I wasn't sure what I was going to think when I asked #NetGalley if I could review Redemption by Candice Fox. I was anxious as I had loved The Dry and comparisons had been made. I was also aware that the two main characters had been in a previous book and wondered if it would be hard to read book two without having read book one.
I needn't have worried. This book had me from page one and I very much enjoyed it. Ted and Amanda (the two private detectives who are asked to investigate a murder in a Queensland bar) were brilliantly well developed characters. I was intrigued by them, worried about them, and was cheering them on from my holiday sun bed.
The book isn't just about the murder in the bar, it is also about Ted needing to clear his name of a crime he didn't commitment but led to him losing his job in the police force and then end of his marriage.
The book also included the thoughts (through a diary) of a man who has sexual feelings for children that he later acts on. It is a very difficult thing to include and could have felt very wrong and voyeuristic for the reader. It didn't. and I think Candice Fox did a very good job of maintaining the balance required. I work as a child protection professional and was nervous about this part of the book, but she nailed it.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. #NetGalley and Candice Fox.
I am going to have to go and read book one now. (Although you don't have to.) In the meantime, I am going to be recommending Redemption.

This is the first book I have read by this author - and it won't be the last. Well written, well paced. This is apparently the second book in a series about Ted Conkaffey and Amanda Pharrell who make a very interesting pair. Ted is a tortured character whose life has been ruined by being accused of kidnapping and raping a young girl. His wife and work colleagues have turned their backs on him - not all because they think necessarily believe in his guilt. Amanda is a very strange character who thinks she is so funny and has a difficult past. As they investigate a crime as private investigators, Ted is still trying to find the actual perpetrator of the crime he is accused of. It is fascinating to read a book which follows the impact being falsely accused has on a character and the sort of people who believe in his innocence who are attracted to him. Will definitely read the first book in this series.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Candice Fox/Random House/Cornerstone for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Loved it. Amanda really excited me. I wanted to know what she was going to say next. Shows how one simple error can lead to a complete change to a persons life. Very, very descriptive but not in a gratuitous way. Highly recommended.

Redemption Point starts from the perspective of the main character Ted Conkaffey who lets you know in the first paragraph that he's been incarcerated and describes himself as the beast, the hunter, the monster from whom the world needed to be protected. This was enough to pique my interest straight away.
The story unfolds through the narration of the different characters, a style of writing I generally enjoy and this was no exception. The supporting characters are interesting with deep back stories; my favourite is Ted's quirky investigative partner Amanda whose disregard for convention adds a touch of humour. My only gripe is that as this was a #netgalley copy, the formatting sometimes meant that you had to work at where the swap in character voice had happened, but as I got to know the characters, this became easier.
The story has plenty of twists and turns to keep it interesting, succeeding in effectively telling two stories at once - Ted and Amanda's investigation and Ted's attempt to clear his name - and the end was both satisfying and unsatisfying at the same time.

This is the second in the series and again this didn't disappoint. A great thriller set in the Aussie bush. I can't get enough of Candice Fox's books

Although I enjoyed this book I think it would have helped if I'd read the first book in the series. Having said that the book was easy to read with plenty of twists and turns to keep one's interest.

Starts off as a slow burner but quickly picks up to be a very well written book. The characters are well developed and the story line is very pheasable in this day and age when social media can blur the truth.

The characters are believable and likeable, even if one is somewhat odd and the two strands of the story work very well. Perhaps this is the start of a new seriees, if so I willl certainly read on.

I was excited to get this book as it was being compared to The Dry by Jane Harper. By my reckoning the similarity between these two books is that both were set in Australia but this compares very poorly to Jane Harper’s book. I found it poorly and confusingly written with different voices suddenly changing mid paragraph. The Australian setting doesn’t really feature and I forgot that until a town or state was named occasionally.

It’s the second book in the Crimson Lake series but I don’t think you need to read the first to follow the story. The plot revolves around Ted Conkaffey, previously a drugs squad police officer in Sydney, but now lying low having been wrongly accused of raping and assaulting a young girl. He is frequently referred to as the nation’s most hated man which seems a bit extreme given he was not convicted. He’s now living in Queensland and has partnered Amanda Pharell who, as a teenager, murdered a teenage girl and spent a decade in prison. Both are outcasts from society so team up as private investigators.

Ted and Amanda are called in by the father of a young man who is murdered in a bar. They work alongside the local police force. This I found quite unbelievable at times. Especially when Amanda gets to sit in on official police interviews. Really?

Alongside the confusing ‘is it Ted or Amanda’ dialogue is text in a smaller font in two colours (why?). This is Kevin’s diary who is a paedophile. This and the general violence made the book too dark and bleak for me.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is quite a book. First of all, to take your main character and give him a doubtful history in the most deplorable of areas (of which he is certainly innocent…), which would naturally cause him unavoidable family problems. Then to provide him with a dubious and possibly unhinged sidekick and then to place in this story a plot relating to a possible gangland murder or professional hit and the attempt to bring a child abuser to justice – there is a lot going on here. This novel is tough in both storyline and presentation and language; like a harder Lee Child novel but with a protagonist who has flaws and who is not impervious to all that the world throws at him. It can also be genuinely touching in parts, particularly when relating to his relationship to his baby daughter. There is an honesty in this novel rarely found in books of this ‘genre’.

This is the first Crimson Lake novel I have read but it is the second in the series and it would seem a lot happened in that first novel. The author does a good job of bringing us first-time readers up to speed without boring her established fans but I still feel that this was not really a stand-alone novel and I probably would have felt more in tune with it had I previously read the original ‘Crimson Lake’ novel. Having said that, I connected with the characters enough to be truly gripped by the climax and enough to want to go back and read the first in the series. And this is definitely going to be a series; the story could have been tied up neatly but Candice Fox has developed believable (if also slightly fantastical) characters whose story we will want to continue reading about for some time.

Ted Conkaffey and Amanda Pharrell return in this second book in the Crimson Lake series. Ted is still halfheartedly fighting to clear his name when the father of his alleged victim comes looking for him, meanwhile Amanda becomes embroiled in a murder case where two young bartenders were killed.

The first book was an excellent read so I was happy to be given the chance to read an ARC of the sequel. Unfortunately I don't think it quite lived up to the first one - I found the story quite disjointed at times and it was heavy going. The diary entries by the young paedophile were suitably chilling and rather disturbing to read. I think
for me the problem is Amanda, I just find her character exasperating in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Random House UK, Cornerstone, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

'Redemption', first published as 'Redemption Point' in January 2018, is the second book in the Crimson Lake series by No.1 Sunday Times bestselling Australian crime writer Candice Fox and features Private Investigators (PIs) Ted Conkaffey and Amanda Pharell, as they investigate happenings throughout Crimson Lake, Queensland. I have not had the pleasure of reading the first book, but that didn't affect my enjoyment in any way, and this could easily be read as a standalone novel - we are given plenty of background information that it is easy to see how and why both Conkaffey and Pharell reached the point they are now at in their lives. The publisher compares this book to Jane Harper's 'The Dry', and there are certainly similarities - both are set in Australia, both feature murders and both feature a protagonist who is under suspicion. However, 'The Dry' is a lot more atmospheric and uses the Australian location as a huge part of the plot, this title has different positive aspects.

Ted Conkaffey, an ex-policeman from the Sydney drugs squad, has been wrongly accused of rape and assault. He is arrested, charged and imprisoned, but when his case arrives in court it is swiftly thrown out for lack of evidence. However, in many ways the damage has already been done, as he has lost both his wife and baby daughter, his home and his job. Ted is desperately trying to rebuild his life, but people have long memories, and the stigmatisation has not been reversed despite the case collapsing. He makes the desicion to move to the middle of nowhere in an effort to escape the hatred people feel towards him. Ted and the true perpetrator shortly begin a game of cat and mouse, but who will be triumphant? Another storyline runs parallel to Teds ordeal when he and Pharell are asked to investigate the killings of two staff in a local bar.

This is an exquisitely written story with two overlapping and converging plots that, in the end, result in a satisfying denouement. Ted and Amanda are well developed characters, and their relationship is a mismatched and quirky one. Both investigators are broken and flawed individuals, but both are also endearing and charming in their own way. The dynamic between them is unique, and I really appreciated that they felt realistic and believable. Each has unfortunately gone through very difficult times, but admirably each has moved on with their lives. The fast pace and action-packed plot leads to you turning the pages so rapidly that you hit the conclusion faster than you ideally would've liked - I certainly wish I had read slower and savoured this book a little more! That's the trade off caused by an excellent thriller - finishing in one sitting and regretting it v savouring it (but finding it difficult as you want to read on and find out the final resolution).

Many thanks to Arrow for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This is the second book in the Crimson Lake series, something I didn't find out until after I had read Redemption. Thankfully it works fantastically as a standalone so at no point did I feel like I was missing out by not reading the first book. Redemption hooked me from the very first page though, as despite this being the second book you have enough information about both Ted and Amanda to understand how they got where they are in their lives and their relationships.

I loved them both as characters. Both are flawed and broken by what life has thrown at them, but both refuse to let it keep them down. They have adapted and do their best to look forward. This kind of every day courage I find admirable and helps me love them both a little more. I also loved the setting of Redemption. Having never been to Australia before, Fox does an amazing job of bringing it to life for the reader.

The plot is two-fold. On the one hand, Ted and Amanda are pulled in to work on the case of two bartenders who turn up dead after their shift one night. Alongside this though, things in Ted's own case back in Sydney is coming back to the limelight as he is torn between the two. The one thing I would say is that while the majority of the book reads at a fantastic pace, the end seems to be wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly.

It doesn't stop this being a great read though. Face paced and full of colourful characters, Redemption is a real page turner that will keep you gripped until the final page.

Thanks to netgalley and Penguin UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is book 2 in a series and, although you may not need to have read book one, it took me a while to get to grips with the characters as I hadn't.
The main theme is such a good one - a cop (Detective Ted Conkaffey) is wrongly accused of the rape of a young woman and he and an unusual character called Amanda Pharrell set up as private investigators. However, I just didn't care for the characters sufficiently and the storyline seemed all over the place, so, I never really invested in any of the book.

I was hoping for so much more and I'm afraid it just wasn't for me. A very difficult read due to the haphazard writing style and longwinded storyline.

I enjoyed this book just like the first one in this series. It is a real page turner and the end was a satisfying one, with all the loose ends neatly tied up and my questions answered. I hope there will be a new book featuring Crimson Lake and Ted Conkaffey.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK!

This novel is the second in the series. Ted ConKaffey was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He has been falsely accused of molesting a young girl but the court case collapsed through lack of evidence. Sadly, he was not acquitted so it became a matter of mud sticks and everyone considers he's a paedophile. He's forced to go into hiding from the media and the vigilantes who believe he is guilty. In a derelict shack at Crimson Lake at Cairns in Australia, he befriends a goose and her family of goslings. He names her Woman. When he nursed one of the goslings, it had me in raptures. Now, he has to find a way of surviving without drawing too much attention to himself. His lawyer Sean finds him work with a murderer called Amanda Pharrell and together they investigate a missing man. The imagery is strong and the characters are diverse but I'm afraid this novel didn't resonate with me. The theme was compelling and it was well written but the format of the book was muddled which inevitably made me lose concentration, caused confusion or forced me to backtrack frequently. I found it difficult to read because the detail was lengthy. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Right from the start you are on the side of Ted. He seems so put upon and lost. Covicted for a serious crime he didn't do. His detective partner, Amanda, however is a different case. I found her hard to understand and relate to. I felt at a disadvantage having not read the first in the series but netherless this is an ok read with an interesting set of rather far fetched circumstances.

I haven't read the first book in this series, but there is enough information in this second book to position the characters and let the reader know what motivates them and what their demons are.

The setting is atmospheric and has intrinsic interest for a reader unfamiliar with the Austrailian outback. The characters are unique and vividly depicted. Both detectives are victims of injustice, and this draws them together. There are murders to solve, reputations and lives to reclaim and dramatic irony in this action-packed, detailed and suspenseful to the last moment story.

An enthralling crime thriller with an original plot.

I received a copy of this book from Random HouseUK - Cornerstone, Arrow via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

There's something compelling about Ted Conkaffey's desperate state that makes you root for him (despite his somewhat suicidal tendencies). I empathise less with his private detective partner Amanda. Ted's case is basically reopened in this episode, can he keep his rollercoaster personal life together enough to help Amanda solve their latest case? Can he even manage to stay alive? Probably best to clear a little time in your diary before you start this one it's hard to put down.

Love Amanda Pharrell the quirky ex jailbird, fabulous character created by Candice Fox. Amanda teamed with a disgraced ex cop form a detective agency. Fox weaves a great story line complete with many more powerful characters and then bravely kills some of them off when you expect them back in future stories..

Unusual thriller with 2 very unusual detectives, you have to suspend disbelief when the police allow them to sit in on suspect interviews etc but in the main the story moves fast enough to let you do it. It’s the second in the series and I’d like to read the first but I’ll have to wait a while as so much of that p,it was given away in this one. My only criticism was the way it jumped from character to character with no real distinction between them but I had a review copy so hopefully the finished article will be clearer.