by Boomert - The Labyrinth Of Drowning by Alex Palmer 08 Jan 2010

The Labyrinth Of Drowning is the third instalment (the first was Blood Redemption, the second The Tattooed Man) in Palmer’s Harrigan/Riordan series. It’s been two years since ex-top cop Paul Harrigan left the NSW police force to start his own security firm, while his partner Agent Grace Riordan has recently returned to work after the birth of their daughter. The intricately interwoven plot begins with the discovery of a brutally murdered body in Sydney bushland. Riordan’s boss pushes her to set up a sting to catch the murderer but unfortunately as a result of the ‘top secret’ nature of Riordan’s work, Harrigan and Riordan are forbidden to swap notes. What then begins is a complex parallel narrative as Harrigan starts his own investigations into who has been watching them and threatening their hardearned personal security. The plot works well but I found the characterisations a little clumsy and undercooked. Unlike the work of Peter Temple or Shane Maloney I suspect this series is better read in order. For fans of the series I’m sure this instalment will come as a welcome addition but those who are new would be better to start at the beginning in order to establish a connection with the characters.

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine (March 2009, Vol 88, No 6.) is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.