Lucas Walker is taking a short break to introduce his sister Grace to the Outback and, particularly, his family in Caloodie. As usual, things don’t go to plan when Walker’s cousin Blair is implicated in the brutal murder of his employer, an opal miner, and his married girlfriend. When floods trap Walker in the town, he determines to help solve the crime and clear Blair’s name, but there are multiple suspects with motive and soon he realizes that both he and Grace are themselves in danger. Another pacy slice of Outback Noir from Wolf with a strong sense of place and of the difficulties of a life spent scraping a living from such inhospitable terrain. The plot twists and turns but I did guess whodunnit correctly. Walker is a likeable character and I enjoyed picking up his story in this third outing, which I am sure won’t be his last.

Book 3 in the Lucas Walker series is set in a small mining town in rural Australia. I like the characterisation, although I would like to see a bit more from Grace and the plotting is very good. It's fast paced, with a couple of twists and I did guess who the killer was but still an interesting read from the author. I hope to read more about Walker soon as there is plenty of character development ahead for him. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Estuvo entretenido, pero no logró mantener mi interés todo el tiempo.

No entiendo porque Grace tiene povs, no aporta nada. Su primo es sospechoso de homicidio y se la pasa tomando fotos y jugando en su celular, tiene veintiun años y su mundo gira en tiktok.


Adivine quien era el asesino en el primer cuarto, su actitud fue muy sospechosa.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lucas Walker is back & looking forward to some peaceful time with his family but things don’t quite go to plan. This is the third in the series & is a well written story that introduces Grace, his sister, and reconnects us with various family members. I really enjoyed this novel & am looking forward to Lucas’s future adventures.

DS Lucas Walker is looking forward to enjoying some family time with his sister Grace who is visiting from America. They take the opportunity of their planned tour of the Outback to link up with their cousin Blair, who has been opal mining in an isolated town in the wilderness and appears to have had enough of that.

But rarely has family time been less relaxing! Lucas and Grace catch up with Blair, only to find that they cannot leave the area due to unexpected flooding.

If that weren't bad enough, the natural disaster is swiftly followed by an extremely unnatural one, when two dead bodies are found in the one-horse town. While the husband is an immediate suspect, to Lucas's dismay, suspicion swiftly turns to Blair.

And while this was not the plan in terms of Walker family holidays, it makes for excellent entertainment. An immersive and enjoyable read that gets 4 stars.

Patricia Wolf's DS Lucas Walkers series just gets better and better and she's quickly earned a place on my favourite authors list.
Walker is taking a well-earned rest and spending time with his young half sister Grace, visiting from America and keen to experience the more laid back and peaceful environment of the Australian Outback. A trip to Kanpara in Opal country to pick up cousin Blair seems like just the job to achieve this, as the saying goes, "what could possibly go wrong?".
The once in a lifetime flood that creates a moat around the town overnight was possibly an omen and as a series of horrific murders rocks the cut off town and lifts the lid off of local intrigues, secrets,illicit affairs,jealousies and criminality Walker's holiday turns into a series of ongoing events that put him and his loved ones at risk.

This is a fast-moving and complex tale as the lid is lifted off of the small town and the list of potential suspects is..........the whole town, Walker is a flawed character,prone to poor judgement which makes for a more interesting story....and series. Everyone in Kanpara has their story,from the locals who loathe the incoming Opal miners ,often chancers and undesirables and those same incomers who live solitary lives out in the Bush along with the occasional fugitive and "New Ager" enjoying the solitude.

Aussie Noir authors invariably get compared to such luminaries as Jane Harper and Chris Hammer, Patricia Wolf is every bit as good ,she doesn't just write excellent stories, she also paints beautiful pictures of the desolate Outback where her stories are set .

While this can be read as a standalone there are references to the previous books and readers will get more from this episode in the series if they've read the previous two.
An excellent read that ends tee'd up for the next instalment of Walker's ongoing feud with his nemesis from previous books.

3.5 ⭐


Good to be back in Australia with Walker, and to learn a few things about opals, which I've never given a moments thought to previously.
Overall I enjoyed the book, it had a good mix of characters, a good location and plenty going on.
I felt slightly as if Grace was a bit of a stereotype, on her phone any second she could be.
I also thought it was too easy to guess who did it.
Non the less, its an enjoyable addition to the series, and I'm looking forward to the next one already.

Really liked this one set in a quirky little town .. i loved the setting and felt the plot was engaging and moved along well
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

DS Lucas Taylor had planned a special vacation with his sister Grace, visiting Australia for the first time. Instead he and Grace drive to pick up his cousin Blair in the remote town of Kanpara in opal mining country. Blair and his mining partner Mark are suspected of a million dollar find that they are keeping secret. On their first night, in the small town’s only bar/restaurant, Lucas and Blair hear quiet rumors and loud opinions which result in a wild bar fight. The next morning, two bodies, hideously murdered are found. Lucas is in charge of the case until police reinforcements arrive but when they do, they immediately suspect Blair and arrest him. Lucas knows his cousin is not capable of murder . To prove it, he has to find the killer. Meanwhile after a wild storm north of Kampala, a flash flood isolates the town.

The Australian outback and its boulder opal mines dominate Opal. This is the third in a series by the talented Patricia Wolf and features strong characters, a carefully constructed plot with unexpected twists and a shocking conclusion. Seeing the country through Grace’s eyes adds interest as does the mining information. This is a must read and an excellent choice for any book club. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Embla Books and Patricia for this ARC.

A small mining town. A brutal double murder. A killer among them! Good book!! Set in a freaky little town! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, a great who done it and a few twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my kindle! I definitely recommend reading this one! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!