Member Reviews

An enjoyable read. I feel that I got a lot more from his book having read Crimson Lake first so would definitely suggest that book first. It was nice to bring the story to a conclusion. Enjoyable but not earth shattering 💜

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Utterly absorbing .. I read earlier in series too and Amanda, a murderer who has paid for her crime, and set up a PI agency, and her partner, wrongly accused paedophile, Ted, whose lives are ruined but who make their considerable skills available to local police.. work out another double murder. Meanwhile Ted is beginning to make headway finding the real perpetrator of crime he was accused of with Amanda's aid: but then an explosive interview might upset everything ..at least his wife is making moves toward reparation.. I could. not out it down, and look forward to more.

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A brilliant sequel picking right up from the previous book. Great story, funny and serious all at once, I particularly love eccentric Amanda. I thoroughly enjoyed it this book just as much as the first. Hooked from the first page. Fantastic.

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First things first - You will only gain maximum enjoyment from this book if you first read ‘Crimson Lake’, the book to which this is a sequel. At one point in my reading I wondered if Ms Fox was perhaps trying to wring too many books out of the plot that was so skilfully developed in Crimson Lake; happily, this concern had evaporated by the time I was about a third of the way through the book. The features that made Crimson Lake such an enjoyable read are present again in full measure in Redemption Point - strong characters, fluently written narrative, interesting plot surprises and quirky humour. Again, Ms Fox demonstrates the full suite of skills exhibited by the best crime fiction writers. Each time I picked the book up (OK, I lie, it was a Kindle!) I carried on reading for twice as long as I intended. This is a great read and I’m now a fully paid up fan of Candice Fox. A measure of her skill for me is that I normally steeer clear of crime thrillers involving abduction of children simply because the nature of that crime is so alien to common humanity. Without lessening the horror of the crime Ms Fox avoids any sense of exploitation of the emotions aroused by such awful crimes.
Highly recommended!
Thanks to the publisher for an advance copy to review, although this is a book I would happily pay good money to enjoy.

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I gave Crimson Lake five stars and this worthy sequel also deserves five stars. Although it could probably be read as a stand-alone novel it would be much better to read 'Crimson Lake' first, get to know the two maligned and damaged characters of Ted and Amanda, and find out how they ended up where they were and why they became business partners.

In 'Redemption Point', Ted is very much concerned with a resolution to his own nationally-important case and makes several trips back to Sydney, leaving Amanda to cope with the 'Barking Frog' double murder case and all its tragic consequences. The book is interspersed with extracts from the diary and thoughts of the real paedophile, the one guilty of the crime of which Ted is accused. The author has done a brilliant job of getting inside his head and allowing us insight into his warped, disturbed thought processes. She portrays the media in a poor light - one particular tv reporter is vindictive to the point of cruelty in a bid for publicity, although this does backfire somewhat.

I loved reading this book and was sad to finish it. It has gritty realism, emotional insight, a good dose of humour (courtesy of Sharon and Linda, a pair of Lebanese henchmen) and plenty of action and drama. I can thoroughly recommend this book, but suggest reading 'Crimson Lake' first - you won't regret it!

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Sometimes, being a book blogger can feel a little unrewarding – as though you’re sending your reviews out into the ether to be read by no-one – but on other occasions, the stars align and some real treats come your way. So it was when I was asked to preview an early copy of Redemption Point by Candice Fox. Not only was this a sequel to the excellent Crimson Lake, thus fulfilling part of my #40yrs40bks challenge, it was also something that I had been eagerly awaiting.

Disgraced police detective Ted Conkaffey and his quirky partner, Amanda Pharrell are back and investigating a double homicide at an outback dive bar while Ted is still dealing with the events in his own life that keep drawing him back to Sydney and threaten the life he’s built in Crimson Lake.

When picking up a sequel to a book you’ve loved, there is always a danger that it will not live up to expectations, but this sequel delivers as expected and then goes beyond, mixing moments of action, domestic drama and emotion seamlessly.

The central plot of the murdered bartenders runs side-by-side with Ted’s own case as he attempts to decipher any new evidence he can find that could prove his innocence and maybe reunite his broken family. These two cases are brilliantly interspersed with diary entries that may tell us some more about Ted’s case but – spoilers!

I really love Candice Fox’s writing – both of the Crimson Lake books are just so well put together – great plots, with twists that you would never see coming and her lead characters have such clear voices that you can almost picture them.

Candice has written with James Patterson, and also has a number of books that are currently being re-packaged for the UK, one of which I already have on my tbr (Hades), and it’s well worth seeking her out and starting Crimson Lake which, I hope, will turn into a much longer series.

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I would like to thank the publisher, Cornerstone for sending me an advance copy of Redemption Point, the second novel in the Queensland based Crimson Lake series.

PIs Ted Conkaffey and Amanda Pharrell are hired by Dave Bell the day his son Andy and co-worker Keema are murdered in their workplace, The Barking Frog Inn to investigate as he doesn't trust the police to do a good job. They work with newly promoted DI Pip Sweeney, the only officer in Crimson Lake who doesn't hate them. Ted, however, can only give part of his attention to the case as his own troubles rear their ugly head again.

What a read. I sat up way too late to finish the novel in one sitting, unable to put it down. I wasn't massively impressed with Crimson Lake, the previous novel, thinking that it was too much to have two protagonists with extremely heavy baggage but whether it is familiarity with the characters or an evening out of the balance Ms Fox has really hit her stride with Redemption Point and it works really well.

The novel has three main points of view. A first person narrative from Ted, a third person narrative for all other characters, mostly Amanda and linear excerpts from an unnamed paedophile's therapy journal and his thoughts on the events mentioned. This latter is horribly realistic and I found it an extremely disturbing and upsetting read. The novel jumps from one viewpoint to another within the chapters but the different formats make it easy to recognise them and keep up. Normally I'm not a big fan of this approach as it makes for a choppy read but in this case the writing and plotting are so strong that I wanted to know what was coming next in every strand and it held my attention throughout.

Ted is a man with problems. A working cop he was arrested, amid a blaze of publicity, and held on remand for 8 months, charged with the abduction, rape and attempted murder of 13 year old Claire Bingley. When the judge found there was no case to answer he fled north to Crimson Lake and found work with convicted murderer Amanda Pharrell as a PI. As many people believe him to be guilty his life is difficult and unsafe. Again Ms Fox does an excellent job of conveying the danger and fear Ted lives with everyday and the precautions he has to take to stay alive. I particularly like the way she portrays the media and their incendiary actions although I think she downplays the role social media seems to play nowadays in this kind of case.

Redemption Point is an excellent thriller which I have no hesitation in recommending.

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Ted Conkaffey and Amanda Pharrell are ex cons and whilst Ted insists he is not guilty of the rape and murder of a young girl, Amanda will not talk about the killing of her friend she was found guilty of,when Ted moves to Crimson Lake hoping to get away from the vigilantes. his lawyer suggests he is introduced to Amanda and she is investigating the disappearance of a local man. This takes them to places they would really rather not be and Ted can't help himself wondering about Amanda's crime but this only seems to stir up trouble for him and with the harassment outside his house and the crocodiles living at the back of his house he feels even more trapped. I did find the introduction of so many characters a little overwhelming but when it all came together I understood the reasons . What with the criminals, crocodiles and I must not forget the geese it was a great read.
Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of the book.

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I thought the first book was jaw dropping, well this second book doesn't disappoint in any way

I was hooked from the start and it was an amazing rollercoaster I even found myself telling Khalid men no! Ted needs him to prove his innocence. But I should have known Candice would ensure there would be a trail of evidence to eventually find the truth.

As for Amanda I love her character she is one tough cookie who has a quirky funny side to her she makes perfect side kick to Ted

I also have to say thank you for keeping the geese in the novel I love those geese and also Celine their new addition

Please tell me Candice is writing more novels with this amazing duo in they are too good to lose

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This was an amazing book about a policeman falsely accused of the rape and murder of a child. He was freed due to lack of evidence but most people still believed him guilty. The story shows how this affected his life. He joins up with some fascinating people along the way. His efforts to find the actual killer and also carry on his life as a private Investigator. The conclusion built to a real crescendo and finished on a hopeful note. Excellent read

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Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. It’s one of those books that sucks you in from the first chapter. Hard to put down. Great storyline, brilliant Funny and serious characters. For a work of fiction it feels almost real when your reading it. And it’s a sad fact that it actually happens in real life. Brilliant book worth every star it gets.

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OMG what a fantastic follow up book that was to read, I literally didn't want to put the book down until I had finished it. I thoroughly enjoyed the first one and the second is even better! I was literally gripped from the first page right to the last one!

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