Catch Us the Foxes

Catch Us the Foxes
Author: Nicola West
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 07 Jul 2021

Small Town, Big Story;

The story on a stage, where Marlowe Robertson recalls the events seven years ago. Marlowe Robertson was a budding young journalist who was tasked to cover an important town event. The setting, like The Dressmaker, the place is a seaside township called Kiama. There is no secret that Marlowe is telling a story about a murder, the murder of her best friend. As the first person doing the narrative, Marlowe walks her audience down memory lane via her book, The Showgirl’s Secret.

Story

This is a murder mystery, Marlowe describes the events in vivid detail to her audience like it was yesterday. Marlowe has a way with words, and she does not pretend that she is not jealous of Lily Williams. But she is a tenacious person, so determined to unearth secrets she does not care if she crushes the flowers above it. While searching for skeletons in the closet, the general “oh no, there are skeletons in my closet too!” topic comes up.

It is hard to write a review on a murder mystery without actually spoiling it for potential readers. Catch Us the Foxes has many red herrings, some more successful than others. I think even Marlowe becomes an unreliable narrator at some point. But that is the skill of the writer, spinning the web so fine that it makes you wonder what else is a lie.

Characters

Plenty of suspects, only one dead person.

In the small of of Kiama, there are few people who want Lily Williams dead. Unfortunately, that thought goes through Marlowe’s mind a fair bit, I almost suspect her, being a narrator to throw the audience off. I can name a few with that kind of ending, but Catch Us the Foxes pivots hard and bring about a new ending. Kiama is such a small town that everyone knows everyone. So, when Jarrah Watson, the outcast who left for Sydney years ago.

He is such a pot- stirrer that he becomes a villain in the book. I think the author is smart to introduce someone like Jarrah Watson. Controversially homosexual, Jarrah muddies up the waters and stirs up forgotten ugly emotions in the town. When you rile up a small town like that, things get interesting really fast. Marlowe, ah, she’s a poor journalist, but she is an excellent storyteller.

Verdict

I like Catch Us the Foxes; I think it is a strong horror- thriller story. The ending that I do not expect, yet when it happens it is not surprising, maybe because it’s 2am when I reach the end. Marlowe loves drama and explosiveness, so it fits into her character to end her story that way. When I say her, I do mean her. The story continues even after she finishes reading Lily’s story, as though her death is a precursor of what is coming.

In the end, this is a book you close with a sigh of satisfaction. A journey that the heroine completes with you by her side the entire time, when it ends you let go with a firm goodbye. When/ if it comes out in July, look out for it.