The Turner family has gathered together for Easter at Yallambee, the estate of the sons’ deceased father, Campbell Turner. There’s Jamie and his wife Nina and their children; Duncan and his wife Skye and their daughter, Tilly; and Hugo along with Tamara an employee of the family. Duncan’s teenage son, Cody, from another woman has joined the group to get to know the Campbell family. All have welcomed him except for Hugo who is always nasty, drunk and high. After Hugo demands DNA proof that Cody is indeed Duncan’s son, the Turner men end up fighting. The next morning several people are ill with the sickest being Nina and Tilly. Nina dies and Tilly is put in an induced coma. Both have been poisoned with arsenic.

Enter Sergeant Mei O’Connor who is investigating the case. It doesn’t take her long to find that the Turners are deeply involved in some very crooked and unsavory schemes worldwide and have been for many years. With the pain of her broken engagement and caring for her ill mother, Mei ends up having to fight her superiors to get their help to solve this crime.

There is a lot of angst and gaslighting going on here along with some very shocking discoveries. I did find that the story lagged at times and wished it could have moved along faster. That would have kept my interest sharper. However, I’m sure that readers will enjoy this story.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review

Dnf at 88%

I usually don’t dnf book so close to finishing them but the choices that this author made were just so unnecessary. Like why get the Russian mafia involved? And why kill the cat? That plot point forced me to dnf.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review

Skye’s husband and his brothers are making her question her own perceptions of events, but she is confident that she knows what she’s seen. Mei is convinced the other detectives are taking the easy answer, and there’s more to Skye’s suspicions than they’re ready to believe.

Skye definitely came from humble roots, but she’s been holding her own and trying to fit in with the super-wealthy and powerful Turners since she married Duncan Turner. While she isn’t sure about Duncan’s brothers, she’s more confident that her husband is a kind and reliable husband and father to their daughter, Tilly.

But when Duncan’s son, Cody, is introduced to the family at the weekend when they’ll determine what’s next after the death of the patriarch, Sir Campbell Turner, no one seems to be taking it well. Cody has always been nice, and good to his half-sister, Tilly, but Duncan and his brothers are more at odds than usual, and the brothers suspect Cody of ulterior motives to show up during the power struggle within the family.

Skye has her own past, which makes her observations and suspicions less believable, sometimes even for her. But as the evidence continues to stack up on other issues, even she isn’t sure if Tilly is safe with Duncan’s family.

This story was thrillingly told, with an unreliable main narrator, and so many suspects. In addition to whether to trust Skye’s suspicions, Mei must also question whether the other police detectives are choosing an easy solution instead of squaring off against such a powerful family. The book earned a high 4 out of stars, with a thought-provoking twist at the end. This would be enjoyed by those who like contemporary family dramas and stories in Australia.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

Good writing with a compelling story but I didn’t like anyone in this book. There was no one to root for for me and I definitely have friends who will enjoy this but it wasn’t for me.

happy pub day! what a suspenseful ride. I almost DNF'd due to the age of Tilly, but figured I'd continue due to the storyline. I really liked each woman's POV/experience. Will definitely keep this author in mind for future books!

This book made me SO angry, but in the best possible way; it was a scathing commentary on how women are so often gaslit, belittled, and overlooked in both personal and professional settings. And while I wanted to rage at the characters for this behavior, I also greatly applaud the attention to these matters that the author is able to bring, all while weaving together a compelling mystery with twists that are both surprising and yet exactly what you’d expect.

See How They Fall follows two protagonists with alternating POVs: Skye, a working class gal who marries into an insanely rich family but who learns she has very little control over her life, and Mei, a police detective whose personal life is in shambles and whose professional contributions are often overlooked. Their worlds collide after a poisoning happens at Skye’s family’s Easter holiday celebration leaving one dead and her daughter, Tilly, in a critical, hospitalized state.

This mystery was quite twisty, with many revelations (both some that I guessed and some that REALLY surprised me, which I always love!) There was one twist at the very, very end that was wild and I did not see coming (but looking back I see how well it was plotted!) The setting was the ever popular rich-people-with sinister-secrets situation (in the vein of Succession, White Lotus, etc) but was grounded by Mei’s POV as a more “normal” person, and yet her and Skye’s parallel experiences as women in the heart of this web was well-done. The dual POVs also provided a good balance between the family drama and the police investigation elements. Mei and Skye are also both absolutely flawed characters but it made their narration compelling and honestly made me root for them even more.

While I will admit the ending felt a bit abrupt and glossed over some elements that I wish had been fleshed out more (a frustrating trend in thrillers, I fear) I think this story was a great debut and was so much more than “just” a thriller, but really a look at how women are treated despite their place in society.

Overall: A really strong debut thriller that’s smartly written with enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes!

See How They Fall
Suspense, secrets & surprises abound in this heart-racing psychological thriller. Very captivating, could not put it down!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy

I thought the mystery/thriller aspect of this book was very well done. I never knew what to expect next or who to trust. There were tons of twists and turns, it was dark and twisty and definitely messed up. I loved that it was a family drama, A wealthy family, lots of family and business secrets, gaslit women and two poisoned family members. I thought that the two perspectives were great - I loved the detective who was strong, intelligent and not willing to give up and the mom, living in a web of lies while her daughter is in the ICU. I wish that there were fewer "main characters" as I think that it made parts of the book feel more surface level than I wanted. The book was well paced and I could not put it down. The ending was not what I expected. Overall an incredibly twisted, on the seat of your chair, psychological thriller debut. I look forward to more of Rachel Paris in the future! 
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I would say this book was another example of who needs enemies when you have family 😂. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil anything but Rachel Paris did a great job with this book. I didn’t go into it blind but I forgot what it was about soooo same thing right? It added to ride this rollercoaster of a book took me on. I think thriller lovers will love this one!

The ultra-rich are different from regular people....but poison can still kill them

The mega-wealthy Australian Turner clan heads to their private estate Yallambee to celebrate Easter weekend together, and while there plan to discuss how their empire will continue now that their domineering patriarch Sir Campbell is dead. The usual tensions and rivalries between the three adult sons are bad enough, and now middle son Duncan has decided to introduce his newly discovered illegitimate son to the rest of the family which causes further drama. By the end of the weekend someone will be dead and another will be fighting for their life. There was no one at Yallambee but the immediate family, the three sons, their partners and children....all staff were sent off...so unless it was a freak accident the killer is one of a limited number of people. Homicide Detective Senior Sergeant Mei O'Connor and her partner DS Stuart "Macca" McKenzie are put in charge of the investigation, which is very quickly stymied by the family members themselves. Why would someone want certain family members dead? Why has the family closed ranks so quickly, making the police's job harder? Is there more to the family empire than the fabulous homes, glamorous lifestyles, and money that Sir Campbell amassed as he clawed his way out of his impoverished beginnings? It soon becomes clear that the search for answers may cost the dogged Mei her career...and maybe even more.
See How They Fall is a dark and twisty psychological thriller that unfolds from the points of view of two female characters: Mei, recently promoted to DSS but struggling with issues in her private life (a broken engagement and a mother in failing health), and Skye Turner, wife of middle son Duncan, who has struggled to free herself from a rocky past which now may be used to manipulate her. Each must face not only forces outside of their spheres which want to damage them but in some cases equally malevolent intent from those they should be able to trust. As the story races from the horrific events that launch the tale to an explosive conclusion themes of corruption, abuse and dysfunction are rife. There are plenty of twists along the way, although there were a few that I saw coming early on. Mei and Skye are well-developed and intriguing characters, and while some of the other characters weren't quite as fully drawn the book is a solid (3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4) thriller that kept my attention throughout. Readers of Lucy Foley, Sally Hepworth and Claire Mackintosh should find this debut thriller right up their alley, and it might just be the start of a new series. My thanks to NetGalley and Scarlet/Penzler Publishers for allowing me early access to the book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really entertaining family drama! I enjoyed seeing the different perspectives of the family involved in the drama and the police officer trying to figure out what happened. Fans of juicy family drama and a little mystery will love it!

Rich family. One dead. One poisoned. And everyone’s lying.
Skye thought marrying into the wealthy Turner family would be a dream but dreams can turn into nightmares real fast. And when one winds up dead and another poisoned at a family gathering, their “perfect” life starts to crumble.
It is told in two POVs, Skye and the detective. This book weaves in secrets, lies and gaslighting to keep you on edge.
A twisty dark thriller to add to your TBR!

Family secrets, lies, drama and murder. This is nicely twisty and I was a fan of Mei. Know that some of the characters feel like stereotypes but that won't keep you from turning the pages. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good travel book.

While this book was a standalone, it felt like it could be the second book in a series. There was a lot of backstory for the law enforcement characters and it was hard to determine if they were the central story or if the Turner family was. It ultimately came together, but I would still enjoy following the main police character, Mei, along for future cases. Character development was done well, considering the reader only got limited points of view and it was unsettling to see how easy law enforcement and the medical community could be manipulated through money, power, and connection. This all combined for a really good read! And, again, here is my request for more stories featuring Sergeant Mei O’Connor!

This book was so good! I was literally at the edge of my seat reading this. The dual perspectives made the book impossible to put down because I HAD to know what would happen next. There’s something about books that have the elite trope that intrigue me. The book was written well and overall a great psychological thriller. I will be reading more from this author.

4/5 stars🔥
This book was the perfect mix of intriguing and fun. I enjoyed the story overall, but I will say the plot twists were not very shocking.
This was a quick/easy read that kept me entertained! I would suggest this if you’re looking for a whodunnit style of book!

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

#booksonaburger #ARC #NetGalley #bookstagram #bookreview #SeeHowTheyFall

What happens when you combine a thriller full of family drama, scandal, secrets and lies? You get the incredible story - See How They Fall!

You know what they say- If you can't trust family.. who can you trust?

When an illegitimate heir comes forward at a family weekend retreat, things do not go as planned. There is a tragedy that begins an investigation that turns menacing. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Telling the story in Skye and Mei’s voices was very effective giving you the opportunity to look inside both the family dynamics as well as the investigation.

I enjoyed this fast-paced page turner!

Mark your calendar! This Australian thriller will be released on April 29,2025!

What a ride! This thriller is just that, a thriller. Fast paced and suspense driven. Loved every second!

Skye married into the wealthy Turner family years ago, thinking she had entered paradise. Now, she is on the way to the family estate with her husband Duncan and young daughter, Tilly, after Duncan's father passed away. It is time to read the will and see what his father left behind. But as the weekend progresses, tragedy strikes, with a death and one person in hospital. Sergeant Mei O'Connor is assigned to investigate and despite the opinion of her superiors, she thinks they are missing something and continues a dangerous investigation into the family.

This one had action and danger at every turn! I love a good police procedural and this was such an enjoyable novel for me. The writing was brilliant and I loved the Sydney and surrounding locations, particularly living here. There were a bunch of unlikeable characters up to terrible things and Mei's own background was so intriguing. A brilliant novel and I look forward to more by this author. 4.5*