Set in the sweltering Australian summer of 1979, The Grapevine by Kate Kemp is a gripping suburban drama steeped in mystery and neighbourhood intrigue. The story opens with a chilling scene: a housewife scrubbing bloodstains from her bathroom floor at 3 am while her husband remains unnervingly calm after murdering their neighbour, Antonio Marietti. From this compelling hook, Kemp masterfully unravels a tale of secrets, lies, and the complex bonds that tie a community together.

Warrah Place, a seemingly idyllic cul-de-sac, becomes a hive of gossip and suspicion as news of Antonio's death spreads. Kemp’s writing captures the atmosphere of the close-knit neighbourhood with sharp insight, depicting a community where every glance, every whisper, carries the weight of unspoken truths.

At the heart of the story is twelve-year-old Tammy, whose sharp observational skills and unyielding curiosity provide a refreshing and engaging perspective. Tammy’s amateur sleuthing reveals not just the circumstances of Antonio’s death but also the hidden lives of her neighbours, peeling back the facade of suburban respectability. Kemp uses Tammy's innocent yet perceptive lens to great effect, highlighting the dissonance between appearances and reality.

While the murder serves as the story's catalyst, The Grapevine is less about the act itself and more about the ripple effects it creates. Kemp delves deeply into the lives of Warrah Place's residents, exploring themes of betrayal, loyalty, and the power dynamics within relationships. The shifting points of view allow readers to see the events from multiple angles, deepening the suspense and complicating the question of guilt.

The book’s strength lies in its characterisation. Kemp paints vivid portraits of each resident, from the housewife hiding her dark secret to the nosy neighbour with her skeletons in the closet. Their interactions, alliances, and conflicts create a rich tapestry of human drama, keeping the reader hooked as the truth slowly comes to light.

The Grapevine is a compelling blend of psychological suspense and domestic drama. Its exploration of small-town dynamics, combined with a well-paced narrative and richly drawn characters, makes it a standout mystery. Fans of atmospheric, character-driven stories will find much to love in this taut, evocative tale.

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This book wasn’t for me and it was a relief to have reached the end. I found it disappointing. I’d expected more of a thriller than a people watching exercise.

Simply astounded that this is a debut novel. An absolutely brilliant read which I couldn't consume quick enough. And that plot twist at the end. Tell me I didn’t miss any of the hints that had to be woven into this piece.

It opens in a suburban neighbourhood in Australia. It’s 3 am in the morning and Naomi and Richard are scrubbing blood off the bathroom tiles while their young son, Colin stands nearby. There has been a murder on the close of a young Italian boy Antonio Marietti and it’s obvious that the couple have something to do with it.

It's the summer holiday and Tammy a bored 12-year-old decides to look for clues in order to solve the murder. Through her perspective we are slowly introduced to the community where we see that it is not all that it seems to be. There is prejudice, homophobia and religious ideologies at play simmering slowly and threatening to boil over in the heat. It is no surprise then that led by the misogynist Cecil fingers start to point towards the immigrant Neighbours.

Kemp’s ability to carve out individual and credible female voices were the hook for me as each displayed the vulnerability and strength of women who are invisible yet silenced by the mere fact of their gender. I was fully invested in each and every one of these characters some of which resonated with me.

This author will definitely be on my list and I can't wait to see what else she has in store.
Thank you NetGalley and Orion Books for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication. Highly recommend.

This is a difficult one to rate, it was a very slow burn, but not really a thriller? More a study on people. It was interesting though and I enjoyed getting to know the characters. Some were infuriating! I also enjoyed the Australian setting, it's not something I read of very often.

The story was fairly flat and the ending was very anticlimactic, but I couldn't really expect all that different. There wasn't exactly a build up in the first place... I'd like to know what other people think, as this was a bit of a weird one for me.

I really like this book. All the characters draw you in and are all a bit broken in their own way. You think you know someone and they all turn out not to be quite what you think. The end wasn’t my favourite but I got really into the story itself. Would happily recommend and thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

A murder whodunnit set in the stifling heat and social setting of the late seventies in Canberra. The whodunnit part it revealed on the first page so it is quite a feat to still be able to build tension and provide a few twists.

I enjoyed the 'detective' 12 year old Tammy as she struggles with the complicated world of girls at school as well as the realisation that adults aren't quite as together as they would like children to think they are.

A good read

A quiet Australian suburb in 1979 - a housewife is scrubbing blood off her bathroom floor and their neighbour, Antonio, is dead - it’s very desperate housewife-ish, which is fab! As I loved that show!!

While the murder is the backbone of the plot, the real intrigue lies in the complex relationships and social dynamics of the residents of the cul-de-sac.

Narrated by Twelve-year-old Tammy, the story is both entertaining and thought-provoking, some twists are perhaps, a bit over-the-top, but the fascinating characters make up for it.
A strong debut!

THE GRAPEVINE by KATE KEMP.
Release date set for the 13th of March 2025.
As soon as I saw the cover for this then read the blurb i was instantly drawn to it and HAD to read it.
Chapter one has you hooked straight away and i couldn't wait to keep turning the pages.
I devoured this book and couldn't put it down.
I had desperate housewife vibes.

Fantastic book. I loved the storyline line, & the characters . Kept me up all night as I couldn't put it down

Australia, 1979. It's the height of summer and on a quiet suburban cul-de-sac a housewife is scrubbing the yellow and white chequered tiles of her bathroom floor. But all is not as it seems. For one thing, it's 3 a.m. For another, she is trying desperately to remove all traces of blood before they stain. Her husband seems remarkably calm, considering their neighbour has just been murdered

It starts off being narrated by a 12 year old girl called Tammy which was great, but then I felt it went on too long for me.

Its partly a murder thriller and an observation of life in the late 1970's in Australia

This is a difficult book to categorise. Part crime thriller but really, more observational comment on society and that’s the element I particularly enjoyed. It starts with a scene of intrigue and the narration is from the viewpoint of a 12 year old. I wasn’t sure if I’d buy in to that, but I soon became involved with the people and lives in this little close. It’s a scene that could be true if any similar suburb; the small closed community of curtain twitchers, all peering in to one another’s lives and each having secrets to hold or share. And that was the pleasure of this story. I became involved with the disparate group of inhabitants, all from different backgrounds and each with a story. It felt very claustrophobic and intense and Kate Kemp has a strong eye for detail and social comment. A little contrived in part, but it kept my interest throughout and I really enjoyed this outing with an author new to me. I look forward to more.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7058476959

Lots to like about this book. It's ostensibly in the crime category with a plot revolving around solving a murder that happens right at the start, but really it's a psychodrama based on the relationships between neighbours in a slightly claustrophobic, curtain twitching cul-de-sac in 1970s Australia.

I loved all the characters with their flaws and secrets, and many of them rang very true to me, from tweenage girl trying to negotiate the brutal social dynamics of school to the middle aged housewife trying desperately to fit and be liked. Watching them all interact with each other was fascinating, to the extent that the murder plot became close to an irrelevance by the time I was mid-way through. I was even able to - just about - get on board with the neurodiverse child narrator, although she did possibly veer slightly towards stereotype a few times.

In fact, my one real gripe about this book was that for an author who clearly has very sharp powers of social observation, and is able to create such interesting characters, some of the plot twists towards the end became a little on the silly/unnecessary side. Perhaps there was a slightly more understated book hidden inside this one, with a little more confidence that the characters' individual journeys were enough on their own to carry it, that I might have preferred. But still a fabulous debut from an insightful author with a very deft touch, and I would love to read more of her work.

Thanks to her, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Well paced and a good story of secrets and lies, that is primarily told through the eyes of 12 year old precocious girl. Overall an intriguing really, that gives a strong sense of the neighborhood and the various characters involved in the story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy.

The Grapevine is a claustrophobic crime thriller set in a close-knit community. Kemp tells her story with lucid prose and sharp humour, and the oppressive atmosphere and heat of a Canberra Christmas is tangible, tempers frayed. But I was disappointed by the characterisation: there seemed to be nothing below the surface. There are many secrets, but all of them are known to the reader, which diminishes the tension somewhat. Even the final twist feels a little predictable.

The Grapevine is a debut with potential, but it ultimately left me wanting a little more.

The residents of Warrah Place are united when it comes to solving the strange disappearance of Antonio, a young Lothario whose family have recently moved into the ‘Italian House’. His foot is found and 12 year old Tammy decides to do her own investigations. Colin, the slightly younger neighbour is at a loose end too, he loves trying on the contents of Tammy’s wardrobe and tags along for the ride. The cosmopolitan bunch of neighbours are full of intrigue, their different characters often at odds with each other. Friendships are forged from unusual happenings. A lonely Chinese neighbour gives a lift to Ursula, a closet Lesbian; two unhappy women who are able to open up to each other. It’s a lovely moment told with great pathos. Alongside all this intrigue are young Tammy’s observations on the life of ants - her self designated school assignment! Beautifully written with moments of humour, tragedy and friendship, the basis of which are all connected to the victim Antonio! My only criticism would be the constant hopping from past to present which took a little getting used to!

The book started off with a bang, setting the scene of the housewife cleaning up her husbands mistakes, as the book goes on it delves into the societies norms of secrets & lies that can be hidden in a close knit community like the setting of this thriller book, if you enjoy a good murder mystery thriller I would recommend. I throughly enjoyed, thankyou net galley for sharing this arc

I really enjoyed this story and its definitely different from others I've read. A brilliant murder mystery in a small town full of secrets. A great debut xx

I have really struggled to get through this book. I understand that it is focusing on careful observation of people behaviour but i have found each chapter very similar with little progress in the story- just more descriptive thinking from each character.
Not for me.

In Kate Kemp's engrossing novel, »The Grapevine«, the tranquil facade of Australian suburbia in 1979 fractures with the chilling revelation of a murder.

The narrative starts with a horrified housewife trying to erase the gruesome aftermath of her husband's crime—the slaying of their neighbor, Antonio Marietti. This stark opening sets the stage for an enthralling exploration of secrets, deceit, and the twisted underbelly of seemingly ordinary lives.

The plot unravels through the perspective of young Tammy, an inquisitive aspiring scientist caught up in the mounting tensions of her neighborhood. As rumors of Antonio's death spread, an atmosphere of suspicion and intrigue descends, turning once-familiar faces into enigmatic suspects. Each character is deftly crafted, revealing hidden agendas and vulnerabilities. The neighborhood comes alive as a tapestry of secrets and lies, with every closed door harboring potential darkness, leaving readers to question their trust in the characters.

Kemp's writing style strikes a balance between vivid description and approachability, drawing readers into her characters' emotional world. The stifling heat of summer and the suffocating weight of unspoken truths are nearly tangible. Deeply ingrained emotions like fear, guilt, curiosity, and betrayal are woven seamlessly into the narrative, highlighting the complex dynamics within a tight-knit community.

While feminist undertones are evident, Kemp skillfully avoids sermonizing and maintains a riveting plot that leaves readers guessing at every turn.

The story raises thought-provoking questions about the masks people wear to conceal their darker sides, as well as the consequences of maintaining appearances in a society that expects conformity.

Ultimately, »The Grapevine« is a tantalizing mystery and an astute social commentary rolled into one, leaving readers to ponder the depths of human nature long after finishing the book.

I felt slightly claustrophobic reading this. A place where the curtains twitch and your neighbours know way too much about you.
Despite that, there's still some secrets kept hidden.
I've said before, I really enjoy these kid led tales, and it was interesting to see the world alongside Tammy and Colin.
Fills in the blank spaces of the crime at a good pace all thr way to the end.
Very entertaining.