When Rosemary Norman's body is discovered, it changes from a missing persons case to a murder case - and finding Natale becomes an urgent priority. It is not an easy case to work, especially when they discover that Rosemary's body has been marked by the killer in a most unusual way. As they dig deeper and deeper in to the lives of the two women, they uncover surprising facts and carefully hidden secrets. As the long hours keep Emmett away from home, his wife is taking the first tentative steps towards a new career as a photographer - balancing her working life with her roles as a mother and wife. As Emmett is dragged deeper into the case and spends more time in the office, Cindy spends more time with her photography tutor Michael, who seems to have a deeper interest in her than she expected - a deeper interest she may share.
As Emmett and the team look into the backgrounds of the victims and the people in their lives, they uncover secrets that could tear some lives apart and change others forever. It soon becomes clear that there is a killer on the loose in Melbourne, one who shares his story in flashes of is past, a little boy pushed to the limits by a junkie mother who died and left him alone in the world. A little boy who struggled to find his place in the world, and one who learned that the old saying sticks and stones may brake your bones but words will never hurt you is a lie. How many victims will be enough for the killer, and what will happen if Emmett and his team can't find him in time?
Sticks and stones was an addictive read that brought together the past and the present to create a taunt thriller where Emmett and the Police in the Missing Persons Unit are given the unenviable task of trying to uncover a killer and stop him before he leaves any more victims in his wake. The story is told from a number of different perspectives, building the story as individual strands that are woven together as the story builds, bringing together snitches of the past and the present. Through the glimpses into the past we get a sense of the killer and what motivates them, a broken and damaged little boy whose identity is carefully protected to keep you guessing until the end. His story is woven around the personal stories of the main characters - not just Emmett and his family, and the victims and their families, but also people involved in their daily lives.
It is a story set in a very real world, one that keeps you hooked from start to finish. I read a lot of crime and thriller fiction so it can be challenging to find authors and stories that are unique - ones that keep me hooked from start to finish - but Sticks and stones was definitely one of those books. It will be interesting to see if there are any more books in this series, or if Katherine Firkin writes anything else of this caliber.
If you like this book then try:
- Cut short by Leigh Russell
- The edge of normal by Carla Norton
- Buried secrets by Lisa Cutts
- Vodka doesn't freeze by Leah Giarratano
- The slaughter man by Tony Parsons
- Eeny meeny by M.J. Arlidge
- Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
- City of fear by Alafair Burke
- Gathering dark by Candice Fox
- One step too far by Tina Seskis
Reviewed by Brilla
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