The second installment, featuring #DSLucasWalker, #Paradise by #PatriciaWolf suffers from second book syndrome. It tries desperately to match the first but doesn't achieve it. The storyline felt vague and disingenuous. I know it's fiction but parts of it felt implausible and naive. The stylistic element I grew to loath by the end was the excessive use of "yeah, nah" and "nah, yeah". Almost every character uttered these words.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced police procedural set in Surfers Paradise in Australia. I hadn't read the first book in this series but didn't feel like it was necessary to understand the plot or background of the main character.

I usually don't read series as I always feel I have too many books waiting to be read!! But I read Paradise straight after Outback and loved it just as much. You could read it as a stand alone but was good to have all the background info from the first book

Young Gabby is just 8 years old and witnesses a terrible crime that kills her mother - she believes the wolf did it. Her trauma is so huge that she is put into an induced coma

DS Lucas Walker is recooperating from his injuries on the Gold Coast and has been asked to be part of the team looking after Gabby in hospital and is also investigating the underbelly drug world and gangs.

Find this to be another page turner from Patricia Wolf!

Paradise is a gripping intrigue-thriller with a quintessentially Australian setting, a worthy follow-up to Patricia Wolf's breakout thriller Outback (Embla, 2022).

On light duties following the injuries he sustained three months previously Australian Federal Police Detective Sergeant Lucas Walker has temporarily relocated to the beachside city of Surfer's Paradise, on Queensland's Gold Coast. He’s acting as a guest lecturer for a drugs and serious crime training program for Queensland police officers, but before long, he's deputised to investigate the gangland-style murder of drug dealer Matt Monroe. It transpires that D.S. Walker's nemesis, organised crime kingpin Stefan Markovich, has re-established his network on the Gold Coast and retains lingering resentment against Walker for destroying his western Queensland drug manufacturing enterprise.

Meanwhile, Walker is also drawn into a major local investigation into a devastating home invasion-murder, in the high-spec enclave of Macintosh Island. Wife and mother Siobhan Owen has been brutally killed and her eight-year-old daughter Gabby seriously injured. Walker finds he has an indirect personal link to the investigation, as Siobhan's surviving husband, David Owen, is a member of the social circle of Walker's main Gold Coast contact, well-heeled gym owner Craig Ford.

Paradise is a great read, with engaging intertwined storylines, well-developed and multifaceted characters and a thrilling conclusion. D.S. Lucas Walker is a complex and relatable hero, daringly impetuous at times but displaying great emotional intelligence. He's fighting to retain his police career after the events in Outback, but it strikes the reader that he's exactly the sort of person who we need more of in law enforcement - intuitive, decisive and resolutely incorruptible.

I'd highly recommend Paradise and its predecessor Outback to any reader who enjoys high quality Australian crime fiction (author Patricia Wolf is based in Europe, but spent her childhood in outback Queensland), well executed multi-strand plots, fascinating characters and evocative settings.

My thanks to the author, Patricia Wolf, publisher Embla Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this great new title prior to publication on 17 May 2023.

DS Lucas Walker of the Australia Federal Police is running a training course on the Gold Coast not yet able to return to active duty after his leg was shattered while in his hometown of Caloodie where he got involved with a case.

But it looks like trouble has followed him with the Vandal bike gang moving their drug operation to the sunny Gold Coast. Meanwhile, Lucas has also been drawn into the case of murdered mum Siobhan Owen who was left brutally murdered and her young daughter left in a coma after a home invasion.

I really like Lucas as a character. While normally a desk investigator he has no hesitation in jumping into an investigation that could put him in the firing line.

I do recommend reading book 1 Outback first as the 2 books are connected. If you are a lover of Aussie thrillers then these books are definitely worth picking up.

They are both available now on KU.

Thank you to @netgalley and @emblabooks and @patricia_wolf_crime for the eARC

4.5★s
Paradise is the second book in the DS Walker Thriller series by Australian journalist and author, Patricia Wolf. Still recovering from gunshot wounds sustained in the search for a pair of missing backpackers, and grieving his recently departed, beloved grandmother, AFP DS Lucas Walker is sent to Surfers Paradise as guest lecturer in a training program on drug and serious crime for Queensland Police.

He’s lucked upon a very fancy beachside apartment owned by Craig Ford, a friend of his late father’s, who also makes sure his rehab is looked after at one of his chain of gymnasiums. His benefactor does ask a favour in return: a close friend’s wife, Siobhan Owen has just been murdered in a brutal home invasion, the friend tortured during the robbery, and his daughter in critical condition in hospital. Will Lucas let Craig know of progress in the case?

As the training program draws to a close, his boss, DCI Dan Rutherford sends him north to Brisbane to assist in the investigation of execution-style murder of an associate of the Vandals motorcycle gang, Matt Monroe. Lucas had met the aspirant Vandal back in Caloodie months earlier, so his input might be helpful.

His spare time is spent swimming, working on his rehab and also, somewhat reluctantly, entertaining a friend of his sister’s, a very attractive champion kite-surfer. Lucas also volunteers himself on the roster of police keeping guard on eight-year-old Gabby Owen in the ICU. He makes occasional calls to German police detective Barbara Guerra, with whom he sought a kidnapper/murderer some months earlier. All while he awaits the results of the board reviewing his actions in Caloodie some months earlier, deciding if he still has a job.

At first assuming Matt Monroe has fallen foul of a different bikie gang, when he follows up leads Lucas realises that the hit may have been ordered by Vandal boss, Stefan Markovich. Queensland Police DI Cummings is very pleased with the arrest made, even if Lucas isn’t entirely confident they have the right man.

Lucas has kept abreast of developments in the Owen case and, at Cummings’s request, reviews all the information they have so far. He realises that there are some things about the case that niggle, things about the victim that just don’t sit right. But QP are convinced certain islanders with a grudge are the perpetrators, and are dismissive of the concerns that Lucas raises.

Lucas is also unaware that his presence in Surfers Paradise has been noted, and a bounty exists for his elimination, something that leads to a poor judgement call and quite a lot of pain later on.

Wolf gives the reader another fast-paced Aussie crime thriller: a wholly credible tale with that requires virtually no suspension of disbelief, and builds up to a nail-biting climax. The dialogue is convincing, with a generous helping of the Australian vernacular, and her depiction of coastal Queensland feels truly authentic.

It’s clear that the story with motorcycle gangs and dirty coppers isn’t yet complete, and the final chapter hints at the possible reappearance of Lucas’s favourite German detective. This sequel to Outback is excellent Aussie noir.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Embla Books.

Paradise is the second DS Walker tale. After reading the first I was eagerly anticipating the next installment, however, my expectations may have been a bit high as I didn’t enjoy this one as much. DS Walker is without a doubt a worthy lead character, with depth and vulnerabilities to keep the reader interested. It is easy to imagine the big screen version. Wolf is adept at creating a sense of place, and nails the Gold Coast’s natural beauty with its tacky touristy and grungy bikie crime sides. The story opens with a bang in a violent crime scene and inevitably Walker is linked in. There are a number of intertwined narratives including a few loose ends from Outback. For me there was a lack of tension in this one, and some difficult to believe aspects. I will, however, be signing up for more DS Walker. A solid 3 for me. Thanks to Embla and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Paradise.

I absolutely loved Patricia Wolf's first book, Outback, where she introduced Australian DS Walker. Outback started off with a bang, whereas this story takes a bit longer to throw us into the midst of things, but I was happy to read along, as I love the character of Lucas Walker.

Paradise takes up where the last book ended. Walker was injured by a killer in the last book, and he's come to the Gold Coast to have therapy for his leg, try to get back in shape, and wait out the decision of the review board for some of his actions that took place in the previous book. Although at first things look easy; he's been loaned a plush beachside apartment by a family friend, along with a gym membership to get in shape by a friend of his father, who he never really knew. The friend and his wife are mourning the death of a family friend. The friend's nearby home was invaded and the wife was killed, the daughter left for dead, and the husband seriously injured. Walker becomes involved in this case, as well as a continuation of the drug case he was involved with in Outback.

I thought the various threads of this story were neatly developed and untimately brought together for a satisfying conclusion in the end. . My favorite part of these books is the character development. Lucas Walker is a finely developed character, but even the minor characters are drawn out and believable. There is a slow brewing romance between Lucas and Barbara, who featured in Outback and lives in Berline. Note to the author, please keep drawing this out and don't rush into anything. I've had series ruined for me by forcing the main characters into relationships too early. I like the slow boil pace this relationship is taking.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a worthy follow up to Outback, and I can't wait to see what happens next! This was 4.5 stars for me, but I'm rounding up to 5 because it left me wanting more.

Having loved reading Outback, Wolf's first novel about Lucas Walker, DS with the Australian Federal Police, I was excited to read Patricia Wolf's second one about him. She does not disappoint. While Outback takes place in the Australian outback, Paradise is set in Gold Coast, Australia. Walker has relocated there in the aftermath of a leg injury during a police operation back in Caloodie. He has come to the Gold Coast to recuperate, rehabilitate, and to assist with small-time police operations there. While there he becomes involved in more than one instance of criminal activity.
The plot is complex and many-layered, peopled with admirable as well as unsavory characters. The setting is so well described that the reader can see the ocean and hear the crashing waves and feel the heat and humidity. DS Lucas Walker is professional, yet is not afraid to show his humanity in various situations.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this advance copy.

This already has lots of positive reviews, and includes a good plot and interesting characters. I look forward to her next book.

I really appreciate the free copy for review!!

Patricia Wolf’s DS Walker series keeps pulling me in. The first book in the series, Outback, was an intriguing read and Paradise is right up there with it. I am becoming invested in Lucas Walker, I love his quirky character.
The story itself is quite horrific revolving around the brutal murder of a young mother and her 8 year old daughter fighting for her life from a severe head injury.
Perfect reading for crime fiction lovers.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Paradise by Patricia Wolf is the follow-up to Outback, her debut novel featuring Australian Federal Police DS Lucas Walker.

The novel opens with a horrific home invasion involving two parents and their eight-year-old daughter, Gabby, in Gold Coast, Queensland.

Walker has been tasked with a desk job in the same area away from his hometown of Caloodie with orders to act only as an advisor to a separate investigation of the murder of a man from the Caloodie area. Walker is also recuperating from a leg injury sustained in the first novel and is awaiting his time before a panel that will decide if his behavior in the previous investigation will result in his retention or firing as a police detective.

Walker’s taciturn boss has strongly suggested to him that he act solely as that advisor, keep his head down, and avoid any sort of controversy.

Because most resources are applied to the high-profile home invasion investigation, Walker ends up as the main investigator rather than a mere advisor and is careful to hide this from his own boss.

When those investigating the home invasion learn of Walker’s premiere investigative skills, he is asked to review their case files, which leads to him slowly being pulled into that investigation as well.

As the novel progresses, the more information Walker discovers, the more suspicions he has that the two cases may be related, while others remain highly skeptical of such a link.

Slowly, Walker becomes more deeply involved in each case and because it is believed Gabby may still be in danger, he takes turns guarding her at her hospital bedside while recovering from injuries sustained in the home invasion. This then leads to the development of kinship between the two.

Unbeknownst to Walker, when a dangerously violent man introduced in the previous novel learns of his Gold Coast presence, plans are made for revenge against Walker.

With multiple new and previously introduced characters, Wolf then delivers a satisfying, way above-average police procedural full of interesting characters and plots and does well in breathing life into her characters – even the villains. Not only that, Wolf’s writing again exhibits a wonderfully smooth style that clearly feeds the anticipation of the arrival of her future work.

Paradise is recommended to those that enjoy police procedurals with humanly developed characters and the novels of writers like Garry Disher. Paradise was provided by Embala Books through Netgalley upon the promise of a fair review and is set to be published on May 17, 2023.

This review was originally published at MysteryandSuspense.com.

Having recently devoured Outback with all its glorious depictions of setting, I was excited to get my hands on the sequel. Paradise once again brings DS Walker to the fore - a highly capable and determined detective sergeant; He finds himself on the idyllic surfer's Paradise on Australia's Gold Coast. The setting in this novel is so richly evoked and easy to call to mind - beautiful blue seas, skies, sunshine, and a beautiful coastal resort by day. However, it is plunged into darkness with the brutal murder of a young mother, with her child left fighting for life. DS Walker teams up with local forces to hunt down the perpetrator. In doing so, we are drawn to the seedier underbelly of Paradise. When night falls, drugs and crime run rife. Patricia Wolf ties together these polar depictions of Paradise so well and weaves separate threads of the story together to a climatic and satisfying finale. It is a great sequel, which can be read as a standalone but works best as a series. #Paradise #embla #PatriciaWolf #netgalley #autraliannoir #crime #crimethriller

I liked this one okay although it was a little tedious and a little too many characters but I did love the setting .

Thanks for letting me review the book to Netgalley and the publisher

This is the second book in a series but it can be read as a standalone. The only hint I had it was series while reading it was a character connection that appeared to go further than this story. A crime set on the Gold Coast of Australia. It’s a beautiful background to a great story. At the beginning of the book there are two separate crimes that need to be investigated. I was more drawn to the crime involving the family mainly because my heart went out to the little girl, Gabby. The book started a little slow for me but Gabby kept me hooked. As the story picked up I was really invested and just had to finish it. I would definitely read the first book in the series and the author leaves it open with the characters to continue into another story.

I chose to read a free eARC of Paradise but that has in no way influenced my review.

One of my standout reads from 2022 was the brilliant Outback by Patricia Wolf. Wolf's debut bowled me over with its intriguing lead character, vivid outback setting and compelling storyline. So much so, I have been eagerly awaiting the publication of Paradise - the second book in the DS Lucas Walker series - for the past seven months. And what a cracking follow up it is! Walker is rapidly becoming a favourite character of mine and seeing how he dealt with such a heart breaking case involving the brutal attack of an 8 year-old child and the murder of her mother was really quite captivating.

DS Lucas Walker's future in the AFP hangs in the balance following his most recent investigation. Whilst the review board conduct an inquiry into past events, Walker has been sent by his senior officer to Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast to both heal and to share his knowledge with a local group of cops. But you can't keep a good cop down for long and before he knows it, Walker ends up lending a hand to the locals who are investigating a brutal home invasion which left one woman dead and a young girl unconscious in hospital. Eight year old Gabby is in terrible danger as the only witness to her mother's murder. Can Walker discover who was behind the vicious attack before they return to silence Gabby forever...

Paradise is a gripping, engaging crime thriller which I found eminently readable. It's a complex story with threads from Walker's past interweaving with threads from the present, but it was easy to follow and overall an ultimately satisfying read. I believe Paradise can be read as a standalone. However, you'll have a lot more insight into things if you do pick up a copy of Outback first. The previous case is referred to often, a number of the characters you'll meet in this book first appeared in book one, and the review into Walker's conduct in Outback is a looming presence throughout this latest instalment. Plus if you start at the beginning you'll get to spend more time with DS Walker and that can only be a good thing! He's a fascinating one, for sure. A cop with a heart is quite a rare thing based on the crime fiction I've read in the past, so DS Walker makes a rather refreshing change. Even if he is a little reckless at times! For those of you who have read Outback, Barbara Guerra does make a number of small appearances but only by phone. I did miss the chemistry with Walker and the way Guerra and Walker worked together but perhaps we'll get to see more of them (in the same country) in the future (here's hoping!).

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Paradise is a suspenseful crime thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed. The author has excelled at running several different storylines throughout the book, keeping the different characters and scenarios clear and easy to follow, whilst maintaining a high level of tension and intrigue. I was able to guess one aspect but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the novel at all. Plus there were other shocks and surprises along the way which I didn't see coming. All in all, a thoroughly entertaining novel which keeps the reader on their toes and turning the pages late into the night. I loved the setting, the characters and the clever, well-drawn plot and I very much look forward to more from this author in the future. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Paradise. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Review will be published on damppebbles.com on 16th May 2023.

Love the vivid location descriptions and fast-paced plot of this second book in the DS Walker series.
DS Lucas Walker is spending time in Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast, recovering from the injuries he incurred at the end of the first book in the series. His boss asks him to provide support to the local force, which is overwhelmed working a home invasion that left the husband wounded, the wife dead, and their daughter fighting for her life; Walker finds himself drawn to that case even though he is supposed to be helping investigate a gangland murder connected to the case he worked in book 1. Walker is a likeable and smart protagonist, and Wolf does a great job of managing many plot threads and providing enough clues for you to think you may have figured out how things will turn out (but keep you second guessing yourself all the way to the end).

After reading Patricia Wolf's first Lucas Walker mystery, Outback, I looked forward to reading this second installment. For the most part, I was happy with Paradise-- happy to learn a bit about another part of Australia, and happy to tag along with Lucas Walker for a while.

Lucas Walker is a very likable character, and in Paradise, he's grieving over the death of his beloved grandmother, the woman who raised him. He's also recuperating from injuries sustained in Outback-- something that I will be referring to again. This man is intelligent, persistent, compassionate, and empathetic. Now, you see those first two characteristics a lot, but you seldom see the last two used to describe a male police officer, and it's refreshing.

Since Walker is not supposed to be working on the case involving the little girl, Gabby, he has to fly beneath the radar in his attempts to gather crucial information. One of his sources is Barbara, the German police officer in Berlin whom he met in Outback. I liked the interactions between the two even though Walker was risking a lot bringing Barbara into the investigation in any size, shape, or form.

There are two mysteries to solve in Paradise. One involving drugs and people Walker dealt with in the previous book and the investigation concerning the murder of Gabby's mother. Both suffered from an initial glacial pace. I don't always have a good track record concerning drugs, and I have to admit that I was tired of it all and hoped there could be a bit of deus ex machina so these prime examples of pond scum would all just disappear. I know. No such luck. As for the second mystery, I found the killer's identity extremely easy to deduce; all that was left was learning how the person did it.

Although I did have problems with the pacing and the drugs, overall I did like the book and am looking forward to book three. And as for that third book, I'm hoping Walker can have a nice injury-free vacation in Germany. I don't think his body can take much more abuse.

In the first book featuring DS Walker (Outback), the Australian Federal Police Officer found himself helping in the search for a pair of missing backpackers. As that book reached its conclusion it was clear that a number of loose ends were yet to be tied off, suggesting the possibility of a sequel appearing at some point in the future. In this second book, the action moves to Queensland’s Gold Coast and is centred in and around the resort of Surfers Paradise. Sure enough, we quickly learn that a number of carry-over characters are to feature in this story, too.

To me, the most appealing aspect of these books is Walker himself. He’s someone who is strong enough to carry off the role he’s assigned but with enough frailties and worries to hold a reader’s interest. Aside from my regard for the lead man, the tale itself bumps along at a decent pace but without ever really introducing anyone or anything that piqued my interest to the same degree. It's all fairly routine and really offers up few surprises, as Walker helps the local cops investigate a brutal home invasion murder.

I spent Christmas at Surfers Paradise some years back and so I enjoyed the descriptions of this place, which married with my own experience: essentially that of a brash holiday resort with a truly amazing beach. I found this to be a fun and enjoyable read, though it didn’t particularly tax me in working out whodunnit and came complete with a climax which was just as unlikely as that provided in the first book. Three stars it is.

DS Lucas Walker of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) is in Surfer’s Paradise, recovering from the gunshot wound that shattered his leg in the events in his hometown of Caloodie in the previous novel ‘Outback’. He can’t return to active duty until his leg has improved and an internal investigation has reviewed his actions which led to disrupting an undercover operation by the drug squad.

Meanwhile, Walker’s boss DCI Rutherford, has asked him to run a training course for a group of Queensland Police drugs officers on the Gold Coast and also to assist the local police investigation into the murder of Matt Monroe, a shady character he investigated in Caloodie. Not content to take life quietly, he is also drawn into helping the local police with the particularly gruesome murder of Siobhan Owen, a young wife and mother, in an

An old friend of Walker’s father offered him use of a luxury apartment overlooking the beach, as well as use of a gym he owns nearby, so he’s feeling pretty happy and relaxed. However, the peace doesn’t last long, as unknown to him, the members of the Vandal bikie gang running the drug operation in Caloodie have also moved to the Gold Coast.

The various story lines in this novel weave together well and keep Walker busy. The setting of the beaches, laid back life style and luxury of the Gold Coast really contrasts with that of the previous novel set in hot, parched, drought-stricken outback Caloodie. Walker has a very likeable personality and is an intuitive detective who can sense when something doesn’t ring true. There is plenty of action and suspense, not too many surprises but some good twists that bring the story lines together and a satisfying ending.

It was good to see that Walker is still in touch with Barbara Guerre, the German detective he met looking for her missing sister in Caloodie. She is now back in Berlin, also recovering from her ordeal in the outback, but offers to help Walker look through records associated to keep herself busy and makes an important contribution to cracking the case. I suspect we’ll get to see more of her later in the series, maybe even in her home city of Berlin.