A mystery and a story of community that had me giggling like a hyena. The mystery was fun to solve along with the community. A beautiful setting.

4.5★s
Sleepless In Stringybark Bay is the third novel by Australian author, Susan Duncan to be set within the community of Cook’s Basin, following on from The Briny Café and Gone Fishing. When the people of Cook’s Basin hear who is moving into the recently renovated the fairytale house with the country’s longest jetty, they’re very interested and not a little sceptical: bargeman Sam Scully thinks they’re a “bunch of dreamers in denial. The grand plan would end in disaster.”

The organiser, Mike Melrose explains that there will be five couples, five households moving into the place they’re calling GeriEcstasy. Most have been friends since primary school, have maintained close contact and married within the group. But many in Cook’s Basin are baffled by a group of multi-millionaires choosing to reside in a tough location more suited to young, fit people with a knowledge of boats and a degree in the unreliability of winds, tides and weather.

Café part-owner, Ettie Brookbank immediately recognises one of their number, and goes a bit fan-girly, when they arrive for welcome refreshments at The Briny Café: Donna Harris, a one-time famous actress. But the woman’s breathtaking rudeness is a shocking disappointment. And, having met the rest of the newcomers, Ettie quickly dubs them the GeriAncients.

Meanwhile, there’s trouble in paradise as Sam begins to realise that his relationship with journalist and café part-owner, Kate Jackson is in danger of being derailed. Kate can’t help feeling claustrophobic within a good-hearted community that sometimes doesn’t know when to retreat, is missing the stimulation of journalism, and in denial about the baby that’s due to arrive within a few short months. Sam is seeing is a woman who finds the responsibility of relationships—even friendships—too much to bear.

When Sam and his first mate, Jimmy (plus his loyal border collie Longfellow) bring his barge to that long jetty at midnight a week later, intending to take advantage of the king tide to unload seawall reinforcements, the last thing they expect to find is a body floating face-down: one of their newest residents, Cameron Smith is clearly dead.

And while the autopsy potentially allows for an accidental cause of death, Kate isn’t the only one in the community who is unconvinced. Despite his genuine grief, the ultimatum and threats from Cameron’s partner, Brian, to the remaining residents, give him a sort of motive. But Fast Freddy notes that Mike Melrose is a bit economical with the truth about a certain item ditched in the sea.

With the GeriAncients looking for someone to take Brian’s spot, Kate suggests elderly Lizzie, living alone but managing less ably than before. But concern that there might be a murderer in the group has her worried for Lizzie’s welfare: the journalist in her starts doing some research...

Meanwhile, further encounters with Donna Harris prove that she can be charming, but can also seem to have venom instead of blood running through her veins. Her housemates say that she was beautiful, funny, and generous in her youth, if not always kind and tactful, but never mean, not until the last few years.

Readers familiar with Cook’s Basin from earlier books will be familiar with the characters, their quirks and their almost unlimited capacity for generosity and care for those around them, but before the cause of Cameron’s death is decided, there will be another death, a picnic that ends badly, a destructive storm and a baby born.

Duncan gives her characters wise words and insightful observations: “we women, none of us are immune to men who make our legs go weak even though we know with absolute certainty, we should be using them to run” and the community she depicts is one that many would be happy to join. A very enjoyable cosy Aussie mystery.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Allen & Unwin.

EXCERPT: Kate helped Lizzie settle in the kitchen, a stool to rest her broken ankle, a rug for her knee, a glass of water close at hand.
Lizzie began to laugh. 'Look at us,' she said. 'An old woman with a broken ankle and a young woman about to have a baby, hiding out on an isolated escarpment from a former soapie star with a bad temper and a powerful right hook. I should be upset but, really, it's hilarious.'

ABOUT 'SLEEPLESS IN STRINGYBARK BAY': When five couples pool their resources to live in a house located where a turquoise lagoon meets the sea and silver branches of mangroves glow in the moonlight, the quirky little offshore community of Cook's Basin is shocked. How will ten people-one in a wheelchair and one with a hauntingly familiar face-cope with the physical challenges of living where the only way in or out, is by boat?

Their worst fears are confirmed when a member of the household is found floating face down in the bay soon after they take up residence. The police insist the death was accidental but the bizarre circumstances-factoring in tides and weather-have locals scratching their heads.

Former journalist turned café owner, Kate Jackson is curious to discover why a group of retirees in their late 70s have chosen to live in such a difficult and isolated location. Kate finds their secrecy disturbing until a throw-away line in an old magazine story opens a Pandora's Box of intrigue and mystery. And once opened, everything becomes more complicated and spirals out of control.

MY THOUGHTS: Sleepless in Stringybark Bay is a wonderful mix of contemporary fiction and mystery. I loved the characters. Sam is an absolute darling, a person who will always help anyone else out, a people person, kind and thoughtful, but with a lack of self-confidence, particularly when it comes to Kate with whom he is having a child. Kate is a bit of a conundrum; she can be Miss Kind and Considerate one moment, and Miss Self-Indulgent and Indifferent the next, particularly with Sam. She doubts her ability to be a mother, and I mean DOUBTS! She is the first to admit that she's not a stayer. She runs the Briny Cafe` with Ettie who is an absolute darling. Ettie's husband is Marcus, a retired Michelin Star chef who occasionally sticks his wooden spoon in at the cafe`. Then there is Lizzie, in her eighties, who lives on her own in a remote and mostly inaccessible bay; Cliffy a hermit who keeps a bit of an eye on Lizzie; the ever-eager Jimmy and his dog Longfellow who help Sam on the barge; and the Geri-Ecstacies - the group of wealthy retirees who have converted the disused old people's home into a luxury villa for their old age. But again, it is accessible only by boat.
There is, understandably, a lot of talk about food in this book - the characters are always having suppers on the deck of the cafe` under the stars or going off for picnics. I'm definitely interested in the gin-pickled cucumbers and I wish there had been recipes included.
There is a death early on in the book which may or may not be suspicious and which gets the ex-journalist in Kate interested and poking around for more information.
I absolutely adored this read. The mystery is a good one, but it is the characters who are the shining stars of this book. I will be reading more from this author.

My favorite passage: <i>She always felt safe in the Quiet, she told Lizzie, gesturing to the bush around them. 'The Wilderness, that's where the bad stuff happens.'
'Wilderness?' Lizzie asked, not sure of Dorothy's meaning.
'The city,' Dorothy replied.</i>

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#SleeplessinStringybarkBay #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Susan Duncan enjoyed a 25-year career spanning radio, newspaper and magazine journalism, including editing two of Australia's top selling women's magazines, The Australian Women's Weekly and New Idea. She now lives in her own patch of offshore paradise, Pittwater, with her second husband, Bob, in the beautiful home built for poet Dorothea Mackellar in 1925.

Susan's bestselling memoir, Salvation Creek won the 2007 Nielsen BookData Booksellers Choice Award and was shortlisted for the prestigious Dobbie Award, part of the Nita B Kibble awards for women writers. Its sequel, The House At Salvation Creek, was also a huge bestseller.

She has now turned her hand to fiction and is the author of two novels: The Briny Cafe and Gone Fishing.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Allen & Unwin via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Sleepless in Stringybark Creek by Susan Duncan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

Kate Jackson was the new owner of The Briny Cafe, with her business partner Ettie Brookbank, Ettie's partner Marcus (chef) and Jenny at the helm. Kate was also pregnant, with Sam, owner of the barge, Mary Kay keeping everyone in Cook's Basin and Stringybark Bay happy as he worked, with his first mate, twelve year old Jimmy and dog Longfellow by his side. The beauty of their little patch of paradise made each and every resident realise how lucky they were to own a slice of it. When five elderly couples moved into a large house on the edge of where the lagoon met the sea, Sam and Kate couldn't work out why they did it, or how they'd get on. Surely they knew the only way in or out was by boat?

When Sam and Jimmy found a body floating in the bay, and discovered it was one of the new residents, they thought it was a dreadful accident. After all Cameron couldn't swim. But it soon became clear that it hadn't been an accident; the police needed to find the evidence to prove murder though. Kate, using her knowledge as a journalist, did some deep digging and was shocked at what she discovered...

With storms lashing the Basin, Sam and Jimmy had their work cut out making sure everyone was safe. And Ettie and Marcus kept them all fed in times of danger. The Cafe did a roaring trade, and with Kate's pregnancy advancing toward the finish line, Ettie made sure she had some time off. Lizzie, the elderly recluse in a shack in among the bush, and her neighbour Cliffy, saw Kate visit them on occasion. But it was when Lizzie decided to join the house of the oldies that danger moved closer...

Sleepless in Stringybark Bay is a delightful novel by Aussie author Susan Duncan that I adored. It's been a long time since this author's last book, so I was thrilled when I saw this one. Wonderful characters - from Jimmy and Longfellow, to Sam, Kate, Ettie and Marcus - and there were more! The idyllic setting with the yachts, Sam's barge and many other vessels, to the mangroves and surrounding bush - the author's descriptive writing had me there with the characters. I loved entering the Briny Cafe again, having read and loved The Briny Cafe back in 2019, and have to say, I highly recommend Sleepless in Stringybark Bay with its mix of contemporary and mystery.

With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book and story that had a little bit of everything. Five people, one house, small town, dead body! How is that for a start?! And to top it off they are all over 70 years old.

This book has mystery, humour, friendships, a quirky community and so much more. It is a book the will make you laugh but will draw you in to the craziness of the situation and will keep you reading as there is always something happening including secrets and stories from the past.

A great read from an author I have not known before and the setting takes you to a remote place which is different from other places in other books which was a nice change. I quite enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.