I would like to thank Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK Fiction for an advance copy of 55, a debut thriller set in the outback of Western Australia.

Gabriel Johnson walks into Wilbrook police station and tells Sergeant Chandler Jenkins that he has escaped a serial killer called Heath who wants to make him victim 55. A few hours later Heath Barwell is brought to the station telling how he barely escaped a serial killer called Gabriel. Two identical stories with each blaming the other Inspector Mitchell Andrews and his team arrive from Perth to sort it out.

I thoroughly enjoyed 55 which is a tautly plotted, well paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns. It had me glued to the pages and I read it in one sitting. It is a masterful, accomplished debut and the only thing stopping me from giving it five stars is the disappointing lack of clarity in the last paragraph. I’m unsure if it is designed as a cliffhanger to pave the way for a sequel or if the author wanted that way.

The novel basically works on three levels, the decision on who is telling the truth, the extremely stormy relationship between former friends Chandler and Mitch and a recounting throughout the novel of the last time these two friends worked together in the hunt for a missing teenager. All three strands have something to say and fit together seamlessly, coming closer as the novel progresses and revealing interesting connections. I actually found the relationship between Chandler and Mitch the most riveting aspect of the novel after the initial Gabriel/Heath flurry. Chandler isn’t daft but he’s easy going and likeable. In direct contrast Mitch is all about himself and his career, resorting to dirty tricks when he sees fit. He is a nasty piece of work and treats Chandler abominably but he seems to diminish over the course of the novel. Is it too much of a cliché to suggest that Chandler makes him uncomfortable and regretful? It seems that way to me. The serial killer bit has a good few surprises in it although the motive is fairly standard.

55 is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

A really good concept, gripping and fast-paced. I really enjoyed the way the past and present were interwoven, bringing a sharpness to the story. And that ending! How gutting and cruel and clever of the author to end that way. Brilliant.

Two men arrive, separately, at the police station in Wilbrook a small town in a very remote part of Western Australia. First to arrive is Gabriel who is injured and covered in dried blood. He tells the police chief, Sergeant Chandler Jenkins, that he was picked up while hitchhiking before being drugged and driven to a cabin in the mountains where he was tied up in chains. The man who took him was called Heath who said Gabriel was to be number 55 - his 55th victim. He managed to escape and made it to Wilbrook. Jenkins takes his statement and has him put up in a local hotel from which he subsequently vanishes.
Then a 2nd man is caught trying to steal a car and tells Chandler he is trying to escape his pursuer. At the police station, he claims he was taken by a man named Gabriel. This 2nd man says his name is Heath and that Gabriel told him he was going to be victim 55. Gabriel is the serial killer.
Meanwhile, a squad of police has arrived in this small town in the back of beyond. They are led by Mitch, who is Chandler's boss and someone he's known since childhood. Somewhere along the way, Mitch and Chandler had a falling out and the two barely get by without constantly arguing and sniping at each other. Chandler thinks Mitch is more concerned with his image than with solving the case while the latter believes Chandler is a loser, stuck in a boring job in a hick town.
Their animosity dates back to 2002 when, as young police officers who joined the force together, they were involved in the hunt for a missing teenager in the merciless wasteland which borders the town of Wilbrook.
Now, they argue as to how to deal with the claims of Gabriel and Heath as to which one might be a mass murderer.
This highly unusual crime thriller is very fast moving although the action does slow every few chapters as we go back in time to learn more of Chandler & Mitch's hunt for the missing teenager in 2002. The constant bickering between the two does get a bit wearing and, towards the end of the story, the plot does stretch credulity a little too far. Finally, in a thrilling finale, the story comes full circle. All in all, this is a fine debut novel from James Delargy.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

This book would make a good film. Set in a remote town in Western Australia, police launch a manhunt for a serial killer. There are 54 victims and two suspects with identical stories. Which one is the killer and which one could be victim number 55? This is an excellent debut novel which depicts life in a remote town and the hunt for a serial killer. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. Reviews on Goodreads and Facebook.

One sitting, totally absorbing and utterly addictive read with a KILLER ending- that is “55”, the novel coming next year from James DeLargey, definitely a writer to watch although I’m not sure I’d like to live in his head.

One victim. One killer. But which is which? This is the conundrum facing our beleagured main protagonist Chandler, manning a small police station in the back end of nowhere, suddenly thrust into a case beyond imagination. Invaded by an old nemesis whose belief in his own investigative skills is second to none, Chandler leaps from one disaster to another, as the press descend and suddenly the spotlight is everywhere. 

The plotting is taut and very very clever, the characters are all intriguing and fascinating- not least our two prospective killers, who you’ll waver between with every passing chapter. The setting is wide open and beautifully described adding an atmospheric sense of place to proceedings, the wilderness being a character in it’s own right.

Overall this was a hugely fun read in its mystery element and packs quite the emotional punch on occasion too. The ending really is killer, I let out a little yelp, fairly sure that one isn’t leaving my head anytime soon. 

Brilliant. Loved it. 

Highly Recommended.