When We Fall by Aoife Clifford [6/10]

A dominant strand of Australian crime fiction is the small town mystery, in which a hero returns to uncover dark secrets and exact justice. In “When We Fall,” city lawyer Alex is back in her sleepy, wind-smashed coastal hometown ( suspect it is in Tasmania), to care for her mother, increasingly lost in dementia. When she stumbles on a beachside body, somehow linked to an earlier one, Alex dons the mantle of amateur investigator. Very much a classic crime fiction entry, When We Fall is packed to the brim with suspects, red herrings, and final twists. The author is a smooth, immersive stylist and although the frenetic plot somehow runs low on tension toward the end, When We Fall packages a satisfying comfortable read.