The truth is false or is it?

Catch Us The Foxes by Nicola West

Paperback, 320 pages, Expected publication: July 7th 2021 by Simon & Schuster Australia

In the seaside township of Kiama the locals are a close knit group who happily encourage the tourist dollar. When one of their own is murdered, the popular Lily Williams, suspicion immediately falls onto the travelling carnival group. Marlowe ‘Lo’ Robertson, local journalist and Lily’s best friend knows things are amiss. Having discovered the mutilated body of Lily and with no-one investigating the symbols carved onto her body, Lo suspects that members of the town are hiding the truth. With a take no hostage attitude Lo rattles the town establishment to find out what really happened. Is this a murder of passion, a young woman’s descent into mental illness or a conspiracy that involves the upper echelons of the town?

The reading of the Catch us the Foxes relies on the relationship you form with the narrator Lo. Her whip smart, gung-ho attitude shows a woman fully in control, who knows her destiny is to escape the confines of a small country town. That on the surface is Lo, yet, things quickly become less black and white as you read deeper into the story. Lo is difficult to pin down as to whether she is reliable or not. The death of her friend gives Lo an opportunity to both solve the murder and a catalyst to further her own ambition.  It is a fine line we tread with Lo. 

The supporting characters create further murkiness. Each time they appear they push their agenda to fore, then slink into the background and re-emerge to create further doubts. Thus makes it difficult to determine who is telling the truth and having the right influence on Lo Their continual interference makes you wonder if Lo has an over active imagination, she has  mental health issues or whether she is being manoeuvred into a direction against her will. 

Nicole West cleverly sprinkles throughout the narrative layers of doubt, mixed with dubious personal agendas and subtle manipulation. You begin to query who is really in control of the situation. Catch us the Foxes will cause controversy and will be a great read for book clubs. The ending will have you either flinging the book across the room in rage or jumping up and down knowing that was the way it would end.