This is an interesting novel where the initial crime and the events surrounding it aren’t all that unusual, but what follows is unique and absorbing.

Twelve years ago, an explosion and fire at a caravan park killed nine people. 17 year old Sabine was blamed, arrested, vilified – and then she escaped. Living on a houseboat, she’s managed to evade capture all these years. But now, she thinks it might be time to seek justice. Rachel, a freelance journalist looking for a big story, might just be the way to do that.

As I said, the initial crime won’t feel particularly unusual to those who read a lot of crime fiction. It’s a pretty standard sort of plot, with tropes we’ve all seen before. But this novel stands out because of the twelve years Sabine has spent in hiding.

That’s not the easiest thing to achieve in Australia, and the reader invests in Sabine’s story quickly. Who’s been helping her, and why? What’s the truth of what happened so many years ago?

The unnamed river (although it must be near Sydney) is almost a third character in the story. It’s drawn strongly and vividly. The atmosphere and the environment the river creates are both important to the story.

Although there are multiple characters, a large part of the novel feels like a two hander between Rachel and Sabine. Unfortunately, for me, this didn’t feel as well balanced as it should. Sabine is an interesting and engaging character, despite some obvious character flaws. I found Rachel a bit harder to empathise with, despite her being far closer to my own life experience than Sabine.

Perhaps it’s because Rachel’s not actually a very good investigative journalist, or maybe she’s just not as interesting a character as Sabine. Either way, I felt the story tipped more towards Sabine, generating a slight feeling of imbalance between the two.

Overall, though, this was an absorbing read with an interesting angle and a compelling main character. Most crime readers will enjoy it.

This is a book and story that will get to your core and grips you so hard you won't be able to stop reading. It is brilliantly written, a dark tale of two women both on different sides of the law (so to speak) with many twists and turns to keep you reading. It is thrilling and emotional, it is entertaining to a point and it is a story that will keep you questioning what is going on and questioning all the people involve.

A book I highly recommend and do give it 4 1/2 stars. Well written, great characters and a great storyline and plot. Read it now!

Thank you NetGalley and Text Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The story is told from two main characters, we have Sabine who has been on the run for the last 12 years, suspected of lighting a fire in a caravan park she lives, that kills her mother, sister and others. Rachael is a journalist, looking for a story that could pick up her career after it was left on the ‘gutter’ when she was retrenched from her job. A chance meeting have these two conspiring together for their own advantages, and we are left wondering will Rachael turn the fugitive Sabine in to get the award winning story? Is Sabine really a dangerous criminal? And will the truth of what happened that night finally come out? I thoroughly enjoyed this first book I have read from the author Vikki Wakefield. It was twisty, and had plenty of action to keep you reading and wanting to find out the truth. The characters were well developed, I loved the dog, and the element of ‘dodgy’ police added to the mystery.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an early digital copy to read and review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the chance to read this book.

This story is told through the eyes of Sabine and Rachel, two women who have led very different lives. Sabine grew up rough and went into hiding at 17 when she was accused of lighting a fire that killed nine people.
Rachel is a journalist who has had it relatively easy in comparison but is having a hard time after getting divorced and being made redundant. She has always been interested in the mystery of Sabine Kelly and thinks she has a great article on her hands when their paths cross. But there is so much going on under the surface that neither of them are aware of.
This is an enthralling story full of drama and mystery.

This book was impossible to put down. Told by Rachel and Sabine POV. Having a dog in the book made it even better. This book is all about relationships with a past and present timeline.

I loved Vikki's previous book, After You Were Gone, so I had high hopes for To The River. It did not disappoint! This Aussie based crime thriller had me on the edge of my seat! It was so good that I found it hard to put down and ended up reading it in under 24 hours. I absolutely loved Blue - what a clever dog!

Another great read from Vikki Wakefield. Set on the Murray River Wakefield creates not only beautiful characters but beautiful and believable landscapes. From the get go it is easy to care about both Rachel and Sabine, both strong women who may or may not be able to help each other navigate the past. Sabine’s dog, Blue also deserves a place in the finely drawn character honour board. The story is a perfect page turner, just enough to mean you will not necessarily stay awake at night to read what happens next but you will wake up early to do just that. The story is compelling, nine deaths in a deliberately lit caravan park fire and the likely suspect, a teenage girl on the run. Sabine has managed to live out of sight on the river for many years with Blue Asher only companion. The river, its inhabitants and its empty places come to life as Sabine grapples with what to do with her assumed guilt and Rachel just needs to write her story. Great suspense, good twists and turn and an ending to it all. You can’t want much more. Thanks to @netgalley for the review copy and to Text publishing for continuing to publish great Australian writing.

Now this was definitely a compulsive read and hard to put down! Sabine has been on the run for years, considered guilty of the Far Peaks caravan fires where her mother and little sister, a policeman and other neighbours died. She’s been living on the river in a houseboat with help from her boyfriend, and her Pop who lives in a small house by the river. Pop’s neighbour Rachel, lives in a huge modern house on her own after her divorce. She’s a journalist and interested in the story and wants an interview with Sabine. One of the best characters is Sabine’s dog Blue. The novel goes back and forth between Rachel and Sabine’s point of view and eventually what happened back in 2007 is revealed.
I was drawn into the story from the start and it’s even harder to put down while reading the last chapters.

To the River is an emotionally charged story of suspense that recounts a crime that occurred over a decade earlier. It’s a story of a fugitive from the law who has finally decided it’s time to have her name cleared and the way she’s chosen to do it is measured but still very risky.

After fleeing from the law, accused of starting a fire in a caravan park that killed 9 people, Sabine Kelly meets Rachel, a freelance journalist who wants to write the story of her life on the run. It’s been 12 years since the fateful night in which her mother and sister perished in the fire and she’s been in hiding for all that time, living on an old houseboat with her dog Blue for company.

After all this time she decides she wants her story to be heard. She knows that coming out of hiding is a huge risk but firmly believes it’s time for the truth to be heard even though it could mean risking her life.

The story Sabine tells is one of a life growing up with a drug dependent mother who has allowed abusive men into her and her children’s lives. Although there were numerous hardships in the life she led, surely it didn’t lead to her snapping and setting her family’s caravan on fire, did it?

This is quite a sedately paced story that, early on, settles in to recount the events from 12 years ago while Sabine is being very careful about who she talks to, ensuring she’s not detected by people who may recognise her.

It’s clear that both of the main characters are dealing with difficult pasts and are struggling to find their place in the world. This struggle is made apparent by the tone of the novel that is edged by a sense of despair and, at times, hopelessness. Rachel’s ordered life of playing strictly by the rules is seriously challenged through Sabine’s tendency to take risks, regardless of the fact that those risks are borne from necessity.

We have a keen insight into Sabine’s mindset here:

““Ryan once asked her whether, if she could do things over, she would still run. The truth is she would run faster, further, sooner. She doesn’t regret what she did, and that must be proof she’s a bad person. All her life people have either promised to help her but let her down, or tried to help but failed. No one can help. No one can protect her. She is alone. She has always been alone.”

The story is told from the perspectives of Sabine and Rachel through alternating chapters that follow their progress. When Sabine relates the events of her past to Rachel we also see a chapter devoted to the events of 12 years previous. It’s an effective writing style that takes us into the mind of each character, drawing us closer to both and ensuring we get a keen insight into their motivations as well as their vulnerabilities.

This appears to be a straightforward mystery that’s complicated by the question as to how reliable the account is. We’re learning about the night of the fire from Sabine, the person who was the person suspected with starting it. Her account differs radically, yet plausibly from the police account.

I like the way we get just a hinted at version of the true events of the night of the life altering fire when Sabine’s story is slowly drawn out. Plus, it’s clear that there’s someone out there who’s desperate to keep the story from coming out, thus the source of the novel’s suspense.

My interest was held firmly by Sabine’s steadfast nature and her bravery and the gradual change that came over Rachel was important as To the River developed. My only minor complaint being over the loss of momentum that occurred midway through the story where things grew a little confusing and difficult to follow.

To the River is a strong psychological suspense novel that readers who love reading about strong characters who are prepared to fight for their truth to be heard will appreciate.

My thanks to Text Publishing via Netgalley for my digital ARC copy that allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book.

Vikki Wakefield isn't an author that's been on my radar before but To The River has definitely changed that. The novel is mostly set either in the caravan park where Sabine grew up, or by the river, where her Pop and his neighbour, Rachel, now live and both settings are described in great detail that gives us a clear sense of what life is like for Sabine and Rachel and helped me to become fully immersed in their story.

The chapters in To The River alternate between the perspectives of Sabine and Rachel. I felt this was really effective in helping the reader to understand their characters and make up our own minds about them. The novel is mostly set in 2019, but Sabine's chapters occasionally take us back to the past, so that we can see elements of her childhood and gain a greater understanding of how this has impacted her as an adult. Personally, I felt a great deal of sympathy for Sabine and felt sorry for the way she feels she would be judged by the people who she knew as a child.

The plot of To The River has many layers and I found the story really compelling as I tried to unpack them. There are several questions that need to be answered as the novel gathers pace and I really wanted to get to the bottom of what had happened. Vikki Wakefield’s writing style is fast paced and I love how she made the atmosphere feel uncomfortable and foreboding the whole way through.

4.5★s

Sabine Kelly had been on the run for the past twelve years. She wanted justice for her mother and seven year old sister Aria; living on the river, accumulating evidence, keeping an eye on her Pop - she knew it was almost time to bring it all to a conclusion. When she approached her Pop's neighbour, journalist Rachel Weirdermann, she was surprised at what she found inside the house. Would Rachel help her, or was she out to help herself?

The fire at the caravan park where Sabine had lived with her mother and sister, had killed nine people and Sabine was always blamed, with people calling her a murderer. But she knew what really happened that night, although she had plenty of guilt. Her life on the river soothed her, along with the company of her old dog Blue. She was nervous about what was to come, but it had to be done...

To the River is my first by Aussie author Vikki Wakefield and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Twisty with plenty of action, especially toward the end, Sabine was an excellent character and Blue was a well-trained, intelligent and loyal dog. There were secrets whichever direction you looked; the mystery was intriguing and the plot captivating. Highly recommended.

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

<i>To The River</i> is the first book I've read by Vikki Wakefield and I very much enjoyed it. The book opens with a newspaper article in 2007 about a fire, naming the suspected arsonist who escaped police custody as she was being taken in.

We then leap forward in time to meet our two narrators. Sabine, 17 years old in 2007, now nearing 30 and managing to stay on the run for the dozen intervening years, living on a houseboat. She uses the river as her path of transport and escape with only her grandfather and her boyfriend knowing how to find her.

And then there's Rachel, newly divorced when we meet her, living in a now-too-large luxurious house on the river neighbouring Sabine's grandfather. Rachel's a former journalist and knows of Sabine's history - keen for a story - reaches out on a rare visit Sabine makes to her grandfather.

We go back and forward in time here, learning more about Sabine's mother - who became a drug addict after being co-opted into dealing by a crooked local cop. Back in 2007 Sabine's waiting for the day she turns 18 so she can take her much-younger sister and leave.

Unfortunately her mother and sister are killed in the fire of which she's accused, along with 7 others including the corrupt cop.

Once 'found' by Rachel Sabine decides she's tired of running and ready to turn herself in but wants the truth to come out.

'In giving Rachel her story, Sabine is determined there will be at least some record of her side - a truer version of the events that will inevitably be twisted, obscured and covered up when she's apprehended and brought to trial, or if her past catches up with her and she doesn't make it to court at all.' pp 61-62

Sabine is a likeable lead and it's hard not to feel somewhat affronted (or even angry) on her behalf.

<i>A reputation is a strange thing,</i> Sabine thought. <i>It can grow without you feeding it. You will shrink to fit it. It allows you access to some places, keeps you out of others. It will define you if you let it, and there's no control, no second chances, no escape.</i> p 189

Wakefield paces this well, sharing Sabine's story and the events in the lead-up to the fire just when needed. And then ultimately the final reveal. And then yet another.

This is an enjoyable read by Wakefield and I'll certainly seek out more of her work.

I always think of Vikki Wakefield's writing as targeting teens, so was surprised again when this was definitely move for adult readers. I loved the twisting and turning of the narrative, much like a river twists and turns through the land with new opportunities or surprises at each bend.

I was excited to read another Vikki Wakefield book. To the River is a unique story surrounding the truth (and lies) about what really happened during the ‘Caravan Murders’ where 9 people were killed in a fire at a Caravan Park - including Sabine Kelly’s drug-addicted mother and her younger sister. Sabine feels she’s responsible of her younger sister and can help give her a better life than the one she knows their mother can provide.

Sabine Kelly confesses to the murders, then slips out of cuffs and goes on the run. She moves her houseboat on the river and makes sure to never stay in one spot - getting help from her childhood boyfriend, Ryan. We meet Sabine 12 years after she goes on the run along with her dog, Blue. She stops by to visit her grandfather on his houseboat she discovers he’s in poor health and she risks going too far for too long so she can keep an eye on him.

Across the river from Sabine’s grandfather’s houseboat is a journalist, Rachel. Rachel makes her way back to her mega house on the river by herself after she concludes that she’s no longer needed by her adult children and is separated from her husband. She’s pretty sure that Sabine has made her way back to her grandfathers houseboat 12 years later. Rachel believes she can write the best story of her career as long as she can corner Sabine and convince her to tell her what really happened. Rachel tries to take a different approach with Sabine by telling her that she’s only telling her story to “help” her and deliver the truth.

To the River is a story of mystery and suspense tangled with lies, corruption, fear, addiction, abuse, manipulation, social class, justice, beliefs, friendship, loyalty, motives and ultimately uncovering the truth.

There were parts of the book that kept me engaged and wanting to turn the page. I felt like the most exciting parts were the beginning and end of the book. I felt that it took a long time to for questions to be answered and for everything to make sense. The middle part of the book took me a bit longer than I expected to get through because it moved so slowly.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of To the River.

Sabine Kelly has been in hiding for 12 years, living on an old canal boat she moves along the river, hiding it where she can. When she was 17 her mother and sister, along with a police officer and six other people, died in an explosion and fire in the caravan park where she lived and Sabine was blamed. Arrested by the police she knew they would never let her go and were determined to her convicted and jailed. Somehow, she managed to escape and has been on the run ever since with her faithful dog Blue, but now she wants to tell her story and face the charges.

She has kept in touch with her grandfather, Ray who lives in a shack along the river. While visiting him, she is spotted by his neighbour, Rachel, a journalist and Sabine agrees to tell her her story and then face the music.

This is a compelling mystery with multiple layers of secrets, told by a narrator who has her own agenda and might not be totally reliable. Sabine and Rachel are both strong but flawed characters, each harbouring their own pain and fear of the world. Both wanting Justice to be served, but knowing it’s not always doled out fairly and can be distorted to suit those in power. The river is also creature in its own right, atmospheric, often reeking of thick mud, meandering slowly, seeing all and hiding its own secrets below the surface. The perfectly paced plot in this excellent psychological suspense will keep the reader engaged, wanting to find out what really happened in the caravan park all those years ago.

To the River by Vikki Wakefield is an excellent crime/thriller. I enjoy books where you don't know if you can trust the narrator, and you don't know who you should be rooting for. Vikki wrote some wonderfully complex female characters, and infuriatingly accurate male characters. I can't wait to see a big stack of To the River on our New Releases table.