Gone by midnight

When eight-year-old Richie Farrow goes missing from his hotel room while on vacation in Crimson Lake, Queensland, in Australian author Fox's intense third Crimson Lake novel (after 2019's Redemption Point), his mother, Sara, asks Ted Conkaffey, a former Sydney homicide detective, to help find Richie. The local police reluctantly work with Ted, who was once a suspect in a child's attempted murder, and his quick-witted partner, Amanda Pharrell, a convicted killer who served eight years in prison. As Amanda and Ted question witnesses and suspects, they discover that many of them are less than truthful, leading the pair to consider a myriad of scenarios to explain Richie's disappearance. Complicating their investigation is Ted's decision to look after his two-year-old daughter for his ex-wife and a budding relationship with his veterinarian. Quirky, no-nonsense characters complement the suspenseful plotting, which includes a multitude of twists. Readers will look forward to seeing more of Ted and Amanda. Agent: Lisa Gallagher, DeFiore & Co. (Mar.)

*Starred Review* Two years after being falsely accused of kidnapping and assaulting a 13-year-old girl, Ted Conkaffey believes he's still the most hated man in Australia. So when eight-year-old Richie Farrow goes missing from the Cairns hotel where he's staying with friends and their parents, Conkaffey is picked up by two cops and sends out an SOS to his partner, PI Amanda Pharrell. Turns out the boy's mother has specifically requested Conkaffey's help on the case, and he insists Pharrell join him, despite the bad blood between her and local police over the recent death of one of their detectives. This all happens just as Conkaffey is preparing for a visit of his nearly three-year-old daughter, Lillian, so he's torn between being a dad to the daughter he dearly loves and finding someone else's missing son. In her third Crimson Lake novel (after Crimson Lake, 2018, and Redemption Point, 2019), Fox ramps up the suspense, leading to a climactic scene in a crocodile-infested swamp. Compelling plot aside, it's the humanity of both Conkaffey and the appealingly eccentric Pharrell that lifts this well above the standard suspense thriller. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Disgraced cop Ted Conkaffey and convicted killer Amanda Pharrell are private investigators in this third "Crimson Lake" novel (after Redemption Point). The Australian setting is blazing hot and full of crocodile-infested rivers and lakes. Conkaffey is finally permitted (after his fall) to spend a week with two-year-old daughter Lillian. The timing is awful, though: eight-year-old Richie Farrow has gone missing from a locked hotel room where he played with three buddies while their parents dined downstairs and checked the room every hour. Conkaffey and Pharrell (who has no sense of boundaries yet is very clever) clash with local police when they are also hired to investigate. The beginning of the story is fascinating and fast paced but eventually melodrama takes over. The PI characters are unrealistic. Readers will wonder, as Conkaffey does, what Pharrell is up to, when, like a magician, she reveals something important that everyone else missed. Pluses include Conkaffey's loving relationship with daughter Lillian and the detectives' questioning of the young boys about Richie's disappearance. VERDICT Readers willing to overlook a few flaws will enjoy this graphic mystery.—Susan G. Baird, formerly with Oak Lawn P.L., IL

When eight-year-old Richie Farrow goes missing from his hotel room while on vacation in Crimson Lake, Queensland, in Australian author Fox's intense third Crimson Lake novel (after 2019's Redemption Point), his mother, Sara, asks Ted Conkaffey, a former Sydney homicide detective, to help find Richie. The local police reluctantly work with Ted, who was once a suspect in a child's attempted murder, and his quick-witted partner, Amanda Pharrell, a convicted killer who served eight years in prison. As Amanda and Ted question witnesses and suspects, they discover that many of them are less than truthful, leading the pair to consider a myriad of scenarios to explain Richie's disappearance. Complicating their investigation is Ted's decision to look after his two-year-old daughter for his ex-wife and a budding relationship with his veterinarian. Quirky, no-nonsense characters complement the suspenseful plotting, which includes a multitude of twists. Readers will look forward to seeing more of Ted and Amanda. Agent: Lisa Gallagher, DeFiore & Co. (Mar.)