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thebooktrail88's review against another edition
4.0
Visit the locations in the novel She Lies in the Vines
A novel of intrigue and mystery set in the wine area of the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney. Whilst the setting is vague rather than precise – the town of Birravale where the murder takes place is of course fictional, this doesn’t matter. It’s the rich evocation of setting which works here. It’s vast, dry, hot and deadly. Bush land and fields as far as the eye can see.
Contrast that to the setting of the prison in beautiful Sydney bay. It might be a prison but it’s set in one of the most stunning bays in the world.This is a story which is really going to make you think and question a great many things. Documentaries such as Making a Murderer and the film with Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet, The Life of David Gale really shows what this book builds to an incredible ending. How we are all to some extent fascinated by true crime and our analysis of it. But this book looks at how the media can often manipulate the audience and write what they know is going to get the headlines. It’s all very interesting. But then what happens if you change the result of a crime, a trial etc and then have to live with the consequences?
The difference between the two settings really pushes along the story. The vineyards were a great setting – very well evoked and descriptive enough to evoke all of all the five senses.The vines, the vineyards and the eerie silence….
In real life Hunters Valley is famous for wines but you won’t find the Freemans winery – that’s just in the book thank goodness. However there are plenty more to tour!
slebs55's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This novel is based in and around Sydney Australia. It centers around a documentary about a murdered woman, Eliza Dacey, and her killer behind bars. The documentary lead Jack Quick believes Curtis Wade was wrongfully imprisoned the murder of Eliza. Once the documentary aired Curtis had a re-trial and was cleared of the murder. 4 years behind bars and he is finally free.
Once released his defense attorney Alexis is murdered. Same style as Eliza; two fingers in her mouth and all.
As evidence is found everything is stacking up that it's Curtis again. But small towns have secrets. Some even worth killing over.
The questions start to mount up. Is Curtis the true killer and Jack helped set him loose on the world. Is someone in fact setting Curtis up?
Read this juicy novel and find out. I can promise this, the end is not what you think. Benjamin Stevenson brilliantly captures his readers with this docu-drama-thriller!!
This novel is based in and around Sydney Australia. It centers around a documentary about a murdered woman, Eliza Dacey, and her killer behind bars. The documentary lead Jack Quick believes Curtis Wade was wrongfully imprisoned the murder of Eliza. Once the documentary aired Curtis had a re-trial and was cleared of the murder. 4 years behind bars and he is finally free.
Once released his defense attorney Alexis is murdered. Same style as Eliza; two fingers in her mouth and all.
As evidence is found everything is stacking up that it's Curtis again. But small towns have secrets. Some even worth killing over.
The questions start to mount up. Is Curtis the true killer and Jack helped set him loose on the world. Is someone in fact setting Curtis up?
Read this juicy novel and find out. I can promise this, the end is not what you think. Benjamin Stevenson brilliantly captures his readers with this docu-drama-thriller!!
zohal99's review against another edition
3.0
I guess it lives up to the hype but I kind of got over this by the 50% mark and I saw the plot twists coming. Also I didn't really like any of the characters which is the main problem that I had.
The writing was good though so I would recommend this.
The writing was good though so I would recommend this.
lmt01's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘Who really killed Eliza Dacey?’
In the Hunter Valley vineyard region north of Sydney, New South Wales, an itinerant grape-picker was brutally murdered. Four years have elapsed. Curtis Wade, Eliza Dacey’s employer, was arrested almost immediately and subsequently convicted of her murder. Enter Jack Quick, producer of true-crime documentaries. Jack knows that conspiracy theories rate well, especially if there’s a suggestion of incompetence or bias on the part of the police investigation. After all, Curtis Wade was only convicted on circumstantial evidence. Just before the final episode of his documentary, Jack uncovers a piece of evidence that might just prove Curtis guilty. Jack disposes of the evidence rather than run the risk of ruining his show. His show proposes that Curtis Wade is innocent, and Curtis Wade is released from gaol.
‘.. you get to be the truth-teller if no-one is there to contradict you.’
After Curtis Wade’s release, another woman is murdered in a similar way. Jack realises that he may have helped free a guilty man from gaol. Jack also realises that as he has destroyed evidence, he is the only one who can right this wrong. How?
Jack Quick is an interesting character. He has his own demons, including an ongoing battle with anorexia and bulimia, as well events from his childhood. The story itself has plenty of twists and turns and while some aspects worked better for me than others, I thought this an impressive debut novel.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
In the Hunter Valley vineyard region north of Sydney, New South Wales, an itinerant grape-picker was brutally murdered. Four years have elapsed. Curtis Wade, Eliza Dacey’s employer, was arrested almost immediately and subsequently convicted of her murder. Enter Jack Quick, producer of true-crime documentaries. Jack knows that conspiracy theories rate well, especially if there’s a suggestion of incompetence or bias on the part of the police investigation. After all, Curtis Wade was only convicted on circumstantial evidence. Just before the final episode of his documentary, Jack uncovers a piece of evidence that might just prove Curtis guilty. Jack disposes of the evidence rather than run the risk of ruining his show. His show proposes that Curtis Wade is innocent, and Curtis Wade is released from gaol.
‘.. you get to be the truth-teller if no-one is there to contradict you.’
After Curtis Wade’s release, another woman is murdered in a similar way. Jack realises that he may have helped free a guilty man from gaol. Jack also realises that as he has destroyed evidence, he is the only one who can right this wrong. How?
Jack Quick is an interesting character. He has his own demons, including an ongoing battle with anorexia and bulimia, as well events from his childhood. The story itself has plenty of twists and turns and while some aspects worked better for me than others, I thought this an impressive debut novel.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
tanirochelle's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.0
mistylyn's review against another edition
2.0
So a caveat before I begin. About four months ago, I began taking a new opiate for chronic pain management. I hadn’t THOUGHT it was having any effect on my thought processes. Trying to muddle through this plot, however, has made me wonder if perhaps these drugs are more potent than I realize. It’s either that OR this is just really confusing storytelling, written without regard to chronology and lacking any real method of organization. It’s as if the author put together a series of significant events, placed each on a separate sheet of paper, then drew them randomly from a fishbowl to determine the order in which they appeared in the book. No? Maybe it’s me. With that said, the chapters alternate between different moments in the past and present, jumping from one to the other like a hooker at a truck stop. Add to this frenetic approach the author’s tendency to be over indulgent with language, and what could have been a fine read becomes nothing more than an exercise in one’s ability to puzzle out the sequence of events and follow the chaotic musings of the main character, Jack. The worst example of this is as follows, as Jack attempts to describe his bulimia:
“He could feel the food inside him, acutely aware of where it sat. It swelled, an island, the seas of his stomach sloshing against it. But the cliff faces of that island weren’t eroding and falling into the sea, as they should have been. Instead, they were taking hold, scuttling ships and pulling more rocks into their tide. Clogging him up. He felt it. His acrobat, arms extended, wandered from shipwreck to shipwreck, mast to mast, above the jagged outcrop and vicious seas. Twirling his baton, jester’s hat wobbling, bells ringing. The sea arced beneath the acrobat, spat up, hissed.”
Seriously.
Read at your own intellectual peril.
“He could feel the food inside him, acutely aware of where it sat. It swelled, an island, the seas of his stomach sloshing against it. But the cliff faces of that island weren’t eroding and falling into the sea, as they should have been. Instead, they were taking hold, scuttling ships and pulling more rocks into their tide. Clogging him up. He felt it. His acrobat, arms extended, wandered from shipwreck to shipwreck, mast to mast, above the jagged outcrop and vicious seas. Twirling his baton, jester’s hat wobbling, bells ringing. The sea arced beneath the acrobat, spat up, hissed.”
Seriously.
Read at your own intellectual peril.
timbr's review against another edition
4.0
firstly I would like to than net galley for the arc in return for an honest review. I found this to be a real page turner, its a great debut novel and hope this author goes on to produce more in this series.
I liked the twist of putting a true crime blogger at the centre instead of the usual detective or pi. There were a few issues which are to be expected for an arc and I'm sure will be sorted before its actual release. there's some great character development in this book delving into jacks constant struggle with bulimia, the novel felt a little missing in some respects but can't quite put my finger on it. hence only 4 stars from me.
I liked the twist of putting a true crime blogger at the centre instead of the usual detective or pi. There were a few issues which are to be expected for an arc and I'm sure will be sorted before its actual release. there's some great character development in this book delving into jacks constant struggle with bulimia, the novel felt a little missing in some respects but can't quite put my finger on it. hence only 4 stars from me.
madluck's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Incest, Vomit, Eating disorder, Violence, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Death