The Long Game by Simon Rowell

Publisher's Synopsis

A summer of relentless heat. A local surfer named Ray Carlson is found dead in a house not far from Portsea back beach. There's a kitchen knife deep in his chest, and blood everywhere.

Detective Sergeant Zoe Mayer is scarcely back from extended leave, and still wrestling with her demons, but she is assigned the case-alongside her new service dog, Harry, whose instincts help her in unexpected ways.

There's an obvious suspect for the murder, and Zoe makes an arrest. But it's all too neat, and none of Zoe's colleagues believes her theory that the whole thing is a stitch-up.

Except now someone is trying to hunt Zoe down.

Superbly plotted, and vividly set in the beachside suburbs and hilly retreats around Melbourne, The Long Game is a mystery about a tough and clever investigator who won't give up.

My Review of The Long Game by Simon Rowell

The Long Game is the debut crime novel by Australian author Simon Rowell. Set in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula it introduces Detective Sergeant Zoe Mayer who has just come back from extended leave to pick up the murder of Ray Carlson. He has a knife embedded in his chest with not a lot of other evidence to be seen. It’s a full-on welcome back to work but, accompanied by her partner Detective Constable Charlie Shaw and her police service dog Harry, she feels she’s more than ready to wade back into the fray.

Right out of the gates their investigation leads them down a couple of avenues that offer more questions than answers. First, how does a guy on a $65K annual salary afford a beachfront property on the Mornington Peninsula? Second, how does he also afford to sling his soon-to-be ex-wife a grand or more every month? The discovery of multiple bags of cash buried in his garden suggests Ray wasn’t a complete innocent.

Anonymous tips and the uncovering of secret affairs begin to point their investigation towards a potential suspect. Their evidence begins to mount quickly to the point where they feel they have enough to make an arrest. But is it all too easy?

Zoe benefits from a call from investigative journalist and podcaster Sarah Westbrook who cites 2 other cases that exhibit remarkable similarities to the Carlson murder. Although not entirely convinced, Zoe thinks there’s enough there to do some digging to ensure she’s not about to arrest an innocent man.

Her determination to follow her instincts marks her as an extraordinary detective, more so considering the pressure placed on her by her colleagues who believe she’s chasing shadows. Things get very tense within the walls of the Homicide Unit.

This takes us back to the presence of Harry, the police service support dog.

Right from the start we are teased by the suggestion that Zoe had been through a traumatic incident in the line of duty. This was the reason for her extended leave and the need for a support job. Although she’s assessed as being ready for work it’s clear that all eyes are on her, looking for any sign of weakness. Going rogue on a murder investigation may be the cracks some people are looking for.

What is certainly clear is that Zoe Mayer is a strong protagonist and a clear and methodical thinker. Consequently, we benefit from a logical plot development that unfolds with certainty. It also gives us the impression that we’re always making progress.

And that makes the plot twists all the more delicious when they rear their devious heads.

The Long Game is a quality police procedural thriller that introduces a strong lead you can really throw your support behind. I found myself fully invested in Zoe, her investigative methods and her compassion and humour tempered by a certain toughness and grit. It was also hard not to be impressed by her relentless drive to seek justice over the need to simply close another case.

I found The Long Game to be a highly successful debut thriller for Simon Rowell and it definitely left me looking forward to the next Zoe Mayer story.