Unforgiven is the third book I've read by Australian author Sarah Barrie and she always delivers intriguing thrillers with complex and often-flawed characters. Unforgiven is certainly my favourite of hers so far as I found myself invested in the fate of the lead characters and intrigued by the unfolding plot.

I've commented on the settings of her other books, but though she also demonstrates her incredible ability to give readers a sense of 'place' particularly in the beginning when one of our characters is trying to work out where to ditch a body, this book focuses less on the where and more on the fast-paced what.

I adored lead character Lexi. Our introduction to her is a little confronting as we first meet her when she's (ahem) pleasuring a client while working as an escort before drowning her sorrows in JD* (Jack Daniels whiskey presumably). And as the prologue introduced us to someone with a predilection for heavy drinking - namely JD - with a body in the trunk (boot) of her car, we wonder what we've gotten into (or if Lexi's repertoire knows no bounds!). But... all is not as it seems.

Lexi is obviously the quintessential flawed character, though we learn why and realise there's a lot more to her than the persona she portrays to the world. We also spend some time with her sister Bailee, a psychologist or therapist working with abused children / child protection.

And then there's Detective Inspector Rachael Langley, lauded for solving the 'Spider' nearly two decades earlier... involving online child pornography as well as 'snuff' films. So... big trigger alert re child sexual abuse here.

After the documentary featuring her old victory airs, Rachael receives a call telling her she's got it wrong. She's positive she didn't but when a young girl's body is found with almost identical MO to the cases of the past she forms a team to investigate the new murder and potential re-emergence of the pedophile ring.

Which of course is where Lexi comes in, as she's already hot on the trail of the same group and well-versed in tracking down its members.

As the guilt of the original 'Spider' is questioned, Rachael's credibility flails and her confidence wanes. I probably engaged more with Lexi, but we also spend a lot of time with Rachael who's having a clandestine affair with her boss (though not because either is married but because workplace romances are frowned-upon) and is close to her nephew Finn... a detective on her team.

The plot is twisty and Barrie throws a surprise in towards the end (that she masks well). And though there's some justice, we're not offered complete closure - which was fine with me as I'm keen to meet this fabulous cast of characters again.

* As an aside, I note the blurb says Johnny Walker and as a non scotch or whiskey (or whatevs) drinker I'm not sure if they're the same thing or if it changed part way through the process.

Wow, what a wild ride. Admittedly at times I did find this a little hard due to the theme of child abuse/paedophilia but it wasn’t overly graphic. I found the first third of the novel the hardest in that respect as the story was set up.
Lexi is a survivor of child abuse and the notorious paedophile called ‘The Spider’, who has been in jail since. She pays the bills as a sex worker and she has learnt skills as an ace computer hacker. In her childhood she protected her sister Bailee and now as Bailee works in child protection, Lexi has been turning her skills to helping her sister put paedophiles away. But now a young girl from a troubled home has been murdered and Spider is claiming responsibility, was the wrong person put away all those years ago?
There were a few flash back scenes involving Lexi and Detective Inspector Rachael Langley interspersed, either they weren’t clearly indicated or I missed it, so I occasionally had to stop and really think of the storyline. Once I worked out that the book had flashbacks, I seemed to work out when they occurred.
This was a fast paced novel with many turns and quite dark in places but had humour as well, which at times put a lighter note to it. Really enjoyed this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

‘There’s nothing fragile about who I am.’

Meet Lexi Winter. She’s a survivor: once a victim of notorious paedophile ‘The Spider’, now a vigilante looking to protect other children. Lexi earns some money as a sex worker and knows that she should drink less. But her main focus is on tracking down paedophiles and ensuring that the police know about them. Lexi helps her sister Bailee, a child protection officer, by checking out people they suspect might be abusing children. There’s one offender she’s keen to have put away but her usual methods don’t work to capture the evidence needed.
And when Lexi tries to gather evidence from his home, she becomes a witness to his death.

Eighteen years ago, Detective Inspector Rachael Langley cracked the Spider case. But she failed to save Lexi, and lives with her regret. As the Spider languishes in gaol, another man (claiming to be the real Spider) comes to the attention of police. A girl is found murdered, using the Spider’s signature positioning. Is he the real Spider, or a copycat? Some of Rachael’s colleagues think she may have made a mistake 18 years ago, and the media are keen for answers.

I really enjoyed this novel. Lexi is a terrific character as is Rachael. And Lexi’s neighbour Dawny is, well, a very rough (and helpful) diamond. There’s a twist near the end that didn’t quite work for me, but the story held my attention from beginning to end. There are some terrific secondary characters as well, and I would really love to read another novel (or more) featuring Lexi and Rachael.

Recommended.

‘Don’t think of it as leading, think of it as finishing.’

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia HQ for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Lexi Winter is a survivor of child abuse and was an important witness in the conviction of a paedophile nicknamed The Spider. She’s grown up tough but damaged and suspicious of relationships. She gets by as a prostitute for selected safe customers and with more than a little alcohol. In her spare time she is a skilled hacker, tracking paedophiles on the dark web. She often helps her sister Bailee, a child protection officer, look into men associated with children she suspects are being abused.

DI Rachel Langley was involved in catching The Spider all those years ago, but she has never forgiven herself for failing to protect Lexi, after she had failed to come to her aid when requested. Now the police have been faced with the killing of a child with exactly the same staging as used by The Spider, including some features never made public. Did they catch the wrong man all those years ago or is there a copycat killer pretending to be The Spider.

This is a really enjoyable fast paced thriller, set on the NSW central coast. Lexi is a great central character, so tough on the surface but fragile underneath and not far from taking flight if she gets spooked. As a result of her childhood, she doesn’t trust the police but must overcome her dislike if she is to help them trap the new Spider. Although this book deals with child abuse and pedophile rings it is not too graphic and there is much humour in Lexi’s interaction with the police and also with her neighbour. Dawny is nosy but appears harmless, and at least is friendly to Lexi, unlike her other snooty neighbours. However, she might just be hiding deep secrets of her own and Lexi soon finds herself in some unexpected but darkly humorous situations with Dawny and her good ‘friend’ Desmond.

I’ve read one of Sarah Barrie’s titles and enjoyed it a lot. It was what I would call a rural mystery but Unforgiven has an urban setting and is a much grittier story.

Lexi is an alcoholic prostitute who, in her spare time, hacks into the dark web, infiltrating paedophile rings. Lexi was a victim of one such ring as a child until her main abuser, a man who also murdered several young girls and went by the name of Spider, was caught. Now, 18 years later, a young girl’s body has been found in similar circumstances of those original crimes.

Detective Inspector Rachel Langley is sent to lead up the investigation and is soon contacted by a man claiming he is not only the killer now but was also responsible for the original murders and the man convicted was not the real Spider. This casts a shadow over Rachel’s entire career, considering she was directly promoted due to her cracking the original case.

I usually avoid books featuring crimes against children. Barrie managed to present the horrors of the crimes without too many graphic details but they were still unpleasant enough for me to pause reading when little Chloe was in the news. The one redeeming factor on this score was Unforgiven’s humour. Yes, I know that sounds insane but, at times, this was one of the funniest books I’ve ever read.

This comic relief mostly comes from Lexi’s neighbour, Dawny. I can’t give too many details without spoiling but Dawny really stole the show. (I imagined Jackie Weaver the whole time as I read.) Lexi also had great chemistry with Rachel’s nephew, Finn, who was also a detective working the case and Jim, a young police IT expert.

I highly recommend this fast paced Aussie thriller and I can’t wait for Lexi’s next adventure as, although most of the mystery plot was resolved, this is obviously going to be a series.

4 ½ stars

If Ian Rankin was an Australian Female author, he would be Sarah Barrie.
I’ve never read Sarah Barrie before and I’m so excited to have found a fantastic new author to read. Set in Australia, I loved being able to picture where the story was taking place. The character development is spot on and the story of the pedophilia is handled discretely without going into detailed descriptions.
I look forward to reading more of Sarah’s work.
Thanks for the advance copy.