17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare

Publisher's Synopsis

The violent slaughter of the wealthy Primrose family while they slept shocked the nation of New Zealand and scarred the small idyllic rural town of Cambridge forever.

All of the evidence pointed to their young live-in chef, Bill Ruatara, who was swiftly charged with murder and brought to justice. The brutal crime is now infamous, and Bill a figure of contempt who deserves to rot in jail for life.

Seventeen years later, prison psychologist TK Phillips is fighting for an appeal. He is convinced Bill did not receive a fair trial. When celebrity true-crime podcaster Sloane Abbott takes a sudden interest, it's not long before she uncovers new evidence that could set fire to the prosecution's case.

As TK and Sloane dig deeper into the past, they become tangled in a complex web of danger and deceit. With Bill's innocence far from assured and their own lives at stake, will they risk everything to unearth the truth, or leave it buried for good?

My Review of 17 Years Later by J.P. Pomare

Sometimes you just have to sit back and acknowledge superior storytelling when you read it by an author who can orchestrate misdirection with consummate skill. J.P. Pomare has put together a crime thriller that stands head and shoulders above most that I have come across in recent times with 17 Years Later.

The Primrose family has been murdered and Bill Kareama, the family chef, has been convicted and imprisoned for the past 17 years for the crime. All the locals are convinced he’s a murderer but Australian podcaster Sloane Abbott isn’t so sure. She’s travelled to New Zealand in the hopes of putting together content for her wildly successful show, the podcast has successfully overturned decisions in the past. The question sits out there…is Bill a murderer?  

The story is told from three different viewpoints and across two time periods. Firstly, the investigation into the old crime is told from Sloane Abbott’s point of view in the present day. Secondly, we get an opinionated narrative from Bill’s psychologist and advocate Te Kuru Phillips (TK), which also takes place in the present day and often in response to interaction with Sloane. Finally, we go back 17 years and jump into Bill’s mind as the events leading up to the murders unfold.

Through Bill’s recollection of events we encounter numerous instances of racism, typical of the prejudice that has long blighted New Zealand. Not all of the Primrose family are pleasant people and we’re given potential motives for Bill to have done what he’s been imprisoned for. 

TK describes how torn he was when representing Bill: “I had been seeing Bill for about a year when I realised I had become attached to him and emotionally invested in his case. It wasn’t transference, it was something else. I believed him and not just that, I believed in him.”

Sloane manages to convince TK to help her sort through the evidence she has been able to pick up during her brief investigation. She becomes convinced that the slipshod police work has resulted in a wrongful arrest and imprisonment and can see a blockbuster podcast series in the offing as a result.

This cold case investigation conducted by two amateur investigators is wonderfully plotted and whizzes along at a rapid pace. The guilt of Bill Kareama is placed under question very early on and then the list of possible alternative murderers are carefully presented to create an intriguing web of suspects. And Bill’s never discounted among that list too!

As Sloane and TK carefully unpick the knots that the clues are tied up in, the tension builds and there’s an awareness of a growing danger that both are walking into. TK flies out to the UK and France to continue on his part while Sloane works away in New Zealand. Both seem to be walking straight into life-threatening situations.

There are numerous opportunities for misdirection and thrilling cliffhangers here, and J.P. Pomare doesn’t miss any of them. The further into the story I got, the more necessary it became to set aside what I was doing and read on to find out how this fantastic crime thriller was going to end.