December 2021
About:
There’s no such thing as a perfect victim.
In a hotel room on a sleepy Pacific island, Judy Novak waits. And worries. It isn’t the first time 29-year-old problem child Paulina has kept her mother waiting. But Judy can’t ignore the island’s jagged cliffs and towering pines — or the dread that Paulina has finally acted on her threats to take her own life.
When Paulina’s body is discovered, Judy’s worst fears seem confirmed. Only, Paulina didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.
So begins a thorny investigation, wherein every man on the island is a suspect yet none are as maligned as Paulina: the captivating newcomer known for her hard drinking, disastrous relationships, and habit of walking alone.
But, above all, Paulina is her mother’s daughter. And death won’t stop Judy Novak from fighting for Paulina’s life.
Review:
I had read really good reviews on this book and was keen to read it, so thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy, however I struggled, in fact I only got halfway through before I gave up. I rarely give up halfway through a book, I always like to see them through to the end but the language in The Newcomer was annoying and at times difficult to understand and, that wasn’t from the people of Fairfolk Island but from Judy and Paulina, the maines as they were called.
I also found it quite distasteful when comparing the people on the island of Fairfolk to Tasmanians, saying they would fit in well.
Paulina is a horrible out of control adult child and Judy appears as an ungrateful mother to anyone who wants to help her, her sister Caro wasn’t much better. I found the characters quite horrible and Judy quite childish.
I did smile though when I read some of the characters names such as Barry White (who in real life is an American singer songwriter) and the first time that Belinda Carlisle (who is a British pop singer) is mentioned but then her name changes to Merlinda Carlyle later on.
Whilst I would have loved to find out what happened to Paulina I could not stick with the story long enough.
