Dead and Gone (Judi Westerholme #2) by Sherryl Clark
Genre: Crime fiction, Crime thriller
Read: 4th April 2021
Published: 25th June 2020
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
There's nothing more dangerous than revenge.
Judi Westerholme has been through it. Brave and strong-willed, she's just about coping in her new role as foster parent to her orphaned niece, taking a job at the local pub to help make ends meet. Then the pub's landlord and Judi's friend, army veteran Pete 'Macca' Maccasfield, is murdered, and her world is suddenly turned upside down.
Despite warnings from the city police to keep out of it, Judi can't help but get involved in the search for Macca's killer. But she soon becomes deeply entangled with some ruthlessly dangerous men. She must act fast and think smart to work out what they want - before anyone else gets hurt...
Long buried secrets resurface in Sherryl Clark's pacey crime novel that pushes Judi Westerholme to her limits to protect the people she loves most.
MY REVIEW:
When I requested this book I had no idea it was part of a series. But having said that, DEAD AND GONE can be quite easily read as a standalone without having read the first book, as I haven't, as the author gives the reader enough backstory to keep up. And believe me, you won't be disappointed.
Having had her life change completely after the death of her brother, Judi Westerholme is back in Candlebark struggling to make ends meet by managing the local pub and raise a toddler. Upon learning her brother had stipulated in his will that she become guardian of little Mia in the event of his death, Judi was reluctant to be lumbered with such a responsibility. After all, kids had never been on her radar. But after four months of caring for little Mia, she cannot imagine her life without her. Added to that, she has a fledgling long distance romance with a police detective back in Melbourne with no real idea where they both stand with each other.
And then, on one of the pub's busiest days everything changes.
A body has been discovered in the dumpster behind the pub. It's identified as Macca, the owner and landlord. And he's been murdered.
Now Judi finds herself having to juggle the running of the pub along with everything else. At least until the police find out who murdered Macca and they work out what to do now with the hotel. But then, Judi learns that she has inherited a third of the pub, alongside two of Macca's longest serving staff - Andre, the chef, and Suzy, the barmaid. But why would Macca leave them the pub when he has a daughter who has just turned up claiming the business is now hers? According to her, Macca had promised it to her. So what changed? On top of everything else, Judi did not want to deal with the woman's histrionics.
But something is definitely amiss and, unable to leave things alone, Judi begins her own investigation, talking to locals behind the bar and getting a feel for things, and ends up discovering more than she expected to. A search of Macca's room uncovers old service medals from Vietnam and a photo of a group of smiling soldiers identifying Macca as one of them and his friend Carl as another. Along with the photo, Judi also finds a couple of newspaper clippings detailing the deaths of two men in different circumstances. The names of the men are the same as two of those in the group photo with Macca and Carl. What has she uncovered?
Taking her new information to the police, Judi tells them her thoughts but is brushed off and told the circumstances in which the two men died are most probably unrelated and to leave the investigating to them. Of course it doesn't help that one of the homicide detectives up from Melbourne to investigate Macca's death is Heath, her fledgling romance. But despite being warned by the police to stay out of the investigation, she continues looking for answers. And when the pub comes under fire, Judi will stop at nothing to ensure it remains safe at all costs.
Although she is now the fulltime guardian of Mia, Judi must also ensure her safety as well. She has engaged childcare with a local woman to look after Mia during Judi's shifts at the pub, knowing Mia enjoys herself thoroughly at Joleen's house with her two young boys. But a part of her feels guilty that she is neglecting the little girl who has already lost her mummy and daddy by the time she was two years old while at the same time not wanting to put Mia in danger at the pub should danger come looking for them. Mia is quite used to being at the pub with Judi on occasion and has even got her own little play corner that Judi set up for her, that other parents with children have come to appreciate as well. But given all that she has learnt since Macca's death, Judi isn't sure the Candlebark Hotel is the safest place for little Mia.
And then comes the suckerpunch. Judi receives a phone call from her solicitor in Melbourne to inform her that Mia's maternal grandparents have applied for guardianship of their granddaughter. The granddaughter they never knew existed until their daughter's death because they had been estranged. And now Judi must deal with the threat of losing Mia, the little girl who has become her world. She finds herself torn between what is best for Mia and her promise to take care of her. She may not have wanted to take her on in the beginning but she has come to love that little girl who has brought such sunshine into her life.
Initially, I requested DEAD AND GONE purely for the fact that it is Australian and I like to support my fellow Aussies where I can, despite not knowing it was part of a series. However, it most definitely reads sufficiently as a standalone and readers won't find themselves lost having not read the first book. Set in rural Victoria, I am familiar with Bendigo and of course Melbourne but not much more beyond that. I knew right away what chop chop was before it was explained to Judi and I must say it was a welcome change to be immersed in an Australian mystery thriller once again.
My first book by Sherryl Clark, DEAD AND GONE is well written and addictive from the start. I found myself enjoying it immensely and I loved each of the characters from the pub locals to the detectives from Melbourne. I even loved little Mia. I found it a welcome change that, while still an important part of Judi's life, not everything revolved around Mia. She was there but she wasn't mollycoddled and pandered to at every whim. And Mia was okay with that. And that endeared her to me even more. She didn't demand every bit of attention at every minute of every day. She was happy to sit in the corner stacking blocks, drawing circles on scraps of paper or chasing the cat and pulling its tail. A child who provides her own entertainment as we did as kids and not relying on or demanding an adult's attention every second of the day. Mia was a sweet child and I look forward to seeing her bloom in future books.
Like Judi I had my suspects, but I had no idea really what was going on or why. So Sherryl had me pretty much hoodwinked throughout. DEAD AND GONE was one of those books that grabbed your attention and keeps you guessing until the end.
A nice easy read, I really enjoyed DEAD AND GONE and recommend it fans of crime fiction thrillers.
I would like to thank #SherrylClark, #NetGalley and #VerveBooks for an ARC of #DeadAndGone in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Sherryl's early crime novels are now all in the bottom drawer, and in 1996 she began writing books for children and young adults, resulting in more than 70 titles published by Penguin Random House, UQP, HarperCollins, Pearson and Macmillan Education.
She continued to write adult crime fiction for her own enjoyment while publishing books for a younger audience. When Sherryl entered her novel 'Trust Me, I’m Dead' in the 2018 CWA Debut Dagger Awards, she was delighted to be shortlisted. This has led to a two-book deal with UK publisher, Verve Books with the sequel being 'Dead and Gone'.
Sherryl has had 40 children’s and YA books published in Australia, and several in the US and UK, plus collections of poetry and four verse novels.
She has taught writing at Holmesglen TAFE and Victoria University. Recently completing a Master of Fine Arts program at Hamline University, Minnesota, Sherryl is now studying for a PhD in creative writing.
Sherryl's favourite writers are: Tana French, Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, Mark Billingham, Peter Robinson, Val McDermid, and many more.
Her current favourite TV shows: Vera, Line of Duty, Endeavour, Bosch, Longmire, Person of Interest, Happy Valley.
While her secret writer's wish is to write an episode of Vera.
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