I’m not sure where to start with this one, from the outset I should have loved this book but I just didn’t . It’s not a bad book by any means , it’s a good book, it’s quite fast paced but it just feels a bit , I don’t know, doomed all the way through, there are no elements of comedy to lighten the mood but then it’s a murder mystery... So it’s set in Australia in the 60s, an American mob hit man on the run trying to start a fresh in a new world, I’ll be honest I felt like the book was set in the America the whole time , the odd Aussie slang brought me back to Australia every now and then.a prostitutes body has been found brutally murdered and the police looking for a quick close, finger one of Blake’s friends and so on the tale and whodunnit begins in the small town, everyone man is a suspect and the local police man just won’t get involved,he just wants the problem gone and his peaceful little town back ...step forward Blake. Blake is in an interesting character but he’s almost boring, his character Arc is interesting and the book had a good ending and kept you guessing just enough to keep you going.but maybe just not for me, thank you to netgalley for the free copy. 3*

Blake Saunders is an interesting character living in a distant place. The novel opens with Blake working as a hit man for the Philly mob. It is cold, winter, and his older brother Jimmy got him into this life. Blake is good at the guitar and they see a way out. But there is only room for one sadly. Life fast forwards and Blake is making a new life in Australia in early 1960’s. I loved the image of small coastal town Australia in another time. Blake has opened a successful bar. The book has lots of interesting characters I enjoyed getting to know. I really liked the development of Blake working to solve the murder of a working girl, Val Stokes. The one story line I was never really sure about was the friendship between Doreen and Kitty. It led to a key plot point, but it may have been given more time than needed in the story. Either way, not a big deal to me. I enjoyed the story very much. Would recommend to others who enjoy crime thrillers with a bit of melancholy to them.

This was a good murder mystery of who done it and kept me guessing until the end. But all in all this book was a boring read for me that I almost gave up multiple times and couldn’t wait till I was done. It wasn’t a horrible book but just wasn’t for me.. Thank you netgalley for letting me give an honest reivew of this book.