Catch Us the Foxes

Nicola West

Jul 2021 · Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Twin Peaks meets The Dry in a deliciously dark and twisted tale that unravels a small Australian country town.
 
Ambitious young journalist Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson would do anything to escape the suffocating confines of her small home town. While begrudgingly covering the annual show for the local newspaper, Lo is horrified to discover the mutilated corpse Lily Williams – the town's reigning showgirl and her best friend.

Seven strange symbols have been ruthlessly carved into Lily’s back. But when Lo reports her grisly find to the town’s police chief, he makes her promise not to tell anyone about the symbols. Lo obliges, though it’s not like she has much of a choice – after all, he is also her father.
 
But when Lily’s murder makes headlines around the country and the town is invaded by the media, Lo seizes the opportunity to track down the killer and make a name for herself by breaking the biggest story of her life.
 
What Lo uncovers is that her sleepy home town has been harbouring a deadly secret, one so shocking that it will captivate the entire nation. And it will change the course of her life forever.
 
‘Addictive … West has a clear ability to spin a complex and compelling thriller. One to watch.’ Australian

Ratings and reviews

3.5★s Catch Us The Foxes is the first novel by Australian author, Nicola West. When intern journalist Marlowe Robertson stumbles on the body of the 2008 Kiama Showgirl, she’s understandably shocked. But it’s the mutilations on Lo’s best friend’s back that truly shake her up. There are strange symbols cut into Lily Williams’s back. Even stranger, when she alerts her father, Kiama’s Police Chief, he makes her promise not to reveal this detail. Lo begins to wonder if the murder is related to the incident in the ghost train ride from which Lily fled in terror shortly before her death. Lily’s favourite crystal seller indicates she had fears for her own safety and that there would be a truth for Lo to uncover. Lily’s secret diaries, when Lo gains access to them, are disturbing, revealing the existence of a local cult involving the town’s movers and shakers, something awful that Lo is reluctant to believe. They also reinforce a recent warning that no-one in Kiama can be trusted. The police immediately target a carny from the Show, an outsider, as the murder suspect, but Lo learns that they have withheld certain evidence apart from the mutilations, and isn’t convinced by their case. Does her investigation make her a target for a murderer? In the days following the murder, Lo is told she is suffering from PTSD, and certainly her paranoia will lead the reader to question her reliability as a narrator. Apart from the prologue and epilogue, set seven years later, the story plays out over just the five days following the murder, but manages to include a lynch mob, a fire, a mountain hike, a funeral and a suicide. West’s portrayal of Kiama as a town plagued by small-minded provincial xenophobes/homophobes might not meet the approval of current locals, but she does capture the setting fairly well. The plot is imaginative, with several twists and red herrings to keep the reader interested, but West’s page-turner gimmick of cliff-hanger chapter last lines does become a tiny bit irritating. Despite some plot holes and a not-quite-convincing ending, this is an impressive debut novel. This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia.

There are plenty of unexpected twists and untrustworthy characters in journalist Nicola West's crime-thriller fiction debut, Catch Us The Foxes. The book is presented as meta-fiction, in that the major part of the narrative consists of a manuscript entitled "The Showgirl's Secret", authored by the main protagonist. Journalist-turned-celebrated-true-crime-writer Marlowe "Lo" Robertson relates events that take place over the course of a single week in and around the NSW coastal town of Kiama, located 120km south of Sydney. While attending the town of Kiama's agricultural show and taking photographs for the local newspaper, Lo stumbles upon the lifeless body of her erstwhile best friend and current Kiama showgirl, Lily Williams. Not only has Lily been brutally murdered, but Lo observes a series of unusual symbols carved into the flesh on her back. While her father, the town’s senior police officer, cautions her against telling anyone about the mysterious wounds, Lo's journalistic instincts take hold and she begins her own investigation into the curious events leading up to Lily's murder. Her investigations lead her to uncover startling revelations suggesting that a strange and exclusive death cult is operating in Kiama, engaging in child abuse and murder. Lo senses that a cover-up is being orchestrated to account for Lily's untimely death, she begins to believe that she's found a career-breaking story. Catch Us the Foxes explores a range of themes, including small-town attitudes, the impact of xenophobia, police corruption, journalistic integrity and parent-child relationships. I found it an intriguing read but must admit that I found the concluding twist somewhat unsatisfying in the context of the whole. That said, I see a lot of promise in Nicola West's writing - her character development and dialogue was excellent, and the small town setting skilfully drawn. I'd recommend Catch Us the Foxes to readers who enjoy high drama in their thrillers, dark and twisty themes and well-described regional Australian settings. I look forward to reading future releases by Nicola West. My thanks to the author, Nicola West, publisher Simon & Schuster Australia and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Catch Us The Foxes is the debut psychological thriller by Australian author Nicola West and is a chilling read. Set in the small coastal New South Wales town of Kiama, the story follows ambitious journalist Marlowe and the murder of her best friend Lily. Not happy with the police investigation, Marlowe takes matters into her own hands in search of the killer. I’m not going to lie, this book had me at its reference to Twin Peaks, which is an absolute masterpiece and my all time favourite television show. Anytime I see it used as a reference, it immediately piques my curiosity and this tale certainty has the same vibe which I throughly enjoyed. The mystery had me invested and glued to the pages and there were plenty of suspects to have you second guessing. Nicola West does a great job of throwing you off the scent and there are so many twists, with each outdoing the previous! You are taken on one thrilling rollercoaster ride. The use of the real town of Kiama was a bold move given that it is not portrayed in the best light but, how it is depicted is essential to the storyline. This has caused some angst among some readers, but I’m sure if any of the residents read this they will know it is just a story. Catch Us The Foxes is very different to what I normally read in the genre, which is what makes it stand out and unique. Beautifully written, great characterisation and engrossing from beginning to end, Nicola West is an exciting new voice that I look forward to reading more from.

About the author

Nicola West grew up in a bucolic coastal town in New South Wales. After moving to Sydney to pursue a career in journalism, she vowed to be as far removed from both her home town – that is, until she found herself writing a novel about it. In addition to being one of eight young writers chosen to take part in Express Media's 2018 Toolkits: Fiction program, Nicola was also selected for the Australian Society of Authors' 2019 Award Mentorship Program. She was a mentee of bestselling author Monica McInerney. Her debut novel, Catch Us the Foxes, was published in 2021. For more, visit www.nicolawestbooks.com.