Rating of 4.5.

From one of my favourite Australian crime fiction authors, Tim Ayliffe, comes the fantastic 2024 novel, The Wrong Man, which sees the author’s damaged protagonist investigate a dark new crime in Sydney.

For the last few years, I have become a major fan of Australian author Tim Ayliffe, who has been producing some excellent books as part of his John Bailey series. Utilising his experience as a journalist, Ayliffe has pulled together a series of compelling and complex crime fiction novels as part of a series that follows his journalist protagonist, John Bailey, as he finds himself part of a series of dark crimes. Many of these books, which include The Greater Good, State of Fear, The Enemy Within and Killer Traitor Spy, cleverly reference or utilise real-world elements that have been impacting Australia, such as terrorism, espionage and the rise of right-wing extremism, to enhance their narratives, and I have really enjoyed the captivating Australian stories that emerge. The fifth book in this series, The Wrong Man, presents the reader with a cool new case as Ayliffe expands his series with an excellent new protagonist.

The Wrong Man was a very impressive addition to the John Bailey series that sees the protagonist dragged into a series of dark murders. Ayliffe pulls together an intense, compelling and character-focused narrative that makes great use of its protagonists to tell a layered and complex story of murder, secrets and redemption.

The plot of The Wrong Man is cleverly told from the perspective of three central characters, each of whom have their own unique contribution to the overarching story. The central character is John Bailey, Ayliffe’s damaged series protagonist who has managed to rebuild his life after the trauma of the earlier books and now serves as a mostly balanced figure, determined to uncover the truth no matter what. Forced to investigate two murders, including a recent slaying and an older killing that his dead former love interest solved, Bailey finds old pain coming to the surface again and must also face interference from one of his only friends, CIA spy Ronnie Johnson, who is trying to stop Bailey’s investigation into a prominent military contractor. Bailey is backed up in this book by his current love interest, reporter Annie Brooks, whose own journalistic interest in the case is supported by her connection to one of the suspects. The two of them prove to be an effective team, although I felt that the third central protagonist, Holly Sutton, was the one who stole the show.

Holly Sutton is a new police protagonist who is assigned to investigate the murders Bailey and Brooks are looking into. Another highly damaged protagonist who has issues with debts and her own past, Sutton proves to be a jaded figure in the investigation. This is enhanced by her realisation she has a dark connection to the case, especially when a cover-up she was inadvertently involved with forces her to keep key facts hidden from her boss. This adds an additional element of secrecy to the plot, which works well alongside the complimentary storylines of the other protagonists. Ayliffe presents a tight and exciting narrative for the entirety of The Wrong Man that goes in some intriguing directions. I felt that the compelling mystery comes together extremely well, and the character-driven storylines are brought together in an exciting and high-stakes manner. I felt that this was one of Ayliffe’s stronger stories, and I honestly powered through it in no time at all.

As with his preceding narratives in the John Bailey series, Ayliffe cleverly utilises some real-life Australian issues and themes in The Wrong Man, which I always enjoy, and which I feel gives some extra realism and impact. This includes some interesting references to current Pacific politics and alliances, with the protagonist’s ability to interrogate a potential suspect impacted by the CIA, who have a vested interest in the area. Ayliffe also provides some examinations of police corruption in the story, with the long-term impacts of cover-ups, conspiracies and other darker elements of the police, such as sexism, having a compelling role in the plot. Other compelling inclusions examine the roles and responsibility of journalists in modern society, as well as some interesting references to reality television stars. I really felt these elements worked well alongside the crime fiction storyline, and Ayliffe expertly utilises and explores these in the plot.

Overall, The Wrong Man was a fantastic and powerful piece of Australian fiction that once again highlights Tim Ayliffe’s ability to tell a compelling and intense narrative. Cleverly continuing the author’s series while also exploring cool new protagonists, The Wrong Man was an excellent and captivating read that I had an outstanding time getting through.

An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 25 July 2024:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2025/01/28/canberra-weekly-column-australian-fiction-25-july-2024/

For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/

I have to say that Tim Ayliffe is on my favourite authors list and I have read all the books in this series to date. John Bailey is back and is as good if not better than before.

This book has all the thrills and chills you would expect and the story is in-depth and emotional and you can feel the tension rising from the pages as you read. That is what I like about the authors way of writing. You feel you are there, you feel you know the characters. His writing is flawless and that makes it easy to read even though it is a full on, intense book. Loved every minute of it, as always.

Highly recommend this one and the whole series. A great group of books.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Wrong Man by Tim Ayliffe is the fifth in the John Bailey, an investigative journalist, series and continues to be an excellent read. While I have read the other in the series it can be mostly read by itself.

Set in Sydney, Australia it is a fast moving and totally captivating mystery thriller. With twists and turns and cross plots the story flows in unexpected directions. There are many interesting and varied characters that add depth to the storyline. The new young Detective Constable Holly Sutton is a great addition and so is his girlfriend Annie Brooks a TV news journalist.

Highly recommended read

This review is based on a complimentary copy from Simon & Schuster (Australia) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheWrongMan #NetGalley

This is book 5 in the John Bailey series, and in this one he becomes involved in a case where a social influencer is brutally murdered and it appears to link to a case his former romantic partner, Dexter, was looking into.
A new character enters the series at this point, Detective Holly Sutton, not sure if she is a new character, or someone who may become a 'spin off' if it should happen.
Anyway, Sutton and Bailey seem to be circling the same suspects and inevitably come to rely on each other for support. The storyline is fast paced and kept me hooked. A great story would be not as great if read as a standalone book.
Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Publishing for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

Opening with a dramatic confrontation on a boat, Tim Aliffe’s The Wrong Man (2024) is the fifth of the John Bailey investigative reporter adventures. Interweaving a brutal murder of a Sydney socialite, a decades-old solved serial case and CIA operative Ronnie Johnston's usual covet actions, a combined police and journalistic investigation unfolds into an elaborate enigmatic crime tale. Although a series, this murder mystery can be enjoyed as a standalone read that is in a well-imagined current-day Australian setting, against the backdrop of the Asia Pacific. This murder mystery thriller is a typical Aliffe story combining several layers of characters, crime and sophisticated narrative that makes for a must-read five stars rating. With thanks to Simon & Schuster and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

4★
“But the boat wasn’t the only thing bothering Bailey. There was the dead guy leaking blood on the deck beside him, the chains attached to Bailey’s ankles, and the handcuffs digging into his wrists. There was also the man sitting opposite, tossing a gun between his hands like a cricket ball.”

Okaaaay, you’ve got my attention. Again, I might add. I’ve enjoyed the previous four books in this series, and when a story opens with this, I’m in.

Well, I’m in, because I know that John Bailey is an investigative journalist in Sydney, and his work takes him around the areas where I spent much of my earlier life. I love revisiting the greater Sydney area where I spent much of my younger adult life. (Fortunately, my experience with Pittwater and the Hawkesbury River never involved handcuffs or chains, though.)

Bailey moves in very different circles. Cops, hardened crims, and CIA, not to mention powerful business figures who think they can get away with murder – or at least buy their way out of it.

Bailey gets a call about a break-in at the house that had been willed to him by Sharon Dexter, a homicide detective who was the love of his life. The place is completely trashed. He hasn’t been able to bring himself to sell it, but it’s obvious someone thinks something important is still there.

He checks her hidden safe and finds some old files on a murder case about a decade ago.

“Court documents. Photographs. Witness statements. Crime scene reports. Newspaper clippings. Interview transcripts.

It was a case file about the murder of a woman named Sally King, who was found strangled to death in an alley outside the Sydney Club, an exclusive men-only establishment in the heart of the city.

Bailey didn’t recognise King’s name but he knew all about the man who had been jailed for her murder. Joel Griggs was a violent serial killer who had raped and murdered five women.

Glancing at the pages, Bailey could see that Dexter was one of the homicide detectives who had worked on the investigation...

But the case file about King’s murder also told Bailey something else.

Dexter was convinced they had jailed the wrong man.”

Bailey’s retired editor friend Gerald, had been on the board of the Sydney Club and attended the party that presumably led to the murder. He was appalled by what he saw.

“ ‘Do you have any idea how many men my age – and older – shove cocaine up their noses? That’s a whole other world I didn’t know existed.’

‘C’mon, Gerald. You know Sydney. It’s the bloody cocaine capital of Australia.’

‘This was a different level, Bailey. I feel sick about it.’”

Then Bailey’s house is trashed. Bailey’s current girlfriend, Annie Brooks, is a television reporter who is often first on the scene with her cameraman, so they share intel and begin working with the police to investigate. She once dated one of the possible suspects, which gives us an idea of how much these people mingle.

Detective Superintendent Greg Palmer, Commander of the NSW Homicide Squad, certainly believes something’s up.

<b>“<i> ‘An old police detective mate of mine seemed to think there was something off about that case. But we can’t talk to her because she died in the line of duty around five years ago.’</i>

Sutton knew he was talking about Sharon Dexter. Every cop in Sydney knew the story about how she was killed while bringing down a global terrorist network in London. Her death was front-page news and her funeral had been attended by half the force.”</b>

Also making a reappearance is American Ronnie Johnson, the huge, cigar-smoking CIA operative who is Bailey’s friend and sometime houseguest, but now and then he betrays Bailey for secrecy’s sake. An infuriating guy, he is “six and a half feet tall and a tree of muscles” who also rubs elbows with international mercenaries and other questionable associates when necessary.

The point of view is mostly Bailey’s, but sometimes Annie, and a new young detective, Holly Sutton, get a chapter. Holly is an interesting new character (with a gambling habit) whom I hope we see again.

I heard Ayliffe interviewed today and he reckons he’s got many more books in him and would like to do for Sydney what Michael Connelly has done for Los Angeles. He’s aiming pretty high, but why not? I'm looking forward to the next one already. 😊

Thanks to #NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a copy of #TheWrongMan for review.

Journalist John Bailey is back in this fifth episode, investigating the murder of Sydney socialite Tottie Evans. Her tortured, naked body was grotesquely displayed outside the Palm Beach home of her boyfriend Alec Blacksmith, a millionaire realtor and ex-mercenary. Bailey thinks her death may be a message for Blacksmith.

Not long afterwards, Bailey is notified by the police of a break in at the house left to him by his lover, police officer Sharon Dexter when after she was murdered ten years ago. It clearly wasn’t a burglary and Bailey suspects the thief was after Sharon’s hidden police files on the murder of a waitress, Sally King, at an exclusive Gentlemen’s club, one where Blacksmith is a member, suggesting a link between the two women’s deaths .A serial killer is already in jail for Sally King’s murder, but could the police have arrested the wrong man?

This is a fast moving thriller, with plenty of action and the growing sense that Bailey is fast heading into dangerous waters. His current girlfriend Annie Brooks is a TV news journalist and also working on Tottie Evans’ murder so they are able to combine forces. Bailey is also able to provide important information with the police and is aided by a young detective, DC Holly Sutton, who is both sharp and tough, reminding Bailey very much of Sharon Dexter.

Bailey’s old CIA friend, Ronnie Johnson also puts in a less than welcome appearance since the two parted on bad terms the last time they worked together and has Bailey wondering what his connection to the case could be. The plot is complex, but the link between the two murders will gradually come more into focus, but keep the reader guessing right up to some unexpected revelations at the end. A terrific addition to this series with hopefully more to come.

Sydney based investigative journalist John Bailey returns for a 5th outing in The Wrong Man as Tim Ayliffe ramps up the international intrigue and domestic tension once again. The troubled former war correspondent with an ongoing battle with the bottle plus intermittent PTSD lapses is still prepared to put his body on the line in order to write a killer news story.

The story opens with a confronting murder scene as Detective Constable Holly Sutton is on the scene to investigate the death of Tottie Evans. Tottie is the girlfriend of billionaire developer Alec Blacksmith and the provocative staging of her body has been clearly done to send a message. It’s a question of who the message is for and what is it trying to say?

John Bailey’s girlfriend, Sharon Dexter was murdered ten years earlier in London. Today, her home, now belonging to Bailey, was broken into. While trying to determine if anything was taken, Bailey finds the murder file of a case that she was working on when she died. A little bit of digging reveals a connection between Sally King, the murdered woman, and Alec Blacksmith on the night of her death. Definitely a story worth chasing up.

Eventually, Sutton and Bailey’s worlds are brought together as both of their investigations merge. Similarly, the bad guys appear to be cleaning house and the upshot is danger, danger, danger for the cop and the journo.

“Bailey barely knew Sutton, but she reminded him of Dexter. The way she moved. The way she spoke. The depth in her eyes that told Bailey there was a complicated story somewhere in her past. And, of course, the hard-edged toughness…”

Plenty of anger-fuelled confrontations ensure solid action sequences, fast-paced chases and a sustained feeling of impending danger throughout the story. Two murders more than ten years apart herald a complicated case that takes some deep thinking to unravel. Making things even more complicated is the return of the larger than life and twice as mysterious Ronnie Johnson of the American CIA. The cigar chomping big man continues to provide his enigmatic input charging the case with a heightened level of mystery.

The introduction of Holly Sutton into the series has been a good one. The young cop has her personal problems, a gambling habit that threatens to spiral out of control, but she’s clearly a thinker and highly capable. Finding herself under the wing of Detective Superintendent Greg Palmer, her role is crucial to the outcome of both the fresh murder case and the old one. Not only that, she’s an intriguing character who adds further depth to the story’s plot.

Another nice touch for me, as a Sydney-based reader, is the descriptions of the various parts of the city in which it’s set. Many of the suburbs where the action takes place are very familiar to me and Ayliffe brings them all to life with great clarity helping to make Sydney an important part of the story.

The John Bailey series has been notable for the strength of the characters and the thoughtful, complex plotting that ensures you’re always kept guessing right up to the final chapter. The Wrong Man continues this trend and is yet another rewarding and enjoyable reading experience.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC which enabled me to read, enjoy and review this book.

John Bailey's girlfriend Annie was also a reporter, and when called to a horrific murder at the home of an influential man that Annie knew, she had no idea what was ahead for her, Bailey and Sydney's Homicide Squad. Ten years prior, the woman Bailey loved was murdered in London. She was a cop, who had started looking into a murder where the killer was in jail, and she wondered if the cops made a mistake. Was there a connection between Sharon's death and the current murder?

Detective Holly Sutton was now working with the Homicide Squad out of Redfern Police Station and it wasn't long before she met Bailey and Annie. Her boss, Palmer, could see Sutton was smart and intuitive, and he approved of the direction she was going. As Bailey investigated, he turned his discoveries over to Palmer. But he was drawing danger his way as the top echelons of the criminal world sensed the noose tightening...

The Wrong Man is the 5th in the John Bailey series by Aussie author Tim Ayliffe and it was a pearler! Set in Sydney, it was easy to picture the references to certain places, following along with Bailey as he searched for answers. I'm enjoying this series and am looking forward to #6. Recommended.

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