Traced by Catherine Jinks

Publisher's Synopsis

Jane is a contact tracer. She has to call a lot of people and some of them don’t want to talk. Various reasons – tax or immigration issues, infidelity. Domestic abuse.

Jane knows all about that. She and her daughter Tara have spent years in hiding from Tara’s manipulative and terrifying ex. Now, as Jane talks to a close contact, she realises the woman on the phone is scared of the same man – and he’s close. Too close.

Suddenly the past comes slamming back into the present as Jane realises she and Tara can’t keep running forever.

One day, they’re going to be found.

My Review of Traced by Catherine Jinks

In this psychological thriller Catherine Jinks uses the Covid pandemic as the stepping off point of a domestic violence case that has been going on since 2014. This is a story that is all too familiar but acts as yet another reminder that abuse doesn’t necessarily have to be physical to be life threatening.

Jane MacDonald works as a contact trace advisor with Nepean Public Health out of the Penrith Hospital in Sydney’s western suburbs. She makes a call to a young woman who has been identified as a close contact to someone who has Covid to advise her that she must isolate for 14 days. The woman becomes hysterical, claiming her fiance will be extremely angry and she fears for her safety.

That’s when Jane hears the name of the fiance, Griffin Clynch, and feels complete dread overwhelm her. It’s the same man she and her daughter have been hiding from for the last 6 years.

The story jumps from the present back to 6 years ago to give us a complete picture of how Griffin gradually took over Courtney’s (Jane’s daughter) life. It involves a combination of isolation, gaslighting, guilt-tripping and, eventually, forcing her to succumb to his will. All the while, Jane is being cast as the villain of the piece, a clingy mother who can’t bear to let go of her daughter and showing an unreasonable need to paint her daughter’s boyfriend in a bad light.

So for six years Jane (who used to be Jeanette) and Tara (used to be Courtney) have been living their new lives, all the while hiding out from the man who terrorised the both of them. The contact trace call ultimately serves to begin the process of potentially putting him back on their trail and the terror of pursuit begins all over again.

Catherine Jinks does an outstanding job of conveying the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness victims of subtle domestic violence experienced through Courtney and Jeanette. It’s a story that evokes a great sense of vulnerability and reminds us how easy it can be to become a victim. The fear that keeps them from going to the police and the growing desperation that comes from an increasingly dangerous relationship all adds to the sense of anguish and despair.

This is a very well-paced story that flips back and forward between the two time periods, explaining how Jeanette and Courtney became Jane and Tara, the danger they face. It also provides a clear idea of just how dangerous things are about to get. It provides a very effective build up of suspense and terrible anticipation.

Anyone who enjoys an entirely plausible domestic thriller with a relatable main character is going to appreciate Traced.