This book was pretty good but it really wasn’t for me. I liked it but it wasn’t the best. I didn’t like the writing style much but I guess that’s just me. The ending of this book got me though and I overall did enjoy it. I feel like a lot of people would love this, my only reason I didn’t really click with it mostly is because of the religious stuff but other than that the book was really good and well written! But for me 2.5

Incredible thriller, the kind that makes you want to stay up all night and read. And such books are rare these days! I'm grateful for this story and will recommend it to those who enjoy the genre.

A girl’s body is found in an exclusive public school and seems to be linked to the serial killer known as BMK because of the way the body is wrapped in plastic. There are some key differences though and the team are in two minds. Alongside the detectives is an alcoholic journalist called Bowman who is an ex pupil of the school. The way the police use his and vice versa is interesting but I struggled to feel anything other than unpleasant pity for him, I liked the detective Rosie and felt the police worked well as a team. The psychologist’s insights were a good addition. The end is a little rushed as you find out one thing very slowly across the book and then another thing very quickly. I was keen to read this throughout and will look for future books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and author, Matthew Spencer for access to this excellent debut thriller!

I devoured this book in 24 hours and truly couldn't put it down. The pace was perfect - it kept me interested and guessing the whole time. The characters were all interesting, believable and well developed and the dialog was perfectly done.

I am giving this one 5 stars and recommend checking it out if you're looking for a fast-paced crime thriller.

Amazing crime thriller - captivating, intriguing, what a ride! Great character development, twists and turns to the last page.

This is a really gripping crime thriller with a memorable cast of characters, set in Sydney, Australia. A young woman’s dead body is found wrapped in black plastic at a posh boy’s school in Sydney. Is this the work of the Blue Moon Killer active along the Parramatta River? It seems unlikely. Different MO. Different area. But Detective Sergeant Rose Riley can’t shake off the feeling that the murders are related.
I suspected almost everyone I met on the pages of this book. There’s Spratt, the property manager, who has the run of the school. There’s the slimy headmaster, Philip Preston – arrogant and entitled. Then there’s the missing gardener, the lad who found the body and the journalist. All seem to be slightly dodgy and possibly have a motive. There’s also an unsavoury politician, the mafia and other high-ups who seem to be pulling strings.
I really enjoyed the taut writing style, Sydney setting and the typical Aussie disdain for politics, big business and wealth that shone through. I found the relationship between Riley and has-been journalist, Bowman, fascinating. I also relished the insights provided by the forensic psychiatrists working with the police.

The cover drew me into wanting to read this book. Black River is Matthew Spencer's debut novel. The story got bogged down in the middle with too many details, and I found myself skimming the pages.

The story was just okay for me. I did find the Syndey setting to be like an added character in the book, which I liked. This book is great for fans of crime fiction with a gritty protagonist.

I give this a 3.5 (rounded to 4) out of 5 stars.

#BlackRiver #NetGalley @AmazonPub

This is a taught thriller with intelligently created characters and a punchy voice that lifts it way above the ordinary. Spencer will be one to watch. It had me turning the pages from beginning to end.

A murder on the campus of an exclusive Australian private school brings in homicide detectives who think it might be linked to a serial killer. A journalist is drawn in and becomes close to the investigation. It plays out expertly from there.

(4.5 stars)
Black River takes you up the Parramatta River into the creeks, tributaries and bays of Gladesville, Cabarita, Tennyson, Putney and Henley. A motley crew of police (taskforce Satyr) team up with approaching-end-of-career hack journalist to chasing a serial killer—or is it two killers—after a young woman’s body turns up at a fancy church-based private school. But don’t worry, it’s not that complimentary to this form of privileged education: “These schools swap kids like the Catholics shunt the peds around.”

I found this book a bit of a delight to read, mostly for localism, the pleasure that knowing what the place looks like brings: “She cut south for Lidcombe, into the valley of death—the coroner had moved from Glebe to the new complex abutting Rookwood Cemetery. The morgue and the necropolis … some planning bureaucrat had really thought things through.” There’s also a strongly Australian suspicion about power, politicians and their motives running through the novel that, as an Australian, I related to: “Bowman sensed tendrils in the shadows of the politician’s words, the mycelium network feeding into Bishop.”

For a journalist, author Matthew Spencer is surprisingly scathing about his profession, with a definite undercurrent running through the lead detective O’Neil who doesn’t “like journalists on principle—swarmy fuckers, always seeking advantage and then needy for approval.” Spencer goes one step further by explaining, through the character of Bowman, how rarely journalists speak truth to power versus being snivelling lap dogs sourcing their stories from scraps thrown from the very people they should be holding to account. Bowman visualises his future as “an old hack on Twitter, shovelling bile” This realistic view of news stories and investigative journalism and how they operate in Australia really endeared me to this book and writer, I would happily pick up his next novel.

Black River by Matthew Spencer, a blistering debut crackling with tension, is a clever, gripping, and fabulous read that doesn’t disappoint..

In Matthew Spencer’s debut thriller, Black River, set in contemporary Sydney, a sadistic serial killer that journalists have dubbed BMK (Blue Moon Killer) is on the loose. BMK has already targeted and murdered two women in separate Gladesville houses on the Parramatta River, when someone discovers the body of a third victim on the grounds of a posh boys’ boarding school. The first question for Rose Riley and Steve O’Neil, the lead detectives of the BMK task force, is whether the new victim is the work of the same killer. They discover there are many similarities to the first two murders, but also troubling discrepancies. A forensic psychiatrist on the task force feels the third murder is unrelated, but as team leader, O’Neil overrules the psychiatrist. With useful physical evidence from the other crime scenes scant, the team focuses on victim number three. Then we’re into the nuts and bolts of a standard police procedural for much of the remaining story.

Spencer crafted a cleverly plotted, pacy novel with a plausible premise and all the trappings of Australian noir storytelling. He also displays a flair for dialogue that’s in keeping with the genre. Also, Spencer generates a genuinely foreboding atmosphere based not only on cops struggling desperately to catch a predator who is escalating their violent behavior, but on the overarching threat of what might happen if they fail. And there’s nothing more terrifying than that. The mind can imagine anything. The unrelenting tension produces anticipation for the reader, which keeps us turning the pages.

The characters, from the dedicated but cynical detectives to staff members at the boarding school to some of the more unsavory support members of the cast, are realistically drawn. While the publisher bills Black River as the first book in the Rose Riley series (named for Detective Sergeant Rose Riley), I’m unsure she is the sole protagonist in the story. Adam Bowman, a newspaper journalist, gets about as much play in the novel as Riley. We spend a lot of time inside Bowman’s head, get the benefit of his perspective, and learn much of his backstory. Bowman, coincidentally, attended the boarding school and grew up there as the son of a resident teacher. He is a hackneyed journalist at a dying local print newspaper who gets a new lease on his professional life when the police feed him tidbits of information on the crimes and killer that helps grow his stature with his editor and peers. Of course, the cynical cops are only using him to draw out BMK or force the killer to make mistakes. Bowman realizes that, but still uses the arrangement to his best advantage and he plays a significant role in the story.

The fun part of Black River for the reader is the struggle to work out the whodunit part. Spencer offers us an array of suspects and leads us down a few blind alleys that we follow willingly. He uses Riley’s suspicions to almost convince us to believe a character we have already found likeable and developed empathy for might be BMK. And just when it seems the cops have learned something that eliminates the character as a suspect, Spencer tosses us another twist that makes Riley and us suspect the character all over again. I found that technique brilliant, allowing Spencer to keep us in limbo, and that added much tension and suspense.

Having spent time in Sydney and being familiar with the climate, geography, and many of the notable Sydney landmarks Spencer uses in the novel, I found the book satisfyingly atmospheric. However, readers who have not traveled to Australia might not get the same impression. But if you love crime fiction and choose to read this book, you’re in for a treat. With lots of twists and turns along the way, based on originality, readability and Spencer’s ability to keep us on the edge of our seats, Black River ticks all the boxes for a superbly crafted and gripping crime thriller.

I received an advance copy of the book for review purposes.

A fast-paced mystery with plenty of action and interesting characters.

Thank you Matthew Spencer, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC.
In Sydney, Detective Rose Riley catches the case of what is thought to be the Black Moon Killer, Rose isn't so sure about that and forms an uneasy liaison with a journalist, Adam Bowman, who went to the school where the killed girl is found, and could be of use in finding the murderer. Rose is suspicious of
him, though, and is cautious in how she handles him.
I liked the Australian setting, but at first had a bit of a hard time keeping the many characters apart. But that didn't stop me from really enjoying the book. It was very well written and the ending was smashing.
Definitely recommended!

Black River is book 1 in the Rose Riley Series by Matthew Spencer is an amazing debut to an awesome series!
I enjoyed this new police procedural story.
I thought it was well written, exciting storyline and wonderful characters!
The writing was phenomenal Spencer really kept me engaged and flipping the pages wanting more of this story and characters.
With its creative plot and outstanding character development this was an outstanding debut and I'm looking forward to reading more of Riley's journey in the future!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thomas & Mercer,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley. This focusses on a police investigation into a serial killer dubbed the Blue Moon Killer. A girl is murdered at a boys' school, mostly empty for the holidays, and the police must decide if she was killed by the BMK. Adam, a reporter, is an old boy of the school and forms an alliance with the police, until they begin to wonder if he is the killer.

I really enjoyed this, and the switches between the perspectives of Rose the police sergeant and Adam worked well. Some of their methods were unorthodox to say the least though. The ending was perhaps a little rushed, but on the whole I thought this book showed the logical steps the police took and made them exciting.

Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this mystery novel, it was what I was hoping for and really had a good time reading this. It was what I was expecting from Matthew Spencer and this was a great entry for Rose Riley. It was really well written and I was ready for more in this universe.

“I did my practical training at Prince Albert many years ago,” Dunlop said, sitting. “I was still at Moore Theological College, not long out of school myself. That time occurs to me now for a reason. It involves your family. I’m sure you know why.”