My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Detective August Shaw, haunted by the loss of his partner and consumed by cold cases, believes a string of supposed suicides hides the work of Australia’s most elusive serial killer. Isolated and dismissed by colleagues, his obsession leaves him alone—until Senior Constable Jacob Porter enters the picture. Jacob, rooted in his small-town community and dedicated to both Indigenous and LGBTQIA+ outreach, discovers human remains in Tallowwood Reserve that connect directly to August’s cases. Unlike others, Jacob believes August, and together they uncover a chilling pattern. As more bodies surface—including that of a fellow officer—their investigation becomes impossible to ignore. Facing resistance, danger, and the threat of becoming the killer’s next target, August and Jacob must unravel lies and trace the untraceable before time runs out.
I loved this mystery story where August’s loneliness collided with Jacob’s warmth to create a story of redemption and connection. I loved that this story was not just about two men confronting death, lies, and danger — but finding life, truth, and love in each other. The serial killer plot is the external battle, while the deeper story is about healing grief through connection, and proving that even in the coldest cases, warmth can be found. I felt that August’s fight against disbelief and bureaucracy mirrored the struggle of marginalised voices trying to be heard, Jacob’s role as both Indigenous and LGBTQIA+ liaison underscored systemic barriers, showing how justice often requires the dismantling of entrenched prejudice and indifference and the killer became a metaphor for what thrives in silence: unchecked violence when institutions fail to act. Overall I was gripped by the mystery and the frustrations in the story and the ending had me on the edge of my seat! Lots of big emotions and feelings. This was an MM story with mature content.
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