How did I miss this title? Such an engrossing, twisting tale.  Definitely looking for more Crimson Lake books now.

Ted Conkaffey was once a respected police detective, but after being accused of the abduction and rape of a young girl, and spending time in prison, his family and friends have turned against him and he can no longer stand living in the same town.
He moves to Crimson Lake and meets up with private investigator Amanda Pharrell, whom also has a dark criminal past. They join forces to investigate the death of a famous author Jake Scully.
Ted's longing to be somewhere where no-one knows his story, however, doesn't last, as his past becomes known and he is once again set upon by locals.
This was a new author for me and I found it a compelling and interesting crime thriller.
I liked the characters created for this story,9 although I did have to suspend disbelief at the start, that these people could still actually work as investigators, having been in prison for such crimes.)  I thought the author combined the three storylines within the book well.  The setting was especially well written, with a great small town feel to the area.
Great pace and some good twists kept me entertained throughout.

After heralding her arrival with an award-winning trilogy featuring Sydney homicide detectives Eden Archer and Frank Bennett, Candice Fox ventured north to the crocodile-infested landscapes around Cairns. Once again Fox offers a finely wrought, dark tale centred on an unusual, indelible pairing of investigators. Ted Conkaffey was a Sydney detective whose career and family were vaporised when he was accused of sexually assaulting a young girl. Choosing to relocate, he teams with Amanda Pharrell, a peculiar private eye and convicted killer. Together the duo peer into three cases: a missing celebrity, and their own.. Ted wants to lie low, but brutal local cops, an investigative journo from the city, and a local lynch mob are determined that convicted or not, a ‘kiddie fiddler’ won’t settle in their town. Crimson Lake is a black opal of a story: hard exterior, eye-catching and colourful characters who shift with different views, and distinctly Australian.

Really gripping ,page turning ,holding breath stuff Great holiday read would recommend to a friend and would buy for them !

This was an entertaining and twisty tale.  It told a great tale of how being wrongly accused of a crime has far reaching consequences.  I've only read this book by this author and I think it was part of a series.  Easy to catch up with if so and very gripping.  The end required a level of suspension of reality, but was an enjoyable read nevertheless.  I will look out for others by this author.   Based in a great location in the US too!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for this arc.

Another one lost in my state of disorganized kindles!  (too many, dying batteries, dropped to often...)!  A state I don't recommend.

I really like this read.  There were actually three different story lines going on, but it was still an easy read.  The pacing was great, just as one line seemed to slow down, another picked up.  The setting (s) were great, mostly a little rural wide spot in Australia with just a little big-city thrown in for contrast (and crime connections).  I loved the geese!  The main protagonists, Ted and Amanda were great as well.  They balanced each other beautifully.  

I will definitely be reading more Crimson Lake books as fast as they are written.  I think...given my organization skills that may be tough, but I'll try.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. Ted, a police officer, was accused of raping and leaving a young girl for dead. But after 8 months in jail and being deserted by friends and family, his trial was stopped when the prosecutor deems he doesn’t have enough evidence to secure a conviction. He leaves Sydney and travels to small town Cairns in northern Australia, trying to escape the haters. He teams up with Amanda, a convicted murderer who has her own detective agency. 

This book does a wonderful job of delving into the guilty until proven innocent herd mentality. Ted is harassed by the cops, the press and the neighbors. 

There are three different “investigations” going on here (the accusations against Ted, Amanda’s murder conviction and the missing person they’re being paid to find) and all three kept my interest. I enjoyed the characters of both Ted and Amanda. There are also some great minor characters here as well, and that’s not counting Mother and her goslings. The Australian countryside is as much a character as the people, with its “croc infested wetlands”. 

Make sure to listen to the author’s interview. I loved hearing how she decided on having the geese in the book and where she got the inspiration for Amanda. 

I listened to it and the narrator did a great job. I’ll definitely listen to book two in the series

very atmospheric, suspenseful and wonderfully written first book. 
If you love fast paced, action packed but still very well written characters and a good plot, give this book a try!

13 year old Claire Bingley is seen standing at a bus stop.

6 minutes later she has gone.  Detective Ted Conkoffey's life is in ruins.  He goes to prison for 8 months, but nobody or definite forensics are found, so he is released.  We are left to decide whether he is capable of raping and killing a child.  His marriage did not survive time in prison, but much worse is not being able to see his daughter.

He moves away from Sydney to the North and  Crimson Lake in Queensland.  People are not going to forget and he fears the case being opened again.

His only ally is another much hated person, Amanda Pharrell, who runs a private investigation business.  He is recommended to contact her by his solicitor Sean. They join forces and are on the trail of Jake Scully, an author.

The residents in Crimson Lake are watching them ...

I found the characters Ted and Amanda likable, even with her background.  Ted is a strong character who has a big fight ahead of him.

I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased.  My thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity.

I think I have read books that Candice Fox coauthored with James Patterson, which I quite enjoyed but which don't compare to this. Fox has really come into her own. This is an excellent thriller, one of my favourites for 2018! Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the mystery and could not put it down. I can't wait to try some more of this authors work hopefully this year or next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars

Ted oh Ted!  This poor man. I loved this book - so atmospheric it made me dream of a life in Oz.

The heat, the drama, the heartache and tragedy.  This book hooks you from the start and it’s written in such a way that you feel you know these characters and you really root for them.

Brilliant, Wonderful, Absolutely Enthralling. 
All the characters in Candice Fox's story from rural Australia are big time weird! We seem to be set in the Australian version of "Deliverance" country. 
The quirky location and weird characters enhance what is a carefully crafted and clever murder investigation by a new dynamic duo. Crimson Lake offers endless possibilities so I have my fingers crossed that Candice will bring back Ted and Amanda in their searches for redemption and to solve the mysteries of others.

I really enjoyed this dark and twisty tale.  Very well written, very gripping.  Perhaps the end was a little too neatly tied up and far-fetched, but certainly an engrossing read.  Highly recommended, and I shall be looking out for a certain sequel!

This was a thoroughly entertaining read and it's lovely to read a book set in Australia for a change. Mixing humour (mostly dark) with some fresh perspectives on serious themes, Crimson Lake made for a unique and refreshing crime novel and I'm intrigued to see where the series goes after this.

Candice Fox offers us an insight into the treatment of convicted criminals by the media and general population that immediately gives the book an edge on the average mystery/crime novel. Ted and Amanda are very different personalities, but both are characters we sympathise with - despite their backgrounds and even because of them. 

For the main plot, the mystery felt well-developed and kept me guessing with its various twists and turns to a climax I didn't spot coming. Crimson Lake is full of surprises and likable, interesting characters, with a voice that feels new and exciting in what sometimes feels like a cluttered genre.

Really enjoyed this thriller, I'm finding that Australia is a good setting for a different type of mystery.  Liked the characters who are very quirky and look forward to another one by this author.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this - so many thrillers I have read recently have been much the same as each other, but this one was nicely different!  It probably helped that it was set in Cairns, Australia, and featured a great band of quirky characters.  There were plenty of good twists and turns to the story, which I read within 24 hours as I kept finding myself going back to it.
I see there is a sequel out this year - yippee - although this book was perfectly self-contained with just one thing left over for the next book, but no cliffhangers, thank goodness.

Crimson Lake is the story of disgraced police officer Ted Confakkey; accused of the kidnap, physical and sexual abuse of a young girl taken from a bus stop, he tries to rebuild his life after the case against him is dropped due to lack of evidence against him. But mud sticks. And while Ted moves to a new town and tries to move on with his life past the allegations, he can’t escape the vigilantes who want to harm him and expose exactly who he is. 
When his lawyer puts him in contact with Amanda Pharrell, he doesn’t know why or to what end. Amanda has her own secrets about her past, something which she has moved on from and now operates as a self-employed private investigator. Amanda recruits Ted as a fellow investigator and together they set out to try and solve the mystery of an author who has disappeared and is presumed dead. 
While running from vigilantes and corrupt police and trying to uncover the truth about Amanda’s past and searching for the missing author, Ted finds the truth about horrendous crimes and fights to bring justice to those who deserve it. 

Crimson Lake is packed full of storyline. We effectively have 3 different storylines ongoing and the book resolves 2 out of the 3. It all sets it up perfectly for the next book to (hopefully!) resolve the 3rd storyline. 

Well written, well paced and packed full of interesting storyline, Crimson Lake is an enjoyable book that promises an exciting series of books. 

Thanks to NetGalley, Candice Fox and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Do you know what I need in my life? Redemption Point the sequel to this book. And I want it now, but I've heard patience is a virtue so I will have to wait. Anyway, this book is awesome. I mean a team of a convicted murderer working together with a disgraced police officer accused of the abduction and rape of a young girl? A crime Ted is trying to clear his name from. I'm always on the lookout for thriller series that are a bit different that doesn't follow the standard model and here I have found one that I really like.

Crimson Lake is a fabulous book, with two very different individuals trying to work together to solve the disappearance of a well-known author. Ted Conkaffey has fled his old life after the charges were dropped because of lack of evidence, not that it matters very much since pretty much everyone thinks he's guilty. His lawyer fixes him up with PI Amanda Pharrell, a convicted murderer since Ted needs a job. And, them working together is brings some lightheartedness to this dark and tragic story.

There are many things about this book I like, the weird (but sweet and funny) partnership, the atmospheric little town with the crocodiles lurking in the water, the mystery of the missing author. The geese and all the cats. *sigh* I really want the next book!

A really good book, but let down by the lack of depth and garishness for the character Amanda. This story is weaved around the very gritty topic when someone is accused of a crime against a child (paedophile/murder), with circumstantial evidence, and are driven out of their life and continually hunted by those who have already convicted them in their mind.