Lapse

Description

All it took was a lapse...a momentary lapse...to bring Clementine Jones' world crashing down. Now she's living like a hermit in small-town Katinga, coaching the local footy club. She's supposed to be lying low, but here she is, with her team on the cusp of their first premiership in fifty years-and the whole bloody town counting on her, cheering her on. So why the hell would her star player quit on the eve of the finals? It's a question she wishes she'd left alone. Others are starting to ask questions too-questions about her. Clem's not the only one with a secret, and as tension builds, the dark violence just below the town's surface threatens to erupt. Pretty soon there'll be nowhere left for Clem to hide.

Sarah cast off the lines to her legal career not long after being declared Australian Corporate Lawyer of the Year in 2016. These days she's something of a vagabond, choosing to live on a sailboat with her husband, Dean, writing novels, enjoying everything this big blue planet has to offer and chasing an endless summer. Her debut, Lapse, was shortlisted for the Australia Crime Writers Association Ned Kelly Awards and received a starred Kirkus review. The follow-up, White Throat, was released in December 2020 and continues the crime-busting adventures of the fierce and feisty former lawyer Clementine Jones.

'A true page-turner and a surefire hit.' * Michael Collins * 'Clementine Jones is a heroine for our times: fierce, feisty and fallible.' * Candice Fox * 'Lapse is a quintessentially Australian story of small town conspiracies, dark secrets and footy finals. Part-time coach and accidental sleuth Clementine Jones is a welcome and refreshing addition to the ranks of Australian crime fiction detectives.' * Emma Viskic * 'Lapse is paced like a suspenseful footy match, scoring goals right up to the final siren. Unexpected twists and turns will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the end. Fans of rural crime, the likes of Jane Harper and Sarah Bailey, will enjoy this book.' * Books+Publishing (starred review) * 'Tackling Clem's guilt and shame with sympathetic and honest clarity, Thornton's debut is a small-town, high-stakes, mid-season tale that you don't need to love footy to enjoy.' * Readings * '[A] tense thriller that holds the reader captive until the very end...fans of Jane Harper and Garry Disher will enjoy this book.' * ReadPlus Reviews * '[An] enjoyable addition to the steadily growing catalogue of Australian rural crime fiction and a very accomplished debut.' * Robert Goodman * 'Thornton...has succeeded in creating a memorable and multi-layered heroine in the determined but fallible Clem...Lapse is a well-paced and absorbing thriller.' * West Weekend * '[A] thrilling page turner' * Brisbane News * 'There is much to admire in Lapse. Thornton captures the nuances and the tensions of life in a small country town...Lapse is an absorbing read, and an accomplished debut.' * Canberra Times * 'Sarah Thornton joins authors such as Jane Harper, Sarah Bailey and Matt Dunn in harvesting rich pickings from an increasingly barren landscape.' * Herald Sun * 'A fantastic debut, simmering with tension, conflict and so many plot twists your head will spin!' * Sisters in Crime * 'This is a rip-roaring tale that addresses weighty issues head-on: Discrimination, race-baiting, harassment, physical violence, corporate corruption, and criminality all play major roles in the story...A riveting thriller with a heroine willing to get her hands dirty to find the answers she seeks.' * Kirkus (starred review) * 'Exciting...fans of small-town mysteries should try this for its out-of-the-way locale and brave, likeable protagonist...readers can look forward to more from Clem.' * Booklist *