Echo Lake by Joan Sauers

Publisher's Synopsis

In the sleepy, scenic Southern Highlands of New South Wales, a beautiful young woman goes missing.

Six years later, recently divorced historian Rose McHugh leaves the city to start a new life in the Highlands and finds a roll of film buried in her back garden. On it are photos of the missing woman.

Against the advice of an enigmatic detective, she uses her powers of persuasion and her knack for deciphering clues to pursue the case. As Rose searches through tangled secrets and hidden places haunted by the past, she realises there is a killer at large.

As she makes new friends, and dangerous enemies, Rose closes in on a suspect—but will she solve the mystery too late to save herself?

Set in the atmospheric villages and forests of the Southern Highlands, Echo Lake is a compulsive read that will keep you guessing until the very end.

My Review of Echo Lake by Joan Sauers

There’s a little bit of everything to enjoy in this first mystery novel by Joan Sauers. Echo Lake is a predominantly feel good story set in some of New South Wales’ most picturesque countryside. There’s a couple of murders to deal with - one old, one new, a haunting to come to terms with, maybe a little bit of romance not to mention the occasional sense of menace coming from a local hooligan.

Rose McHugh has just moved to the Southern Highlands, a place she always loved to visit when she was younger. Almost immediately she crosses paths with a man who’s less than welcoming, souring the excitement of living the quiet life surrounded by glorious panoramic scenery. From this encounter comes the discovery of a roll of film in her garden and this slides effortlessly into learning about the disappearance of a local woman.

The mysteries soon begin to ramp up and it seems that Rose spends a lot of time talking to the local (hunky…oh yeah, and married) police detective. She believes she’s the unfortunate recipient of unwanted clues that leads to uncovering even more mysteries and takes real offense at being accused of “going all Miss Marple-ish”. Nevertheless, she appears to have a real knack of solving or at least, playing an integral part in solving, some major crimes in the area.

Everything appears to be water off a duck’s back to Rose. She has a few tricky moments, possibly encounters a ghost, embarrasses herself at a party, stumbles onto the remains of a body, yet appears to remain outwardly unaffected. 

This is a delightful cosy mystery that depends heavily on the friendships that Rose forms within her new Southern Highlands community. It also features some of the most glorious locations in New South Wales as the backdrop for many of the more dramatic moments.

The mystery side of the story is nicely plotted and holds up well in terms of plausibility, complete with nicely disguised red herrings and a well concealed twist. Add to that the strength of the relationships Rose builds with some of the locals she meets. It’s this attention to detail in the character development where the real strength of Echo Lake lies. 

I enjoyed this book, even with the inclusion of the paranormal aspects that merely provides a weird, slightly spooky aside to the main story. Perhaps it’s in keeping with the spiritual nature of some of the older grand houses found in Australia’s rural areas. Be that as it may, there are many humorous moments to be found amid the more tension-filled scenes.