Robin Ayres used to be a schoolteacher, now she works on an island as a caretaker of an historical site now rented out for holidays and camps. Told in two strands, 2009 when she was a kindergarten teacher with a disruptive child, Aaron and caught in the middle between the separated parents (mum Krystal, policeman father Scott and his interfering nightmare of a mother, Joyce) and 2019 where the latest booking at the island is Vetnet, a kind of boot camp for unmanageable teens and Robyn recognises Aaron as one of them only he’s now called Darren. This was an uncomfortable read, the situation escalating right from the start and much of it seemed pretty improbable to me.

I kinda felt that this book lacked something. I found myself skimming pages to get to the end. We didnt get to know the characters very well so I felt I didnt connect with them.

Book blurb…
Perfect for fans of Garry Disher and Mary Kubica, The Attack is Catherine Jinks’ latest heart-pounding suspense novel for adults.
What the past comes to get you...

Robyn Ayres works as the camp caretaker on Finch Island, a former leper colony off the coast of Queensland. Her current clients are a group of ex-military men who run a tough-love program for troubled teens.
The latest crop looks like the usual mix of bad boys and sad boys. Then Robyn takes a second look at a kid called Darren. Last time she saw him his name was Aaron, and Robyn was his primary school teacher. And she was somehow at the centre of a vicious small-town custody battle involving his terrifying grandmother.
Bruising classroom dynamics, manipulative parents and carers and horrendous small-town politics form the backdrop to a nail-biting thriller in which the tensions of ten years ago start to play themselves out, building to a violent climax in the present day.
Robyn escaped the past once. Now it’s back—and this time there’s no way out.

My thoughts…
Nail-biting is about right! The author sure dishes out the tension. Alternating between events of the past and the present the plot line is easy to follow and a little addictive.
I felt for Robyn and the life she was living. The author made me love the good guys and despise the bad guys. Perfect!

This book takes place over two different timelines 10 years apart, both stories told from the point of view of Robyn Ayres. In 2009 she was a kindergarten teacher at a school in a small town in Australia where she becomes enmeshed in a nasty custody dispute involving one of her troubled "kindies" and in 2019 she's the camp caretaker on Finch Island, a former leper colony off the coast of Queensland. The current campers are a group of troubled teens under the care of a number of veterans who run a kind of boot camp. Imagine Robyn's shock when one of the campers turns out to be the troubled boy from her past.

The book is gripping as it goes back and forth between the two timelines, always with a hint of menace, until past and present collide. The characters in both timelines are interesting and the story kept me engaged as I raced through to find out what happened 10 years ago. The scene at the camp after the campers have left had me on the edge of my seat. Since I've had this one on my Kindle since May of 2021, I regret not reading it sooner and recommend it to lovers of suspense. Also, the cover is very haunting and gives me shivers. I'll definitely keep an eye out for future novels by Catherine Jinks and will be looking into some of her previous titles. She's written a lot of books in a lot of different genres but this was my first read of one of them.

My thanks to Text Publishing via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel which was published in August 2021. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Mystery/crime/thriller set off the coast of Queensland. Starts a little slow but picks up quickly!!

“I took one look at him and it all came flooding back. Otford. Joyce. The lies. The police. I’d fled to a deserted island, but I couldn’t seem to escape Aaron Rooney.”

Robyn Ayres is the caretaker of Finch Island /Buangan Pa, a former leper lazaret, repurposed for the use of campers and organised groups. The basic facilities and lack of phone/wifi service dull the island’s appeal to holidaymakers, but Vetnet, a boot camp for troubled teen boys run by ex military officers, are one of the island’s few regular bookings. When Shaun and his staff arrive with the latest group of delinquent recruits, Robyn is shocked to realise she recognises one of the boys. He is ten years older than the last time she saw him, and using a different name, but she is sure it is Aaron Rooney, who indirectly led to her self-imposed exile on the island. The knowledge leaves Robyn on edge and her anxiety worsens as she is targeted by a series of malicious pranks.

The story of The Attack unfolds over over two timelines, Robyn’s past as a kindergarten teacher in a small town caught between two warring families locked in a custody battle, shows why the sudden appearance of a now sixteen year old Aaron is so destabilising.

There is tension as Robyn wonders if Darren/Aaron remembers her, which builds with a series of worrying incidents, among them rubbish dumped on her bed, deliberately broken plumbing, and a kitchen fire. Robyn considers Aaron the most likely suspect, but there are fourteen other troubled teens on the island who might think that harassing Robyn would force the VetNet operators to send them home.

Though the pace for much of the book is quite restrained, there is a definite sense of anticipation that develops in both timelines. Everything comes to a head in the last quarter of the novel where Jinks provides a thrilling, action-packed climax as Robyn is forced to confront the past.

I really enjoyed The Attack for its original premise, interesting setting (inspired by Queensland’s Peel Island) and characterisation. This is a well written, absorbing and satisfying thriller.

I was keen to jump straight into The Attach by Catherine Jinks after reviewing her previous book Shelter at the start of this year. Set on the fictitious Finch Island in Moreton Bay, with the closest mainland being Cleveland, it automatically resonated with me as I spent a few years in my late teens living there. I could see the setting and imagine trips on the Staddie ferry or jumping on a water taxi.
Robyn is a primary school teacher trying to help Aaron a young troubled boy as he struggles through each school day, with his parents separated and on very different sides of the fence where his wellbeing is concerned. Enter a meddling grandmother and a few of her scheming friends and things rapidly heat up in Robyn’s classroom. We then fast forward to ten years later when Robyn has changed careers and has moved to live on Finch Island, this is where Aaron arrives now a teenager in a group of wayward teens. With a new name and disposition on life Robyn needs to find out what exactly has happened to Aaron and how has he ended up in her life again.
Set over two timelines, the transition between the two was seamless and kept you interested throughout. I was drawn into this tense thriller and found it hard to put down as it built to the explosive conclusion. A very enjoyable read and one I would recommend. Thank you to Text Publishing and Net Galley for the early reading copy.

This was a very thrilling read. I finished this book in two days. The story goes back and forth in time: 2009 and 2019. The narrative in 2009 tells what happened between Aaron's parents and how Aaron was showing behavioural symptoms. The plot is set in a small town where Robyn is a new resident. She unknowingly gets involved with Aaron's custody dispute and her life crumbles. The author took their time in laying out the story. It's 2019 and Robyn is now a camp caretaker in an island. The past and present were slowly being connected and it got more interesting with time. All my assumptions were wrong about the ending. And that's how you know a book is really good. A very dark and twisted book with equally dark characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Set in a small town in NSW Australia in 2009 and on Finch Island, a former leper colony, off the coast of Queensland in 2019. The story moves between the two times and locations following the story of a teacher Robyn Ayres and a boy, Aaron, from a troubled family. It is a difficult story about difficult people and events that culminates in a dramatic climax.
The story is slow to start as it seemed to get bogged down and didn’t progress until the last quarter when it moves swiftly and dramatically. Well written but it could have been edited to quicken the pace early on in the story.
With domestic violence, police corruption, dysfunctional families and the consequences for their children running through the story there is a lot of think about.

Thank you to Netgalley and Text Publishing for a copy to read and review.

An interesting set-up with current and past times that have you wondering where this story is going. This is like a slow drip taunting the reader while keeping us hanging while becoming more involved with all the characters not knowing who to believe. The ending, like a crescendo, builds to a satisfying well-written story deserving 5 stars.
An independent review NetGalley / Text Publishing

When I read the blurb I was a bit confused as to what this book was about and so I wasn't surprised that I just couldn't get into the story.

The book had very strong language which didn't work for me, it is very violent and I must say it was not my kind of book so I just didn't really enjoy it.

In 2009, Robyn Ayres was a kindergarten teacher in the small country town of Otford, when she was first introduced to Aaron and his psycho family. Aaron was the child no one wanted in their classroom – it wasn’t long before his grandmother Joyce was making her presence felt. Move forward to 2019 and Robyn was now caretaker on Finch Island, a former leper colony just off the coast of Queensland. Robyn ran and coordinated a monthly boot camp - among other things - which ran for a week, that was for displaced teenagers and organized by ex-military soldiers who tried to give the teens the tough love they needed to bring them back into gear.

Robyn expected the group that was arriving on the ferry to be the same ragtag bunch of teens that she was used to. She saw the four vets who took charge, Shaun, Joe, Warren and Rhys, exit the ferry then watched as the surly boys followed – there were thirteen of them. It was when she spotted someone from her past that she felt a chill go down her spine. It was Aaron, she was sure of it. But now he was called Darren – what was going on? The following week would be one of the worst of Robyn’s life; indeed, the vets agreed this was the worst group they’d run. The passing out day, when the teens’ families arrived to see the medals achieved, the changes made, would become the catalyst when Robyn’s past collided with her current day…

The Attack by Aussie author Catherine Jinks is a psychological thriller which encompasses the children who fall through the cracks, the violence of marriage break-ups, family feuds, blame games, psychotic episodes – you name it! Set in two time frames – 2009 and 2019 – when Aaron was six then sixteen, the past and present were woven together well. The ending was fire-cracker intense and I thoroughly enjoyed it! This is my 3rd by Jinks, and after not enjoying the last one, I’m now happy to read more. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

‘I recognised him at once.’

It is 2019 and Robyn Ayres is the caretaker of Finch Island, a national park in Queensland’s Morton Bay. Finch Island was once used as a leprosy quarantine station and now is used for camping and holidaymakers. Robyn looks after maintenance of the buildings and provides catering for the groups that book the site. It is usually a quiet and isolated life, but Robyn does not mind. But Robyn’s relative tranquillity is about to be shattered.

The current group on the island is a week-long bootcamp run for young offenders and boys at risk. The group is run by a group of ex-army veterans: they have been here before. But the group they have this time is particularly challenging. While most of their pranks are annoying, some are dangerous. And Robyn is sure that she recognises one of the boys: he is called Darren now, but she knew him as Aaron.

In 2009, Robyn was a primary school teacher. Aaron was one of the boys in her class and he was at the centre of a custody battle between his parents. The odds were stacked against Aaron’s mother: his paternal grandmother was a particularly manipulative and nasty piece of work who nobody was prepared to cross. And Aaron, caught in the middle was disruptive and violent in school.

Yes, 2009 did not end well for Aaron or for Robyn. But why has his name been changed and why is he on Finch Island in 2019?

The story shifts between 2009 and 2019 and the tension builds. Robyn may have questions about the past, but in 2019 she and others are at risk. Her past, and Aaron’s, both become part of a dangerous present.

How will it end? You will need to read it to find out. I enjoyed this novel and found the ending satisfying.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

A big Thank you to Net galley for offering a digital copy of this amazing book

The Attack is told from the perspective of Robyn Ayres, a present day or former kindergarten teacher depending upon which time you're in - the novel oscillates between 2009 and 2019. It is centered upon the difficult role of a teacher when parents and wider family choose to use children as pawns in separation.

Aaron was the wild child when he started in Robyn's class in kindergarten, but he was also the pawn in the middle of a nasty custody dispute between his scared mother and very toxic father and grandmother. Told in two lines, Robyn relates the terrifying events that got out of control back in 2009 when Aaron was in her class and the events that now unfold on Finch Island ten years later

The novel highlights not only the effects of dysfunctional families on young children and the later problems that can lead to problem teenagers, such as those attending the boot camp, but also the effects on those bystanders who inadvertently get caught up in family disputes. Teachers are particularly vulnerable in having to deal not only with the disturbed child but their dysfunctional and sometimes violent family as well.

Despite not hitting a lot of high notes, this book was entertaining enough and kept me engaged throughout. The story itself, or something similar, is probably being played out across the world right now and it is sad to think how many children must end up as pawns in their parents’ toxic fights.

This is my first novel by Catherine Jinks. I have mixed feelings. I am not sure this is an adult thriller or a YA novel. At times I did feel like it was a bit immature and repetitive.

Robyn Ayres is the caretaker of Finch Island, a national park in Moreton Bay, Queensland. She looks after the old buildings and facilities that used to make up the leprosy quarantine station and provides catering for groups who book the site for camps and holidays. Currently she has a group of ex-army vets booked in for a week bootcamp for young offenders and boys at risk. This is not the first time they have booked the island for such a camp, but the group of teenage boys they have this time are particularly challenging, constantly getting up to annoying and dangerous pranks. Robyn is also concerned when she recognises one of the boys from when she was still a primary school teacher ten years ago, even though he is now going under a different name - Darren instead of Aaron.

Not only was Aaron the wild child from hell when he started in Robyn's class in kindergarten, but he was also the pawn in the middle of a nasty custody dispute between his scared mother and very toxic father and grandmother. Told in two lines, Robyn relates the terrifying events that got out of control back in 2009 when Aaron was in her class and the events that now unfold on Finch Island ten years later. Both the small town where she once taught and the isolated island where she now works both form the basis for a claustrophobic atmosphere with a feeling of menace in the air. The novel highlights not only the effects of dysfunctional families on young children and the later problems that can lead to problem teenagers, such as those attending the boot camp, but also the effects on those bystanders who inadvertently get caught up in family disputes. Teachers are particularly vulnerable in having to deal not only with the disturbed child but their dysfunctional and sometimes violent family as well.

The novel is a slow burner as the two time lines build the story to its explosive ending and the revelation of what happened to Aaron since Robyn last saw him. It made for an original plot as well as an engaging read.

The Attack is my second book by Catherine Jinks, having read Shelter (themed on domestic and family violence) earlier in the year. I liked The Attack (also about domestic and family violence but focused on the impact on children) substantially better. Jinks is a very competent writer, so you are able to relax into her storytelling and focus on the landscape and plot rather than poor expression.

"Even the lepers' huts had their own little verandas, though not in the Aboriginal compound. If you were a black leper, you were given a hut made of corrugated iron with a concrete floor and no glass in the windows." This novel is set in two locations, Finch Island, a former leper colony that is clearly based upon Peel Island Lazaret in Moreton Bay, and Otford (a real place on the NSW South Coast) which has been relocated to a country town near Bathurst in NSW.

The Attack is told from the perspective of Robyn Ayres, a present day or former kindergarten teacher depending upon which time period you're in - the novel oscillates between 2009 and 2019. It is centred upon the difficult role of a teacher when parents and wider family choose to use children as pawns in separation. "Despite my best efforts, the kindies kept wandering around like farmyard hens." The best bits of this novel were the 2009 descriptions of teaching kindergarten: "Seeing him smile for the first time, I was smitten by guilt. I had to remember he was a child, not an incendiary device."

Perhaps the only difficulty in the novel was keeping track of all the characters - not only are there the kindergarten class and their family in the historical section, there are also the veterans and boys attending boot camp on Finch Island in the present day section. That sure adds up to a lot of bodies to keep in your head. Otherwise this was a fast and enjoyable read that connects children's future learning and behavioural impacts to experiencing domestic and family violence very nicely.

This was a rather sad story about a child used as a weapon in a custody dispute and all the misery that it entailed.

Robyn Ayres is a young primary school teacher in a small country town when she first encounters Aaron Rooney and his mad family. The six year old Aaron is a feral child that is largely uncontrollable in the classroom or playground. His grandmother, Joyce, is never far away. She signs up for reading with the children but is so disruptive she is banned from the classroom. Aaron’s father, Scott, is a police sergeant and a wife beater. His wife, estranged, is a timid and delicate little thing who now lives with her father who is rumoured to be ‘eccentric’. The child, Aaron, is tossed around in this toxic brew. Soon circumstances and the Rooney family cause Robyn to leave teaching altogether.

Ten years later she is the caretaker of Fish Island, a former leper colony off the coast of Queensland. It is basic but comfortable accomodation and various groups use it for various purposes. One group in particular, Vetnet, use it for boot camp style ‘tough love’ retreats for wayward teenage boys. The former soldiers have a good success rate with their methods. On one such camp Robyn is shocked to see that she recognises one if the boys. Only now Aaron is called Darren. This particular camp is a disaster with many of the boys acting up and causing fear, discord and injury.

Despite her fears of Darren, Robyn realises that he is not to blame for most of the pranks that this groups of boys have pulled. But when the ferry arrives with family members to come and watch the passing out parade of the boys Robyn is horrified to see the evil Joyce and Scott. What else can possibly go wrong? Quite a lot as it turns out, but there are some pleasant surprises in store for Robyn as well. Despite not hitting a lot of high notes, this book was entertaining enough and kept me engaged throughout. The story itself, or something similar, is probably being played out across the world right now and it is sad to think how many children must end up as pawns in their parents toxic fights. Thanks to Netgalley and Text Publishing for the much appreciated ARC which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

The Attack is a story of redemption. Redemption for a woman who tried to help a young boy but who was overwhelmed by a small town that was more content with the status quo than listening to a young teacher. Robyn Ayres now has a new life when she encounters a face from her past. This is an interesting story with a diverse cast of characters. Robyn is finally able to right a wrong, find redemption and true love. I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opinions expressed are my own. #TheAttack #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley, Text Publishing, and Author Catherine Jinks for this ARC.

This book started slow and a bit muddled. It quickly picked up pace but I couldn't figure out if I was reading a YA or adult thriller. It teeters the line in its writing--college-aged kid trying to be an adult. It was pretty suspenseful and kept me reading to the end. I really liked Robyn, she was a bit refreshing as far as female leads go. I think once this book figures out who its audience is it'll be a hit.

"What the past comes to get you...

Robyn Ayres works as the camp caretaker on Finch Island, a former leper colony off the coast of Queensland. Her current clients are a group of ex-military men who run a tough-love program for troubled teens." -- Good Reads

This is my first novel by Catherine Jinks. I have mixed feelings. I am not sure this is an adult thriller or a YA novel. At times I did feel like it was a bit immature and repetitive.

I would definitely consider this an easy read and I believe maybe I just wasnt the audience the author was trying to gravitate to. There were many parts that jumped out and stuck with me throughout the day and other times I found myself skimming through .

I would recommend this to a younger audience (high school/college)