In “A Stone’s Throw Away” Karly Lane again gives readers a highly enjoyable romantic
suspense novel which touches lightly on other genres. Fans will not be disappointed, and new
readers are likely to be converted to fans.
Pip Davenport is an investigative journalist, and a good one. Her latest expose was a triumph,
exposing a corrupt politician and others around him, and resulting in jail sentences. However,
the triumph was tainted to some extent by the threats and attacks from those who wanted to
shut her up.
Pip’s been commissioned to write a book based on the case and her investigative work, so
she’s retreated to Midgiburra to housesit, write, and hopefully recover from the stresses.
Midgiburra is tiny, so should provide peace, quiet, and no distractions.
It works great for about two days, and then Pip decides to take advantage of the drought
that’s largely drained the billabong to remove the rubbish that’s been thrown in it over the
decades. Within hours the workers have dredged up old washing machines, farm equipment –
and a body.
The resulting investigation not only distracts Pip by itself, but offers up two new distractions
in the form of two attractive police officers – Erik Neilsen and Chris Jarrett. This is, I think,
why the novel reminded me of romantic suspense novels from the 1980s. A recurring motif
there was often competing suitors, and the looming suspicion that one – or perhaps both –
was not the man he seemed. This seems a less used motif these days.
Lane uses this tension extremely well, using the two men to inject not just romance but also
increasing suspicion and paranoia into Pip’s life. We see most of the events of the novel
through Pip’s eyes, and she’s a strong character most readers will empathise with. Her
curiousity drives much of the plot and draws readers into the multiple questions she finds
herself poking into.
We share her uncertainty about the men she’s attracted to, her hopes to put the bad things
behind her, and her increasing emotional engagement with the people who lived in her house
before her.
There are multiple story lines, and Lane balances them well so that none dominates unduly. I
thought the issues she was investigating were credible and believable, and so were other
people’s reactions to her questions.
This is a romantic suspense novel, but it also touches lightly on historical fiction and the
supernatural. “A Stone’s Throw Away” doesn’t really venture into either genre, but uses
some story telling elements which wouldn’t be out of place there. They fitted into this novel
seamlessly, and helped avoid the tinge of melodrama that sometimes surfaces in romantic
suspense.
I enjoyed reading this a great deal. It’s an interesting and credible story, populated by
believable and empathetic characters. It’s a fairly light read, due largely to an easy writing
style that draws you along smoothly. It’s likely to appeal to a variety of readers: those
looking for romance, suspense, or contemporary novels will all find something to enjoy.
ISBN:978-1-76087-851-1
Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin (2022)
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading A Stone’s Throw Away by
Karly Lane. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember, and I love sharing that joy.
I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, across all genres. There’s not much I won’t at least try. I’ve been an enthusiastic book reviewer for years. I particularly enjoy discovering writers new to me, and sharing good writing with others.
My career has included time spent writing and editing technical documents, but it’s fiction that really moves me. I’ve reviewed for a number of different outlets over the years, and have been a judge in literary competitions.
I’m now raising little bookworms of my own, which brings a whole new kind of joy to sharing books.
More of my reviews can be found on my review blog www.otherdreamsotherlives.home.blog .
Thanks to Beauty and Lace Club and to Allen & Unwin for my copy of A Stone’s Throw.
I was drawn in from the very first page of this rural romance. Meet Investigative Journalist Phillipa (Pip) Davenport. After recently being attacked Pip travels to her Uncles farm to recover and house sit in hopes of meeting her deadline to get her book written. Dried up as a result of the drought the dam on her Uncle’s property reveals shocking contents that becomes a cold case investigation for a detective that Pip finds herself drawn to.
The person of interest for the crime that leads to the shocking contents of the dam is a 98 year old veteran. Secrets are uncovered and so many questions arise as a result of the investigation and a small town is left facing some hard truths.
This book was a very riveting read.
Wow, wow and wow, Karly has definitely written a beautiful storyline in this novel. From the first chapter the storyline captured my attention and it was definitely a I cannot put the book down but at the same time, I didn’t want to finish reading it too early. Definitely a huge page turner.
We follow the character of Pip Davenport who is an investigative journalist and has put some people behind bars who are corrupt politicians. She is not liked at all and after an incident in Sydney where she lives, she was nearly killed, she needs to get away from it all.
Pip thinks it is all behind her now with a character now in jail.
Her uncle has a place in Midgiburra where she can escape to and it is the perfect place for her where she has been commissioned to write her story on the case that she had been on. She feels relaxed and happy here until she starts hearing unexplained noises.
People are after her for some reason and need her to be quiet with what she may know.
In amongst the story of Pip there is actually another story of past characters and their love story. So it’s like two stories in one but both are eventful and you definitely want to know more for each one.
Karly is one of those authors that draw you into the characters and places so that majority of the time, I am actually in the book. I can imagine the house and the surroundings with so much ease.
This is just not a rural romance book at all, it contains genres of suspense, crime, secrets
and some historical as well with supernatural experiences which no one can really explain. There are twists and turns where I could not ascertain who was good or bad sometimes.
At one stage I had her having a romance with the local cop Erik Neilsen and then when the Detective Chris Jarrett came on the scene, I liked his character to be with Pip.
Two other characters named Molly and Bert who is a 98 year old Veteran will capture your attention.
There are times in the book that I laughed, cried and smiled. I think whenever I buy a Vanilla Slice now I will be in the Bakery at Midgiburra for sure.
I absolutely loved the storyline of this novel and all the characters. I could not put the book down. Thank you to Beauty & Lace, Allen & Unwin and of course Karly Lane who has written another perfect storyline that captures your attention.
I highly recommend for anyone to read this book as it was just such an exciting read.
Phillippa (Pip) Davenport thought that after finally having the bad guy locked up hers story was almost done. All the investigative reporter had to do now was to write the tell all book on the story. To achieve this and get away from things reminding her of a massive trauma associated with it, she moves to country Australia to look after her Uncle Nevs place. Here she should be safe, have peace & tranquillity and time to write.
The drought in the are had been ongoing for years, the earth dry and cracked and the waterholes reduced to mud puddles. Quite the contrast to city life. In an attempt to do good in hertime therePip decides to get someone to remove the rubbish in the property mud puddle dam. Little did she realise that would unearth a story, history and something thats not quite right.
When things start testing her nerves again Pip doesnt know if its the past coming to get her or the historical story trying to be reburied.
Part crime story, part drama, part romance, Karly Lane has put it all in this fun read. Notquitesure who is goodor bad and how it will all work together. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for the opportunity.
Thank you so much Beauty and Lace and Allen and Unwin for my copy of A stone’s throw away.
I have always loved Karly’s books, and Ioved that this one was a bit different to her previous books, as it wasnt just a rural romance, it was a suspense novel with supernatural tones to it.
I loved all the characters in the book but I loved the main character Pip the most, as I thought she was a strong, interesting girl and I loved her story.
This was a great easy to read book that I finished in very little time as you just wanted to keep reading it.
Well done on another great book Karly. And thankyou for branching out and trying something a bit different with this one, it was a great book and I loved it
Upon receiving this book to review I was not overly enthused as I am not a really a romance reader , but I was willing to give it a go and I was surprised to find that I could not put the book down. It had everything thrown in, murder, mystery, twists, love and good Old Aussie drama.
My only thought is that the title does not connect to the story for me but this in no way detracts from the story itself. If you get a chance, give it a go.
I will be reading other books from Karly Lane and hope they are page turners too!
A Stone’s Throw Away is a heart-warming fictional story of courage and determination set in the Australian outback.
After suffering a very traumatic experience, investigative journalist Pip Davenport takes a break to her uncle’s property in the countryside to focus on meeting a deadline for her book. However, after a body is uncovered on her uncle’s property, Pip is drawn to help solve the mystery.
Congratulations to the author Karly Lane. Full of suspense, this is a real page-turner and very hard to put down. There were many lovable characters, and I enjoyed the suspenseful twist and turns and different storylines throughout. Definitely had me guessing on what would happen next. Thank you very much Beauty and Lace and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read this book.
Thanks to Karly lane and Thank you very much Beauty and Lace and Allen & Unwin for another reason I’m going to read all of Karlys books again
Pip Davenport, investigative journalist extraordinaire! Having exposed political corruption in the city, at the peril of her own safety, Pip ventures to the rural farm owned by her uncle. Little does she know that she is about to become involved in a decades old cold case that only she can solve.
Karly Lane has produced a truly engaging storyline that captures the reader from the initial opening pages. The characters are real and authentic and the descriptive landscapes even more so.
Congratulations Karly Lane! “A Stone’s Throw Away” is a winner in my opinion. Making a bee line to read previous books.
Thank you for the opportunity to review.
A Stone’s Throw Away by Karly Lane was a good read but dare I say it, not a great one? Eek! I usually love Karly’s books and have got most of them sitting on my shelf however, for some reason, this one just didn’t grab me like her previous novels.
The story revolves around Phillipa aka Pip who is an investigative journalist. Having moved to her uncle’s farm to try and finish her book and recover after a traumatic experience, she decides to help out by cleaning up the dried up dam on the property. When a body is found, suspicions and stories fly and before she knows it, Pip is drawn in to try and work out the case. Throw in an attractive policeman and a detective and there is some romantic tension however, unfortunately it never really gets off the ground. I was hoping for a bit more there to make it more interesting! The town she now lives near ‘Midgiburra’ sounds cute and I would have enjoyed hearing more about it as it might help better explain the townsfolk reactions. There are quite a few different storylines within the book which seem to only just get touched on and I found it was a bit confusing as a result at times. A little more depth to those would have helped round out the book more I feel. I wanted more from her interactions with Bert as well. More time spent with him and/or more emotion as I was left wanting there too.
The book is easy to read but I just felt it missed the mark for me this time. Thank you Beauty and Lace and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read and review this copy though and I will be interested to read Karly’s next book for comparison!