Dogboy v Catfish
Luke Gracias
247 pages
Published in May, 2023
Authors Upfront
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This was an intriguing Australian crime thriller, about the investigation into the disappearance of shy tech millionaire, Lindsay Kramer, just when his former beauty queen wife is preparing to take him to the cleaners in a divorce. I was invited to read it post publication by NetGalley, and liked the striking cover image and tantalising title, so decided to take a chance on a new author to me. I’m glad I did as I was immediately swept up in the story, which explores an area of the law that doesn’t usually appear in crime fiction, and exposes the way it can be abused by the unscrupulous.
I really liked how different this is, both in plot and writing style – it’s almost like a newspaper report, carefully describing a series of events, but the reader knows from the start who the villain is in the battle. The Melbourne police officers investigating Dogboy’s disappearance are sympathetic and diligent, and you cheer them as they take on the manipulative Katherine Kelly Fisher aka Catfish, her scheming lawyers and dubious associates. Soon they are discovering links to international organised crime,but the mystery lies in what exactly has been going on in the world of high-priced designer goods. Who knew that the market for fake handbags was quite so profitable!
I thoroughly enjoyed this for the characters and the twisty plot, and fully expect it to appear on my Top 5 books of this year. Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy; I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
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