Unforgiven, brilliantly written by Sarah Barrie is one of the most immersive thrillers that I have ever read.
Beautifully crafted characters vie for your attention within every single incredible page.
This is a tale of life, of survival, of strength and it is immaculate in its chilling depiction of courage, where thrills, shocks and jaw dropping twists are so intense, you literally feel the tense atmosphere.
There are moments where Lexie’s humour cause you to laugh out loud and moreover, such terrifying parts where you just hold your breath and literally pray for a good outcome.
If you read one book only this year then make it this tome of utter brilliance.
Five Stars without a pause and thoroughly recommended.
If you prefer the audio version then Cecillia Ramsden narrates this hauntingly well with a seemingly flawless ability to grip you and bring the characters to life.
Incredible.
Thank you Bolinda Audio for yet another winner.

This book deals with a child abuse physical and their results of it what happens it's a fictional story about a girl that was abused and how it affected her life it was a good story yet had a good flow to it and not something I would normally read but it was well written and a good story I would recommend it but with the trigger warning for anyone that maybe has had experienced child abuse thank you

I really enjoyed this gritty Australian novel despite the disturbing subject at its core. The reawakening of a historical series of child abuse and murders occurs shedding doubt that the original perpetrator may not be The Spider despite having spent 17 years in prison for the crimes. A pair of sisters who escaped his final scene become embroiled in the case with Lexi, living on her wits in numerous underground ways, taken on as a temporary member of the squad after proving her innate skill for the tasks at hand.
Don’t read if you are squeamish or find the topic too difficult to cope with. Do read if you are more hardcore and looking for a great book

The plot for this book is emotional and dark. There were many things about the book that were well thought out and executed but I found myself a little disconnected from the main characters. For such a heavy subject I expected to be more emotionally driven as I moved my way through the chapters. There were some twists and turns which I thought were done well. I did feel like at times it could have been shortened up a bit and just as impactful. All in all I thought it was a good book, but not as great as I had hoped.

I do appreciate the author, the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me access to an advanced copy of this audiobook. I think the narrator did a pretty good job at keeping things moving along, but I did speed up the narration to keep myself fully engaged.

Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie
Narrated by Cecelia Ramsdale
November 15, 2023
I read this tense thriller on audiobook thanks to NetGalley, author: Sarah Barrie; narrator: Cecelia Ramsdale; and Publisher: Bolinda Audio.

Set in Australia in current day, this thriller was hard to put down.

Pros: There are several strong female leads, numerous police procedurals, compelling situations, and a killer or killers on the loose. The narrator, Cecelia Ramsdale did a fantastic job.

Cons: I would’ve appreciated an announcement for each chapter with the name of the character and POV that it’s highlighting so it would be easier to understand. This was a tough read for me since the plot contains the subject matter of pedophilia. Thankfully it’s not highly detailed in this area, however, there could be triggers for some readers. For instance, we learn of their ages, their being kidnapped or tricked, drugged, filming of the atrocities, and the outcome of some of the children. I just had to shut it out of my head.

Ten stars! Exceptional story, characters, author voice, and narration. I immediately went out and book Lexi audiobook 2 and am bereft I have to wait for the third. Favorite new author, favorite new series.

This mystery was really well done and the narration was excellent. I really
Enjoyed getting to know Lexi in particular and I was excited to realize this was part of a series. I will for sure pick up book two and find out what happens to Lexi next.

If you're in the mood for a crime thriller that's disturbing and will stick in a dark part of your brain for a long time, this is it. But if pedophilia and child abuse are a trigger for you, maybe skip this one.

This was an un-put-downable book for me and though it took me two days to get through it (darn work getting in the way), I was on the edge of my seat and staying up super late to finish. I don't think I've seen a protagonist this complicated and damaged since Lisbeth Salander, and I am always curious how PTSD manifests in different adult survivors of abuse. Lexi shows throughout the entire book, her ability to shapeshift with people, taking on the role of whatever needs to be done to get something she's seeking, and it forces the reader to analyze their idea of morality and ethics. It also forces the reader to confront the disturbing knowledge that not all monsters give off creepy vibes and have tells, even for the best readers of people.

I'm glad this is a series and there will be more of Lexi Winter to get to know. She's an unusual hero for an underserved pool of victims and more power to her for her sacrifice and service.

As a victim of certain crimes I felt weird about this book. Yes a pedi gets murdered and that part was so fun and so good. I loved that.
But I wasn't sure about the rest of it. This is 100% a me issue and not the authors fault. I loved the narration.

I’d had this on my to-read list for a while. I’ve never read anything by Barrie before but it was the part in the book summary about it appealing to Candace Fox fans that caught my attention. I’m a HUGE Fox fan. When I saw the audiobook on NetGalley, I immediately requested it.

The book summary introduces the primary storyline. Lexi is a hot mess! She’s an alcoholic, sex worker who tracks pedophiles with her younger sister Bailey. When Lexi and Bailey were kids, Lexi rescued Bailey from getting molested by the pedophile that was molesting her. Bailey now works with abused kids and Lexi track pedophiles portraying herself online as a young girl and then hacks her way into finding out who they are and where they are and then goes after them. Just want to mention that for this review, I prefer to use the American spelling of pedophile over the Australian spelling of paedophile, however, the story does take place in Australia. Anyway, Lexi tracks these pedophiles by portraying as a young girl online , sometimes with Bailey’s help.

There is another storyline about DI Rachel Langley, the inspector who caught the pedophile who abused and molested Lexi as a child along with other young girls. Rachel is also having a not-so-secret affair with her boss. Apparently, her colleague, Turner, knows about it and he never misses an opportunity to make Rachel look bad since she got the DI promotion over him.

There is another one where Lexi and a pedophiles wife, Charmaine (not sure of the spelling), witness Charmaine’s husband/pedophile, Jonathan, getting killed. The women move the body to Lexi’s car in order to get rid of the body from the murder scene. The next morning, one of Lexi’s neighbors, Donne, smells the body in the trunk and helps Lexi move it to Donne’s deep freezer and then Donne gets rid of Lexi’s car. LOVE DONNE!!! She’s a character!!! I’m not actually sure that’s how her name is spelled, but Lexi pronounces it the same way my name is pronounced (like Donny) so I chose my spelling. For all I know, it’s spelled Dawne (I’ve seen it spelled that way). Who knows, this is one of the drawbacks of an audiobook, not being sure of how names are spelled.

Anyway, at Jonathan’s murder scene, Lexi and Charmaine overheard Jonathan telling his killer (right before he was killed) that the killer should be glad that he got him that job. Shortly thereafter, it turns out Jonathan is the coroner/medical examiner, who was suddenly replaced by someone else that morning at the murder scene of a young girl. The new coroner/medical examiner immediately becomes the #1 suspect, as far as I’m concerned. None of this is a spoiler since it’s all revealed in the first 25% of the story.

The story flips back and forth between Lexi and Rachel, with scattered passages of Rachel and Lexi providing flashback of Lexi’s abuse and molestation when she was a kid and when Rachel first met Lexi almost 20yrs ago. Well into the second half, after Lexi proves herself smarter and much more electronically skilled than the police cybercrime tech, Rachel convinces Lexi to consult with the police in discovering where the pedophile ring is operating and who the organizers and ringleader are. The storylines begin to merge and it’s not long before Lexi and Rachel and her team zero in on what’s going on. The end comes quickly after that with a discovery of a co-conspirator I never saw guessed!!! Oh, and Donne? OMG!!! LOVE DONNE!!!

I like Lexi as well as Barrie, who is a good writer and storyteller. I’ve already added the second installment to my to-read list. I want to thank NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #BolindaAudio #Unforgiven

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by Cecelia Ramsdale who does a good job.

This is an atmospheric, slow burn, Australian police thriller that focuses on Lexi Winter survived horrendous childhood abuse and now uses her hacking skills to helps catch paedophiles in her spare time while working as an escort to pay the bills. I found it to be well written, I liked the 3 main characters, and the female vigilante plot.

Rachael Langley is a successful detective in Wales who previously caught The Spider, a serial killer of young girls. Now a copycat has appeared, making her question whether she put the right man behind bars years ago. Rachael, and her nephew Finn, need Lexi’s help catch the killer.

The plot is definitely one I have read before, and I saw the twists ahead of time. I found it to be well written, I liked the 3 main characters, and the female vigilante plot. Definitely a fun read!

CW: This novel includes discussions of child physical and sexual abuse and would likely be triggering to those who have suffered from similar experiences. It can be difficult to read/listen to in parts, but handles the subjects with care and is emotionally powerful.

Thanks go to #NetGalley and #BolindaAudio for an ARC copy of the audiobook that was just recently released. My review is my own and independent of the fact that I received this courtesy ARC copy.

I tend to find these types of procedurals/whodunits a tad boring and almost always predictable. While there were times that this novel was a bit predictable (even in a way that it entertainingly calls out in other mysteries like itself), and a couple places at the end where, as in almost all of these stories, things were a bit convenient that allowed the final tie-up action to begin, but all of that was overcome by the quality of the writing, the quality of the characters, especially Lexi Winter and her neighbor, Dawnie (not sure of the spelling since I listened to, didn't read, this book).

I'm not big on repeating plots in reviews (there are a lot of those available), but the story structure, the writing, the humor, the characters, all more than live up to the best in these genres. The subject matter is difficult at times (as noted above), but handled with care.

Probably the biggest thing I can say is that I am looking forward to reading more Lexi Winter novels and will be keeping my eye out for more from Sarah Barrie.

Finally, the audio and narration from Cecelia Ramsdale was very good. It took just a bit of time for my American ear to handle the (Australian) accent, and the variation in voices in some cases wasn't terribly obvious, but it was well edited and I ultimately found the narration to add a lot to the story.

What a gripping novel! What an emotional rollercoaster! And, what a ride...
This is a very fast paced novel with lots of moving parts! One that you will not want to put down!

Lexi is a vigilante. She was abused as a child and is now taking care of herself how she sees fit, which may not be the same way you or I would think, but instead involves alcohol and sex... AND, she wants to get revenge on people who are abusing children...now.

Bayley is Lexi's sister. They both had a tough life growing up, but Lexi was always the protector. But, they are both grown up now...and working together to try to get some satisfaction, or revenge...depending on how you look at it.

Rachael is a detective. She was the cop on the case (and much younger) when Lexi was originally involved in the "Spider Case", and had made a promise to Lexi... one that she did not keep.

Finn is a cop too, and he's working with Rachael to try to find out why there seems to be a copycat killer on the loose now.

Way too many characters to mention here, but surprisingly, I was able to keep them all straight in my head. AND...lots of action going on here too!!

Possible triggers for some: children being drugged; videos being made; privileged older men taking advantage of same...

Very sad, but I'm sure has some threads of truth in it too.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BolindaAudio for an ARC of the audiobook which was just released on November 1st. [Of note: This is book #1, so look for more if you appreciate this one!] Also, according to the epilogue, this was released in 2021...but I believe that was in Australia, only just coming out in the US.

#Unforgiven by #SarahBarrie and beautifully read by #CeceliaRamsdale.

4 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 5.

Check out my upcoming reads and reviews on Instagram @BookReviews_with_emsr

Happy Reading! 📚📖

This is the first in the Lexi Winter series. I will admit initially I was wondering if it was for me as I’m not a fan of invincible type characters and felt Lexi Winter might be one of those. Thankfully that wasn’t the case and Lexi is an incredible character along with Rachel and Finn. I loved the banter between Finn and Lexi and found myself laughing out loud. The storyline and characters are well developed and was right up my street. It moved at a steady pace and had many twists and turns. It deals with tough topics but portrays the struggles the police come up against. I really enjoyed this one and it flew by. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next instalment. The narration was very engaging and really added to the listen.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review #Unforgiven

OMG THIS WAS AN AWESOME READ! I was totally here for the Aussie accent as well. This was a wild ride and I LOVE how the story comes full circle and Lexi is finally on the path to healing herself. I LOVE the relationship between Lexie and her elderly neighbor, who saves her ass. This was my 1st book by Sarah Barrie but it won't be my last as I can't wait for book 2!

#Unforgiven
#NetGalley

Oh man, I loved this book! I feel like the author has similar vibes to Karin slaughter.

Ok, so Lexi is the main character of the book. She was the victim of a sexual abuse ring as a child and now spends her days hacking computers and making ends meet through sex work.

Her sister is a police officer now and works with the officer who rescued both of them when they were children.

Anyway, the police department is confronted with a similar case that resembles the one 20 or so years ago (which involved Lexi and her sister). They thought they caught the main player of this sex ring, but did they?

While this story is of a sensitive topic (pedophilia/sexual abuse), there aren’t any details of those incidences (thank God).

Narration - this audiobook was so engaging, but the only thing I found difficult was to figure out when the narrator was switching from the present to the past. There wasn’t a clear indicator, so it took a few minutes to figure out the time frame had changed.

I loved the book though and it’s a must read for those who like police procedurals and psychological thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for this awesome ARC.

Lexi Winter is a childhood abuse survivor, also an ace hacker. The notorious paedophile ringleader The Spider is in prison but when apparent copycat crimes start happening the police must question whether it's a copycat or whether they locked up the wrong man.

Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is on the case, she cracked the Spider case 18 years ago but failed to protect Lexi.

It's pretty dark, an involved plot, there are memories of childhood abuse. I have to say it's pretty solid. There's an involved network of characters, relationships and pasts and presents.

There was one character whose role seemed to be for comic effect which jarred with me a little. There's also one of my pet peeves, an antagonistic member of the police team who seeks to undermine the teamwork. Otherwise, it was really good.

I'd listen to the next in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio

This is my first book by Sarah Barrie and she did not disappoint. She grabs your attention right away. I had a hard time stopping listening. You could picture every little detail. 10/10 recommend her!

4.5⭐️

A suspenseful Australian thriller with crime at its heart.

I had the audiobook read by Cecelia Ramsdale, i liked the accent, there was enough tension without going OTT. I found it tricky to differentiate the narrators voice between Lexi and Rachael, however the writer has given them very different ways of speaking and thinking so I managed to keep up.

Lexi Winter was once a victim, now she’s a vigilante.
Rachael is the detective who put the serial killer known as The Spider in prison eighteen years earlier, only she couldn’t save Lexi.
Now it looks like there’s a copycat, Lexi and Rachael our ‘protagonists’ finally cross paths.

Very dark themes are prevalent in this story but avoids being graphic.

I really liked Lexi and Dawnie. I found some of Lexi’s internal thoughts slowed down the dialogue exchange.

Well I thought that this was different, refreshing. I loved it. Lots going on throughout, with a good pace so there’s plenty of interest.

Lexi has quite a young manner, where as Rachael is more maternal. I loved both of their characters which are well developed and interesting. Another favourite for me is Fin.

I see that book two is published, I hope it’s also in audiobook format, as I’d love to listen.

I enjoyed this one, though the first part took some getting into .
I felt it jumped from one character to the other a lot.
It's got some interesting characters, dawning might have been my favourite.
Lots of action, and the characters weave together in many ways.
It's the first in a series, and has set the scene nicely, without feeling like it was just all ground work.
Great narration, and all round an enjoyable few hours listen.