Hades (An Archer and Bennett Thriller)

Hades is the first novel by Australian author, Candice Fox. When homicide detective Frank Bennett, late thirties, twice divorced, with a liking for alcohol, is partnered with the stunning Eden Archer, he figures he’s struck lucky. Although he certainly doesn’t feel the same way about her brother, Eric. And the case they are called into is intriguing: a stash of bodies in tool boxes at the bottom of Watson’s Bay. It seems they have a serial killer on their hands, and autopsies reveal a gruesome detail. Clues are hard to find. But then the killer makes a mistake.

Hades Archer, owner of the Utillo tip and a sculptor of trash, is known as Lord of the Underworld for his talent at making inconvenient bodies disappear: an unlikely father to Eden and Eric. The history of their association is gradually revealed in a narrative that is interspersed with the gripping account of the hunt for the killer.

Fox gives the reader an original plot with some brilliant twists, a local setting that will appeal to Sydney readers and characters that are real and flawed: the behaviour of some (supposedly ordinary people) will leave the reader gasping, and demonstrates just how fine the line is between good and evil. Her extensive research into police and medical procedure is apparent in every chapter. This debut crime novel by Candice Fox is a real page-turner and readers will look forward to reading the sequel, Eden.