I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to Crimson Lake. The author has continued to develop the characters, particularly that of Amanda. There is a good detective story plus the twists and turns of the original accusations of paedophilia against Tom Conkaffey. If I have any criticism, it is the same as that of Crimson Lake, sometimes there is just too much going on. However, the plot is well thought out with all its twists and turns and the characters are diverse and interesting. I could not put this book down.

Excellent follow up to Crimson Lake

How I have missed a couple of my all-time favourite characters in crime thrillers and so I was thrilled to review Candice Fox’s latest book. Private investigators Amanda Pharrell and Ted Conkaffey are about as dysfunctional as they come and yet the writer has created two great characters. They are both flawed as human beings and yet they both share an innate belief in protecting the vulnerable and righting wrongs and they will stop at nothing to find the truth.

Amanda and Ted are tasked with solving the murders of two young bartenders in the rainforest town of Crimson Lake. They work alongside Detective Inspector Pip Sweeney, working her first homicide case. The three of them form an uneasy alliance as they attempt to unravel the motive for the murder.

Ted’s life is further complicated by the unexpected arrival of the father of the young girl he has been falsely accused of raping and murdering. Clair Bingley’s father, Dale, is determined to catch the real killer and does not leave Ted any choice but to help him.

The plot is very well thought out and the reader is swept along as the characters struggle with false leads and complicated motives. I really enjoy the quirky way the main characters approach their investigations and the way they forge a tight bond with one another. Ted’s rescued geese and Amanda’s collection of rescue cats are a clue to the sensitive side of their natures and how they both champion the weak and needy, whether animal or human.

I am a huge fan of Candice Fox and eagerly await the next instalment.

Gillian

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Amanda Pharrell and Ted Conkaffey – partners in the local Crimson Lake PI business, were called to the Barking Frog Inn along with the local police department - with Detective Inspector Pip Sweeney in charge - to the shocking vision of two teenagers lying dead on the grimy floor of the bar. Both Amanda and Ted had a past that made them uneasy partners and ostracized citizens of the town. Ted’s disgrace was more current though, and the desperation to clear his name was still high on his list of priorities.

But the new case felt like it was succeeding in taking his mind off his troubles – until explosive allegations threatened the fragile lead he had with the believers in his innocence. Ted’s neck felt like it was in a noose – he felt guilty at leaving Amanda to the murder case in Crimson Lake, but his mind just wasn’t on it. Would they ever find the perpetrator who had actually done the deed that Ted had been arrested for? And would they find the killer of the two young people closer to home?

Redemption Point by Aussie author Candice Fox is the second in the Crimson Lake series, and in my opinion, better than the first. Plenty of twists and turns, with the quirky Amanda often making me laugh at her antics. Set in the fictional town of Crimson Lake, near Cairns in far north Queensland, the heat and humidity was getting to me as well. Dense bush surrounding waterways filled with growling crocodiles, plenty of dubious bad guys, and a new DI trying to make her way – along with a few friendly (or not) pet geese! An entertaining thriller which I recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read and review.

This is the second in the stellar Aussie series, Crimson Lake, by Candice Fox and it was an absolute joy to read. Set primarily in The Cairns, Queensland, with its rainforests, Crimson Lake with its crocs and abundant flora and fauna, this is unmissable crime fiction that drips with atmosphere, colour and vibrancy. Ted Conkaffey, deemed to be a paedophile, continues to live under the dark cloud of abducting and sexually assaulting 13 year old Claire Bingley, desperately trying to live a life under the radar, unwilling to search for the real perpetrator. However, the world is far too interested in a disgraced ex-cop, and the pressure increases with the arrival of the unforgiving, vengeful and disturbed Dale, Claire's father. Dale is in the grip of an all consuming rage directed at Ted, seriously assaulting him with a baseball bat, unconvinced of his innocence, and forcing Ted to look closer into his own case. The murderous Dale takes up residence in Ted's home, refusing to leave, making it clear that he will kill whoever is guilty. The tattooed and scarred Amanda Pharrell PI, and Ted have been engaged to find out who killed 2 young bartenders, Andy Bell and Keema Daula at the Barking Frog Inn, by Andy's father who has little reason to trust the police.

The one off character that is Amanda Pharrell is one of the strongest reasons to read this series. She has killed in self defence, served prison time, has the charming and yet, at the same time, irritating habit of speaking in rhymes, she is a brilliant and gifted investigator with the almost supernatural ability to intuit the truth. She lacks the capacity to be discreet, so forthright as to be the proverbial bull in a china shop. The Inexperienced DI Philippa 'Pip' Sweeney needs all the help she can get in her first murder case, and finds herself working with the gloriously more able Amanda, agog at her eccentricities. Pip has a burden of guilt she carries that weighs her down, which her growing friendship with Amanda helps to ease as the investigation progresses. Ted makes the naive decision to submit to a TV interview that pays well, without understanding the machiavellian purpose and ratings chasing intentions of programme. His already difficult life looks to engulf him with additional threats in his neverending nightmare, leading him to acquire the Middle Eastern bodyguards, Linda and Sharon, courtesy of the notorious gangster, Khaled, who unlike his friends, colleagues and family in Sydney, believes in his innocence.

Ted finds nuggets of stability from the precarious nature of his life, that shape his new, more enduring identity, this includes the psychological therapy he gains from discussing his life and issues with Woman, the mother goose, and the routines involved in caring for her and her 6 seriously cute goslings. He is not the same man who used to be married to Kelly, although his heart misses his darling infant daughter, Lilian. He has constructed a sparse but vital life at Crimson Lake, with a few close friends who have made life bearable in their commitment and support, and he has no intention of letting this life go. As answers that prove his innocence emerge, I sincerely hope Candice Fox has plans to continue this series, because I absolutely love it. This is crime fiction that should not be missed. Simply fantastic and highly recommended! Many thanks to Random House Cornerstone for an ARC.

Having read and devoured Crimson Lake last year I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book, and what a book! It is a fast paced well written sequel from the Aussie queen of crime. Ted and Amanda make an awesome couple and I hope we haven't seen the last of them.
Highly recommended 5***** read.

After reading Crimson Lake I was really looking forward to reading this and I wasn't disappointed! I love Ted and Amanda's relationship and I find Fox's writing totally compelling and addictive!

This is the second in a series by Candice Fox and although you can jump right in, I highly recommend you read Crimson Lake first if at all possible.

Ted is a former police detective with a dark past he can't escape. He was accused of attacking a young girl, and though the case collapsed, he was not found innocent as such and now everyone views him with suspicion. He's had to walk away from his wife and child and hide in an Australian backwater.

Now he's a PI with maybe one friend in town, simply trying to exist one day at a time.

But his case is building - though he has given up all hope of having his name cleared, there are others who believe in him. In this book we start learning about the real killer - hope may be around the corner.

And in the meantime, there are still crimes to solve - like the two dead bodies in the local bar, killed without any apparent motive.

I still like this series a lot. Ted's situation is desperate and the author really makes you feel his pain. The 'book crime' as opposed to 'overall series crime' is interesting without being over the top and you get enough progress on Ted's own case to feel satisfaction - although it's not all tied up neatly with a bow. I love his platonic relationship with Amanda (the PI he works with) and the fragile relationship with his wife is believable too.

I believe there's another book to come - I really hope so.

Wow! What a fantastic crime thriller. I couldn’t read it quick enough- a real page turner! Highly recommend it.

I think that I enjoyed Redemption Point more than Crimson Lake which came as a surprise. The writing maybe seems a bit more assured, now that the author has opportunity to further develop these characters. I also felt that it was a bold move to humanise a young boy as he realises his terrible secret. In a lot of cases I'm not on board with letter or diary entry narration tactics but it certainly worked here. My only criticism is yet again in the finale we find Amanda in yet another damsel in distress plot point situation. I hope it isn't a constantly recurring theme. With so many threads from the first book now wrapped up it seems like the third book can cover new ground. I'm excited to see what happens next.

The colourfully damaged investigative pairing of Ted Conkaffey and Amanda Pharrell return in the much anticipated sequel to Crimson Lake. Candice Fox does an exceptional job of weaving together a new case with the continuation of the unsolved case that brought Ted to Crimson Lake in the first place.

On that latter front, the mystery unravels itself in the form of diary entries that open a window into the mind of one of the most controversial human conflictions. Fox handles this alternate perspective exceptionally well, treating a very delicate subject with the utmost care. Whilst Ted is handling his own inner demons and ever changing state of affairs, our intricately complex and extremely loveable heroine is focussed on the mysterious murder of two young bartenders.

Redemption Point builds on what made Crimson Lake so enjoyable, complex protagonists that are tangible and a writing style that keeps us engaged in the ongoing mysteries of the primary threads and there many sub plots.

I for one can’t wait for the next edition.

I really enjoyed this book. I was gripped from the start. This is a lot better than Crimson Lake. It is better written and held my attention more. I would definitely read another book in this series.

I really enjoyed this this sequel to Crimson Lake. I felt that you did need to read the first novel to understand all the references. A story with many layers and the ending is very clever. There is obviously a sequel coming.....one that I will read.

I read Fox's first novel starring ex-Sydney police detective Ted Conkaffey and convicted murderer Amanda Pharrell and loved it, so was thrilled when the next installment came along. It doesn't disappoint. Not only do we see them take on a new murder case and solve it, but we follow Ted as the truth behind the crime with which he was charged, but only found guilty in the minds of the nation, comes to light.

Brilliantly written, Fox takes us on a tour of the dark mind of a paedophile, raising the tension until the final pages, where things come to a bloody climax on multiple fronts. Her skill in leading us though the psychological make-up of her main characters is what really makes these stories sing and I look forward to the next installment.

I enjoyed this book much more than the first one in the series. Getting to know Ted and Amanda better was good. I really like Amanda, she made me smile. Both the books in this series are quite difficult reads at times, about sensitive issues.

Redemption Point is a stunning sequel to Crimson Lake. Ted Conkaffey and Amanda Pharrell are the lead characters in both books. Both are complex, interesting and compelling characters. Amanda in particular, is a wonderful creation with her rhyming at inappropriate times, and her tough quirkiness. The chapter where Ted is allowed supervised time with his baby daughter after a long absence was beautifully written, and moved me to tears. Read both books, you will love them.

What a great follow on from Crimson Lake. Ted Conkaffey and Amanda Pharrell back on another case together with Ted still trying to clear his name from the allegations of the rape and murder of a young girl which was the background of Crimson Lake. It is important that Crimson Lake be read first to get the grittyness of the characters. I was totally drawn to both Ted and Amanda as colleagues through their detective work and the characters are really likeable.
Bringing the murdered girl's father into the mix was really clever. It was both thrilling and exhilarating. It was hard to put this book down once I had started. Well done Candice for a brilliant sequel. It left no stone unturned.

Redemption Point is the second book in the Crimson Lake series. Once again, Candice Fox has written an exciting, fast-paced thriller. I could not put this book down! As always, the cast of characters is interesting and well developed. I especially enjoy Amanda Pharrell’s refreshing forthrightness and her novel take on the world, unsullied by conventional social constraints. I recommend this book highly and hope that there will be a third Crimson Lake book. Thanks to Random House UK Cornerstone and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is second in the Crimson Lake series but Candice Fox expertly provides a stand alone novel as well as the continuing story of Ted Conkaffey. With Amanda Pharrell they take on a gruesome murder in the Barking Frog pub providing the main storyline however it is meshed with the continuing story of Ted's predicament of how to prove his innocence of the child abduction crime he was accused of. The pub murder is giving up few clues but Amanda's unique perspective starts to unravel this very clever mystery. Although a very ugly crime the author adds some light humour to ease the horror of the investigation but still retaining all the thrills and excitement of a good crime thriller. Ted is reluctantly drawn into into investigating his own case following an incident with the victim's father who is looking for answers and justice for his daughter. This is a first rate crime thriller which keeps you captivated until the end. Hopefully the series will continue.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this one knocked it out of the water,I gave the other book 5 stars and if I could I would give this one 6 stars.I just love the main characters, Amanda is so funny she is really growing on me I love her, and she is so intuitive I love that about her as well, and of course Ted is a great character.I really enjoyed the police officer as well and her developing friendship with Amanda, they were some great moments, and I felt really sad when this book ended.I do hope there will be more in the series the characters are far too good to leave .You do have to keep your wits about you when reading as the pace is relentless and the action jumps about from one character to another, but I really liked this style of writing there was never a dull moment.it was a cracker.great story really good characters and I think my favourite book of the year so far, I really recommend it.Thanks to netgalley and the Publishers for an ARC.

This is a sequel to Crimson Lake; a book I gave 4 stars; this one also gets 4 stars. I really recommend you read Crimson Lake before reading this otherwise you will not get the really important background to the 2 main characters, Ted and Amanda and, I feel, that is essential to get everything out of this story and an understanding of these 2 very different and intriguing characters.

The story has 2 main facets. The first being the murder of two young people and the second of Ted's attempts to clear his name of the violent attack on a young girl. Both parts fit together really well as does the unlikely partnership of Ted and Amanda and the relationship between Ted and his geese!

Well written; funny and sad with a story that will make you shout at it at times and laugh out loud at others, Redemption Point and its predecessor are books I'm glad I didn't miss out on and I would highly recommend.

Thanks go to Ellie Gibbons, Marketing Manager at Cornerstone - Penguin Random House UK and the author, Candice Fox for my copy in return for an honest review.