Catch us the Foxes | Nicola West
- Carly
- Jul 19, 2022
- 2 min read
Reviewed by her: 7 July 2021
Aussie author Nicola Wests debut novel Catch us the Foxes is a mystery / whodunit edge of your seat thriller set the small coastal New South Wales town of Kiama.
Ms West joins some of my favourite aussie authors in skilfully weaving the small town oppressive atmosphere into the narrative which really brings alive (the somewhat stereotypical) characters and their mentalities.
The book is told from a “book within a book” perspective (which I loved and thought worked really well) with Marlowe “Lo” Robertson as our main POV. I’ve seen mixed reviews on Lo’s characters but I have to say I was with her every step of the way in all her internal monologuing, judgemental , unstable narrative and there are plenty of rich and diverse “suspects” as we follow Lo’s journey to uncover who really killed her beauty queen best friend Lily. In a town where everyone has something to hide Lo sets about to uncover the real truth – even if it involves her closest friends and family!
The book is fast paced and it really gripped me from the start, the hint of cults and police cover ups kept it thrilling and scary and the showgrounds and description of various parts of Kiama were excellent and added to the atmospheric gothic nature of the book. The epilogue for me brings all the characters together and I was wholly satisfied with the ending, this book is a huge hit for me.
TW: mental health issues, suicide, murder, cults, homophobia, hate crime, sexual assault and gaslighting
I was so grateful to receive an ADR on the book in exchange for an honest review.
While reading the book I have followed the authors count down to publication on #bookstagram where she has been posting photos of Kiama with places and locations that feature in the book. I highly recommend you a) buy the book and b) follow Nicola on instagram to bring the book to life and see the photos that clearly inspired her as an author for yourself!
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