Author: L.J.M Owen
Book credit: The Great Divide by L.J.M. Owen (Echo $29.99)
My first time reading a L.J.M Owen book and The Great Divide appears to be her first Australian Rural crime novel set in Tasmania. It is set in the town of Dunton where the body of a former head mistress of a children’s home is discovered – revealing a tortured life and death.
Jake Hunter, a newly arrived Detective expected to come to Tasmania to have a quieter life than the one he lived in Melbourne. That all changes when he stumbles over the body of a former headmistress whilst looking for a lost child. Jake gives off the vibe that he’s punishing himself for something and he puts his heart and soul into the investigation and starts to unearth secrets that are grim and ghastly.
I found it to be an enjoyable read, I did pick that one of the characters was likely involved early, but most of the time it did leave you guessing. I found at the beginning it was a little bit over descriptive and I found it didn’t hook me straight away, but as the story grew I wanted to know what was going to happen.
I think as a character Jake could grow and I feel that potentially she may be going to write more novels around him as he finds his way in Tasmania. If you enjoy crime fiction I highly recommend The Great Divide.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading The Great Divide. You can read their comments below, or contribute to the discussion by leaving your own feedback.
Love reading especially on my train commute to and from work. Read most genres but my favorite would be Australian Rural Fiction. Love to support Australian Authors and Beauty and Lace have shown me some fantastic writers that I now read and follow.
When a child goes missing in rural Tasmania the town is thrown into turmoil when one discovery leads to another and the body of the head mistress of a girls home is discovered. This discovery then blows up into more then just a murder case. To start with there are so many questions and very few answers and each time a question is answered more questions need to be asked. Who killed the head mistress and why was she tortured? Why do all the past residents of the girls home carry emotional and physical scars from their time there? Where have the adopted girls gone? Are there more bodies to be discovered?
Jake Hunter is the new Detective in town and he battles with the local residents who really dont want to talk to outsiders but bit by bit he chips away and slowly starts piecing things together to discover the horrific secrets of the girls home and those that grew up there.
This book will keep you guessing right up to the end.
This book was an intriguing read. A regional Aussie mystery had me guessing along with it. I enjoyed the mystery, and getting to know the characters, and how my perception of them changed along the way. I think L.J.M Owen is an author to watch, I’m interested to read the next book!