The Reach by B. Michael Radburn

Publisher's Synopsis

In secluded Devlins Reach, on the shores of the Hawkesbury River, three bodies are unearthed in an excavation site. When a wilderness expert, Park Ranger Taylor Bridges, is called in to assist local police, he soon discovers the town has an unsettling history – one to match Taylor’s own haunted past.

But the quiet location and picturesque beauty of The Reach are hiding something darker than Taylor could have anticipated. Within the town’s tight-knit community of loggers, store owners and tight-lipped locals, someone is targeting the residents one by one.

As a torrential storm surges ever closer, and the river swells at the levee walls, The Reach goes into lockdown. With no way in or out, Taylor finds himself in a race against the power of nature to find a desperate killer before the whole town goes under.

My Review of The Reach by B. Michael Radburn

Victorian-based park ranger Taylor Bridges is getting a reputation as a mystery solver. The 3rd book in the series opens as he’s called on to help out in the Hawkesbury district just outside of Sydney. Although it means spending time away from his family he agrees to take on the task.

The place is Devlins Reach. You get to it by car ferry. It’s a small community that serves the logging industry. There’s no local police presence but there’s a park ranger on duty in the town. Taylor’s there to assist with the investigation into three mutilated bodies discovered inside the wreckage of a boat. Presumably, he’s there because they were found within the boundaries of a national park.

Already on scene when he arrives are DS Ryan Everett and Constable Neve Fisher. Everett is relatively inexperienced although he’s learned from the best. The two cops are awaiting the arrival of fellow, more experienced detectives and a forensic team. The problem is, a large storm is moving in and access to the Reach is about to be cut off. So they’re on their own. No one’s coming…but no one’s leaving either.

It’s only when one of the loggers disappears after leaving the pub the next night that the investigation kicks into high gear. A strange marking, similar to the one found on the wrecked boat’s hull is also found on the missing man’s motorbike. It seems that not only is the person who killed the first three men still around, it’s also pretty apparent that they haven’t finished yet.

Concerningly for Everett and Taylor, the killer must still be in Devlins Reach, trapped by the rising river with the rest of the townsfolk. 

This is a multiple murder mystery that builds in intensity as it progresses. Deteriorating weather, unhelpful locals, changing stories all contribute towards making the case increasingly difficult and dangerous.

The careful working relationship between Taylor and Everett creates an interesting dynamic , benefiting greatly from the strengths of both men. Everett is a more than capable investigator but through inexperience lacks confidence. He’s a big enough man to admit as much. Taylor is a softly, softly kind of operator and has an ability to provide support to others without seeming to. The guidance he provides for Everett is crucial to their success. 

The setting, which was richly described, is quite significant for its relatively remote location, as close to Sydney as it is. The fact that it’s prone to frequent isolation when the weather turns nasty is its big drawback.

But it’s the same isolation that results in a certain predictability to the plot. It’s quite an easy task to figure out who the murder is, given we’re only introduced to a limited number of people. Where Radburn took things after that, though, that proves to be one of the more cleverly chilling aspects of this tale.

The Reach is a solid noir crime novel that deals with confronting themes in a thoughtful manner. He even manages to throw in a paranormal element to his storyline and does so in a most casual way. If you like your themes dark, your story pacing accelerated and a picturesque setting, you’ll get quite a lot out of this book.