When invited by the publisher to read an advance copy of this debut thriller, my instinct was to decline. But I got caught up in the hype, and that's why I find myself under the obligation to finish, rate and review this book when it would have been much kinder to simply slip it quietly onto my DNF shelf. Put simply, I prefer my thrillers to be more realistic and mature.

Marl.owe is the daughter of a local cop in the small coastal town of Kiama in New South Wales. She's also a journalist for the local newspaper along with her childhood friend Lily. One day when at the local show, Marlowe, or Lo as she's commonly called, finds Lily's mutilated body. From there we are taken on a ride as Lo tries to find out who killed Lily and why.
This is an absolute page-turner with lots of twists and turns in the plot to keep the reader on their toes as you wonder just who is crazy in this absorbing tale. There is an abundance of witty dialogue too. I tore through this story and couldn't put it down. And when it comes to the end, the final twist will have you wanting to immediately re-read it. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

This debut novel from Nicola West ticks all the boxes as far as suspense, drama, and twists & turns were concerned. I wanted to know what the heck was going on in this small coastal town of Kiama. The female protagonist, Lo, is a complex character and is on a whodunnit quest. She gets herself into some tight spots to find the truth. But what is the truth? You will have to read this cult themed book to find out. That ending though!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia, Nicola West NetGalley for an ARC of this book to review.

Publication day is July 7th 2021

Catch Us The Foxes is a debut novel of Nicola West, but I look forward to reading more. This was a great debut novel, with plenty of action to keep you turning the pages. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The tranquil pace of small coastal NSW town of Kiama, is shattered one night when Lily Williams, journalist, show girl, daughter of prominent townsfolk and general darling of the town is found brutally murdered on the night of the Kiama Show. Best friend, journalistic rival and daughter of the towns police inspector, Marlowe Robertson discovers the body while covering the show for the local paper.
Frustrated at what she believes is a cover-up, Marlowe sets out to expose the real truth surrounding Lily's death.
The truth is murkier than expected, however, and Marlowe soon discovers nothing is as it seems in the town where she grew up.
We are introduced to Marlowe as she appears on the set of a chat show seven years after the events, spruiking her book. The bulk of the story is her book within a book, detailing the events surrounding and following that fateful night.

Fast paced, and darkly gripping, Catch us the Foxes will have you questioning what you think you know about small towns and their clannishness. Part Twin Peaks, part Wicker Man, and with everybody a suspect, this will have you guessing until the end.

(Not so good for the Kiama tourism industry though - I don't think I could ever visit after reading this!)

**Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. **

Catch us the Foxes is released on July 7 2021

Well. Now this was different. I’ve always been partial to a bit of different from my books, movies and TV series. I really resist formulaic writing, which is why I suspect I don’t get along with certain genres. The author and I have an admiration for Twin Peaks in common; as soon as I read that, I honestly opened my mind up to all possibilities, and it just got better from there.

‘The past few days had taught me what it was like to not be able to trust anyone, but the thought of not being able to trust my own mind was an entirely new concept.’

This story is so twisted that the twists are even twisted. It’s one of those novels where the sands are shifting constantly, you have no idea what’s going on and everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, becomes plausible. There are, in amongst the twists and turns, some pretty heavy themes to unpack and there is a distinct small town oppressive atmosphere permeating the narrative. I really didn’t like the way in which the older men in this town spoke to the young women. There was a patronising gas lighting quality to it that was all too authentic – and I say this as person who grew up in small towns, as well as residing in one for nearly a decade as an adult. They are not all cute cafes and scenic tourist spots – at least, not for the people who live there.

Not much can be elaborated on in terms of the plot because to do so would completely spoil it and therefore make it pointless for you to read it. And read it you should. Because this novel is clever and also the debut of an up-and-coming young Australian woman who I think is in for a big literary future. We need more books like this, ones that break conventional formulas and offer something unique. The way this all pans out might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ll happily drink the whole pot.

Parts of this novel were really scary. No exaggeration. I messaged a friend when I first started reading and told her it was the scariest book I’d read since Silence of the Lambs, and I read that in the 1990s. And yet, I kept on reading – late into the night!

One thing I will leave you with, and you can consider it a key of sorts. After the prologue, there is a title page: The Showgirl’s Secret by Marlowe Robertson. When you get to the end, remember that title page. I did, and I finished with a smile on my face and a feeling that I’d just read the work of someone very talented indeed.

A real change from my usual genre of historical fiction, this book is set in current day Kiama, Australia.

Living in a small town myself, I can relate to the inter connectivness of the residents and how gossip and heresay can lead to confusing misunderstandings.

Marlowe is the main character. Daughter of the local cop, born and bred in town and a budding journalist, she may know too much.....or is she just assuming things or making them up? Her friend Lily is found murdered. When Lily’s murder makes headlines around the country and the town is invaded by the media, Marlowe (Lo) seizes the opportunity to track down the killer and make a name for herself by breaking the biggest story of her life. But what she discovers is a deadly secret cult involving the most prominent people in town, reality and lies are blurred. Who is pulling the wool over whose eyes?

I was left confused at the end....but don't let that put you off.

If you are looking for an Australian thriller that will keep you hooked page after page, you must pick up Catch us the Foxes, a debut novel by Nicola West! Nicola knows how to entice you in with her atmospheric writing and will keep you wanting more!

This one got me at Twin Peaks meets The Dry, precisely the perfect description. I loved the writing style and the way the author opens the story with the main protagonist interviewing about her recent book which then becomes the story. The ending closes with the ending of the interview and I really liked the way that was done.

When Marlowe “Lo” stumbles across her friend Lily’s dead body at the local town show, she is horrified to find strange cult looking symbols etched into her back. She mentions the symbols to her dad, the local police chief when she calls him to the scene and he advises Lo to not mention a word about it to anyone else! But why? Why would the town police chief want to keep something like that from everyone? What is he hiding?

Suspicion of Lily’s death falls onto one of the travelling carnies but Lo is sure it wasn’t him because she was with him right before she found Lily! Lo is suspicious of the locals in the small town of Kiama where she lives and seeks to find out the truth. Who murdered Lily Williams?

Full of twists and turns, this was a book I could not put down! I was completely engrossed in the whole cult vibe and dark, moody atmosphere! Oh and that ending! 🤯 I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author!

A typical story of a young girl trying to escape the confines of rural, small town life. But is it typical?

This is a story of small town secrets and of course a murder. And although it is a good read it isn't as cohesive as I would have wanted. The characters were a bit hit and miss, a bit thin and the story a little bit obvious. Although I kept reading to the end it wasn't one of those thrillers that took me for a ride on a roller-coaster. The story had interesting bits but the ride was more of a coast.

All in all it was an alright book to read but not one of my favourites.

There seem to be a lot of good crime thrillers being written in Australia at the moment, and I’m so here for it!

I knew nothing going into this, but I knew as soon as I read the word ‘cult’, I had stuck gold. I love a book about a cult!

This one ticked so many boxes for me. Cults, mystery, unreliable characters, twists, cults, conspiracy, questions, and cults. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I was proven completely wrong. The last 15% of this book pretty much gave me whiplash trying to work out the truth.

A couple of areas that fell a bit flat for me, which brought it to a 4/5. I feel kind of bad for the people of Kiama having a book written about their town which paints the town and people in a less than favourable light. A fictional town in Australia would probably have worked just as well. There were also a few areas I feel could have done with a bit more explanation/development which would have bumped it up to 5.

I’ll also pop a quick trigger warning here for homophobia. There are a few homophobic slurs throughout. And the openly gay character feels a bit stereotypical. I did appreciate the main character being asexual though - I feel like the asexual orientation isn’t very represented in fiction (from my experience anyway).

Thank you to @netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review

I received Catch Us the Foxes by Nicola West from Simon & Schuster Australia via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Catch Us the Foxes was another novel this year that was promoted towards people who enjoyed The Dry which initially caught my eye. But the caveat is that it’s like Twin Peaks meets The Dry, so never having seen Twin Peaks, I can only assume that is referring to the many (MANY) what the f*ck moments in Catch Us the Foxes.

I must admit that the characters’ behaviour caused me to keep forgetting that the main character base in Catch Us the Foxes are all adults, as it did often feel like more of a young adult character base — leaning towards high school mystery solving sleuths as opposed to adults who can legally drive and drink. I found this to be particularly true of the main character Lo who, admittedly, I didn’t find to be at all likeable or relateable.

Catch Us the Foxes is an odd story and I think that is what kept me reading to finish it. You never quite know which way it is going to go until you’re at the very end. And even then it feels like you’re not sure what you just went through.

I thought the story was engaging and interesting enough to warrant two and a half stars, but it lacks the characterisations and wow factor to push it over the line into being truly recommendable.

This book was an interesting read for me.

In parts, I thoroughly enjoyed it, finding the authors writing style unique and exciting. The plot kept me hanging on until the end.

However, there were also parts that lost me - sometimes the plot got a little too much and became hard to follow, and I personally just lacked a connection with the main character. I didn’t love her personality and felt that she was a bit horrible for a large portion of the novel.

Personally if I don’t connect well with the main character then I really struggle to get through the book, but there was still something about the way it was written that pulled me along and made me keep going. I don’t want to say too much more without spoiling but it thoroughly surprised me that I did overall enjoy this novel.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Ambitious young journalist Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson would do anything to escape the suffocating confines of her small hometown. While begrudgingly covering the annual show for the local paper, Lo is horrified to discover the mutilated corpse of Lily Williams, the reigning showgirl and Lo’s best friend. Seven strange symbols have been ruthlessly carved into Lily’s back. But when Lo reports her grisly find to the town’s police chief, he makes her promise not to tell anyone about the symbols. Lo obliges, though it’s not like she has much of a choice – after all, he is also her father.
When Lily’s murder makes headlines around the country and the town is invaded by the media, Lo seizes the opportunity to track down the killer and make a name for herself by breaking the biggest story of her life.
What Lo uncovers is that her sleepy hometown has been harbouring a deadly secret, one so shocking that it will captivate the entire nation. Lo’s story will change the course of her life forever, but in a way she could never have dreamed of.

*** DNF ***

I really wanted to like this one. Billed as Twin Peaks meets The Dry, it sounded like a novel right up my alley.

But it never got going for me.

I don't want to speak ill of the book but let's just say that I see why others were so critical of it.


Paul
ARH

Wow, what a brilliantly mind-blowing debut novel by Nicola West, Catch Us the Foxes is described as Twin Peaks meets The Dry, it is a dark and twisted tale that unravels a small Australian country town.

This one is hard to review without really giving anything away, so I will just say this was totally mind-blowing and by the end I was thing what the hell!

The story was definitely well written and extremely captivating. And you know when you read a book and you can see aspects of the writers real life poking through, I truly hope to god that this story wasn’t based on any true events involving fox hunting 😉🤔😬

DNF at 42%

Now I do not like to DNF - I hate giving up and usually would rather slog through to the end of a book I'm not loving just so I don't feel like the book has defeated me but y'all... I could not go any further with this book. Peeking behind the spoiler tags on a few other reviews I made the right call because I don't need to be angry as well.
This book is being marketed as The Dry meets Twin Peaks - which made me instantly excited, seemed like a match made in heaven. Both texts feature small communities with interesting, complex and richly-drawn characters... something they definitely do not share with Catch Us the Foxes. Most of the characters we meet in Kiama (a real town that probably doesn't deserve to get dragged by this novel) are nothing more than flat caricatures at best and tired offensive stereotypes the rest of the time. They reflect a very shallow, angsty tween's understanding of the world and other people - which brings me to the protagonist. Lo is awful and for a good chunk of what I read I couldn't keep what age she was meant to be (22) straight in my mind. She read to me like a very convincing 15 year old but then other lines would reference high school being years and years ago but then she also kind of seemed like she was doing work experience at the local paper? It was honestly bizarre but also miserable because I felt like I'd unearthed some of my terrible angsty teen writing and the cringe was bone deep.
Lo's POV was also weirdly misogynistic, an unexpected amount girl hate and uses of "bimbo" for a novel coming out in TYOOL 2021. Also "shrill" in a situation where it seemed perfectly reasonable that the woman Lo encountered was upset?
If I was going to recommend this novel to anyone I'd probably say my 15 year old self, I think she'd really enjoy it but she was also really unpleasant to be around.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia and Netgalley for providing me with access to an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me and I did not finish it. When I read the description I thought it was an interesting premise as I loved Twin Peaks & I gave the Dry 5 stars. But this one fell short from the beginning and I couldn't persevere and finish it. I'm sure there are people out there who would find it thrilling.

What a fantastic debut novel from Nicola West. Catch the Foxes is a clever and dark thriller that will keep you guessing right until the very last page. I will never look at Kiama the same way again.

Marlowe is a young, local journalist with big ambitions to get out of Kiama. When she discovers her best friends body, murdered, at the town local carnival she wants answers. The police investigation is focusing on the wrong clues in her mind so along with her friends, she starts her own investigation, determined to find the killer. This will take Lo to places that she never knew existed, and bring her face to face with some dangerous people.

Lo is not the most reliable of narrators and is at times extremely frustrating. But she knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get to the truth. Kiama is a small town on the NSW South Coast, home of the Kiama Blowhole, lighthouse and a great ice cream shop! It is a lovely place to visit. We see a different side to to it in this book. Nicola's characters are so well written and I loved the variety of personalities in town.

With plenty of twists and turns, Catch Us The Foxes deserves to be a huge hit. I look forward to seeing what the author has instore for us next.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Released in Australia July 7th

This was an interesting read. I was drawn in by the murder in a small town & the cult aspect,.and had high hopes. There are twists & turns, and I felt like I couldn't trust any of the characters, which is something that I love. However, the demonizing of characters & the town in general also made it an unpleasant read. II felt that the ending & the epilogue was a big let down, and it tainted the rest of the story.

It pains me to say this about an Australian author but there were all sorts of problems with this book.

It’s sort of a book within a book but not as deftly done as other I have read. Basically we are introduced to Marlowe (Lo) Robertson, the chief protagonist at a function seven years after the events described and then we are in the book she wrote about those events until about the epilogue where we jump back into the present. Marlowe was covering the annual Kiama show for the local paper when she happened across the body of her former best friend and current showgirl, Lily Williams. There were some strange markings inscribed on Lily’s back - cult symbols?

When Lo reports this to her father, who is the head police officer in the town (Inspector Robertson) he insists she not mention these in her statement and he pulls Lily’s top down to cover them. Of course, for a young person looking to make their name in journalism, this is like catnip and Lo is determined to work out what happened.

First the good stuff. The story was engagingly written and I kept reading, really keen to find out what the heck was going on. For most of the book it had “cult” written all over it which I personally find quite interesting. And that’s kind of where it ends.

Now the not so good stuff…Kiama is a real town located about 100 km south of Sydney. I agree with others who have pointed out if you are going to paint a small town in a negative light (especially if you are including a virtual lynch mob) it should be a fictional place. Also, Kiama is much smaller than described in the story which makes it even worse to demonise it. Then we have the homophobia, really quite overt, and the way the book dealt with mental illness. Lo herself was a contradiction and, because of that, she never seemed to be fleshed out enough. She laments the loss of her mother and her friend yet thinks she is a psychopath. Yet also, at one point she contemplates suicide - I don’t think that is in the psychopath’s handbook! Then again it is suggested she has PTSD. She is also weirdly asexual, so no, I never quite got a handle on the Marlowe character.

Some of the other characters were more like caricatures - the flamboyant queer, the creepy psychologist, the Stepford mother of the dead girl and the rapacious journalist from one of the bigger papers. I could go on but in the interests of your sanity I won’t except to say that the ending just didn’t work for me. The book vacillated between one theory for the symbols and another and then flipped back and back again. The final wash up made a mockery of the rest of the story and painted Lo as a predatory writer only interested in achieving acclaim. Make of it what you will if you decide to read this but I cannot recommend it. My thanks go to Netgalley for providing a free copy to review. My opinions are my own.

This psychological thriller first novel by Nicola West has all the ingredients to keep one guessing with many twists and turns with an ending that came from left field.
Unfortunately, this was spoilt for me a little as living near Kiama the story didn't fit well knowing all the places mentioned not being able to imagine all that happened.I do look forward to her next story only using a fake town would be better