it be; it was obvious there was more at stake than he’d worked out. But he couldn’t – it wasn’t in his nature. Would he find answers before more deaths occurred? Would he push too hard and too far, just once too often? And would people he loved suffer because of his tenacity?

Wow! And Fire Came Down is the second in the Caleb Zelic series by Aussie author Emma Viskic and I absolutely loved it! Gritty, fast-paced, filled with heart-pounding tension – it was an intense and outstanding thriller! I love the characters – Caleb and Ant’s back and forth bantering; Maria and Frankie (though she didn’t play a big part this time) – the author has made the characters real. I have no hesitation in recommending And Fire Came Down highly – looking forward to #3 already!

With thanks to Bonnier Publishing and NetGalley for my ARC to read and review.