"Six guests embark on a wilderness tour, but only two emerge"

Murder in the outback - yep, this is right up my alley. This was a wild whodunit with guests dropping like flies and chaos reigning supreme. I LOVED IT.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Loved the wild Tasmanian setting, but felt like the book jacket marketing of "six guests embark on a wilderness tour, but only two emerge" doesn't really reflect the proceedings – and felt like I was waiting for a bloodbath that never came. Some of the twists were unexpected, but if this is a "trapped on an island with a murderer" story, one cannot help but compare it to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None," wherein everyone is a suspect. With Devil's Island, I think I would have appreciated a little more suspicion/threat threaded throughout all the characters.

Thank you, NetGalley and Oceanview publishers, for the advance copy of this book in return for an honest review. The story is set on a small, remote island off the Tasmanian coast, based on Maybury Island. The vivid descriptions of its flora and fauna presented a strong visual picture immersed me in the environment and surroundings. I loved the descriptions of its Australian mammals and exotic birds, especially the Tasmanian Devils, which serve as the alternate name of Devils Island.

Healthy Tasmanian devils have been moved there for safety, as they are sickened by a plague on the mainland and in danger of becoming extinct. Groups of tourists come to the island to observe wombats, echidnas, wallabies, kangaroos, and birds while hoping to sight the Tasmanian Devil, a harmless but carnivorous marsupial.

I regret that the human element failed to engage me. This tour group consists of six people and is led by Kerry. Two Australian couples are longtime friends, and a couple of American women, Brooke and Jane, were once friends but grew apart except for the occasional Facebook post. They are different in personality but have an unhealthy dependence on each other.

Kerry had worked on the mainland to rescue, rehabilitate, and release the Tasmanian Devils. The effort exhausted and emotionally drained her. After some time recovering from the strain, she became a guide on the island, a role for which she had little training. She was obsessed with those animals and their survival as a species. She is assisted by a young male guide, Bryan, who is of little help. A game warden resides in the tiny deserted town, once a quarters for British prisoners exiled there. A raging storm is brewing, and it looks like the hike will not be pleasant. On the first night, one of the tourists disappears. Kerry sees evidence that she may have wandered away, got lost and died and that Tasmanian Devils devoured her body. Kerry tries to keep her assumptions quiet from the tour group as she fears that her beloved Devils will be blamed.

The cell phone connection is unreliable. Kerry attempts to call the game warden. Eventually, because the storm has increased and a tree fell on his vehicle, she learns he cannot come. Members of the hiking group seem strangely disinterested that someone is missing, except for Brooke, who is determined to find her. Due to the storm, there is no way out by boat. Losing a tourist on the first night was bad enough for Kerry, but soon, a woman, Margaret, from the Australian group is found dead. The story of her falling on a level surface and damaging her head is doubtful. She was renowned as an avid mountain climber. It looks like murder. Who is to blame?

The woman who went missing, the American Jane, was obsessed with the Australian man with whom she had a brief affair (TV mogul Malcolm), who ended any relationship with her. She was stalking him, having followed him on the trip with hopes he would leave his wife Charlotte and resume their affair. If not, she intends to get revenge on him. She invited Brooke on the trip and later learned that Malcolm was also sleeping with the now-dead Margaret. Brooke believes that Malcolm probably caused her friend, Jane, to disappear and probably killed her and that he also murdered Margaret.

The relationships are becoming complex and convoluted. For such a small group, there is jealousy, adultery, lying, deception, drunkenness, suspicion, and blame. It was hard to understand how such a quantity of wine was transported on a hiking trip. Kerry is under pressure to keep moving forward, and a few have wandered off on their own. The guides lack control. The characters were unlikeable, ranging from unreliable, lazy, deluded, and dangerous. There is also a poacher lurking nearby. There were several unexpected twists that were surprising.

The story was told through information dumps rather than dialogue and interaction. Too much time was spent on backstories. A theme was devoted to acting, especially regarding Brooke and Jane's history. How many others were acting during the trek? I liked that the theme of saving endangered wildlife was always present.
This book is recommended for readers who enjoy a locked-room story with few human survivors, an emphasis on environmental factors, and fascinating wildlife.

I am so glad I decided to pick this book up on a whim because it was so good! The cover and the font didn't really appeal to me but I'm so glad I didn't let that stop me from reading this. One of my favorite settings in thrillers is always going to be the wilderness and this one packed a punch. It was eerie, spine-tingling, and even gave me goosebumps a couple of times. The twists were great, even though I hate to say I only saw one of them coming. I thought the characters were well fleshed out and I enjoyed that the story didn't flash to the past tense, you learned about it from the character's stories instead. This author duo wrote a fantastic, twisty thriller, and I'm excited to see what they write next.

Many thanks to Oceanview Publishing for the gifted copy for my honest review!

The fact that this book was set in Australia definitely piqued my interest!!! It was full of suspense & kept me interested throughout the whole book!

I appreciated the information about Tasmanian devils. I enjoyed learning about this endangered species that I previously knew nothing about. I liked the concept of this story, and I felt that the plot had a lot of promise. I am a fan of the "locked room" trope, so I was excited about this book. With that being said, I felt the initially promising plot lacked execution. I also thought that the amount of repetitiveness from the 3 varying POVs made the book drag for me. It was hard to get invested in this one. This book did pack some twists and turns that caught me by surprise.

Thank you NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

EXCERPT: Jane extended the invitation to Tasmania, via Facebook message, with a link to the Marbury Island track. Pack your bags, sweetheart, and book a flight to Hobart. I'm treating you to the trip of a lifetime. A luxurious, all-expenses paid hike across one of the most beautiful islands in the world. And sorry, but Billy Boy is not invited.
Well, that wouldn't be a problem.
Despite the invitation coming out of the blue, despite the now precarious nature of their longtime friendship, Brooke felt as though the timing was perfect. When she'd opened Facebook and seen Jane's message, she'd been alone in the apartment she was subletting, finishing a third glass of wine and trying to tell herself that, by being on Facebook, she wasn't really drinking alone. She was also wondering whether to change her relationship status, but she couldn't find an appropriate category. She wasn't actually 'single' - not yet, anyway - and the closest thing to 'separated' was, 'It's complicated'. If only, she thought as she poured herself another glass, there were a few more options, along the lines of, 'I wanted to try counseling,' or 'We married too young,' or 'He wasn't what I expected.'
Or, she thought as she took another long drink, 'What the hell have I done?'

ABOUT 'DEVILS ISLAND': Devils Island is home to abundant wildlife, making it the ideal place to reintroduce endangered Tasmanian devils. Working to rescue, rehabilitate, and release devils has been Kerry' s job and passion for years, but a new opportunity to work as a naturalist guide for a tour company offers her a respite from the emotionally grueling task of trying to save an endangered species.

Her first tour group as lead guide includes American college friends Brooke and Jane, who are reconnecting after years of estrangement, and two Australian couples hoping to escape their big-city lives and enjoy the company of longtime friends.

When one of the guests disappears on the first night, the group assumes she has wandered too far in the stormy weather. Yet it turns out she has a secret connection to one of the other guests— and when another hiker is found dead in camp, the group finds itself isolated by the worsening storm and wondering who among them might be responsible.

MY THOUGHTS: An entertaining and informative mystery incorporating ecological and environmental aspects.

Set on a fictional island, based on Maria Island, just off the Tasmanian coast, the authors do a wonderful job of conveying the isolation and flora and fauna on the island. The isolation and the extreme weather play a major part in the story.

I really couldn't connect with any of the characters, but this wasn't a problem as Devils Island is more plot than character driven. Having said that, there are some decidedly interesting characters and one or two who are more than a little creepy.

The story drags in a couple of places, but mostly it keeps a good pace and the authors have included a few surprises to keep the tension levels high.

I didn't pick the ending to this one at all. In fact, I was way off base - always a bonus!

⭐⭐⭐.6

#DevilsIsland #NetGalley

THE AUTHORS: When writers become obsessed with something, they write about it — which is how my husband, John Yunker, and I both ended up writing novels filled with penguins.

And this was, initially, why the two of us headed to Australia — to see the fairy penguins, a species we were eager to meet. These birds are at once ubiquitous and elusive: While walking around certain Sydney neighborhoods, we saw many penguin awareness signs, but these small, flightless birds are shy and don’t come ashore until after dark, which meant we had to make a real effort to see them.

And while we did manage to track down the penguins, it turned out that on this trip, it was the Tasmanian devil that would capture most of our attention — and our imagination. I recently learned a French term, dérive, which refers to a journey that takes an unexpected path — and realized that this is very much what happened to John and me when we decided to take a side trip to Australia’s island state of Tasmania.

It all began with a four-day hiking trip on Maria Island, which is even more remote than the remote island state. And, we soon learned, it’s this very isolation that allows for the conservation work that is reviving the Tasmanian devil population.

And the idea for Devils Island was born. (abridged from https://www.jungleredwriters.com/2024...)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Devils Island by Midge Raymond and John Yunker for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

After an emotional experience while working with Tasmanian devils at a rescue and rehabilitation center, Kerry decided a change was in order, and she became a naturalist guide on Marbury Island, also known as Devil's Island, because of the number of Tasmanian devils residing there. Her first group as lead guide includes American college friends Brooke and Jane and two Australian couples.

I really enjoyed this book, much more than I thought I would, and I learned a lot about Tasmanian devils as well as other wildlife on the island. The story is told from a few different viewpoints and there are some interesting twists. There are some parts that slowed the story down, mostly to do with flashbacks which I could've done without. The characters aren't very likeable but I don't think we're meant to like most of them. For some reason I kept getting Kerry and Brooke (one of the Americans) mixed up. Silly as it is, I felt like they were both, but Kerry especially, misnamed. The location and the weather play important roles in this novel. Some reviewers think that the story was more tell than show but it didn't really bother me that much and I'd recommend it to a friend. I haven't read anything by either of these authors before but the collaboration seems smooth to me.

The Authors' Note at the end contains interesting information on Maria Island, the real island on which Devils Island is based, and there's also a section covering Book Club discussion questions.

My thanks to Oceanview Publishing via Netgalley for the opportunity to read a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: September 3, 2024

CW: Murder, death, SA, graphic depiction of a crime scene, depression

On remote Marbury Island, off the coast of Tasmania, tour guide Kerry is leading a group of six hikers on a wilderness trek. But with a shadowy figure of a poacher lurking on the periphery and disaster plaguing the group, this will be a tour like no other.

Told primarily from the third-person, present tense POV of two of the group - tour guide Kerry and American tourist Brooke - we learn of the threads that join all six people together, and how volatile these relationships can be when push comes to shove. Each chapter is partially set in the present, with a lot of flashbacks detailing who the characters are and their motivations for being there. American actress Jane is bent on revenge against TV exec Malcom and brings her friend Brooke along as an unwitting accomplice while Malcom's wife and friends Margaret and Ian are a captive audience.

This book does start off slowly (I've started and stopped this a few times trying to get into it), but ramps up when the first tourist goes missing and the grisly scene discovered.

Despite that, I found myself not caring about any of the characters - they were all universally awful (with the exception of "bogan" tour guide Bryce). I found the flashbacks interrupted the flow of the action with mostly unnecessary information, and the ending was a little too neat and implausible.

** It rubbed me the wrong way when medication for mental health was referred to as a "crutch" and a character was given a "good for you" response when they revealed they were unwillingly off their meds. Especially when the character who said "good for you" appeared to be poorly managing their own depression. You wouldn't tell that to a heart patient who stopped taking their meds; don't dismiss mental health. **

Overall, I really wanted to like this, as it had the bones to be good, but it ended up feeling as overblown as the Lifetime melodramas referenced by the American characters.

~ Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

I love a good "locked room mystery", especially when it is set among challenging conditions, like snow storms or other natural disasters. I'm also a fan of learning about new locations or conditions or situations that I may not be able to experience in my little two horse town. So when I read the description for this book, I was all-in.

The story is set in Tasmania, Australia. Right there I was hooked because I really don't know much about Tasmania and the initial pages take the reader right into the rescue and release operations. Kerry is the lead tour guide, with Bryan as her second. There are 6 people on the tour with them -- two Americans, Brooke and Jane, and two Australian couples who have been friends for years. So there's lot of potential histories with these folks and plenty of suspects too!

The story is told in multiple points of view, but for the most part, the story is told from Kerry and Brooke's point of view. I wasn't sure if I liked any of these characters, to be honest, but I did want to see how everything panned out. This was an entertaining mystery, with some places where the could have been some revisions to make things a bit tighter. There were a few info dumps and a lot of telling that could have been improved upon to make a stronger story.

Overall, I did enjoy this mystery. I need to have at least one twist that I don't see coming, and Devils Island delivered on that, but the un-likability of the characters and the copious amount of telling and info dumps brought down the rating.

This read was intense, suspenseful and impossible to put down. The detailed descriptions of the island really helped to set the tone. I loved the unexpected twists towards the end.

Devils Island by John Yunker and Midge Raymond is a suspenseful wilderness thriller set on Marbury Island in Tasmania, based on a real place. The twists and atmosphere kept me glued to the pages.

After an emotional experience while working with Tasmanian devils at a rescue and rehabilitation center, Kerry decided a change was in order. As she wished to keep enveloped by nature, she decided to become a naturalist guide. Amongst the guests were two American college friends and two Australian couples as well as a fellow guide. They enjoyed excellent food, tenting and adventuring but the mood shifted to suspicion when a guest went missing. But that wasn't all. Secrets galore came right and left.

Other than the beautiful writing, setting and gripping storyline, the information about Tasmanian devils thankfully upended my cursory knowledge of their reputation and taught me a great deal. In fact, it prompted me to do further research.

Some characters were quite juvenile at times but interesting nonetheless. I did guess part of the reveal but there were also surprises. I always enjoy survival stories, especially set during storms and darkness, so this was my wheelhouse. It made me want to grab the tent and venture out!

My sincere thank you to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this enthralling novel.

I did enjoy this book but I feel like it just wasn’t for me personally. I am glad that I gave it a try. The book was interesting. I am glad that I had the opportunity to read it. It wasn’t a favorite for me and it was out of my comfort zone. The book was written very well and I did like it. I’m rating this book a 3 stars and I will try out more books from the author in the future.

“Maybe loyalty between friends is easier than loyalty between lovers.”

Isolated island, raging storm, and secrets amongst a group of “strangers”? YES, PLEASE! This book had all the ingredients to my idea of the best kind of thriller recipe 🤌🏻

Two old friends and two pairs of couples join tour guides on a remote island for what was supposed to be an exciting weekend of hiking, yummy food and drinks, and exotic animal sightings. But, when one guest goes missing, cell service is already practically nonexistent, and a massive storm kills any chance of help arriving from the mainland, secrets arise and all hell breaks loose.

I had so much fun reading this book. I really didn’t want to put it down and every twist had me gasping and muttering to myself (which would make my husband ask “what??” and I would reply simply “book” 😂). I had guesses here and there about what the outcome would be. In some ways I was right, but I also was very surprised and wrong in others. Not only was it exciting, but there was also the subplot that spoke of the Tasmanian Devils species that was heartbreaking and fascinating. I loved the inclusion of this to raise awareness of their suffering and near extinction.

If you enjoy a thriller with an Australian setting, dual POV, isolation, a group of strangers with secrets, plot twists, whodunnit, deception, and overcoming emotional trauma for the FMC’s, then I highly recommend Devils Island!

Thank you to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. ✍🏻

Yes it's another locked island mystery/horror story but it's elevated by the fact that it's set in Tasmania. I appreciated the chance to learn about Tasmanian devils and the focus on the challenge of wildlife conservation. The mystery is pretty good too. Thanks to netgalley for the ArC. A good read.

Rating: 3.75/5 ⭐

Devils Island follows a group of tourists and their guides to Marbury Island, where after one guest disappears and another turns up dead in the midst of a big storm, the rest have to figure out who is responsible and how to survive through the end of the trip...

First off - I loved the setting of Marbury Island (a fictional version of Maria Island) and the history we're taught of the Tasmanian Devils. This book touches a lot on the complexities of wildlife conservation and I found myself googling a lot about the devils and already extinct tigers.
But the twists - they definitely kept coming and a couple felt like they came way out of left field and weren't completely necessary, almost a bit of a "this again?". The alternating POV in the book gives a lot of information that we would have been missing if it was just from one character, and some of the revelations at the end of the book from a surprise new POV show that while the characters are well defined, very few of them are even likeable!

This was a good suspenseful read that kept me intrigued until the end - Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Devils Island by mitch Raymond and John Yonker, in the book we follow Brooke who got a surprise invitation to reunite with her friend Jane who she hasn’t seen in five years and Jane wants to do it while visiting devils island. It’s actually an island where they re-introduced healthy Tasmanian devils so as not to allow them around the devils on the main island who are suffering from some sort of tumor disfiguring disease (that just broke my heart.) they also have wombats and other animals on the island but twice a year allow visitors to have a Glamping trip in the jungle amongst the wildlife. Carrie is the head guide on the trip despite the fact it is only her second time in the jungle on the island and the first time ended the day before in a tragedy. Carrie has dedicated her life to helping animals but since working at the local clinic she really has a special affinity for Tasmanian devils almost too much of an affinity. There’s two Australian couples Jane and Brooke all going on the trip with the emergency tour guide or Brian who usually just drive the van for the Safari before Australians have known each other forever but the two Americans Jane and Brooke are strangers or at least they are supposed to be. At first Brooke was happy to be there but once she remembered what her friend Jane was like she knew the trip wasn’t going to end well but would it in with all of them alive? This book was pretty good I mean if you like isolated location stories even though they did have contact with the outside world because a park ranger lived on the other side of the island but I digress this is a better story than most although some of the writing was a little wonky and I do think there was too much over describing but having said that if you’re in it for the entertainment you’ll definitely be entertained I really liked the story and could’ve done without all the backstory but as I said it’s still entertaining and I wasn’t mad I read it I actually liked it more than I didn’t nt. It’s a book I definitely recommend to those who like isolated location horror stories. I can’t believe I’m forgetting about the big twist that was absolutely shocking to me… So yeah read it you’ll probably like it as well.#NetGalley, #OceanviewPublishing, #MitchRaymond, #JohnYonker, #DevilsIsland,

Devils Island starts off with six individuals arriving to a remote island for a getaway vacation that just so happens to also be a fantastic place to reintroduce endangered Tasmanian devils in an environment that will help save them to flourish for generations to come. What starts out as a vacation to get away for the group, turns in to a nightmare they all want to escape from, from the storm that comes as well as humans mixed in an environment that no one could predict. What happens next is so crazy that you have to dive in and find out for yourself what unfolds. Crazy and yet mysteriously fantastic read!!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

I love any book set in the wilds of Tasmania. There's something dark and mysterious about the Tasmanian wilderness that is captured in this book.

The story and mystery kept my attention but I struggled to connect with many of the characters.

"Devil's Island" by John Bunker immerses readers in a thrilling narrative set on a remote Pacific island where reality blurs with myth. The story follows marine biologist Kate Beckett, who ventures to Devil's Island to study its unique ecosystem. However, she soon finds herself entangled in a web of mysteries involving strange occurrences and eerie legends surrounding the island's past. As Kate delves deeper into its secrets, she uncovers hidden agendas and perilous truths that challenge her understanding of science and humanity. Bunker skillfully blends suspense with ecological themes, creating a gripping tale that explores the darker side of isolation and the limits of human knowledge. With vivid descriptions and well-crafted characters, "Devil's Island" captivates from start to finish, offering a thrilling journey into the unknown where danger lurks beneath the surface of paradise.
Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.