Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a copy of this eARC.

This is the kind of book I tend to go for - mysteries, secrets, and one intrepid person digging to the bottom for answers. This book, however, was more than that. It opens with Marlowe “Lo” Robertson getting ready for an interview about her book, and then we get a book within a book. It finishes off with the conclusion of the interview, which I thought was different but in the context of the ending it makes perfect sense.

The content was pretty heavy. The author has a way of painting pictures with her words and I could almost breathe in the claustrophobic small town atmosphere, the type of town where everyone knows everyone else and their business, and your friendships in school are dictated by events that happened between grandparents 50 years ago. The characters aren’t likeable. They are flawed and selfish and gray and unreliable (Lo especially), but it also makes them feel more real.

Without giving too much away, the big town secret is also pretty heavy and tends to be a topic I avoid. However, rather than wanting to throw the book down, I wanted to see what would happen next and what Lo would discover.

But, may I say, that ending was brilliant and I wasn’t expecting it although I really feel like I should’ve!

CW: episodes of harm towards children, homophobic slurs.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for the Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve really been struggling with thrillers this year and unfortunately that continues with this book.

I picked it up due to the comparison to Twin Peaks and whilst Kiama is a small town woven with secrets and the description and imagery of claustrophobia, that’s where I felt the Twin Peaks comparisons ended.

I wish I loved this, small town, solving a crime that happened years ago, friendship steeped in jealousy. All things I love. But this novel just fell flat, I felt like it was trying to hard with so many red herrings.

I’m saying all that, I’ll continue to check out Nicola West’s work

Marlowe Robertson is an ambitious young journalist, chafing at the confines of her small Australian tourist hometown. She always seems to be one step behind her former best friend, Lily Williams. Lily is the pride of the town, and this year's showgirl for the annual show.

Finding the body of Lily, left in the stables, is not how Marlowe saw her night going. Things just get stranger when Marlowe's father, the town's police chief, demands that she doesn't tell anyone about the strange symbols carved into Lily's back.

As Lily's death becomes nationwide news, Marlowe is determined to be the one to find out the truth about Lily's death.

This is a dark and mysterious Australian crime thriller, but at times I found that the storyline became just a bit too complex and confused. It feels like just too many ideas for one book.

This was ok, not fantastic but still entertaining enough. There were just a few too many times that things just didn't add up. The twists and turns were interesting and definitely a mystery as to what on earth was actually going on. I was curious to see how it would end and have to say I was surprised.

A twisted tale with a satisfying ending, this book will appeal to readers who enjoy darkness and intelligent writing in their mysteries. West uses some interesting literary devices in her debut novel, setting it apart from many books in the genre. "Catch The Foxes" is an excellent book to recommend to readers who enjoy Jane Harper's work.

Thankyou NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Australia and the author, Nicola West, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Catch Us The Foxes in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Wow!!!! . What an incredible debut novel.
When I first started reading this book, I was at work. BIG mistake !!! I had trouble putting it down.
I loved the storyline. Was well written and thought provoking. I certainly wasn't expecting it to go where it did.
I also enjoyed the settings described. Growing up in Wollongong, Kiama is a place I know well.
I certainly can't wait for more from this author.
Well worth a read.

Nicola West, Catch Us The Foxes, Simon & Schuster 2021.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this copy for review.

The prologue introduces Marlowe Robertson, ‘author, journalist and Co-creator of The Lily Foundation’. She is interviewed on the seventh anniversary of Lily’s death, as the person who exposed her killer. Marlowe, colloquially known as Lo, dressed in clothing reminiscent of her past friendship with Lily, is asked to return to the moment she found Lily’s body. She finds it easy to talk about Lily, her death, the causes, and events because ‘she had been reliving them through her bestselling novel The Showgirl’s Secret.’ The remainder of the story is provided mostly through Marlowe’s novel, with the Epilogue describing the completion of the interview, a demonstration thwarted, and Marlowe Robertson and her companion’s reflection on their experiences.

Perhaps the novelisation of events can be used as a reason for what I see as dishonesty with the reader. Many of the characters lie, some within the legitimate auspices of the novel within the novel. However, one pivotal lie needed to be dealt with far more cleverly to maintain its legitimacy.

I had already been disappointed by the inconsistencies in the work – Marlowe claims that she would like to leave Kiama, has friends who have done so, but remains living with her father, for no apparent reason. She is a person with whom the writer appears to want the reader to identify but she is without human warmth. This is most clearly expressed though her resistance to any romantic overtures, but her coldness seeps through her other relationships, including that with her father. She is resentful of Lily’s success, and rather than spend time mourning her death sees it as an opportunity. Perhaps her desire to find Lily’s murder is based on a genuine concern to revenge her friend, but it is so tied up with her propensity to use the story and posturing about her feelings it is hard to warm to Marlowe even in this pursuit.

Without giving away the hidden theme of the story, I found it unpleasant, and again, the heartlessness of some of the characters is a dominant feature of the novel.

There are some clever devices. The settings combine the claustrophobia of a small Australian town together with images of the ocean, bush tracks, a forest, and even the tossing and turning of the Hurricane ride far above the showgrounds. They all suggest the possibility of openness, but claustrophobia triumphs. This imagery is in keeping with the way in which the characters develop – there is little possibility that they will evade the impact of the events that have led to Lily’s death. There is a range of characters, from the police and other professionals, the show community, school friends, all of whom interact tellingly (if the reader can unravel the cleverly intertwined relationships) with Marlow.

Do the positive features outweigh the ones I found negative? Unfortunately, for me, I did not find the novel satisfying throughout, and was particularly dissatisfied with the ending. However, I do feel it is certainly worthy of the three stars I have given it, and I would also try Nicola West’s next novel.

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes,that spoil the vines; for our vines have tender grapes.

An eerie dark suspenseful gothic book that is based around satanic ritualistic cult symbols.
Set in the town of Kiama and surrounding areas, young journalist Marlowe "Lo" finds her friend Lily's body lying "beautifully" mutilated in the horse stables during the town's local show.
After Lily's murder has been released to the public and social media, Lo wants to get justice for her friend's death, she does her own investigating.

Can she catch the fox or foxes who murdered her friend?

I really enjoyed this book and there is so much I want to discuss about this book, but I'm worried I'll ruin the book for future readers. I'll just give a few highlights that I enjoyed about the book

I love that the main setting is at the showground, but here comes the chill factor. The area where the show is, is right next to the cliffs edge. I thought it was very fitting for the book.

I love foxes, and although there are no actual foxes in the book, I love that there are scenes with people wearing fox attire outfits. 🦊

It kept me second guessing everything, everytime I thought I figured it out, I was wrong and I was wrong again.

Nicola West, a new Australian author debut novel Catch Us The Foxes is now on pre-order or can you wait until the published date 7th July 2021.

A big thankyou to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster Australia and Nicola West.

Thank you to everyone for an arc of this novel. But I thought it was awful. Dialogue trite. Inaccurate 2008 police procedures. Distracting Kiama location. Stinky red herrings, more than one, strewn along the trail to an unsatisfying and unlikely ending. Not a redeemable character in sight. Totally unbelievable.

Thank you to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster Australia for the opportunity to obtain a free copy of Nicola West's debut novel in exchange for a review.

How to review without ruining the story???

Catch Us the Foxes is based around Marlowe and her desire to solve the murder of her best friend. They live in a town where lies and secrets are everywhere. I found myself unable to sleep as I was wanting to know who the killer was.

The story flows well, and finishes at a point that you walk away satisfied yet wanting more at the same time.

I look forward to seeing what Nicola West brings out next.

A remarkable debut. Catch Us The Foxes certainly caught me off guard. It's a heady mix of small town mystery, a heinous crime and the drama that comes with secrets and lies. There was a lot going on and at times, I thought the story didn't quite know what it was or where it was going. But there enough subtle twists and turns that always kept me right on the edge.
Marlowe was an interesting character that spoke volumes, fully fleshed out from the first page. The story flowed beautifully right up until the last quarter. The ending seemed to go on and on. It was unnecessarily long and drawn out and took away a little bit of magic from the earlier chapters. The last few pages wrapped up the story nicely but still left me wanting more.
Nicola West writes with amazing confidence and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

**Huge thanks to Simon and Schuster Australia and Netgalley for providing my with a copy in exchange for an honest review.