When We Fall by Aoife Clifford

 When We Fall by Aoife Clifford

When We Fall by Aoife Clifford was published on 3rd May 2023 by Ultimo Press. My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

In the wild, coastal town of Merritt, Alex Tillerson and her mother make a shocking find on the beach. The police claim it’s an accidental death but there are whispers of murder and that it is not the first. ‘It isn’t strangers you need to worry about here. Blood lines run deep and in unexpected places. Every victim, every accused, we’ll know. The past runs alongside us all the time. Some days it spills into the open.’ Bella Greggs was found dead at the bottom of a ravine but drowned in salt water. Maxine McFarlane was pulled from the ocean but with no water in her lungs. Black feathers were found with both bodies but what do they mean? As Alex fights for answers to honour the dead, and to discover why her mother fled town as a teenager, good people keep looking the other way, memories become unreliable and secrets threaten to reveal the past.Alex discovers the truth never dies but it can kill.

My Review

When We Fall drew me in with the dark and sinister cover; and the story that lay inside didn't disappoint in this context. The cleverly woven story centres around the lives of various women in the coastal town of Merritt, all with issues that come to light as the story weaves it's dark path through murder, fear, revenge and hidden secrets - some never to be told !!!!!

As did Alex, you find yourself, as the reader, questioning every single man she comes across, wondering if he is the one behind all the murders that have taken, or are taking, place in this supposedly sleepy backwater, and what is the truth ? All the characters are brilliantly described in such a way as you find yourself feeling that you know them all personally regardless of age, gender or issues. All of them have been let down in some way, or are fighting against something, whether it be finding out the truth about Bella, or protesting against future developments in the community.

Alex is trying to contend with her own personal life, a broken marriage, a career on the rocks and a mother in the early stages of dementia, whilst also trying to resolve Bella's death in a town where it appears and easy conclusion is more acceptable and she finds her quest to discover the truth not welcome.

The different paths Aoife takes the reader on throughout the story and the "Oh, I didn't see that coming" ending are the work of a brilliant writer and I will definitely be looking out for more books by Aoife Clifford to read in the very near future.

About the Author

Aoife Clifford is the author of All These Perfect Strangers, which was long-listed for both the Australian Industry General Fiction Book of the Year and the Voss Literary Prize, and Second Sight, a Publishers Weekly (starred review) and PW Pick for Book of the Week. Aoife’s short stories have been published in Australia, United Kingdom and the United States, winning premier prizes such as the Scarlet Stiletto and the S.D. Harvey Ned Kelly Award.