I had a hard time getting involved and invested in Opal (A DS Walker Thriller Book 3) by Patricia Wolf. It took me a bit to read and finish this book.

The story was atmospheric with its locations and descriptions. I did learn about opals, which was interesting.

Overall, just an okay read for me.

#Opal #NetGalley @EmblaBooks

Book 3 in the detective Walker series sees Lucas and his sister trapped in an out back mining community when a brutal double murder occurs. There is a strong sense of menace in the storytelling and the setting is beautifully described. I loved the characters of Lucas, Grace, Blair especially Ginger the dog and look forward to more novels in the series.

Another excellent Police procedural starring Lucas Walker, the plotting here even better than in the first 2 books in the series. Walker is a likeable and believable character and character development, whilst limited, is nonetheless present. A couple of the baddies here ooze with genuine menace. Their fear factor is compounded by the displacement suffered by Walker who is in an unfamiliar place to begin with which is then locked in by flooding… and tension builds very nicely.

Lucas Walker is taking a short break to introduce his sister Grace to the Outback and, particularly, his family in Caloodie. As usual, things don’t go to plan when Walker’s cousin Blair is implicated in the brutal murder of his employer, an opal miner, and his married girlfriend. When floods trap Walker in the town, he determines to help solve the crime and clear Blair’s name, but there are multiple suspects with motive and soon he realizes that both he and Grace are themselves in danger. Another pacy slice of Outback Noir from Wolf with a strong sense of place and of the difficulties of a life spent scraping a living from such inhospitable terrain. The plot twists and turns but I did guess whodunnit correctly. Walker is a likeable character and I enjoyed picking up his story in this third outing, which I am sure won’t be his last.

Book 3 in the Lucas Walker series is set in a small mining town in rural Australia. I like the characterisation, although I would like to see a bit more from Grace and the plotting is very good. It's fast paced, with a couple of twists and I did guess who the killer was but still an interesting read from the author. I hope to read more about Walker soon as there is plenty of character development ahead for him. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Estuvo entretenido, pero no logró mantener mi interés todo el tiempo.

No entiendo porque Grace tiene povs, no aporta nada. Su primo es sospechoso de homicidio y se la pasa tomando fotos y jugando en su celular, tiene veintiun años y su mundo gira en tiktok.


Adivine quien era el asesino en el primer cuarto, su actitud fue muy sospechosa.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lucas Walker is back & looking forward to some peaceful time with his family but things don’t quite go to plan. This is the third in the series & is a well written story that introduces Grace, his sister, and reconnects us with various family members. I really enjoyed this novel & am looking forward to Lucas’s future adventures.

DS Lucas Walker is looking forward to enjoying some family time with his sister Grace who is visiting from America. They take the opportunity of their planned tour of the Outback to link up with their cousin Blair, who has been opal mining in an isolated town in the wilderness and appears to have had enough of that.

But rarely has family time been less relaxing! Lucas and Grace catch up with Blair, only to find that they cannot leave the area due to unexpected flooding.

If that weren't bad enough, the natural disaster is swiftly followed by an extremely unnatural one, when two dead bodies are found in the one-horse town. While the husband is an immediate suspect, to Lucas's dismay, suspicion swiftly turns to Blair.

And while this was not the plan in terms of Walker family holidays, it makes for excellent entertainment. An immersive and enjoyable read that gets 4 stars.

3.5 ⭐


Good to be back in Australia with Walker, and to learn a few things about opals, which I've never given a moments thought to previously.
Overall I enjoyed the book, it had a good mix of characters, a good location and plenty going on.
I felt slightly as if Grace was a bit of a stereotype, on her phone any second she could be.
I also thought it was too easy to guess who did it.
Non the less, its an enjoyable addition to the series, and I'm looking forward to the next one already.

Really liked this one set in a quirky little town .. i loved the setting and felt the plot was engaging and moved along well
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

DS Lucas Taylor had planned a special vacation with his sister Grace, visiting Australia for the first time. Instead he and Grace drive to pick up his cousin Blair in the remote town of Kanpara in opal mining country. Blair and his mining partner Mark are suspected of a million dollar find that they are keeping secret. On their first night, in the small town’s only bar/restaurant, Lucas and Blair hear quiet rumors and loud opinions which result in a wild bar fight. The next morning, two bodies, hideously murdered are found. Lucas is in charge of the case until police reinforcements arrive but when they do, they immediately suspect Blair and arrest him. Lucas knows his cousin is not capable of murder . To prove it, he has to find the killer. Meanwhile after a wild storm north of Kampala, a flash flood isolates the town.

The Australian outback and its boulder opal mines dominate Opal. This is the third in a series by the talented Patricia Wolf and features strong characters, a carefully constructed plot with unexpected twists and a shocking conclusion. Seeing the country through Grace’s eyes adds interest as does the mining information. This is a must read and an excellent choice for any book club. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Embla Books and Patricia for this ARC.

A small mining town. A brutal double murder. A killer among them! Good book!! Set in a freaky little town! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, a great who done it and a few twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my kindle! I definitely recommend reading this one! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!