Rae Cairns

Dying To Know, Rae Cairns sophomore suspense novel, opens with a dramatic prologue. In a shocking phone call, wife and mother of two young children, Amber, reveals she is trapped in the boot of a car after being abducted while running a late night errand. Her younger sister, Geneva, can only listen helplessly as Amber makes a desperate attempt to free herself and then suddenly goes silent.

Shifting to twelve years later, Gen’s slim hope that Amber will one day return is dashed when the police reveal her sister’s remains have been found. The news is emotionally devastating not only for Gen but also her now sixteen year old niece, Lily, and twelve year old nephew, Charlie, whom she has helped their oft-absent father, Hugh, to raise. Though the police insist the discovery is a dead end, Gen is determined to find answers.

Moving at a good pace, Dying To Know is a taut mystery thriller that sees Gen, plagued by misplaced guilt, take plenty of risks in order to solve her sister’s murder. She’s quite fearless in her investigation at times, but I thought her actions were largely believable. While early information Gen uncovers suggests that Amber was not a random target, it takes her some time to piece together the motive that identifies those responsible. Savvy genre readers will probably be a step or two ahead, but this doesn’t detract from the tension as Gen gets closer to the deadly truth.

Gen’s greatest vulnerability is Lily and Charlie, and I thought the relationship between the three of them was well portrayed. Her tenuous relationship with the children’s father and his wealthy, image-conscious family, provokes additional emotion and drama. I liked the support Gen’s best friend, Toni, a broadcast journalist, and the original case officer, Sergeant Jesse Johns, offer her, as well as the touch of romance in the plot.

A satisfying, well paced Australian crime fiction novel, Dying To Know is gripping read.… (más)