“The Resolution” is an interesting, debut novel by Lachlan Pirie.

If you’re a fan of crime fiction, you should definitely give this one a try.

Two men in prison, two wives they both want to get rid of, and a plan to help each other do so, keeps the reader engaged throughout the book.

I enjoyed this debut and am looking forward to reading more by Lachlan Pirie in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for gifting me this ARC.

Interesting start with two prisoners plotting to kill their wife’s…one apparently with a split personality. Seems interesting,

This book was not for me, even though I liked the different story elements debut author Lachlan Pirie incorporated into his story. With its nod to Patricia Highsmith's "Strangers on a Train", he sets in motion a story full of violence, populated by damaged and unstable people.

Two men meet in their jail cell, one an indigenous man who has spent most of his life on and off in prison, and is disconnected from his culture, the other a lawyer incarcerated for his white collar crime.

As the story progresses, we discover more about both men's pasts. Daniel has had a passionate but also deeply troubling and violent relationship with Janet; both have lied about and assaulted the other, with neither demonstrating any desire to change. In fact, Janet's anger, and tendency to lash out violently has landed Daniel in jail multiple times. Jonathan dislikes women in general, and grew to undeservedly loathe his wife. He decided to take out a series of loans against his wife's name, then abscond, which didn't work out well for him.

Jonathan proposes that both men knock off each other's wives, as the men perceive that the women have been the architects of the men's misery and incarceration.

Author Pirie takes us back and forth in time to give us the background on the relationships, then progresses the plot to when the men begin their plans against the two women.

I appreciated the characterizations: Daniel has a small doll he stole from an indigenous elder; Daniel named the doll Tinkler, which is his alter ego, and Janet is an incredible mess. The two are a volatile, chaotic mistake together, which is an intriguing part of the story. And Jonathan is basically awful, but pretty good at reading people.

I found, however, that the book was somewhat tough going. It felt almost overwritten, with some chunks of text that felt more telling than showing, even though they provided more context and background. I did like the open ended ending, which left things in a disturbing place.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Ocean Reeve Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

There’s a lot going on in this book! It would be easy to give up but I kept reading to see what was happening along the way!
The writing style was layered, my imagination was drawn into the characters, I couldn’t imagine that there was anything else to be revealed!
The characters are complex, the storyline is mysterious with suspense and twists and turns to keep you guessing!
A different kind of story, a lesson learned for the reader!

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another very interesting read.

The Resolution tells the story mainly of Daniel Rodriguez through the eyes of his other personality, Tinkler. Daniel is of Aboriginal descent and has lived an extraordinarily hard life from the time he was born. He is estranged from his tribe and lives a lonely existence except for his constant companion, Tinkler, who speaks to Daniel through a small doll that Daniel takes everywhere.

The story centres on his agreement made with another inmate, Jonathan Little, for Daniel to kill Little's wife and for Jonathan to kill Janet, Daniel's wife.

I'm afraid to admit this but I felt far more sympathy for Daniel than I did for Janet even though their highly volatile, violent and dysfunctional relationship was both of their faults. We have certainly all met that couple who are so badly wrong for each other yet cannot keep away. Thankfully most split up before the devastation that Daniel and Janet wreak upon each other happens.

I thought using Daniel's alter ego, Tinkler (who is the voice of reason) was a clever device. There is, of course, an inevitability about the story in that it can only ever get worse. But there's nothing catastrophic about the telling its not over the top, it simply states what happens which, in itself, is quite disturbing.

Some people won't like the end but I did. I think I was hoping for it to end the way it did.

Lachlan Pirie is definitely a voice to look out for in the future. I hope he writes more from his unique point of view.

The premise of this book really enticed me but I thought the execution of the overall story was lacking. The way the book was written was overly complicated to me. The book lost me and was therefore, unfortunately, a miss.

Thanks so much to Ocean Reeve Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Lachlan Pirie's book "The Resolution" to read and review!

I was completely drawn in when I read the description of this book! I felt it was a nod to the 1950s Hitchcock movie "Strangers On A Train" based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith of the same name. This type of dark and twisty suspense is just my thing!!

At the beginning, I did get the film noir feel from the story that I was hoping for ... but it fell kinda flat pretty quickly for me. It started out with just the right amount of "creepy" and I really thought it was going places ... but I had a hard time following along. This is definitely not a quick read. It needs to be taken slow to absorb the plot.

I felt like there were things in the story-line and the time-line that didn't quite make sense and the ending left too many unanswered questions and was a little disappointing ....because I'm a girl who needs all the things wrapped up! But that's just me! Open sort of endings may not be so bothersome to others.

However, I did think the concept of this drama was a good one and I always enjoy reading an author's debut novel!

Thank you NetGalley for my review copy.
This story had an interesting premise, two men meet in jail and make a pact to kill each other's ex-wives. The story started out well but by the end so much had happened i wasn't really sure what was going on anymore. The end left me a little disappointed as well.

Lachlan Pirie composes a compelling mystery and a disturbing story by confronting the disturbing insight the minds of men who suffer from mental illness with a drive for criminal conviction. The Resolution is promising and hopeful at times with the storyline, and very descriptive as we are brought into the indigenous Aboriginal Australia through the mind of Daniel Rodriguez.

His ex-wife, Janet continues to visit him in prison and it leaves you questioning whether she is still in love with him and hopeful or rather if she herself has fallen prey to innerworkings of Daniel’s criminally twisted mind and beliefs. As each new person is introduce, you are drawn in deeper to the complexity of the thriller. This books is so very well written and unlike any that I’ve read in this genre.

The Resolution is a very powerful psychological thriller that will leave you with questions and a twist of an ending! Lachlan Pirie does not disappoint in the debut novel, and I look forward to more great works to come.

Thank you to Net Galley and Ocean Reeve Publishing for providing me with this ARC read and the opportunity to provide an honest and unbiased review.

The prologue of the book "The Resolution" promises an interesting plot in which we will meet an indigenous Australian - Aboriginal, 43-year-old Daniel Rodriguez, who is a sociopath. He suffers from multiple illnesses with borderline personality disorder. We also meet Janet - Rodriguez's ex-wife. She visits Daniel in prison for the fourth time. Why? I didn't understand why she went there. Had she loved him all along? Daniel (he calls himself native) is very dangerous. Janet will find out the hard way. Her ex-husband hates her. I was curious why that is. This heroine is also not perfect. Drugs had a strong influence on her behavior. She's not mentally healthy either. By reading "The Resolution" you will find out why. I was deeply shocked to learn her story. Kudos to the author. He invented an extraordinary heroine. Another hero is 47-year-old alcoholic Jonathan Little. He is currently in prison. He hates his wife. Kay has filed for divorce. Will Jonathan sign the papers? He tells his wife's lawyer that he will kill her. Why? I was very scared reading this. I secretly hoped that bastard would never be released. This hero loves money. He was not a poor man. Thanks to our heroes, we can find out what a prison looks like from the inside. Daniel and Jonathan met in one cell. What will these two psychopaths come up with? Their plan terrified me. You must get to know him. We learn about their intentions from the perpetrator's journals entitled "The World According to Tinkler Rodriguez". These logs are now evidence in the case. Terrible records. I was secretly hoping their plan would fail. I also met Daniel's probation officer, Fran Kelly. A very good and smart woman. He is concerned about the domestic violence that occurred with Aboriginal and Janet. A very interesting and powerful psychological thriller. I'm glad I was able to read it. The author did a great job of describing his characters and their problems. The ending is not obvious. The author left us with questions that we have to answer for ourselves. I'm a bit disappointed in him. I was hoping for a better ending.

The Resolution by Lachlan Pirie is a disturbing story! I’m not sure whether I really enjoyed it as it was at times very confronting with unsettling insights into the minds of men but particularly those with a criminal conviction. Dark humour isn’t something that appeals to me and the statement by the author that there won’t be a sequel leaves the reader up in the air.

While I have reservation about the novel, I have to admire it because it was a very good debut novel that was able to create emotions that truly affected the reader. it was certainly well written and the characters were well developed even if not likeable.


This review is based on a complimentary copy from Ocean Reece Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheResoluation #NetGalley

Lachlan Pirie weaves a compelling mystery in The Resolution. I found I was surprised time and again even when I thought I knew where the plot was headed. The cast of characters is complex and dynamic and kept me on my toes throughout. I appreciated that both Kay and Janet had interesting, complex characteristics and existed outside the role of wife to the main protagonist. There were brief moments, mainly in Tinkley's narration, where I felt the writing was attempting to be complicated just for the sake of it or perhaps to be overtly intelligent, but overall it did not detract from my enjoyment of the novel. A wonderful debut novel from an Indigenous author, and I can't wait to see more from them!

You really need to pay attention reading this, there's a story told within a story with the introduction of one of the main characters diaries, later used as evidence. There's a lot going on and many twists and turns. This is a suspense filled book and you will have to hold out to the end to unravel the whole story. This book has an absolute bonkers premise but its an enjoyable, unusual and quirky story. The Characters are very unlikeable but that's the way they should be. A well written story full of dark humour and satire, this is one wild ride of a read.

Title: The Resolution
Author: Lachlan Pirie
Publisher: Ocean Reeve Publishing
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"The Resolution" by Lachlan Pirie

My Sentiments:

This author gave the reader quite a read in keeping up with what was going on with these characters. Be ready for many twists and turns, along with quite a suspenseful read in this 'dark humor and satire read.' Indeed Daniel and Jonathan were some strong characters, and let's not leave out Janet, which slightly offered some dark humor to the story. By the way, these characters had been in prison. Unfortunately, to get the whole story, you will have to put up this read...which is rather long to get the story that will keep you turning the pages to the end, especially if you like suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Ocean Reeve Publishing.

A debut author and Indigenous Australian, Lachlan Pirie’s The Resolution is enjoyable crime fiction. Its synopsis is fascinating, with two men in jail agreeing to kill the other wife so they can be free of them. Daniel Rodriguez is released on parole and gets a good opportunity to do his side of the bargain. He then takes off, having removed his attached tracker and flees to Queensland. Then Jonathan Little, a former ex-criminal lawyer is released but his pursuit of Daniel’s wife gets more complicated. Initially, the narrative was slow-moving, with pages of characters’ monologues before the final third of the novel got interesting. A subtle tale of criminal behaviour and mental health, using journal entries to give insight into the main protagonist. A promising tale, with a bewitching conclusion that won’t result in a sequel but is a three stars read rating. With thanks to Ocean Reeve Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

I enjoyed reading this book. I particularly liked how a story was told within a story and the diary entries that were used within the book as evidence. This book is very engaging and I just wanted to read the whole book in one sitting just to see what happens. I loved all the characters as I felt they were very engaging, I originally did not like Johnathon or Janet but then I definitely grew to loving the characters further into the book. I understood the unfinished ending is part of the book but I personally did not like the unfinished ending but that's only because I enjoy knowing what happens. The writing is good but I feel it just needs a slight improvement with certain sentences but I recommend everyone to read this book as it's a great unique read in my opinion.

Thankyou to the author and to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

3.5/5 stars

Thanks to Ocean Reeve Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to read and review Lachlan Pirie's 'The Resolution.'

The Resolution is bonkers. In a good way.

Two cellmates - one a grizzled and violent Aboriginal (with his totemic alter-ego) and one a sociopathic white collar criminal - who've separately come to the conclusion that their wives' continued existence is the one obstacle to a peaceful life agree to a pact to kill each other's spouse when they get out of prison and clear parole.

The best laid plans (and this isn't close to being a best laid plan) of mice and men, an all that.

What follows their release forms the insane core of the novel as the men either do or don't try to carry out the terms of the agreement.

Part strangers on a train, part road yarn, part social commentary on the Aboriginal experience in modern Australia it's just a riot.

The big let down is the ending. Ironically for a book with this title, there really isn't a resolution or any kind of satisfactory signoff. It just kind of fizzles out. We go from high drama to, 'is that it' in a matter of pages. Rather than being a carefully considered ambiguous ending (which I would be fine with) it feels more like the author didn't quite know how to end it so ...

I sincerely hope that this gets made into a TV series by an Australian production company. I think it would need a more satisfactory or conventional ending but it would be absolutely fantastic.

I've given this a four star rating though, for me, it's probably closer to a 3.5.

First, there’s the obvious parallels to Patricia Highsmith’s 1950 book (and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 film) “Strangers on a Train” where two barely connected people conspire to kill each other’s nemesis. And that one of the perpetrators has a split personality or is psychopathic. Second, the reader has no one to root for and only characters to root against, since no one really seems sympathetic. It’s hard to tell if the targeted women are sympathetic from the misogynistic male characters’ perspectives or not, when their own self narratives and others’ narratives give corroborating info. The reader is just left wondering, “Why did he/she decide to do that??”

There’s an interesting device used that one of the perpetrator’s journals is provided in the story as police evidence. Maybe I didn’t read it carefully enough to note how it ends up in police evidence at the very end of the narrative since the journal covers penultimate events.

Stories within stories make this a book to which you need to pay attention as you read. I loved the almost detached descriptive style of some of the writing and the concept itself is a classic.

Jonathan Little and Daniel Rodriguez meet in a jail cell and share their stories; both men blame their wives for the fact that they've ended up in prison, and their anger leads to a pact that each will murder the other's wife after they are released from prison. Neo-noir with a touch of mysticism and love-gone-wrong, the story is told in a relatively impersonal tone that, for me, made it hard to fully engage with the plot or the characters. I did enjoy the not-tidy ending, but if a reader who likes all loose ends tied up might be frustrated by it.