(2nd copy....because I love this book so much I want to share it out into the world!)

About the Book:
When 25-year-old Bella Michaels is brutally murdered in the small town of Strathdee, the community is stunned and a media storm descends.

Unwillingly thrust into the eye of that storm is Bella's beloved older sister, Chris, a barmaid at the local pub, whose apparent easygoing nature conceals hard-won wisdom and the kind of street-smarts only experience can bring.

As Chris is plunged into despair and searches for answers, reasons, explanation - anything - that could make even the smallest sense of Bella's death, her ex-husband, friends and neighbours do their best to support her. But as the days tick by with no arrest, Chris's suspicion of those around her grows.

An Isolated Incident is a psychological thriller about everyday violence, the media's obsession with pretty dead girls, the grip of grief and the myth of closure, and the difficulties of knowing the difference between a ghost and a memory, between a monster and a man.

My Review:
Its been a long 4 years since Emily Maguire released a new book, and my word do I wish she gave us more of her writing to enjoy more regularly.
That aside, this was by far her best since her debut "Taming the Beast" which upon reading I described as "A spyglass into the world of abuse, weakness, strength and perversion....not for the faint hearted."
"An Isolated Incident" cemented her as one of my all time favourite authors, and I have no doubt will be hard pressed not to be my “Best Read of 2017”.
Set against a backdrop of violence in Australia's central coast, this story portrays how being a woman can be quite frankly nothing short of shitty!
I miss Chris already!
I love Emily Maguire's unapologetic, shoot straight from the hip prose and look forward to her next book.

So this book is off on it's travels as a surprise Wishlist RABCK which ties in nicely with the Send your current read RABCK

Woohoo! A surprise RABCK of a lovely wishlist book. And not only that, but one which has been highly recommended numerous times recently.

Thank you so much, J4shaw. :D

Certainly an interesting and thought provoking read in the way it turns the "genre" on its head and concentrates on the aftermath of the crime not from the police perspective, but from that of Chris, the loved 'big sis', and to a lesser extent May, a female reporter. Chris's grief is difficult to watch, being portrayed in all its rawness.

The underpinning premise of this novel is the all pervasive misogyny and violence toward women present in many aspects of Australian culture (as of course it is also worldwide), and the disturbing (almost) acceptance of its place within that culture. Leading on from that are the effects on the everyday lives of women: not only how it alters their lives and behaviours, but also how they perceive themselves, their own behaviour, their worth, and their place in the world.

The writing reminded me a little of Peter Temple in the unapologetic use of the Australian vernacular, and the willingness to dig into and expose the 'not so nice' underside and hidden elements of supposed 'ordinary' Australian life.


Thank you again for the opportunity to read this, J4shaw. It will now soon be on its way to another BookCrosser as a wish list tag.

Off in the mail to amberC in Darwin as a wish list tag.

Thank you. This was waiting for me when I got home from work.

A different sort of crime novel in that it concentrates on the after effects on those left behind rather than on the hunt for the killer. It got the feel of life in a small country town.

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